This easy beef bulgogi recipe features tender strips of marinated beef, colourful vegetables and fluffy rice for a flavour-packed weeknight dinner that's ready with minimal fuss.

Stir-fried marinated beef, known as bulgogi in Korean communities, is a favourite take-out order, but it’s easy to make at home, too. Serve over rice or vermicelli noodles and it'll no doubt be a new addition to the dinner rotation.

Ingredients for Bulgogi Beef with Peppers

Bulgogi beef and marinade
1 lb thinly sliced sirloin, tenderloin or round rouladen
3 tbsp (45 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) honey or brown sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
2–3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp (15 ml) grated fresh ginger
1 green onion, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame seeds
1 cup (250 ml) long-grain white or basmati rice
canola or other vegetable oil, for cooking

Peppers
1–2 red, yellow or orange peppers, seeded and cut into strips
1–2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a slight diagonal
1 green onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Directions for Bulgogi Beef with Peppers

Combine the thinly-sliced beef and the marinade ingredients in a bowl or heavy-duty resealable bag; cover (or seal) and let sit for 20 min. (You can also make ahead and refrigerate for a couple hours or overnight.)

Next the rice. Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil; add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 min, until tender. Fluff with a fork.

While the rice is cooking and once the meat has marinated 20 min, set a large, heavy skillet over medium-high and add a drizzle of oil. Cook the beef in batches, adding it to the pan along with the marinade, and cook, tossing around the pan, until it’s just cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish and pour the remaining sauce from the pan overtop.

Add another drizzle of oil to the pan and add the peppers and carrots; cook, tossing with tongs, for about 5 min, or until veggies are tender-crisp and turning golden on the edges. Transfer to the serving plate with the beef and serve with rice. Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds, if you like.

Serves 4.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, April/May 2016. Updated June 2026.