Galbi Jjim

 

This was an interesting take on the traditional Korean Stew: Galbi Jjim. We purchased the Short Ribs from McCall's. The meat was cut in long strips approximately ¼ thick. If we make this dish again (it was good), we would get Short Rib Blocks with more meat and less bones. None the less, it was good.

Cooking at Home

David Chang

 

Make my take on galbi jjim

Serves 4 to 6

My mom makes galbi jjim-which, to me, tastes like a better version of teriyaki-every Thanksgiving. Sweet, salty, saucy, and comforting stewed 6 short ribs, it is our special-occasion food. She has never and will never share the recipe with me, so I came up with my own version based on just eating hers a lot. I'll be up-front: This is probably the furthest thing from traditional. For example, I don't pre-boil my short ribs, which a lot of recipes call for. I don't think there's anything wrong with pre-boiling, but it's just faster to skip the step, and you still end up with a delicious end result.

You'll probably need to add liquid periodically to prevent your galbi from burning but be judicious-don't make the mistake of adding too much liquid too late, or you'll dilute the flavor. My mom adds almost no liquid, puts a giant lid on the short ribs, and doesn't look at them until 3 hours later. To this day, I have no idea how she does this without burning them. There are lots of newer versions of galbi jim that add different kinds of chiles, rice cakes, and even cheese. But at home, I want the version like my mom's.

Soak 4 pounds of bone-in short ribs in water overnight in the fridge to leach out the blood (soak for a few hours, until the water turns red, if you're short on time). Meanwhile, in a food processor, blitz a few glugs each of soy sauce and honey, a piece of fresh ginger, a few cloves of garlic, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil,1 Asian pear, cored and roughly chopped (or apples, or pear or apple juice-you want the malic acid to add that sweet-tart flavor),  a handful of toasted sesame seeds. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. This is going to be your sauce.

I made this sauce a few times, never measuring, with different ratios and it was okay each time! Delicious in a different way! In a large pot, combine the sauce, cracked black pepper, and enough water to cover the meat once you stock add it in-taste and make sure this is the salt level you want. If not, add salt. Add the short ribs, cover, bring to a boil over high heat, and then let the meat keep boiling at medium to medium-high heat for about 2 hours, adding water to maintain the level you had before.

After that time, the ribs should be well cooked, but with the meat still clinging to the bone. Add 2 large carrots, chopped, 2 white onions, chopped, and a large handful of baby potatoes (or 1 large potato), chopped into bite-size pieces. Add a little more water, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until

the veggies are cooked through and the short ribs are tender but not vet falling off the bone. You should be able to press your thumb against the meat and have it leave an imprint while lightly springing back.

Garnish with chopped scallions, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil,

and toasted sesame seeds. Serve over rice.