Seoul to Soul: Galbi Gui
- sixstrings17
- Apr 11, 2016
- 2 min read
A few years ago while vacationing in Seoul, the one dish we had many times was the ubiquitous Korean galbi (beef ribs) grilled gui over a table-top charcoal fire. Hard to say which one was the best place but it comes down to the quality of the beef. It's hard for anything to go wrong when good beef ribs are cut thin, marinated in a sweet soy-based liquid for a few hours, and grilled. This can also be done with pork or chicken. Beef short ribs is found in any Korean supermarket such as H-Mart of Hanam in our region. One can also use thicker short beef ribs, which is then butterflied in the traditional cut called "wang galbi" meaning "beef rib king". Higher end Korean BBQ houses always serve wang galbi instead of the cheaper "L.A. cut" which is what we have here. In any case, the marinade is the same. It's also good as a steak marinade. I like to eat this dish wrapped in a lettuce leaf, with sliced raw garlic and a couple of dabs of Korean fermented soybean chili paste. This doesn't have to be grilled over a fire. It can be pan-fried or broiled in an oven. It's good over steamed rice or just the way I like it as a lettuce wrap.
Ingredients:
Time: About 4 hours, overnight is preferred.
Marinade:
1) 1.5 pounds of "L.A. cut" beef ribs as shown in this recipe
2) 1/2 onion, cut them up into half slices, use for marinade only
3) 4 cloves garlic
4) 1/4 cup brown sugar
5) 1/4 cup water
6) 2 TBSP sake or white wine (I imagine Chinese cooking wine would work but we use sake)
7) Dash of chili pepper flakes (optional)
8) Dipping Sauce: Ssunchang ssamjang (Korean fermented soybean chili paste, found in Korean markets. If paste is too dry, add a bit of oil)
To Do:
1) Puree the onion and garlic with the water using a blender
2) Once pureed, add the rest of the ingredients, and another 1/4 cup of water. Mix well
3) In a pan, pour the marinade over the beef ribs to cover
4) When ready to cook, place the ribs over a very hot grill, ideally live fire (400f). Since the meat is thin, turn it over just once, cooked to your desired tenderness. We prefer this dish medium well. When frying, use cooking oil or butter.
To serve, use large lettuce leaf, slice the meat away from the bone, add sliced raw garlic, and dob of ssunchang ssamjang (optional). You can also add sliced raw onions, or chili for a hotter experience. Of course, beef over steamed rice is good, too!
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