Korean cuisine

I went to Sujeo restaurant last week for the first time and I can’t believe that I haven’t gone before. Every table was full and the kitchen was hopping with non-stop take-out orders. Despite that, our food came out quickly, piping hot, and we got fairly large portions for a decent price. The handmade dumplings were absolutely delicious and some of the best I’ve ever eaten. My spicy fried beef noodle was so good that I wanted to go back the next day, but I didn’t. Instead, I bought some beef and udon and made a slightly different version. I didn’t buy steak and wasn’t sure I could slice it thin enough so I cheated and bought ground beef. If you wanted to make it with steak then I would suggest that you partially freeze the steak for slicing it thin. I used the vegetables I had on hand, but next time I will buy some cabbage to stir fry as well. There will be a next time because my family loved it—but I’m also going back to Sujeo for those awesome dumplings and some real beef bulgogi.

Beef bulgogi style fried udon noodles

2 packs 500g frozen udon noodles

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons canola oil

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cut in chunks

1 small onion, sliced

1 lb. ground beef

1 small carrot, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces and thinly sliced

4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets and blanched 2 minutes

1-2 tablespoons hoisin sauce or to taste

4 green onions, sliced

Toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Soak frozen noodles in hot water for about 1 minute and using chopsticks, carefully loosen noodles. Rinse in cold water, drain and set aside. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, pepper flakes and ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a wok over high heat, add mushrooms and onions and cook while tossing in wok for a minute or two and then add beef. Cook beef, stirring to break up chunks for 5-7 minutes. Add carrots and garlic and cook for a few minutes until tender and fragrant. Add broccoli and noodles along with sauce and stir fry everything until hot. Stir in hoisin sauce and toss until combined. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds and serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.