braised short ribs (galbi jjim)
Braised short ribs. This recipe is similar to and influenced by a Korean dish called ‘galbi jjim.’
Galbi jjim is something you eat when you’re in celebration mode—e.g. a birthday, a holiday, etc.
The traditional Korean version is made with a savory and sweet braising liquid, along with Korean radish, carrots, chestnuts and jujube. I don’t like adding chestnuts or jujube—so my version leaves them out. For anyone who’s had galbi jjim and tries this recipe—you’ll be pleasantly surprised. You’ll taste the familiar combination of brown sugar and soy sauce right away, but you’ll also taste some new, unfamiliar additions: red potatoes, butter and red wine. I like to think that this dish is truly both Korean and American—it’s inspired by tradition, but also reflects a connection between the two cultures. I hope you try it and enjoy :)
Ingredients:
For 4 servings
3 pounds of short ribs with the bone (I used chuck short ribs—these come pre-packaged at my local Korean grocery store)
2 large red potatoes, skin-on and quartered (each quarter piece I used was approx. 2 ½ by 1 ½ inches) If using smaller-sized potatoes cut them in half instead of quartering them.
4 small carrots, peeled and roughly chopped into thirds
10 pieces of Korean radish, cut into semicircles at about 2/3 inch thick and 3 inches across. To get to this dimension more easily, you’ll want to buy one of the smaller-sized Korean radishes at the grocery store.
1 tablespoon of butter
The braising liquid
15 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ½ cup of water
3/4 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of (light or dark) brown sugar
3 tablespoons of apple juice
3 tablespoons of red wine (I used shiraz—I like cooking beef with it)
1 ½ teaspoon of ginger powder
1 teaspoon of white pepper
I used chuck short ribs—they came pre-packaged at 3-4 pounds at my local Korean grocery store.
These are different than the flanken style short ribs that are cooked on the grill at Korean resturants.
Korean radish
Directions:
In a large pot/skillet on high heat, bring water to a boil. The height of the water should be slightly taller than the ribs you’re boiling.
Boil the ribs for 5-6 minutes. A lot of times, people will let the short ribs soak in water for a few hours or overnight to ‘let out any impurities.’ In my version, I simply boil them to let all the muck and scum float out in the water from boiling—this is so the dish will have a cleaner taste.
Turn off the heat and then drain the short ribs in a colander.
With cold water, rinse off each piece to clean away any residual ‘muck’ that may be stuck to them.
In a bowl, mix together all of the braising liquid ingredients together.
In the same large pot/skillet that the short ribs were boiled in—put it on high heat.
Add the tablespoon of butter. The entire bottom of the pan should be coated.
Next, add the short ribs.
Sear the opposite sides of the short ribs for about 3 minutes on each side. This step adds an extra layer of flavor and richness to the short ribs.
Lower the heat on the stove to medium.
Add the braising liquid to the pot/skillet.
Let this cook, covered for 25 minutes.
Next, add the potatoes and mix everything together.
Let the potatoes and short ribs cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
Next, lower the heat to medium low.
Add the Korean radish and carrots.
Cook this covered, for an additional 55-60 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally, every 5-6 minutes.
Serve with a bowl of rice and banchan, toasted bread or polenta. Enjoy!
