Galbi Jjim (beef short ribs)

Korean cooking adventures!  A handful of times, Husband and I have made the trek to the south of the river to a restaurant in Apgujeong that only serves Korean braised beef ribs called galbi jjim.  Apparently this dish is prepared mainly for special occasions (given the cost of beef ribs, this is hardly surprising).  This perhaps explains why the restaurant is frequently filled with extended families looking a little more dressed up than Koreans generally are in restaurants.  That could also just because it's Gangnam (it's a place, not a silly horse dance).


It is an absolutely delicious dish, which is why we almost always take visitors to Seoul to this restaurant.  So I thought why not give it a go?!  Having never made the dish before I thought I would take about 2-3 different recipes and mash them all together, why stick to the instructions?  Primarily I took my guidance from here.

Ingredients for galbi jjim

So, this is what we start with.  The green and white vegetable is called mu, it's like daikon but the Korean food blogs are quite adamant that it is not the same thing.  The dried red berry things are known as Korean dates, but I have no idea whether they are in fact anything like dates.

The only thing I changed from the recipe linked to above was that I added about a tablespoon of grated ginger and increased the vegetable content.

All ready to simmer

Once it was all ready to simmer I left it on the lowest stove burner for about three hours (the main recipe called for only one hour but an alternative recipe said three).  After that, the corn syrup and sesame oil were added and it was pretty much ready.

Finished product - looks about right

The verdict:  Not too bad for a first try.  Next time I think I will simmer for even longer.  The meat was tender, but it could have been more fall-y apart-y.  I would also add less mu (I used about a third of the whole thing) as it does actually taste a little bitter.  Or perhaps I should have soaked it first?