Korean bulgogi with black bean ssamjang recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium tamari
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons natural sugar
• 1 medium Asian pear, peeled and finely grated
• ½ small onion, cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 pound portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped, cut into ½-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

• 2 tablespoons fermented bean paste (doenjang)
• 2 teaspoons Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon natural sugar
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1 scallion, minced
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
• Sea salt and black pepper

• 1 cucumber, peeled, thinly sliced, and squeezed
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium tamari
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 4 ounces thin rice noodles (mai fun)
• Romaine or butter lettuce leaves, to serve

Marinade
1. Combine the broth, tamari, oil, sugar, pear, onion, garlic, and scallions in a large bowl. Mix well and add the mushrooms. Toss well to coat and set aside to marinade while the skillet preheats, about 5 minutes. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the mushrooms and add to the skillet. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to help the mushrooms sear. Add the remaining marinade to the skillet and cook until sauce evaporates and the mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the sauce. Set aside and garnish with the sesame seeds.
Ssamjang
2. Combine the bean paste, red pepper paste, oil and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well and fold in the black beans, scallions and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Salad
3. Combine the cucumber, scallions, vinegar, oil and tamari in a small bowl. Mix well, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Noodloes
4. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the noodles and cook, stirring, until al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cool water, drain well and coarsely chop.
Assembly
5. Serve the bulgogi in wide shallow bowls. Place the mushrooms, noodles, salad, and ssamjang side by side in the bowl. To eat, layer the ingredients as desired in lettuce leaves and devour.