While scrolling through food stories on my laptop during class (as any good Spoon writer is wont to do) I stumbled across a piece from Slate called A Journey Through the Weird and Wonderful World of Korean Pizza. A quick Google search and a short ride on the 93 bus brought me to Gohyang Food Market, a Korean grocery that stands out among the neighboring synagogues in West Rogers Park. While I was nervous when starting this recipe, I soon learned that Korean pizza is truly the Wild West of pizza creation: a lawless free-for-all where anything goes. Go crazy and have an open mind.
5 Ingredient Korean-Style Pizza
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 2-6 depending on the size (though we all know any pizza can be a personal pizza if you try hard enough)
Ingredients:
1 frozen pizza crust (or fresh pizza dough)
1 small bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 pound bulgogi (marinated Korean beef)
1 sweet potato
1 small jar of ranch dressing
Photo by Emma Danbury
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400°F and prep your baking pan with aluminum foil.
Photo by Emma Danbury
2. If your bulgogi is pre-cooked, skip to the next step. Otherwise, place a buttered frying pan over medium-high heat and cook your bulgogi. Cook for a minute or two on each side until the meat turns a dark, caramelized brown color.
Photo by Emma Danbury
3. Place your pizza crust on the pan and pour a generous layer of ranch dressing onto your crust. The ranch will evaporate as the pizza bakes, so coat the crust in a thick, even layer.
Photo by Emma Danbury
4. Tear your bulgogi into small chunks and scatter freely on top of your pizza. You have the power. You are like a god.
Photo by Emma Danbury
5. Peel your sweet potato and cut it however you want – cubes, disks or even thin strips.
6. Let out your inner Jackson Pollack and splatter some ranch dressing on top of your toppings to lock them in. It worked for him, why not you?
7. Empty the entire bag of mozzarella cheese on to your pizza. Mozzarella can do no wrong.
Photo by Emma Danbury
8. If using fresh dough, try mixing some olive oil with salt, pepper and other spices like oregano or thyme to liven up your crust. (Just like the pros at Domino’s do it!)
9. Put your pizza in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the mozzarella is golden brown and bubbling. Enjoy!
Photo by Emma Danbury
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