This vegan bulgogi is made with soy curls dressed in a sweet and savory sauce! It's loaded with flavor, super easy to make, and perfect for a weeknight.
Korean cuisine is one of my favorites! Korean food isn't exactly the most vegan-friendly cuisine, but fortunately I've been able to find a few places that offer vegan versions of classic dishes like bibimbap, kimchi fried rice, and kimchi stew.
One dish I've never tried bulgogi. Bulgogi is a meat-based dish that you don't find many vegan versions of. I decided to create one myself!
Obviously I can't guarantee the authenticity of this one, having never had legit bulgogi. But I can promise that it's delicious!
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What You'll Need
- Butler Soy Curls. These are one of my favorite new meat replacements! They're a minimally processed soy product that's sold in dried form, so you just need to rehydrate them. Oh, and they're gluten-free! I haven't been able to find them in stores yet, so I buy them on Amazon.
- Vegetable broth. This is just for rehydrating your Soy Curls and adding a little flavor. Any brand will do, but I really like Better Than Bouillon on Seasoned Vegetable Flavor.
- Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
- Pear. Use a fresh one that's ripe. Any variety works!
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Ginger.
- Brown sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan.
- Gochujang. This is a type of spicy fermented Korean chili paste that's available in the international foods aisles of many supermarkets. You can also find it in Asian markets.
- Peanut oil. Feel free to substitute another high-heat oil, such as canola, corn, or coconut.
- Toasted sesame oil. Look for this in the international foods aisle as well.
- Sesame seeds.
- Scallions.
- Cooked rice.
How to Make Vegan Bulgogi
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Rehydrate your soy curls by placing them in a bowl and covering them with broth. Let them soak for a few minutes while you make the sauce.
- To make the sauce, place the soy sauce, half of a pear, some onion, garlic, ginger brown sugar, and gochujang into a blender or mini food processor. I don't recommend using a full-sized food processor unless you double or even triple the batch size — otherwise it might not all blend.
- Blend everything together to make a smooth sauce.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet, then add the soy curls. Cook the soy curls for about 5 minutes, until they start to brown in spots.
- Now stir in the sauce. Bring it up to a simmer and cook the soy curls in the sauce until it reduces a bit. Be sure to stir the soy curls from time to time to prevent burning.
- Turn on the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
- Serve your vegan bulgogi over rice and topped with scallions and sesame seeds.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftovers of this dish will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 3 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
It can! Just substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce.
It's pretty mild. The gochujang adds a very slight bit of heat. Leave it out for a milder version of the dish, or add some extra for a little kick!
You can try making it with seitan, though you may want to cut down on the amount of soy sauce in the recipe since seitan is pretty heavily seasoned. I'd try halving the amount and then adding more at the end if you think it's needed.
More Soy Curl Recipes
- Vegan Chicken Fajitas
- Vegan Ropa Vieja
- Vegan Chicken Tetrazzini
- Vegan Beef & Broccoli
- Creamy Vegan White Chicken Chili
📖 Recipe
Vegan Bulgogi
Ingredients
- 3 cups Butler Soy Curls
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- â…“ cup soy sauce
- ½ fresh pear, pitted and peeled
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 scallions chopped
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Place the soy curls into a medium bowl and pour the broth over them. Let them soak for about 10 minutes.
- While the soy curls soak, place the soy sauce, pear, onion, garlic, ginger, gochujang, and brown sugar into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with the peanut oil and place it over medium heat.
- Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the soy curls in an even layer.
- Cook the soy curls for about 5 minutes, until they begin to brown, stirring them occasionally.
- Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet and stir to coat the soy curls. Cook the soy curls in the sauce for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces slightly.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the sesame oil.
- Top the bulgogi with chopped scallions and sesame seeds. Serve over rice.
Notes
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Very tasty and simple to make; thank you! I'd never heard of bulgogi before but will definitely make again. One note - step 3 says to add the oil and it was a bit confusing to know if that meant both oils or just the peanut. We did just the peanut and it worked great
Glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for catching that! I just updated the recipe to clarify that the peanut oil is added at that stage.
Super delicious! Easy, quick, and tasty. Pairs well with any veggies you're trying to use up served over rice.
For the soy curls how much would that be in grams? Thank you!
120 grams. There's a button just below the ingredients list that you can toggle to switch between US and metric - all of my recipes from the past few years have it. :) Enjoy!
I’m allergic to pears :(. What is their purpose and what substitution do you recommend? Thanks so much!
They add a little bit of sweetness and tartness. Can you have apples? You could try an apple or another fruit with a similar flavor balance and water content. I could even see a plum working. Good luck and I hope you enjoy this!
Can this be made without using the oils?
Sure! You could simply omit the sesame oil (it adds some flavor, but the dish should still be delicious without it), and use a really good nonstick surface to cook the soy curls.
Do you think I can replace the soy curls (cannot eat ANY soy), with young canned jack fruit?
Hmmm...I can't say for sure without trying, but I think it would work! You might need to make some adjustments to the cook time and seasonings. I'd keep a close eye on it as it cooks so you can taste-test and tweak the dish as it cooks.