Bulgogi

Bulgogi is often filed under barbecue, which is misleading. The beef is sliced very thin, marinated in soy, garlic, sesame and pear, then cooked on a domed plate or in a pan so it sits in its own liquid. Some versions add broth, onion and mushroom and edge towards a light stew. Nothing about it is spicy; the register is sweet and savoury.

It nearly always comes with rice, and the point of the dish is the spoonful of pan juices poured over that rice. Lettuce wraps work too, but go easy on the ssamjang because the meat is already seasoned. Whatever is left in the pan gets finished with the last of the rice.