The $4.99 Kroger Freezer Find I'm Keeping Stocked From Now On
It's a perfect lunch in a bowl.
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For many years, I drove around with a license plate that declared my greatest allegiance in life. “BULGOGI,” it said, sharing my ardor for Korean barbecue beef with every passing motorist.
As much as I love bulgogi, I’ve rarely been impressed with products that are meant to replicate the smells and flavors of thinly sliced ribeye searing on my table. I use raw, marinated beef to cook Korean barbecue at home, but my tabletop grill is messy and smoky.
Fortunately, I recently found a microwave solution. Kroger's Private Selection Beef Bulgogi may not sound like it’s the closest thing to a visit to my favorite Korean barbecue restaurant, but life is full of surprises. Some of them are just meatier than others. And while this 410-calorie bowl isn’t stacked with the trencherman’s helping I’d have when dining out, it has plenty of beef for a healthy-ish lunch.
Simply Recipes / Kroger
Kroger Private Selection Beef Bulgogi With Rice
Price: $4.99 for one serving
Why I Love It: This beef bulgogi is surprisingly delicious, with sweet, gingery meat, tender vegetables, and a slightly sweet sauce. It's a perfect lunch in a bowl.
Why I Love Kroger's Private Selection Beef Bulgogi
The sweet, gingery meat, tenderized with pear purée, has a charred flavor that recalls what comes off a hot grill, but that’s not the only reason I’m a fan. The collection of tender, colorful vegetables that top the long-grain rice suggests another Korean dish—bibimbap—which features a sizzling rice bowl covered in carefully chopped and cooked veggies.
In the case of this bulgogi bowl, the vegetables are onion, zucchini, carrots, and red bell pepper. The varied collection of ingredients is flavored with a sweet, soy-based sauce with just a tickle of mild heat.
How I Prepare Kroger's Private Selection Beef Bulgogi
Since it’s a microwave meal, I follow the directions almost to the letter. That means heating it with its cover on for a few minutes before I remove it and stir. I’m not the biggest fan of less-than-caramelized onions, so this is the step where I discard most of those. Another round in the microwave and I’m done.
I crave a little more fire than the bowl includes by default, so I use a squeeze bottle of Assi hot pepper paste to amplify the sweet heat. One of my favorite things about Korean barbecue at a restaurant is the myriad pickles. I don’t have that kind of selection, but I do like eating some kimchi or pickled radishes on the side with my meal to give it another flavor boost.
The bulgogi bowl isn’t going to keep me from haunting Korean barbecue restaurants, but between trips, I can now satiate myself with something that scratches my itch more than any prepared meal has before.
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