Yuk-jeon (Pan-Fried Beef Slices)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide nonstick skillet or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet
• •Shallow plates for flour and egg
• •Paper towels
• •Chopsticks or thin tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the beef

   Lay the beef slices flat on a tray lined with paper towels and pat both sides dry. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and the rice wine, then let the beef sit 10 minutes. The salt seasons the meat itself, not the egg coat, and the rice wine softens the smell of raw beef without making the dish sweet.

   If you are slicing the beef yourself, freeze it 25 to 30 minutes first. Cold beef cuts cleanly into thin sheets; warm beef tears and cooks unevenly.
2. 2

   Set the station

   Put the flour in a shallow plate. Beat the eggs with 1/8 teaspoon salt in a wide bowl until no white streaks remain, then set a clean tray beside the stove. This dish moves quickly, so the station has to be ready before oil touches the pan.

3. 3

   Dust lightly

   Dredge each beef slice in flour, then shake it well so only a thin film remains. Do not leave patches of dry flour. The flour is there to help the egg cling, not to make a thick crust, and too much flour turns pasty under the egg.

4. 4

   Dip in egg

   Dip the floured beef into the beaten egg and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Lay the slices in a single layer near the stove. Coat only as many as you can fry within a few minutes, because egg sitting on flour too long becomes gluey.

5. 5

   Pan-fry quickly

   Heat a wide nonstick or well-seasoned skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon neutral oil. When the oil looks glossy, lay in the beef slices without overlapping. Fry 35 to 45 seconds on the first side, then turn and cook 25 to 35 seconds on the second side, just until the egg sets pale gold and the beef is cooked through. If the egg browns hard, lower the heat. If it stays wet and oily, raise it a little.

   Test one slice first. Notebook 42 says the first slice is not for the platter; it is for correcting the pan.
6. 6

   Work in batches

   Repeat with the remaining beef, adding oil by the teaspoon as needed rather than pouring in too much at once. Wipe the pan with a folded paper towel whenever brown egg bits collect, because they darken the next batch and make the clean egg coat taste bitter. Add the sesame oil only at the end if you want a faint nuttiness; use too much and it will cover the beef.

7. 7

   Mix the sauce

   Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, sesame seeds, sliced scallion, and green chili if using. Taste it. It should be salty first, then sharp, with just enough sugar to round the vinegar. The sauce is a dip, not a bath.

8. 8

   Serve warm

   Arrange the yuk-jeon slightly overlapping on a platter and serve warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce. Do not stack it too high while hot, or the egg coat softens underneath. At a holiday table, it can sit beside other jeon, but give it its own plate. Beef deserves to taste like itself.

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for beef sliced for jeon, about 2 mm thick. If the slices are thicker than 3 mm, pound them gently between parchment until thin and even. Uneven beef gives you dry edges and a tight center.
• •Eye of round is traditional and neat, but sirloin is kinder to a nervous cook because it stays tender. Tenderloin is soft and expensive; use it for a celebration, not because the dish requires it.
• •Medium heat is the honest heat here. People try to fry jeon like pancakes and brown it too hard. Yuk-jeon should be pale gold, not dark brown, because the egg is a coat and the beef is the point.
• •A safe shortcut is buying presliced beef from a Korean market. Do not shorten the drying, flour shaking, or batch frying. Those are the dish.
• •Leftovers keep one day in the refrigerator. Rewarm in a dry skillet over low heat for 20 to 30 seconds a side. The microwave makes the egg coat tough.

Advance Preparation

• •The beef can be sliced and seasoned up to 4 hours ahead, then covered and refrigerated. Pat it dry again before flouring, because surface moisture makes the coating slide off.
• •The dipping sauce can be mixed up to 1 day ahead, but add the scallion and chili within an hour of serving so they stay fresh.
• •Yuk-jeon is best fried close to serving, but it tolerates room temperature for a holiday table. Fry up to 2 hours ahead, keep the slices in a single layer, and do not cover tightly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 155g)