Korean Bulgogi with Frozen Ground Beef for Instant Pot
Korean Bulgogi made with frozen ground beef is a simple and easy to make without defrosting the meat. It's not only easy but also very flavorful when you make it in the Instant Pot. But for those who do not have the Instant pot, scroll down for the skillet method.
½ctamari or coconut aminosor ¼ c soy sauce + ¼ c water
1tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1tablespoonraw honey
1teaspoonminced garlic
1teaspoongrated fresh ginger
2teaspoonsesame oil, divided
1teaspoonfish sauce
1teaspoonsea salt
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1 lbground beef
½cdiced onion
½ cdiced carrots
1teaspoonmirinoptional
¼cchopped scallionsfor garnish
1teaspoonsesame seedsfor garnish
2cmedium grain rice soaked
4ccold waterdivided
For Stove Top
1teaspoonneutral oil, like avocado oil
Instructions
For Pressure Cooker
In a small mixing bowl, combine the tamari, molasses and honey with a whisk. Add the garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, fish sauce, sea salt and black pepper to the bowl. Mix and set aside.
Wash the rice, drain water and repeat 3 times or until water runs clear. Then, soak the rice in 3 cups of water until it's ready to cook.
Turn on the Instant Pot by pressing “Sauté” and set to “More.” Insert the inner pot and wait until the panel says “Hot.”
Add the frozen ground beef to the inner pot and let one side brown for 1 minute. Add the onion, carrots and the tamari mixture to the inner pot and stir the liquid and the vegetables for about 1 minute. If using defrosted ground beef, see NOTES below.
Then, turn over the ground beef to brown the other side and place the beef on top of the vegetables.
Drain the water from soaking rice. Then add the remaining water to the rice and place it in an oven proof bowl that fits inside the inner pot. Stainless steel bowl is best but glass bowl is fine too.
Place the trivet inside the inner pot, over the meat and vegetables.
Put the bowl containing the rice on top of the trivet and close the lid tightly.
Hit “Cancel.” Move the steam release handle to “Sealing.” Press the “Pressure Cooker/Manual” button and set the timer for 15 minutes on HIGH pressure.
When the timer ends, press “Cancel” and allow the Instant Pot to cool down naturally until the float valve drops down. Open the lid carefully.
Take the rice bowl out and keep it covered until serving. Break the meat apart in the inner pot or transfer the meat to a cutting board and cut into small pieces with a sharp knife. Mix the meat and the vegetables. Add the remaining sesame oil and mirin (if using). Stir for about 2 minutes.
Fluff the rice into 4 bowls, place the Bulgogi on top of the rice. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
For Stove Top
Place the frozen ground beef in a ziplock bag and submerge in large bowl of warm water until most of the meat is defrosted. It should take about 15-20 minutes. Turn the meat over time to time to time.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the tamari, molasses and honey with a whisk. Add the garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, fish sauce, sea salt and black pepper to the bowl and mix.
Combine half of the sauce mixture and ground beef and mix. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Saute onions for one minute.
Add carrots and sauce for another minute.
Add the marinated ground beef to the skillet and stir to break down the beef into small pieces. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until beef is browned. Add mirin if using.
Transfer the meat with vegetables into bowls with rice or cauli rice. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.
Video
Notes
Sodium:Coconut aminos can vary in sodium content, depending on whether the bottle is labeled as “sauce” or just plain coconut aminos. This recipe uses plain coconut aminos with 130 mg sodium per 5 ml so check the sodium content of tamari or soy sauce you are using. If the sodium content is higher than 130 mg per 5 ml, you can dilute it with water.
For Fresh Ground BeefFor Instant Pot: if you are using fresh ground beef, combine the beef with marinade and diced onions and set aside for 1o minutes. Then, brown the meat mixture for 1-2 minutes on Sauté, and cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. And follow the rest of the steps after opening the lid. For Stove Top: if you are using fresh ground beef, you can skip the defrosting step in warm water and follow the steps above. For Ground ChickenThe recipe is the same as above but use 2 teaspoon of grated ginger.