Bulgogi Rice Bowl
プルコギ丼
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Bulgogi is a Korean dish of thinly sliced meat cooked in a sweet, garlicky soy sauce, and this is the gentle version we make in the preschool kitchen. Thinly sliced pork is tossed with a little flour so it stays tender and the sauce clings to every bite, then it joins soft harusame glass noodles, onion, carrot and bok choy that have been cooked until tender. Spooned over rice, it is a one-bowl meal that gets children eating their vegetables without a second thought, and the mild garlic and sesame keep it flavorful without being spicy.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 75 griceJapanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- 30 gthinly sliced pork (komagire)Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- 3 gharusame (glass noodles)Thin, translucent noodles made from potato or mung bean starch that soften quickly in hot water. Substitute: Mung bean glass noodles or thin rice vermicelli.
- 15 gonion
- 5.3 gcarrot
- 15 gbok choy
Seasonings
- 1.5 gflour
- 3 gsesame oil
- 45 mlwater
- 3 gsoy sauce
- 0.8 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- 0.5 gsugar
- 0.5 ggarlic paste (tube)Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 0.8 gwhite sesame seeds
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- rice (米)
- Japanese short-grain white rice (japonica), which cooks up soft and slightly sticky. The amount listed is for uncooked rice. Substitute: Sushi rice, or another short-grain or medium-grain rice such as Calrose.
- thinly sliced pork (komagire) (豚こま切れ肉)
- Small, thin offcuts of pork sold in Japan for quick stir-fries and simmered dishes. Substitute: Thinly sliced pork shoulder or loin cut into bite-size pieces.
- harusame (glass noodles) (春雨)
- Thin, translucent noodles made from potato or mung bean starch that soften quickly in hot water. Substitute: Mung bean glass noodles or thin rice vermicelli.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
- garlic paste (tube) (にんにくチューブ)
- Grated garlic sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh garlic for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated garlic in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
Directions
- 1
Cut the pork into 1 to 2 cm wide pieces and rub the flour into it.
- 2
Soak the harusame in lukewarm (or boiling) water to rehydrate it, then cut it into 3 cm lengths.
- 3
Thinly slice the onion and cut the slices in half lengthwise, cut the carrot into short matchsticks, and cut the bok choy into 2 cm wide pieces.
- 4
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the onion and carrot and stir-fry well. Add the bok choy and stir-fry. Add the water and harusame and simmer until everything is soft.
- 5
Once the liquid has completely cooked off, add the pork and stir-fry, then add the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, garlic paste and white sesame seeds and stir-fry briefly.
- 6
Serve over freshly cooked rice.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 369 kcal | 738 kcal | 369 kcal |
| Protein | 11.7 g | 23.4 g | 11.7 g |
| Fat | 7.2 g | 14.4 g | 7.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 65.4 g | 130.8 g | 65.4 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 2.7 g | 1.4 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 36 mg | 72 mg | 36 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 mg | 1.8 mg | 0.9 mg |
| Potassium | 268.5 mg | 537 mg | 268.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 369 kcal | 11.7 g | 7.2 g | 65.4 g | 1.4 g | 0.5 g | 36 mg | 0.9 mg | 268.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 738 kcal | 23.4 g | 14.4 g | 130.8 g | 2.7 g | 0.9 g | 72 mg | 1.8 mg | 537 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
