There are two types of galbi. One is the traditional style that chunk of rib meat is attached to the bone, then butterflied to lengthen, and marinated with the sauce.
The other kind is the famous LA galbi, which the rib is cut across the bone thinly. This American style cut is originated by Korean immigrants who lived in Los Angeles. Although there is another theory that the word, LA, might be the shortened word of lateral cut, most people believe that LA Galbi came from the Korean immigrants in Los Angeles.
This special Galbi recipe is from a friend of mine. She learned it from a famous master cook in Korea who teaches only the wealthy housewives of Gangnam. She kindly shared a great tip on how to prepare this mouthwatering beef with me.
If you adore Korean food, especially the Korean BBQ beef, you are getting the best recipe out of the bests.
Ingredients
2-1/2 lbs beef short ribs
1/2 large onion, grated
1/2 large Asian pear, grated
1/2 kiwi, grated
Beef Marinade
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon Korean soy sauce for soup (gook-ganjang)
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon plum extract or rice wine, optional
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
Grate onion, pear, kiwi and mix well. This will tenderize the rib meat and get rid of any unpleasant gamy taste.
You will need Korean LA style ribs.
Spread the onion-pear-kiwi puree over the ribs coating evenly, and lay them flat in a pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let them sit in a room temperature for 45-60 minutes, or if you are concerned that your room temperature is too warm, chill them in the fridge for 2 hours.
Now you are going to scrape the most of the puree off the ribs though. They did accomplish their duty and we don’t need them anymore.
This is the main difference from this recipe to the rest of others. It makes a significant difference in overall flavor and texture of the meat later on.
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a shallow bowl and toss the ribs to coat evenly.
Cover and marinade them for at least 4 hours in the fridge. Overnight is even better. Make sure you turn the ribs to the other side halfway during the marinating time.
Cooking your ribs on a BBQ grill would be the best, but you can certainly cook them in a skillet, too. Heat the skillet over medium heat and lay your ribs. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you don’t burn them.
Flip to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 minutes or so, depends on how you want your ribs to be done.
Garnish with finely minced pine nuts or walnuts.
Oh, the succulence…, the juiciness…, and the tenderness…!
You can chew the meat off the bone and savor with rice. Or wrap with lettuce and a dollop of Korean topping sauce (ssamjang, 쌈장).
Anyone who tried these ribs commented that it was the best they've tried. I hope you can try this recipe to make your Korean feast very memorable. You will love it, I promise.
You will find the same recipe on my blog:
http://www.beyondkimchee.com/la-galbi/