Karimix Korean Bulgogi Sauce, 250ml

Karimix Bulgogi Sauce is a Korean-inspired marinade and cooking sauce built around the flavours of bulgogi - one of Korea's most beloved dishes, in which thinly sliced beef is marinated in a sweet-savoury sauce and cooked fast on a scorching grill. Made by Karimix at Stone Stile Farm in Faversham, Kent, it combines soy sauce, apple, garlic, sesame oil, honey and a gentle kick of chilli into something that tastes genuinely Korean rather than a western approximation. The apple is key: a traditional bulgogi ingredient that brings natural sweetness and quietly gets to work tenderising the meat.

It earns its place most obviously as a marinade - pour it over thinly sliced sirloin, leave it for thirty minutes, then cook in a screaming hot pan until caramelised at the edges and glossy all over. But it goes far beyond beef. Use it on chicken thighs, pork belly strips or king prawns, stir through noodles as a ready-made sauce, brush over burgers on the barbecue, or swirl two tablespoons through mayonnaise for a dipping sauce that will make vegetable tempura considerably more exciting.

Why we love it:

• Made by Karimix at Stone Stile Farm, Faversham, Kent - an artisan producer who specialises in genuine Asian-inspired cooking sauces, handmade in the UK
• Apple is a traditional Korean bulgogi ingredient: it contributes a natural, rounded sweetness and its enzymes help tenderise the meat - a detail you don't find in generic soy marinades
• Sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds give the sauce its characteristic nutty depth - the flavour that makes Korean cooking so distinctive
• Honey rather than just refined sugar keeps the sweetness clean and complex, and helps the sauce caramelise beautifully over high heat
• Suitable for vegetarians and dairy-free, with no artificial preservatives; comes in a recyclable glass bottle
• Genuinely versatile - works as a marinade, stir-fry sauce, condiment, dipping sauce base, and barbecue glaze

How to use:

• For classic bulgogi beef: slice 500g of sirloin or ribeye as thinly as possible (45 minutes in the freezer firms it up and makes this much easier). Coat with 4–5 tablespoons of the sauce and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge for more depth. Cook in a very hot dry frying pan or griddle for 1–2 minutes per side until caramelised. Serve with steamed rice, a scatter of sesame seeds and some kimchi.
  
• For bulgogi chicken thighs: coat 600g of boneless, skinless thighs with 4 tablespoons of sauce. Marinate for at least 2 hours, then grill or bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until sticky and cooked through.
• For a quick noodle stir-fry: cook 200g of noodles according to packet instructions, then toss in a hot wok with 2–3 tablespoons of sauce, pak choi, spring onions and whatever veg you have going.
  
• For a dipping sauce: mix 2 tablespoons of sauce with 3 tablespoons of good mayonnaise. Serve alongside tempura, dumplings, or as a burger sauce.

More information:

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