Korean Barbecue Recipe

There's a sudden Korean craze here in the Philippines. First, there are the Korean students looking for colleges or universities, then investors, businessmen, their wives and kids, the boyfriend materials, the Koreanovelas, Korean stores, and Korean food. I haven't eaten in a Korean Restaurant; I don't know the taste of Kimchee either. The only claim I have about Korean food is the Korean Barbecue, which is not really Korean (my version, at least).

I altered the recipe and omitted some ingredients because I don't have this and I don't have that. Basically there are two types of Korean Barbecue Sauce, the one is Miso-based and the other is Soy sauce-based. I tried the latter one (because I don't have miso). The recipe originally asked for mirin, a kind of sweetened rice wine, but of course, I don't have mirin so I substituted 7-up. Then there's the chopped apple,which the very unfortunate me don't have.

So, here's The Not-So-Korean Barbecue recipe from a poor man's pantry:

For every 1.5 kilogram of thinly sliced pork loin pieces we'll need:

30 grams ginger root, finely chopped (about P3-5.00 at your suking tindahan)

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup fish sauce

8 oz 7up or Sprite

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 packet tomato ketchup (courtesy of McDonald's or Jollibee, about 2 tsp.)

2 Tbsp. roasted sesame seeds (optional)

PROCEDURE:

1. Combine all ingredients and marinate for at least an hour.

2. Preheat grill and cook meat.

3. Serve with rice or grilled vegetables.

Note: You can use bamboo skewers if you like but it'll take a lot of time (and sometimes blood, ouch!) for the newbies.