Beef Bulgogi

Bulgogi is a traditional Korean dish of marinated and grilled beef that is sometimes cooked in a skillet as in this recipe from www.epicurious.com. This particular recipe calls for sirloin steak. The marinade bursts with typical Asian flavors—soy, sesame, garlic, and ginger, and includes additional fruity touches from Asian pear to and mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine). As important as the flavor of Bulgogi is the texture, as the meat is customarily sliced very thin. To make it easier to slice the beef properly, it should be a given that one use a sharp knife. Another good trick is to put the steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm it up.

Selecting wine for this Asian-flavored dish can be tricky, but if you consider that the base of the marinade is essentially sugar and there are additional sweet and salty elements in the dish, consider a fruity Beaujolais from France or California made from the Gamay grape to meet the sweetness head on yet balance dish’s flavors with just enough acid. An added plus to pairing the dish with Beaujolais is it can be served at room temperature like a “serious” red wine or chilled slightly to refresh the palate like a white. Another good option is to enjoy a white Zinfandel or an off-dry rose. For the recipe, please visit www.epicurious.com .

--Felicia M. Sherbert