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!
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Try adding daikon, maybe that’s the taste you’re missing. Either that or MSG, which is bad, but I’m sure some restaurant puts it in as the secret ingredient. It’s better if you do without though.
Haken
http://www.whereyoulikeeat.com
Thanks Haken! I did add some daikon to it later but I think it might very well be the MSG, sadly.
I tried to comment on your site and was unable to, but those egg noodles looked delicious, and the prices were kick-ass!
Hi Haken,
Try “Dashinomoto” plus the daikon. You’ll find it in the Japanese section. It’s similar to MSG, but it’s made out of bonito (fish) stock and NOT bad for you. It’s in almost every Japanese food item there is.
Thanks anonymous! Got it on my shopping list!
i just made it from talking to my mom on the phone and all those ingredients seem kind of like alot. i made mine with daikon, a whole onion, and alot of garlic, a little of the beef soup stock and of course beef short ribs. that’s it. and then add the egg and green onion right before you serve. I’ve also had it with rice noodles in it at restaurants although it seems to really suck up the liquid. i didn’t do that to mine but this was my first attempt. also, a little msg won’t hurt you, i mean 5 billion chinese people eat it every day in bulk.
Anonymous, I’m still not willing to eat the MSG but thanks for your tips.
You gotta simmer the soup more than 2 hours. It should be boiled at least for 4 hours. Then umami substances can be melted out from the inside of the ribs and the beef. That’s why the beef tastes more flavorful than you used to eat.
try dashida (http://asianmerchant.stores.yahoo.net/dasostbfl.html) it’s powdered beef stock flavor. It’s in a lot of korean food.
As a Korean I have to say you are missing the Dashida. If you have an aversion to MSG, that is unfortunate, since every Korean restaurant you go to will have added the Beef-flavored-Dashida… and that is why the soup is so much more delicious at restaurants.
I agree with the anonymous commentator above who said that it needs to boil for longer than 4 hours. More like a very low heat overnight type of deal.
Also, when you start boiling, add in a daikon, yellow onion, and scallions. The veggies will impart a lot of flavor into your dish. In the end they will have become really mushy – just discard them.
Finally, you might want to add some cellophane noodles and freshly chopped scallions in at the end to make it more authentic. The egg is also usually stirred in so it is not like one big poached egg 🙂 Good luck!
Anonymous, I’m aware that lots of restaurants use it and when I’m out, I’m ok with that because it’s limited to those occasions. I’d rather not add it to my own cooking though. I appreciate all the tips though. I will probably try again in the fall.
the key is definitely adding in the radish, it’s a starter for a lot of Korean soups for flavor and do boil it for a little longer with all ingredients in it
my mom doesnt take out the short ribs or leave it overnight, she just leaves it on a slow simmer for about 3~4 hours