Galbi / Kalbi (Korean BBQ Ribs)

As mentioned in my previous post, Galbi (also called Kalbi) is my family’s favorite Korean dish. Our go-to Korean restaurant is A Ri Rang Tofu House in San Gabriel, CA. They serve delicious dishes, amazing tofu soup as well as their free side dishes (banchan) which can be refilled upon request.

Since inflation in 2022 has gone up a lot, restaurants have to cover the cost by increasing the price or reducing the portion of the dish. The Galbi combination – meat + soup is $33 (used to be $10 cheaper) plus tip for dinner. This is the main reason why I had to learn to cook it myself.

Ingredients:

18 / approx 8 pounds	Beef short ribs
1 1/2 cup	Light soy sauce
1 1/4 Cup	Brown sugar
1 Cup	Water
1	Asian Pear (Ya Li) (blend)
1 1/2	Onion (blend)
2 heads	Garlic (blend)
6 Tbsp	Sesame oil
1.5 Tbsp	Ground pepper
1.5 Tbsp	Freshly grated ginger

Directions:

1. Please refer to picture 1 for the beef ribs, you can find them at the market. Rinse ribs under running water to wash off any bone bits that may exist. Pat dry and set aside.
2. Peel and core the pear, chop into pieces. Peel the garlic and chop onion, puree all 3 ingredients in a blender until smooth. (Pictures 2-3)
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, mix until all combined. (Picture 4)
4. Add beef ribs into the mixing bowl, mix everything so each piece is evenly coated. Marinate overnight. (Picture 5)
5. Remove beef ribs from marinade and wipe off excess. Place directly over the hot side of the grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until beef is cooked and lightly charred on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes total (3 to 4 minutes per side). Transfer to a serving platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. (Picture 6)
6. Sprinkle toasted sesame and fresh green onion for garnish.

Japchae (Korean Noodles)

Japchae

Japchae is a classic sweet and savory Korean dish everyone loves.  It is made from sweet potato starch noodles stir fried with vegetables and you can add your choice of meat.  I have eaten at some restaurants where Japchae is served on top of rice (yes this sounds a little weird!), but most restaurants serve it as a banchan (Korean side dishes) or as a full dish.  If you are gluten intolerant, this is the dish you should consider.

Ingredients:

1 lbs	Beef (flank, sirloin or rib eye)
14 oz – 1 lbs	Korean potato starch noodles (Dangmyeon)
2 medium sticks	Carrots (julienne)
1 small	White onion
1/2 lbs	Spinach
7-8	Dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked until soft)
2	Eggs
2	Garlic cloves

Marinade for Beef:

2 Tbsp	Light soy sauce
2 Tbsp	Brown sugar
1 Tbsp	Corn starch

Sauce for Noodles:

6 Tbsp	Light soy sauce
5 Tbsp	Brown sugar
4 Tbsp	Sesame oil
4 tsp	Roasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  (Picture 1)
2. Soak dried mushrooms in hot water until soft.  Cut the stems off and slice into thin strips.  Season with 1 tablespoon of the sauce above.  (Picture 2)
3. Peel and julienne carrots.  (Picture 3)
4. Cut onion into slices. (Picture 4)
5. Slice beef against the grain (you can cut into slices or strips).  Marinade beef with soy sauce, brown sugar and corn starch.  (Picture 5)
6. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and blanch the spinach until they are just wilted (about 1 minute).  Drain quickly and rinse spinach under cold running water.  Squeeze excess water from spinach and set aside.  (Picture 6)
7. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water (follow the package directions for cooking time).  Drain and rinse the noodles under cold running water.  Set aside.  (Picture 7)
8. Heat up 1 Tbsp of oil in a skillet/wok and stir fry onion until it turns brown.  Transfer onion to a plate and side aside.  (Picture 8)
9. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and one garlic clove to the same skillet/wok and stir fry carrots for about 1 minute, then add in mushrooms.  Add 1 Tbsp of water and cook for 1 minute.  Transfer carrots and mushrooms to a plate and set aside.  (Pictures 9 and 10).
10. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and one garlic clove to the skillet/wok and stir fry beef until it’s cooked.  Now return onion, carrots and mushrooms to the wok and mix them well with beef (just 1 minute).  Set aside.  (Pictures 11 and 12)
11. Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl and cook the eggs in a skillet sprayed with cooking oil in medium heat.  Cut cooked eggs into strips and set aside.  (Picture 13)
12. Pour sauce into a medium size pot and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved and sauce is slightly bubbling.  Add noodles into the pot and toss well until all noodles are coated with the sauce and then add all cooked vegetables and beef, toss well. (Picture 14)
13. Garnish with egg slices and toasted sesame.  (Picture 15)

Roast Prime Rib with Thyme Au Jus

I adapted this recipe from Food Network, it is Bobby Flay’s recipe.  I always had delicious prime rib at my relatives during holidays.  They served their prime rib with very light au jus (like clear beef broth).  Since I wanted a richer au jus, Bobby Flay’s recipe contains red wine and everyone said it was amazing.  All those good comments caught my eye.  So, tonight to celebrate Easter, I roasted my prime rib for the very first time.  The only change I made was the temperature – I adjusted it down to 120F instead of 135F.   I am glad that I did that as the temperature continued to cook the meat during the resting period.  My husband only likes medium rare, so I had to make sure he gets his tender piece.  This recipe made me feel like I was a professional chef!

Picture below is a small piece of roast I purchased from the market, it is slightly less than 5lbs (bone-in 3 ribs).  The cooking time is about 1.5 hours, but don’t rely on the cooking time, you should use an oven thermometer to avoid overcooking.

Ingredients:  (If your roast is bigger than 5 lbs, please follow Bobby Flay’s recipe for the liquid amount)

5 Lbs	Bone-in prime rib (about 3 ribs)
8 Cloves	Garlic, cut in half
Enough to cover the meat	Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
1 Cup	Red wine (I use Cabernet, Bobby Flay used Merlot)
2 Cups	Beef stock
1 Tbsp	Chopped fresh thyme leaves

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on meat.  (picture 1)
3. Make small slits all over the prime rib and push garlic pieces into each slit.  (picture 2)
4. Place roast on a rack set inside a roasting pan and insert the thermometer into the center at the thickest part, away from bone.  (picture 3)
5. Set temperature to 110F, when the internal temperature reaches 110F, it will alarm you (I originally set the temperature to 120F, but 110F is more perfect if you like medium rare). *Note: If the meat is too rare, you can always dip the cut piece into the hot gravy. However, if the meat is too cooked, nothing you can do.  (picture 4)
6. Remove the meat to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm, the meat will continue to cook.

• While the meat is resting, discard all the fat from the roasting pan but keep the pan drippings.  Place the pan on top of the stove over 2 burners set on high heat and add 1 cup of wine.  (picture A)
• When the wine is reduced, add in 2 cups of beef stock and cook until reduced by half.  (picture B)
• Whisk in 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves.  (picture C)
• Use a wooden spoon to mix the au jus and add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.  (picture D)

• Transfer the au jus to a gravy bowl  and serve.

Sous Vide Steak

Steak is one of the most popular foods to cook sous vide and since everyone in my family likes their steak medium rare, I decided to adopt the sous vide method instead of the typical grilling method.

Before we start, we need to pick the right steak.  The thickness of a steak should be at least 1.5 inches thick, either bone-in or boneless.  The reason to pick a thicker piece is because we need to sear the steak after sous-vide cooking.  A thinner piece will tend to overcook during the searing process.  Below is an excerpt from the Anova site and a complete guide can be found here .

Strip, Ribeye, and Porterhouse Steaks

Highly marbled cuts like a grain-finished Prime-grade ribeye and strip should be cooked a few degrees higher than leaner steaks like tenderloin as their copious intramuscular fat helps keep them moist while delivering plenty of flavor.  Fattier steaks also have natural insulation which means they’ll take slightly longer to reach the correct internal temperature.

Very rare to Rare:  120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C), 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
Medium-rare:  129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C), 1 to 4 hours (2 1/2 hours max for temperatures under 130°F/57°C).
Medium:  135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C), 1 to 4 hours.
Medium-well:  145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C), 1 to 3 1/2 hours.
Well done:  156°F (69°C) and up, 1 to 3 hours.

Here is how we made a mouth-watering sous-vide steak.

Ingredients:
2 Steaks (about 1 pound each)
Salt
Pepper
12 garlic clove

Direction:

1. Preheat Precision Cooker to the desired final temperature according to the chart above.  I like my steaks medium rare, so I set my temperature to 129°F.
2. Generously season the steak (including the edges) with salt and pepper. (picture 1)
3. Put the steak into a bag and add 3 garlic cloves to each side of the steak (if you want herbs, you can add that to the bag as well).  Seal the bag with a vacuum sealer.  (picture 2)
4. When water has reached the desired temperature, drop the bag(s) in the water bath.  (picture 3)
5. You can connect your cell phone to your precision cooker and use the app to set the cooking time to 1 hour.  (picture 4)
6. Remove the steak from the bag and pat dry with paper towel.  Preheat a cast iron skillet and add one tablespoon of grape seed oil until it starts to smoke, add your steak to the pan. (picture 5)
7. Sear one side for 15 to 30 seconds and flip the steak and sear the other side for 15 t0 30 seconds.  Repeat this step once until the steak gets a nice brown sear.  Make sure not to cook for too long.  Immediately serve with your favorite vegetables/side dishes.  (picture 6)

Note:  With sous-vide cooking, you can cut the steak right after searing, the 10-minute resting period can be skipped.

3-Meat Meatballs

I have tried using ground turkey to make meatballs but they tend to lack flavor.  The texture is more dense and you need to kick it up a notch by adding a lot of seasonings.  I even tried to mix turkey meat with beef – flavor was a lot better but still couldn’t satisfy my taste buds, that is until today when I made these meatballs with 3 types of meat (turkey, pork and beef).  The combination of meats create an amazing flavor and the meatballs are very juicy.  My kids finished their whole plate tonight.

Ingredients:

1 pound	Ground turkey (93% lean)
1 pound	Ground pork
1 pound	Ground beef (93% / 97% lean)
1	Egg (beaten)
1 cup	Ketchup
1/2 cup	Oatmeal
4 Tbsp	Dried chopped onion
2 1/2 Tbsp	Garlic powder
4 Tbsp	Light soy sauce
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar
2 tsp	Dried oregano
2 tsp	Black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the pork, beef and turkey together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Stir in all seasoning, then add in beaten egg and mix well.  (pictures 1 and 2)
3. Stirr in oatmeal, you may want to crumble oatmeal with your hands and mix well.  (picture 3)
4. Shape meat into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until they are just barely cooked through and no longer pink inside.  Do not overbake.  (pictures 4 and 5)
5. Return meatballs directly in your pasta sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  My home made tomato basil sauce can be found here.

You can serve meatballs with spaghetti/pasta, make a meatball sandwich or just eat them with the tomato base sauce.