Bulgogi Tempura Sushi Roll

Bulgogi Tempura Sushi Roll

This was our entry into the Fusion category of the Blackstone Great Griddle Off, and we decided to lean into it.

We made a quick bulgogi marinade with onion, garlic, apple, kiwi, soy sauce, mirin, and sesame oil. Blended it smooth and let the steak sit for a couple of hours. Then we cooked it hot and fast on the Blackstone Products griddle to get a solid sear before slicing it thin.

From there it got a little chaotic.

Seasoned sushi rice, sliced steak, cucumbers, and carrots all rolled up tight. Then we dipped the whole thing in tempura batter and fried it until golden and crispy. Once it was sliced, we finished it with a drizzle of gochujang and yum yum sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

It’s not traditional. It wasn’t supposed to be.
It’s just one of those “why not?” recipes that ended up working way better than it probably should have.

INGREDIENTS

Sushi Rice

  • 1 cup short grain rice
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 2 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon sugar
  • ½ tablespoon salt

Marinade

  • ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup Fuji apple, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Tempura Batter

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 ½ cups seltzer water

Bulgogi / Sushi Roll

  • 2 pounds skirt steak
  • Nori sheets
  • Cucumbers, julienned
  • Carrots, julienned
  • Sesame seeds
  • Gochujang
  • Yum yum sauce
  • Avocado oil, enough for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

Sushi Rice

  1. Cook rice according to package directions.
  2. Mix together rice wine vinegar, sugar, and salt.
  3. Fold mixture into cooked rice and keep warm until ready to use.

Bulgogi

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
  2. Place skirt steak in a sealed container and pour marinade over the top
  3. Marinate for at least 2 hours
  4. Preheat griddle to medium high heat
  5. Lightly oil the surface with avocado oil or another high smoke point oil
  6. Cook steak on both sides until medium rare
  7. Remove from heat, let rest, then slice thin.

Sushi Roll

  1. Julienne cucumbers and carrots.
  2. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap down and place one sheet of nori on top
  3. Spread sushi rice evenly over the nori
  4. In the center, add sliced steak, cucumbers, and carrots
  5. Roll tightly and shape using a sushi mat.
  6. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, and seltzer water to form tempura batter.
  7. In an aluminum container or fryer, heat avocado oil to 400 degrees
  8. Submerge the sushi roll in tempura batter, then carefully place in hot oil
    Fry until golden brown
  9. Remove and let rest on a rack before slicing into even pieces
  10. Drizzle with gochujang and yum yum sauce
  11. Finish with sesame seeds and serve