Barbecued bulgogi with sigumchi namul and kimchi

I first ate this marinated beef dish in a small Korean barbecue restaurant tucked away in the basement of the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong. The atmosphere inside was so smoky that the venue could only be visited on hair-washing nights. Bulgogi is served here with bowls of sigumchi namul - a mix of spinach, sesame oil and seeds - and my version of kimchi, which, unlike the original Korean cabbage dish, does not need to be fermented first in an earth pit.

Freeze the beef for 1 hour to make it easier to slice. Remove it from the freezer and slice it as thinly as possible. Layer in a shallow dish, sprinkling each layer with sugar. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic paste and pepper together in a bowl and pour over the beef, ensuring all the pieces are thoroughly coated in the mixture. Cover and chill overnight.

To make the kimchi, blanch the Chinese leaves in plenty of boiling water for 5 seconds, drain and refresh under cold running water. Drain again and pat with kitchen paper to remove excess water. Put the Chinese leaves in a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients together and add to the leaves. Toss to mix, cover and chill. The mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead, but tastes best if eaten within 2 hours.

To make the sigumchi namul, blanch the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute, drain it and refresh under cold water. Drain again, pat with kitchen paper to remove any excess water and put into a serving bowl. Mix the oil, soy sauce and mirin together. Fold into the spinach, with the sesame seeds. Cover and keep in a cool place (not the refrigerator). Serve within 2 hours.

Heat a griddle on the stove over a high heat until a few drops of water sprinkled on to the surface evaporate instantly. Flash-fry the meat in batches for 15-20 seconds on each side. Serve immediately with the sigumchi namul and the kimchi.

Serves 4
500g/ 1 ¼ lb beef fillet (tenderloin)
15ml/1 tbsp sugar
30ml/2 tbsp light soy sauce
30ml/2 tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, mashed to
A paste with a further
5ml/1 tsp sugar
2.5ml/ ½ tsp finely ground black pepper
For the kimchi
500g/1 ¼ lb Chinese leaves (Chinese cabbage), sliced across into 2.5cm/1in pieces
60ml/4 tbsp sunflower oil
15ml/1 tbsp sesame oil
50g/2oz/ ¼ cup sugar
105ml/7 tbsp white rice vinegar
2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh fat medium hot red chili
2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
For the sigumchi namul
350g/12oz baby spinach leaves
10ml/2 tsp sesame oil
30ml/2 tbsp light soy sauce
15ml/1 tbsp mirin
10ml/2 tsp sesame seeds, finely toasted