Yukhoe is an incredibly delicious and aromatic raw beef dish, offering a perfect balance of textures and a umami-packed flavor.
Although it is often called to be the Korean version of "beef tartare", it tastes different from its western counterparts (better, I'd say).
In Korean, "Yuk" means meat, and "Hoe" means butchering meat.
This dish of marinated raw beef is most commonly made of lean cuts such as rump or the eye of round. The beef is cut into very thin strips or very small cubes, then seasoned with a sweet-savoury sauce of sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, sugar, garlic, and sometimes, spicy gochujang sauce.
Korean pear, raw egg yolk, and pine nuts are commonly used for elevating the layers of textures and flavours.
Enjoying Yukhoe with rice as Bibimbap is also great, in which circumstance the combination of warm rice and cold yukhoe will give an interesting contrast of taste, texture, and fragrance.
It is so easy to make this fantastic and delicious dish that it has been on repeat on my table as a snack, appetizer, or not surprisingly, as a side dish for a few happy drinks.
Ingredients:
200g Raw Beef (*Note 1)
3 tbsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Plum Extract (*Note 2)
1/2 tbsp Mirin
Pinch of Salt
1.5 tbsp Garlic, minced
Sesame seeds, toasted
Pine Nuts (optional)
Chilli Powder / Chilli paste Gochujang (optional)
Chives (optional; mix-in/garnish)
Korean Pear (optional, but highly recommend) (*Note 3)
Egg Yolk (optional; simply raw/confit/soy-marinated)
Method:
Freezing the beef for 1 to 2 hours until it is semi-frozen so that it will be easier to julienne the beef strips.
Make the seasoning sauce while waiting for the beef to be ready. Combine garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, sugar, salt, plum extract, mirin, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Mix it well.
Prepare the pears. Peel the pears and cut it into matchsticks. Dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar in 2 cups of water. Soak pears in the sugar water for about 10 minutes. Drain the pear sticks and dry with paper towel.
When beef is ready, take it out of the freezer. Pat dry with paper towels. Trim off fatty parts and the silver skin. Julienne the beef strips. Thinner is better but remember to move fast or chill the meat again before you continue.
Mix the cut beef with the seasoning sauce. Personally I would love it marinated slightly rather than served straight away. And to avoid the beef being heated up, I would put the seasoned beef back to freezer again for 30 mins and then serve.
Garnish and serve. Use a cookie cutter or mold to shape the layers of pears and seasoned beef. Sprinkle with chives, more sesame seeds or pine nuts. Make a small indent in the middle of the Yukhoe. Gentle place the egg yolk in the centre of the Yukhoe. Enjoy!
If not with rice, scooping vessels including crackers/crisp bread/potato chips(crisps) are recommended to be paired with Yukhoe by itself as a shared snack. (*Note 4)
Notes:
The freshness and quality of the beef are everything! Talk to the butchers for advises on the best cut of meat for tartare; or ask them for the freshest meat that is very lean and can be eaten raw.
A substitute for Plum Extract: 1 tsp plum extract = 1/2 tsp water + 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar + 1/6 tsp brown sugar
Korean pear is crisp and sweet, adding the sweetness and crunch to this dish. If you cannot find any, a firm and sweet Bosc pear could be used as a substitute.
This time I paired my Yukhoe with Kettle limited edition Bundaberg Ginger Beer flavored chips, and it was absolutely amazing. The gingery sweetness even gave the dish a stronger Korean vibe. That said, normally original salted crisps are the choices as this dish is already rich in seasoning.
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