Beoseot-gui

King oyster, shiitake, and other mushrooms grilled with a touch of sesame oil, providing a vegetarian-friendly centrepiece at the Korean barbecue table.

Beoseot-gui has grown from a mere side item into a legitimate grill centrepiece as plant-based eating has gained momentum in Korea, and the meaty, umami-dense texture of properly grilled king oyster (sae-song-i) and oyster mushrooms now occupies prime real estate on the Korean barbecue grill grid alongside samgyeopsal and galbi. The mushrooms are typically halved or scored to increase surface area, brushed lightly with sesame oil, placed directly on the grill grate, and cooked until the cut surfaces develop deep golden-brown grill marks. Buddhist temple food (사찰음식, sachal eumsik) has long celebrated mushrooms as the 'meat of the mountains', and the tradition of preparing mushrooms with the same care given to animal proteins is deeply embedded in Korean monastic cooking culture. Jirisan Mountain and its surrounding counties in South Jeolla Province are particularly celebrated for wild mushroom harvests, and autumn mushroom festivals in the region draw foragers and chefs from across the country. Modern Korean barbecue restaurants now include dedicated mushroom platters on their menus, often pairing different varieties — the firm king oyster, the delicate oyster, and the intensely savoury shiitake — for a textural and flavour contrast that requires no meat at all to be fully satisfying.