"Killer" kalbi

I have had short ribs in my freezer for a month and have been slobbering over the idea of kalbi, a Korean staple. It takes some time to marinate, but is well worth it. Now, if you have a grill (and it’s not too cold to use it), go ahead and cook them on it. I don’t have a grill and used my stovetop grill pan. It worked perfectly well.

This picture (posted once before) shows the cut of these ribs. In the lower portion you can see the small oval bones. In the upper, their thinness – about1/4”. I didn't take an "after" photo, too desperate to get to the table. Just imagine browned beef ribs.

I have lost track of where this came from. My apologies to Sandy, whoever and wherever you are.

Sandy’s Killer Korean Kalbi
2 lbs. cross-cut beef short ribs
Pre-marinade
3/4 cup grated onion
2 tbsp honey

Puree the onion in a food processor until it is almost liquid. Pour the grated onion over the beef and add the honey. Turn each of the ribs so they our all coated. Let sit for 2-3 hours to tenderize the beef. Drain the rpe-marinade liquid. You don’t have to scrape off the onion solids, but just get rid of the liquid.

Second marinade
5 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp Chinese rice wine
2 tsp sesame oil
2 scallions, green and white parts minced
4 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp water
1 tsp ginger, grated
½ tsp dried red pepper flakes

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour over the ribs. Marinate overnight.

Preheat a stovetop grill over high. Grill the kalbi very quickly, no more than 2 minutes per side.

Serve over rice.

Our accompaniment was egg noodles with artichoke hearts, butter and lemon juice. Very simple and very good.

Haiku short rib stir-fry

Kalbi is my friend
I’d climb Mt. Fuji for it
Or have it at home

Ok, this one’s a bit complicated. So I don’t expect you to want to make it. At its heart it’s just a stir-fry – with some exotic ingredients. The picture above is the final product, still in the wok, ready to serve. The white cubes are konnyaku (more about that later). The yellow strips are bamboo pith (also, more later).

The best thing I can tell you is that I barbecued (braised) my short ribs for an hour and a half with plenty of onion, soy, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and other stuff I don’t even remember now.

This isn’t true kalbi (Korean short ribs), which is made by marinating the beef for a long time and grilling it for 2 minutes per side. Perhaps you’ve had it in a Korean restaurant sometime.

The noodles came from the refrigerator section of my Chinese supermarket. The package said they were suitable for lo-mein, although the noodles we typically associate with lo-mein are better.

Look closely at the picture of the (still frozen) slices of short ribs. Instead of being cut with long bones, they are cut across about ¼” thick. In the lower part of the picture you can make out the little ovals of bone along the top and middle of the meat.

Konnyaku is made from yams. It resembles tofu, but only in the way it looks. It has no taste, but absorbs flavors from everything around it, similar to what tofu does. I don’t know how to describe the texture. When you bite into it it gives some resistance, but then is soft. It’s a fun thing, though I think I won’t buy it again.

The bamboo pith: yep, it’s from bamboo, comes dried, and needs re-hydration, which is what you see it undergoing in hot water above. It’s slightly chewy and brings (like the konnyaku) only texture to the party.

On the plate you see (from the top, clockwise) scallions, garlic, grated carrot and the pith. Up in the left hand corner is the konnyaku soaking in water. It comes that way, just like tofu.

This was fun and delicious. The mise en place took a bit of time, but what else was I going to do after combing through drawers throughout the house, cleaning out crap in anticipation of our move.