Seeing the Word, One Plate at a Time

Passport & Plate - Kalbi Jjim (Korean Short Ribs)

South Korea | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 3 photos

Ingredients
-1.5 pounds of beef short ribs (try to buy them at a Korean grocery store, if possible, as they are cut in a specific way, or ask for the Flanken style at Western stores)
-6 tablespoons soy sauce
-3 tablespoons sugar
-4 tablespoons minced green onion (about 2 stalks)
-2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
-2 tablespoons ground sesame seed powder
-2 tablespoons sesame oil
-1/3 teaspoon black pepper

 

How to prepare this recipe
Step 1: Combine the soy sauce, sugar, green onion, garlic, ground sesame powder, sesame oil and black pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Cut the short ribs in between the bones. Remove any fat from the short ribs. Soak in cold water until the blood rises to the surface, about 45 minutes.
Step 3: Transfer the short ribs into a pan filled with fresh water and boil, covered, for 7 minutes
Step 4: Remove the short ribs and immediately wash in cold water to rinse out any of the fat that rises to the surface, as well as any additional blood.
Step 5: Transfer the short ribs into another pan filled with fresh water. Pour 2/3's of the sauce into the pan. After bringing to a boil, pour the rest of the sauce into the pan, and then bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce reduces and the meat becomes tender. This usually takes about 2.5-3 hours. Don’t worry if you find that the sauce is still watery and that it is taking too long to reduce. In that case, simply remove the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate. Garnish with some ground sesame seeds, and serve with some white rice and your choice of Korean banchan (side dishes).

 

The story behind this recipe
During my sophomore year of college, I found myself stranded in Ithaca, NY for Thanksgiving. The accumulation of papers to write and a lack of funds prevented me from flying out home to California. I was pretty homesick, and it didn’t help that Ithaca is one of the coldest places on earth. I called my mother and expressed how I really wanted to go home and eat her food, especially her galbi jjim, a Korean-style short rib. When we hung up, I proceeded to binge-watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy with another sad friend.
The next day, I received a package in the mail. Inside, I discovered some frozen pieces of galbi that my mother had overnighted to me! I called my mother, who was so excited by her genius plan. She figured that the meat would remain frozen in the arctic tundra that is Ithaca, and all I had to do was microwave it for a few minutes. I heated the short ribs and took a bite, and they were just how I remembered them—tender, juicy and comforting.
It was almost like I had flown back home to Sunny CA, and I could picture my parents sitting around the table, eating the galbi with me. My dad would take some pieces of spicy kimchee and wrap it in some nori to create a balanced, savory bite, while my mom would serve herself some chunky fillets of salted, broiled mackerel. Aside from the background noise of a Korean soap opera, it would be silent, because everyone would be absorbed by how good the meal was.
Even since then, galbi jjim has always been a dish that has pulled us through some rough moments. For our first family Thanksgiving in NY, our poor Cornish hens didn’t pull through, but luckily our mom’s galbi was there to save the day. It’s a hearty dish that reminds me of home, and I make it whenever I want something reliably delicious. My mother now lives in Korea, so our opportunities to meet in person are even more rare. Cooking a dish I associate so strongly with her is a way I can connect with her in spirit, despite the distance between us.