contributed by Stephanie M. Edginton

Bumblebee’s BBQ and Grill first opened its doors near my neighborhood in the fall of 2014, and our lives were forever changed. It’s a place close to home where my family and I can run and grab a quick bite to eat (under $10 per person!), while also fulfilling our Korean BBQ cravings. Their menu offers burgers, sandwiches, and tacos with Korean flare, along with some more “traditional” Korean dishes like Dup-Bop and Bee-Bim-Bop. There is never a shortage of choices for lunch, dinner, or even a late-night snack!

I enjoy trying everything on Bumblebee’s menu. I especially love the Kalbi — a homemade, sweet soy sauce and garlic-marinated patty topped with Kalbi sauce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce – or the Katsu Pork — homemade Korean-style breaded and deep-fried pork or chicken topped with Katsu sauce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.

My husband has also tried most of the menu, but his favorite and usual go-to is one of Bumblebee’s best sellers: KPOP Fries. From Bumblebee’s menu, KPOP Fries are fries topped with your choice of their homemade Bul-gogi, Korean spicy pork or spicy chicken, shredded cheese, green onion, jalapeño mayo, and spicy Sriracha sauce. Of course, he almost always chooses the homemade Bul-gogi. It’s the best option, in our humble opinion.

With my husband’s craving of Bumblebee’s KPOP Fries at an all-time high — I mean, he was asking for KPOP Fries every other day for about two weeks! — I thought I’d try my hand at recreating them at home.

To save on some time and mess, I bought a package of frozen shoestring fries to bake, instead of making them from scratch. Luckily, I had all the remaining ingredients in my pantry and fridge. Besides marinating time, everything was quickly assembled in less than 30 minutes. I recommend you give them a try!

Copycat KPOP Fries

Ingredients:

1 bag (16 oz) frozen shoestring fries
2 T. light soy sauce
1 T. dark soy sauce
2 T. mirin
2 T. of sugar
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. sesame seeds – more for garnish
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. beef, sliced (see notes)
shredded cheddar cheese — for garnish
green onions, sliced — for garnish
Kewpie mayonnaise — for garnish
Sriracha — for garnish

Instructions:

Combine soy sauces, mirin, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and minced garlic in a large bowl.
Add the beef to the marinade and mix, ensuring all slices of beef are properly coated and covered with the marinade.
Allow to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 20-30 minutes, or overnight.
When ready, prepare your frozen shoestring fries according to package directions and set aside.
While the frozen shoestring fries are being prepared, heat a large skillet on high heat.
Cook the marinated beef in the skillet on high heat for 8-10 minutes until fully cooked. Set aside

Plate as follows:

A layer of shoestring fries
A layer of Bul-Gogi beef, with its amazing juices and sauce
Sprinkle some cheddar cheese, green onions, and sesame seeds on top, as garnish
Drizzle Kewpie mayonnaise and Sriracha, as garnish, to taste

While this copycat version isn’t completely the same as Bumblebee’s original version, they do come close. My daughter and I had the non-spicy version, without the Sriracha, and they were still delicious. These KPOP Fries were quite tasty, and we have permanently added this recipe to our dinner rotation. I hope you enjoy them as well!

If you find that you’re short on time and cannot recreate these KPOP Fries at home, or if you just want the real deal to satisfy your cravings, you can always visit Bumblebee’s BBQ and Grill at one of their three locations instead. They also cater!

7962 S State Street, Midvale, UT 84047 801-561-0608

2682 S High Commons Way, West Valley City, UT 84120 801-869-1600

1254 N State Street, Provo, UT 84604 801-607-2543

Side notes:

All ingredients, except for the frozen shoestring fries and shredded cheddar cheese, were purchased from Ocean Mart 115 W 9000 S, Sandy, UT 84070 801-255-1118. However, almost everything can be found at your local grocery store, like Harmon’s or Smith’s, except for the sliced beef. I haven’t been able to find thinly sliced meats — not deli meat — anywhere else besides at Ocean Mart. It comes frozen, so my freezer is always fully stocked at all times.
If you cannot find Kewpie mayonnaise, I would try and recreate it using Just One Cookbook’s version. I have not tried this with regular mayonnaise, so leave a comment here if you try this and let us know how it turned out.