I am excited to have you here to teach you about a bulgogi pizza! Bulgogi is not only one of the most well-known Korean dishes in the world but also much loved in Korea. Its sweet and savory flavor profile is easy to love for many people. Well, it has gotten so popular that it has been made into a type of pizza in Korea. But to be fair, I have seen bulgogi on Canadian-style fries – the Bulgogi Putin – in Los Angeles. So bulgogi is not only a sensation in Korea but rather a new fad in the world. In today’s blog post, we’ll cover what a bulgogi pizza is, how to make it in the comfort of your home, and some tips on how to personalize it to your liking.
What is Bulgogi Pizza?
A Korean Pizza
First of all, a bulgogi pizza is a Korean-style Pizza. It is said to have evolved from the New York Style Pizza, which has the most similarities to the original Italian pizza compared to other fusion pizzas due to the high number of Italian immigrants to New York.
However, pizzas in Korea have evolved so much over the years that they have very few similarities to New York-style pizza and have become their own style. The dough is still kept fairly thin, but there are so many other Korean characteristics to the pizzas. A Korean pizza is less salty to carry lots of toppings on top, has fillings like cheese or sweet potatoes in the crust, and is usually eaten with more side dishes and sauces. Moreover, unlike many other pizzas in the world that have a savory flavor profile, many types of Korean pizza have a sweet flavor profile such as the bulgogi pizza we are discussing today.
We have a blog post more in-depth about Korean pizza here: All About Korean Pizza | History, Characteristics, and Types
About Bulgogi
Bulgogi vs Korean BBQ
What is bulgogi then and what does it taste like? It is often used interchangeably as Korean BBQ outside of Korea, but they are different types of food. I explained more in detail about my vegan bulgogi post, but Korean BBQ is a barbeque in a Korean style which often involves bulgogi sauce. Bulgogi is a type of food that is thinly sliced meat marinated in a sauce that consists of soy sauce, sweeteners, aromatics, and toasted sesame oil.
Bulgogi Flavors
This bulgogi sauce made of soy sauce and lots of other sweeteners, aromatics, and toasted sesame oil creates a unique sweet and savory flavor that is well-balanced. When you cook vegetables and meat in the sauce, these ingredients absorb the sauce while also oozing out their juices to make this dish even more wonderful!
Bulgogi Pizza Toppings
I hope you are getting hungry as we are talking more about bulgogi and how delicious it is. Well, I surely am! Most Korean pizza restaurants serve bulgogi pizza but they can vary in their toppings. Here are some of the most common additional toppings they have on bulgogi pizza together with bulgogi.
1. Bell Peppers
Some recipes include bell peppers to cook bulgogi so having some bell peppers on the bulgogi pizza would be a proven topping to have. You can put red, yellow, and green peppers in bulgogi, and some bulgogi pizzas have green chilis for some spicy kick.
2. Shiitake Mushrooms
Like bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms are also one of the common ingredients to put in bulgogi. Shiitake mushrooms also add a nice umami flavor and nice texture to the pizza, so you could also try that as well.
3. Truffles
Last but not least, I saw this truffle bulgogi pizza and I thought it was brilliant! To take your bulgogi pizza to the next level, drizzle some truffle oil or slice some truffles on your pizza right before serving to recreate that truffle bulgogi pizza. It will have even more depth of flavor and scents from truffles.
Vegan Options
Maybe you want to have bulgogi pizza, but you are vegan or vegetarian. But fear you not! I’m with you. As I shared in my vegan bulgogi recipe, I have some experience with creating and experimenting with vegan options to create delicious dishes. For all my vegetarian and vegan fellows, I included these vegan options for you to create the vegan or vegetarian bulgogi pizza.
1. Vegan Cheese
For mozzarella shreds to use on the pizza, try this vegan cheese! It melts and tastes great, so if you are looking for some dairy-free cheese to go with your pizza, try this cheese.
2. Vegan Meat
For your vegan meat to use on bulgogi pizza, here are two options for you; one that is like steak and one like ground beef. Both meats can work for bulgogi pizza.
Vegan Steak Meat
With this meaty, juicy texture of a real steak, you can create a premium vegan bulgogi pizza that you almost can’t tell is all plant-based!
Vegan Ground Beef
There are already burger restaurants that make their vegan burgers with Impossible Meat, so this will give you a guaranteed result. The raw version already looks like raw meat – the vegan food world has come so far!
Bulgogi Pizza Recipe
Portions: One 16-inch pizza (serves 3-4 people)
Pizza Dough
- 200g all-purpose flour
- 130ml room temperature water (65%)
- 1g dry yeast (0.5%)
- 10g olive oil (5%)
- 4g salt (2%)
Toppings for bulgogi pizza
- Mozzarella, 0.8 pound
- Meat 0.7 pound
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 2 Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 red chili
- 2/3 cup of thick pizza sauce
Bulgogi Sauce
- 9 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- ½ cup chopped leek
- ¾ cup ground pear
- 3 tbsp Date paste or sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame, optional
Instruction for Making the Dough for Bulgogoi Pizza
- Begin by pouring the water into a large mixing bowl, and dissolve the yeast.
- Gradually add the flour to the water, stirring continuously to incorporate. The goal here is to mix the flour thoroughly with the water and yeast, creating a homogenous mixture without lumps.
- Once all the flour has been mixed in, sprinkle in the salt and drizzle the olive oil over the dough. The salt not only flavors the dough but also helps to strengthen the gluten structure, while the olive oil adds richness and moisture in addition to crisping in the oven.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. The dough should become smooth and elastic, indicating that the gluten has developed properly. If you’re using a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment and set it to a low-to-medium speed to achieve the same effect.
- Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a large, oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature (ideally between 21°C to 23°C) for about 4 hours. The dough should double in size, becoming light and airy.
- After the rise, lightly flour your work surface and gently turn out the dough. It’s important to handle the dough carefully at this stage to preserve the air pockets that contribute to a light, airy crust.
- To shape the base, start by flattening the dough ball with your hands. Gradually stretch the dough outwards from the center, rotating it as you go to maintain an even circle. Hand-stretching is crucial to achieve a light and airy crust. Leave a thicker rim around the edge to form the crust.
- Add the sauce, cheese, and bulgogi toppings, and bake at 500°F for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.
Instructions for the Bulgogi Sauce
While the dough is rising, let’s make bulgogi sauce!
- In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
- In a large bowl, put the meat of your choice. Pour the bulgogi sauce and mix. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- Slice shiitake mushrooms and the onion into a bite-size.
- Thinly slice the red chili and set aside.
- Once the meat has been marinated, you can cook your meat in bulgogi sauce. Try not to overcook it.
Topping your Bulgogi Pizza
Using a spoon, spread the tomato sauce evenly over the pizza and top with mozzarella cheese. Then put the bulgogi on top and sprinkle slices of shiitake mushrooms, onion, and red chili.
Enjoy!
Bulgogi Pizza Tips
1. Bulgogi Sauce
To make bulgogi pizza, you need to make the dough and bulgogi. It can be quite time-consuming, I get it. If you want to make pizza you can throw some ingredients on the dough and put it in the oven, there is ready-made bulgogi sauce. It’s quite convenient because you can use it to make more bulgogi or use it for your Korean BBQ.
2. Eat with Korean Side Dishes
Korean cuisine involves a lot of ingredients to create one dish. But not only that, you also serve the main course with lots of side dishes. So like how they do in Korea, try your bulgogi pizza with other Korean side dishes such as my spicy Korean cucumber salad or kimchi. These particular side dishes specifically go well with bulgogi and bulgogi pizza. For instance, have your bulgogi pizza with the Korean cucumber salad like you would with pickles. Try!
3. Be Creative
Bulgogi pizza is a quite new and interesting fusion food from birth. So don’t be shy about adding more ingredients that you think might taste good. Also, experiment with side dishes and sauces! To be quite frank, that is honestly the way Koreans approach bulgogi pizza too. Think about how you’d like to enjoy bulgogi pizza and go for it!
Summary of Bulgogi Pizza
I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post about bulgogi pizza. This bulgogi is an iconic Korean food that is loved worldwide, and now there are bulgogi burgers, bulgogi putins, and bulgogi pizza! If you can’t find a pizza place nearby that serves bulgogi pizza, just create one at home. Have fun making it, and be creative with the toppings, side dishes, and sauces. This may be one of your go-to pizzas! If you are interested in Korean cuisine, check out my blog.
- The Ultimate Korean Bulgogi Pizza Recipe (With Vegan Options) - March 26, 2024
- All About Korean Pizza | History, Characteristics, and Types - January 8, 2020