Have you ever had Bul Go Gi? A.K.A. Mongolian BBQ?

[TD Euwaite™]

Where you choose the raw meats, veggies and sauces from the buffet and hand it to the chef who stir-fries it on a flat griddle. YUM!

I first had it in Taipei in 1973. That buffet had rabbit, venison, lamb and duck, along with pork, chicken and beef.

http://www.gomongo.com/

Many people put noodles in it...then you are making Lo Mein...the Korean way is very meaty, nice and sweet...
Thanks for your input.

I grew up in S.E. Asia.

Bul Go Gi, in the US, is uaually called Mongolian Beef. Some places are not allowed to bring raw meat out of the kitchen, so you get the cooked version.

The idea is that the sauce is sweet and light, unlike Tappenyaki, or Japanese BBQ...which some people believe started with Yakitori, sweetened with Mirin, or sweet rice wine (sake).

Anyway you flip it, Bul Go Gi, in Korean, means "fired meat." There are one hundred different ways to serve it.

40 years ago, a smart guy, probably from Seoul or Hing Kong, decided to invent a buffet where the patrons do half the work.

Tah-Dah! They all claim to have invented it.

None of the dishes that Americans call "Oriental" are authentic Chinese, Japanese or Korean recipes. The homies eat stuff like Ga Mom (pickled hermit crabs-the hottest food on the planet).

You should've been there in 1985 when I explained the process to the KC Board of Health!
In many places, such as Kansas City Missouri, the meat must be frozen for the customers to handle it raw. As you know, this really damages the texture of the meat.

In Kansas (right across the river) the meat is not frozen.

OK. I'm hungry now and lunch is two hours away!

[jennifer]

Bulgogi is not Mongolian. It is a BBQ-ish Korean beef dish. However, the other stuff you described does sound very much like Mongolian BBQ.

This is Bulgogi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgogi

Mongolian BBQ:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_BBQ

[Helena Handbasket]

Very good!

I was in Korea in 1978.

We had a mountain of food. I don't remember what the dish was called. The outer layers were the appetizers. As you climbed up the mountain, you worked your way toward the entree, Bul Go Gi. It was already cooked.

The outer ring was made of those pickled hermit crabs. HOT!!! Had to wash them down with Kim Chee to cool off.

[Kate]

no never had and never eat yet

[ZinaRae]

YES, I have had Mongolian BBQ! Next to Greek food it is one of my favorite!

At the Mongolian BBQ where I live they have the raw meat sliced real thin and then frozen. I usually get mostly meat with a few veggies and LOTS of garlic. I usually put the "House sauce" on mine.

I love watching them cook it on the big round grill, with those long sticks. It looks so easy when they do it, but I know if I tried it there would be a food fight break out for sure!

[FROGGIE]

Yes. I love it! You can make almost anything you like. Shrimp and scallops too!

[Countess Lucia Sullivino]

That venison actually sounds good.

Sounds delish... Sign me up!

[The Squirrel Cage]

Good stuff. Yes I have had it before. But never in Asia (sigh). I did have real Chinese food in China, before. Wonderful stuff. Not like the stuff confused with Chinese food here.

[ryuryubu]

I've never been to a 'Mongolian' BBQ, i have only come in contact with one back in Ohio, and I thought it was always strange because BBQ's are synonymous with Korean and Japanese where you cook your own meat.

If you order Bulgogi in Korean restaurant, a plate of raw thinnly sliced meat will come out, pre-marinated in a sweet sauce. You are then given a grill that is heated either by gas or charcoal, and you grill your own meat.

Anyway Bulgogi is Korean, and it's offered in every Korean restaurant in NYC. I prefer Kalbi as it is more tender and thick compared to the Bulgogi.

For Japanese bbq, check out: www.gyu-kaku.com

[tyler durden]

Thanks TD you're a fountain of information.