Bulgogi Onigrazu

Instructions

1. Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yields 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked white rice. See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
2. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the bulgogi marinade: 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 2 Tbsp Korean soy sauce, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Grate ¼ Asian pear, measure 2 Tbsp grated pear, and add to the bowl. Crush (or mince) 4 cloves garlic, measure 2 tsp minced garlic, and add to the bowl. Mix it all together.
3. Cut ½ onion into thin slices. Cut ½ carrot into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces, then cut into julienned pieces.
4. Cut 3 green onions/scallions into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces. Cut 1 lb beef into thin 2-inch (5-cm) strips. Tip: I put the meat in the freezer for 2 hours (depending on the size and thickness) before cutting the meat into thin slices. See my tutorial on how I slice my meat.
5. Add the vegetables and meat to the bowl and toss to coat with the marinade. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.
6. Prepare 2 medium bowls. In each bowl, combine 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, ½ tsp minced garlic (from 1 clove garlic), and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and mix well.
7. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Add 6 oz bean sprouts and cook for about 1 minute. We will need to reserve the boiling water for spinach, so scoop up the bean sprouts with a sieve or spider strainer. Run under cold tap water to stop the cooking further with remaining heat and drain well. Set aside.
8. Prepare iced water in a large bowl. In the same boiling water, blanch ½ bunch spinach for 30 seconds. Transfer the spinach to the iced water to stop the cooking.
9. Squeeze out the water from spinach as much as you can and add to one of the bowls with the seasonings. Toss well with the sauce.
10. Thinly cut 1 green onion/scallion. Add the bean sprouts and green onions to the other bowl and toss well with the sauce.
11. Cut ½ large carrot in half widthwise, about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Cut each piece into thin slices, and julienne the carrots. Cut 6 shiitake mushrooms into thin slices.
12. Heat 1 tsp toasted sesame oil in a large frying pan and add the carrots. Season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and sauté until tender. If your pan is big enough to add the shiitake mushrooms, move the carrot to one side when it's cooked halfway. Add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil in the open space and add the shiitake mushrooms. Season with ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and sauté until tender. If your frying pan is small, cook one ingredient at a time; transfer the carrots to a plate and cook the shiitake mushrooms after. When the carrots and shiitake mushrooms are both tender (but not overcooked), transfer to a plate and set aside.
13. Heat 1 Tbsp neutral oil in the large frying pan and make fried eggs with 4 large eggs (50 g w/o shell). I cook the eggs “over hard” so the egg yolk won't be runny and messy when the onigirazu is cut in half.
14. In a large skillet (I use a griddle pan so I can grill the meat in a single layer), heat 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil over medium-high heat and sauté the marinated beef until cooked, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to the plate and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds.
15. In a small bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients: 2 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds. Mix them all together. Add 1–2 Tbsp water until you achieve the consistency you like.
16. Place a piece of plastic wrap on a working surface and place a sheet of nori seaweed on top (shiny side down), with a corner pointing up. Evenly spread ½ serving of the steamed rice in a thin layer and form into a square shape in the center of the nori sheet. If you make the onigirazu with different ingredients that have a milder taste, sprinkling Diamond Crystal kosher salt at this step is very important, especially if you plan on eating it at room temperature.
17. Place one serving of bulgogi on top of the rice in a thin layer. Then, put one serving of spinach, bean sprouts, carrot, and shiitake in a thin layer on top of the meat.
18. Add the fried egg. Then, add another ½ serving of steamed rice
19. Bring the left and right corners of nori sheet towards the center. Fold gently but tightly to wrap around the layers at the center.
20. Then, bring the bottom and top corners towards the center. Continue to fold gently but tightly around the layers. Make sure the rice is tucked in nicely. If you‘d like the onigirazu to showcase the ingredients after cutting it in half, mark it with a piece of carrot perpendicular to the ingredients (see video). Flip over and shape the onigirazu gently. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and set aside for 5 minutes. Repeat assembling the remaining onigirazu.
21. Cut the onigirazu with a sharp knife (following your “carrot” mark). Run your knife in cold water before cutting so that the cross section will be clean. The Bulgogi Onigirazu is now ready to enjoy.
22. If you plan to make it ahead of time, wrap the onigirazu with a kitchen towel and keep in the refrigerator overnight. The towel will prevent the rice from getting harder from cold air.