I’m not Korean but boy do I love Korean food. I get serious cravings for Kalbi-Tang and Duk Mandoo Guk when I’m sick. Unfortunately, my favorite place, I called the Secret Korean Grandma shop, closed, so I figured I had better learn how to make this stuff. I read a few Kalbi-Tang recipes on-line and ended up making it like this.


Kalbi-Tang

  • 2 pounds Beef Short Ribs with Bone
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 4 liters of water
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 scallions
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Soak ribs in cold water for an hour to get rid of excess blood. Change water if necessary.
2. Boil ribs in unsalted water for 3 minutes. Drain.
3. Place blanched ribs in 4 liters of cold water with black peppercorns, garlic cloves, and scallions. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that comes up and turn down to a simmer and continue cooking for 2 hours.
4. Take ribs out and toss with soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and minced garlic. Refrigerate over night.
5. Strain stock, discarding peppercorns, garlic cloves, and scallions. Refrigerate over night.
6. Skim fat off the top of the stock and bring ribs and stock to a boil. Turn down to a gentle boil.
7. Take ribs out and place them in serving bowls. Beat the eggs and stir them into the stock.
8. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into each bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

I’m pretty proud of my first attempt. It really came pretty damn close to what it should be. The meat was tender and actually more flavorful than the standard restaurant ones, but the soup is just missing something. Can someone ask their Korean grandmother what I’m missing? Please!

posted by jessica at 08:47 PM Filed under Korean, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.