Japchae – the bright, colourful Korean noodle dish made with an abundance of vegetables, juicy bits of marinated beef and a sesame-forward dressing. Made with sweet potato noodles which have a unique slippery, chewy texture, this is sort of a stir fry, sort of a noodle salad, and 100% YUM!

Japchae

Japchae is a famous Korean noodle dish that I describe as sort of a stir fry, sort of a salad. It’s a cross between the two in my mind because stir fried vegetables are tossed with noodles and sauce in a bowl rather than on the stove, and served barely warm.

You start by mixing the sauce in a giant bowl, then pile all the ingredients in one after the other – the noodles, a giant mound of cooked vegetables then lastly the seared marinated beef. Then finally, you give it a big toss to mix it all together in the bowl. This part is really satisfying, getting really stuck into it! (Just make sure you use a really big bowl else you’ll be cursing!).

Ingredients in Japchae

Here’s what you need to make Japchae. I’ve broken it up into:

1. Noodles and sauce

2. Beef and marinade

3. All the colourful veg!

The noodles & sauce

Here’s what you need for the noodles and sauce:

Some notes on some of the pictured ingredients:

• Japchae noodles – The noodles used in Japchae are dried sweet potato noodles called dangmyeon. They are made from sweet potato starch and are almost transparent when cooked. It’s like the Korean version of glass noodles! The packets shown above are sold at large grocery stores in the Asian aisle, though you can get them cheaper at Asian stores.

  Substitute with glass noodles (ie the clear vermicelli noodles). And though Korean nationals may have my head for saying this, just quietly, you can totally make this recipe with any noodles. It will still be delicious!

• Soy sauce – Either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

• Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). The default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

Beef and marinade

We’re using beef short ribs in today’s recipe. Yes, it’s an unusual option for a stir fry – but I think you’ll be really impressed. It surprised me!

• Beef (choices!) – Beef short rib is my favourite cut to use in Japchae. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just for slow cooking! When cut off the bone then thinly sliced, the beautifully marbled meat is juicy, tender and flavourful when cooked quickly on high heat – just 90 seconds. (If using beef short ribs whole, however, they must be slow cooked to break down the tough fibres. Try this, this, this or this recipe).

  It really is so much nicer to have the beef bits extra tender and juicy in a noodle dish that is not as saucy as your everyday Chinese Beef Stir Fry. So I really hope you give beef ribs a go! I honestly think it’s better than even pricier steaks like scotch / rib-eye.

  Other options – Scotch fillet/boneless rib eye is best, as it is the juiciest. If using other steak cuts like rump, porterhouse/t-bone, sirloin/strip etc (especially if economical), I recommend tenderising them before using in the recipe so the beef pieces are extra tender (directions in recipe card). Thin strips of beef are difficult to keep juicy as they overcook in a microsecond. As mentioned above, you can get away with that in saucy Beef Stir Fries. Not so much in noodle dishes.

• Soy sauce – As above!

Vegetables

The vegetables shown below is a fairly common combination for Japchae, with a lovely contrast of colour, textures and flavour. But you can really use any stir-fry-able vegetables you want.

Just a note on a few of the vegetables:

• Shiitake mushrooms – These are Asian mushrooms with a more intense mushroomy flavour than standard white mushrooms, brown/cremini mushrooms etc. However, if you can’t find them or they are a bit pricey, feel free to use ordinary mushrooms. They are, as you’d expect, better value in Asian stores.

• Baby spinach – Substitute with chopped English spinach, the leafy part of Asian greens or even kale. *She ducks as Koreans start throwing rotten tomatoes at her*

How to make Japchae (semi-traditional way)

Traditional Japchae recipes call for each vegetable to be cooked individually to factor in the different cook times and preserve the flavour of each. Yes, it’s cumbersome (you count 6 vegetables above!).

But if you jumble them all up into one giant stir fry then the flavours do tend to bleed into each other a bit. So I’ve compromised and cooked the vegetables in 2 lots, bundling vegetables together by factoring in cook times and flavour “bleeding” to best replicate the same result where vegetables are cooked individually. Bonus: We use less oil.

I hope my slight short-cut method doesn’t offend Korean nationals! 😇

Cutting beef short ribs

As noted above, I really think the best beef for Japchae is beef short ribs – juiciest, best flavour. It’s typically sold on the bone (off the bone is not common here in Australia), so here is how to slice the meat.

If you are using a boneless steak instead, or boneless beef short ribs, then you obviously don’t need to cut the meat off the bone!

1. Beef ribs – Not gonna lie. My step photo templates use even number of photos and I only had 5. So I stuck this in as a filler. “Beef short ribs. Ta da!”

2. Trim excess fat – Beef ribs tend to have quite a generous layer of fat on them. So slice off the thick layers on the surface. Not all of it though! The fat is what keeps it juicy!

3. Cut the meat off the bone simply by holding the beef rib upright then slicing the knife down against the bone. It’s easy – the bone is straight and flat.

4. Cut in half horizontally to form 2 thin steaks so we can cut thin beef strips.

5. Cut strips – Keep the halves stacked. Then cut into thin 0.5cm/ 1/5″ slices.

6. Voila! Tasty beef strips. You are going to love how juicy these are!

Cooking Japchae

1. Marinate beef ~20 minutes – Place the beef with the marinade ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine. Then just set aside while you prepare and cook everything else, so it ends up marinating for around 20 minutes. It doesn’t need to be marinated for long because the beef strips are so thin, though it wouldn’t hurt to leave overnight.

2. Mix the sauce ingredients in a very big bowl. We are going to be tossing the whole batch of Japchae in this bowl so I really mean it when I say make it a big one!

3. Cook the Japchae noodles per packet directions. Mine says 8 minutes in boiling water.

4. Noodles on sauce – Drain, rinse briefly under tap water, shake off excess water well then place in the bowl with the sauce. Do not mix – just leave it there.

5. Vegetables Batch 1 – Cook the onion, mushrooms and white part of green onions first, until the mushrooms just start to soft. Then transfer into the noodle bowl.

6. Vegetables batch 2 – Next, cook the carrot and capsicum/bell pepper first, until they are just cooked but still have a soft bite to them. ie “tender crisp”. Soggy floppy overcooked vegetables is unacceptable! 😂 Then add the spinach and the green part of the green onions and toss for a minute just until the spinach is wilted. Then transfer into the noodle bowl.

7. Cook beef – Lastly, cook the beef! Cook it on high heat just until you no longer see red – with a strong stove and good pan it should be barely 90 seconds. Hopefully in this time you’ll get a bit of browning in some patches too. Then add it into the bowl.

8. Toss! Add the sesame seeds, and now it’s time to toss! You used a giant bowl right, like I said to right at the start?? If you didn’t, you’ll start to cry (or swear) right about now.

   Toss, toss, toss, until the sauce is evenly distributed. Check by looking at the colour of the noodles – the sauce stains the glassy noodles a brown colour.

   Then tumble it all into a bowl, finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and serve!

YUM. That sauce is everything! I really like that it’s not as sweet as the Japchae sauce you get at some Korean restaurants which I find a little too sweet.

This is a big batch recipe so it’s an excellent one for taking leftovers to work. It will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Just lightly warm it – or serve hot if you want. Though honestly, it’s also very good at room temperature too! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Japchae – Korean Noodles

Recipe video above. Sort of a stir fry, sort of a noodle salad, this big, colourful Korean noodle dish is tossed together in a bowl rather than on the stove and served barely warm. Made with chewy, slippery sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon) which are available in large grocery stores, though can be substitute with glass noodles (bean thread noodles) or vermicelli noodles in a pinch.

Makes a big batch – leftovers make for a terrific lunch!

Course Lunch, Mains

Cuisine Korean

Keyword japchae, korean glass noodles

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 504cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Choose beef option (Note 1):

• 600g/1.2lb bone-in beef short ribs *RECOMMENDED* (300g/10oz boneless)
• 300g/10 oz boneless beef short ribs *RECOMMENDED*
• 300g/10oz scotch fillet / boneless rib eye or other steak, recommend tenderising (Note 1)

Beef marinade:

• 2 tsp soy sauce , all-purpose or light soy (Note 2)
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Noodle dressing:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce , all-purpose or light soy (Note 2)
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Noodles & vegetables:

• 250g/ 8oz sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), dried (Note 3)
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil (or other plain oil)
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt , divided
• 1 onion , peeled, halved, sliced into 6mm/1/4″ wedges
• 3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm / 2″ lengths, white & green parts separated
• 200g/7oz fresh shiitake mushrooms , stem removed, cut into 5mm/1/5″ slices (Note 4)
• 2 carrots , peeled, cut into 3mm / 1/8" batons
• 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , cut into 0.5cm / 1/5″ slices
• 4 1/2 cups (tightly packed) baby spinach
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Quick beef marinade:

• Cut beef into strips that are ~ 5mm thick, 1cm wide and about 5cm long (1/5" x 2/5" x 2"). If using shortribs, trim excess fat, cut the meat off the bone. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise (to form 2 "steaks") then slice into 5mm thick. (See step photos in post or video at 0.11s, Note 6)
• Marinate – Put beef in a bowl. Add marinade ingredients, then mix. Set aside marinate while you proceed with recipe, ~15 – 20 minutes is all it needs. (Note 5)

Sauce and noodles:

• Sauce – Mix the Sauce ingredients in a very large mixing bowl.
• Noodles – Cook sweet potato noodles per packet directions (normally 8 min in boiling water). Drain, briefly rinse under tap water then shake off excess water well. Add noodles into the bowl with the dressing. DO NOT MIX.

Vegetables:

• Batch 1 – Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick pan (30cm/12") over high heat. Cook the brown onion, white part of green onion and shiitake mushrooms with 1/2 tsp salt for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, just until starting to soften but not going golden. Pour on top of the noodles – don't mix yet!
• Batch 2 – Using the same pan still on high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil then cook the carrot and capsicum for 1 1/2 minutes, constantly stirring. Add spinach, green onion and the final 1/2 tsp salt. Keep cooking for 1 1/2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Transfer into the noodle bowl – still don't mix!
• Cook beef – In the same pan, heat the final 1 tbsp of oil still on high heat. Add beef and cook for 1 1/2 minutes until very lightly golden and just cooked through. Add to the noodle bowl. Don't mix!
• Mix! Add most of the sesame seeds (reserve some for topping). NOW you can mix! Toss, toss, toss.
• Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds. This is meant to be eaten warm, not piping hot. Eat!

Notes

1. Beef quality matters here because the strips of beef are so thin they will overcook in a flash. 

Beef short ribs when sliced thinly is excellent for fast-cook stir frying – superior flavour, juicy and tender. Only needs to be slow cooked to “fall-apart-tender” when it’s served whole!

Next best option in my opinion is scotch fillet/boneless rib eye.

Other steak cuts – rump, porterhouse/t-bone, sirloin/strip etc will work but if using economical cuts, consider tenderising them before using in the recipe so they are soft and tender to eat using the Asian “velveting” technique – read about this here. To do this, slice per recipe, toss with 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carb), set aside for 20 minutes. Rinse in colander, pat dry, then marinate per recipe. 

2. Soy sauce – Use all purpose or a light soy sauce. Not dark soy sauce, colour and flavour is too intense.

3. Korean noodles that are sweet potato noodles called “dangmyeon” sold in dried form that looks a bit clear, like glass noodles. Sold in the Asian aisle of large grocery stores here in Australia, cheaper in Asian stores. Cooked by boiling – follow packet times.

Substitute with glass noodles (“bean thread noodles”) or vermicelli noodles. Or any other very thin noodles.

4. Shiitake mushrooms – Asian mushrooms with a more intense mushroomy flavour than standard white mushrooms, brown/cremini mushrooms (though feel free to sub!).

5. Marinating – No need to marinate overnight though you can.

6. Beef cutting – Aim for thin strips so you get plenty dispersed throughout the noodles.

7. Leftovers make great lunch! Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 504cal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1590mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 10147IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 4mg

Life of Dozer

I can feel him heavy breathing on my feet. 🙄 Also, don’t miss Dozer’s cameo in today’s recipe video – at 0:36!

The post Japchae – Korean noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a quick Korean noodle soup that’s healthy, packs big flavours and will curb your spicy Asian food cravings. The broth gets its flavour from gochujang and kimchi – express passes to flavour! (PS The soup looks far more fiercely spicy than it actually is, but this is not one for kids.)

Spicy Korean Noodle Soup

This is a bit of a gold nugget recipe because it’s actually quite difficult to make good spicy Asian soups. You can’t just add a squirt of chilli sauce into a classic Chinese soup broth. Well, you can, but it lacks the oomph of really good spicy Asian soups which have bold savoury flavour that compliments the spiciness. To make a great one, you typically need a mound of bones simmered for hours to make a homemade stock, a LOT of chilli oil or a deft combination of hard-to-find Asian sauces.

Hence my excitement over this spicy Asian soup recipe. Especially when it passed the highest of all taste-testing-bars: my brother. Famous in our circles for his tough critique of my recipes – read the backstory in Chilli Lime Fish for entertaining proof!

Key ingredients – Kimchi and Gochujang

The two key ingredients in this soup – both of which can be picked up at most everyday grocery stores – are kimchi and gochujang. Gochujang is a wickedly good Korean paste to have in your fridge – if only to make this soup over and over again!! More information below.

• Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickle of fermented vegetables packed in tangy, spicy juice. The cabbage version (the most common type) is best in this soup. The cabbage acts like a mop for the sauce so you get extra flavour in the broth!

  Widely available in the fridge section of large grocery stores or Asian stores these days. We use both the sauce in the jar as well as the vegetables for this recipe. The sauce is loaded with flavour, don’t waste it! Add it into stir fries or Asian soups for a hit of extra salt and spiciness.
  

• Gochujang is a spicy Korean paste loaded with savory flavour. It makes an appearance regularly in my Korean recipes – including the Slow Cooked Beef Ribs in Korean BBQ Sauce which is a signature dish in my cookbook (it’s insanely easy for phenomenal results!).

  Readily available these days in large grocery stores (Asian aisle, not fridge) and Asian stores.

Other broth ingredients

And here are the other ingredients required for the Korean soup broth:

• Chicken stock/broth – use low sodium, else it might be too salty once all the sauces are added.

• Fish sauce – Adds salt into the broth, and more flavour than just plain salt and even soy sauce.

• Soy sauce – More salt into the broth (just using fish sauce is a little too fishy). Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. Not dark soy sauce, the flavour is too strong! More on different soy sauces here.

• Chinese cooking wine – or mirin or dry sherry. Just a small amount adds depth of flavour and complexity to soups and sauces. Without, you’ll notice that the soup is missing “something”. Substitute with more fish sauce (see recipe notes).

• Ginger and garlic – To infuse the broth with flavour.

Soup add-ins

I’ve used choy sum and carrots in this soup. But it’s one to make your own! Use whatever cookable vegetables you want.

• Kimchi – As per above, we use the juices in the jar to flavour the broth as well as the cabbage. Korean spicy goodness to the max!

• Noodles – Use any type you want. I like using thin egg noodles for this – dried ones. But the recipe will work fine with any noodles at all, just prepare according to packet directions.

• Choy sum – Love using Asian greens for quick-prep recipes. So quick to chop! Plus, a good contrast of textures – some fresh crunch from the stem and floppiness from the leafy part. Feel free to substitute with other Asian greens (bok choy, gai lan/Chinese broccoli etc)

• Carrot – For some crunch and lovely contrasting colour! I’ve cut it into batons but if you can’t be bothered, just slice it on an angle. It really doesn’t matter.

• Green onion – Fresh garnish! Optional.

How to make spicy Korean noodle soup

This recipe has a great efficient flow to it. Pour the stock into the saucepan then as it is coming up to the simmer, measure out and add the remaining ingredients into the broth. Then while the broth is simmering for 10 minutes to bring the flavours together, chop the veg and cook the noodles. Then assemble the soup bowls!

1. Choy sum cutting – Trim the roots off. Cut into 7cm / 2.5″ pieces then separate the stems from the leafy part. Why? Because we add the stems first as they take longer to cook than the leaves which wilt in literally seconds. So we put them into the pot right at the end.

2. Kimchi – Measure out 2/3 cups kimchi and 2 tablespoons of kimchi juice. Press and squeeze the cabbage if needed to extract the juice! We need it for flavour, so don’t be short!

3. Simmer broth 10 minutes – Place all the broth ingredients into a saucepan then simmer for 10 minutes to bring the flavours together. I simmer the kimchi cabbage with the broth ingredients to extract the kimchi juices out of it.

4. Cook veg – Cook the bok choy stems and carrots for 2 minutes, then the leafy part of the choy sum for just 1 minute. Then that’s it! The broth is done, ready to assemble the noodle bowls.

5. Cook noodles – Cook the noodles according to the packet directions while the broth is simmering, then drain.

6. Assemble – Place the noodles in a bowl. Then ladle over the soup broth and all the add-ins. Sprinkle with green onions if using then serve!

This is such a gloriously quick dinner to make when you’re craving something healthy, something quick, something spicy or something slurpy – or any combination there of. 😂 It’s fabulously versatile with the add-ins: choose your own vegetables, choose your own noodles, add proteins if you want.

While I encourage you to make this soup your own, I will, however, get a little strict with the soup broth! The combination and quantity of sauces is one that my team and I agreed made the tastiest soup, after going back and forth quite a few times, with a few heated “debates” thrown in. If you skip any of the sauces, it will still taste good but not as great as it is intended to be.

So I really do hope you try the broth as written one of these days! And remember, you can get everything at large supermarkets here in Australia (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms).

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Spicy Korean Noodle Soup (quick & healthy)

Recipe video above. For all those times you need a spicy Asian noodle fix – FAST! This packs a serious flavour punch. The secret is the juices from the kimchi jar and a good dollop of gochujang, that magical spicy Korean paste you can get "everywhere" these days.

To add protein, cook raw prawns/shrimp or fish pieces in the broth (only takes 3 min), or top with slices of BBQ pork. You can also poach chicken in the broth using this foolproof method.

Course Main

Cuisine Asian, Korean

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Calories 365cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Spicy Korean Soup Broth

• 4 cups / 1 litre chicken stock/broth , low-sodium
• 2/3 cup cabbage kimchi (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp kimchi juice , from kimchi tub (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp gochujang (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
• 2 tsp fish sauce (sub more soy)
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, Note 4)
• 2 slices ginger , sliced 0.7cm / 1/3" thick (skin on)
• 1 large garlic clove , smashed (Note 5)

Add-Ins (Note 7):

• 200g/ 7oz thin fresh egg noodles (or 100g/3.5oz dried – Note 6)
• 4 stems choi sum or other Asian greens, cut into 7cm / 2.5" lengths, stems separated from leafy part
• 1 small carrot , peeled, cut into thin matchsticks
• 2 1/2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 8)
• 1/4 cup finely sliced green onions (1 stem)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Broth – Place all broth ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat so it’s simmering gently. Simmer 10 minutes without a lid.
• Cook vegetables – Add choi sum stems and carrot to the broth. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add choi sum leaves and simmer for another minute. Stir in sesame oil just before serving.
• Noodles – Meanwhile, cook egg noodles in boiling water per packet directions. Drain, give the noodles a quick rinse under tap water. Shake off excess water well.
• Assemble – Divide noodles between bowls. Top with the vegetables. Pick the garlic and ginger out of the broth, then broth pour over the noodles. Sprinkle with green onions and serve!

Notes

1. Kimchi is a traditional Korean pickle of fermented vegetables packed in tangy, spicy juice. Widely available in the fridge section of large grocery stores or Asian stores. Extract the juice by squeezing the spoon against the cabbage (there’s usually plenty in the jar, just need to extract it!).

2. Gochujang is a spicy Korean rice and bean paste loaded with savory flavour. You’ll need it for one of the signature recipes in my cookbook: Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs! Also for most Korean recipes I’ve shared.

3. Soy – Use light or all-purpose soy sauce but not dark soy sauce – too strong! More on different soy sauces here.

4. Chinese cooking wine – Substitute with mirin or dry sherry. For a non-alcoholic substitute, use another 1½ teaspoons fish sauce.

5. Smashed garlic – place the side of a knife on the garlic clove, then hit the palm of your hand on it to make the clove burst open but mostly hold together.

6. Noodles – Use any type you want! Try vermicelli or lo mein noodles.

7. Veg – Feel free to sub with anything of your choice.

8. Sesame oil – toasted sesame oil is brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

Leftovers – Store broth and noodles separately for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat separately then put together!

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 365cal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 2717mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5232IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 4mg

Life of Dozer

When you see Dozer in a window display of the flagship Dymocks bookstore that thousands of people pass by every day – who cares about the recipes in my cookbook!!?? 😂

The post 15 minute Spicy Korean Noodle Soup appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

One for spicy food lovers! These beef ribs are slowly braised in a sweet and deeply savoury Korean BBQ sauce with a solid chilli kick for the fun factor. Simply mix the sauce up, pour it over the ribs and bake until the meat is slipping off the bone.

This is a cookbook exclusive recipe!

This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code!

Just to explain….

I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀

I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise.

This page exists to display the how-to video for this recipe which I exclusively created for my debut cookbook, Dinner. Every recipe in the cookbook has a tutorial video. To watch it, you simply scan the QR code with your phone or tablet and it will take you straight to the recipe video like the one shown above!

Curious about my cookbook?

• Read the cookbook overview

• Browse all cookbook exclusive recipes here

• Read the Cookbook Tales. Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of dirty dishes!! And quite a lot of Dozer. 😂

Stay tuned for more on this page! Some cookbook exclusive recipes will have extra information added as well as extra tips. I am also looking at enabling comments for selected recipes so I can answer reader questions about cookbook recipes. I’m just a little snowed under during this launch period – book tours, getting 131 recipe videos out, launching the book overseas. Please bear with me! – Nagi x (10 October 2022)

The post Slow-Cooked Beef Ribs In Korean BBQ Sauce appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

BBQ Marinated Beef Short Ribs (Galbi) is a standout of the world famous Korean barbecue! Korean BBQ marinades are magical – amazing flavour and exceptional tenderising ability which can tenderise tough cuts like short ribs so it’s succulent, sweet, savoury and garlicky.

Korean BBQ Marinated Beef Short Ribs

Korean barbecue is one of the first things that come to mind when people think of Korean food. And it’s world famous for good reason! I love that it’s as much of a social event as it is an eating one, enjoyed by groups huddled around a table embedded with a grill sizzling with marinated meats, seafood and vegetables.

Interactive food, I call it. And I’m 100% on board!

Of all the marinated barbecued meats, I am pretty sure that Korean Short Ribs is one of the most well known. Koreans prize this cut for its rich beefy flavour, while the addition of the marinade tenderises, flavours and encourages delicious caramelisation on the meat as it barbecues.

Korean Short Ribs are also notable for the unique way they are cut: The meat is “unrolled” to form a long, thin flap still attached to the bone. This not only ensures maximum marinade penetration but also that the meat cooks quickly, while making it easier to eat.

Like I said, Koreans have their barbecue game all figured out!

Korean Barbecue Marinade for Beef Short Ribs

The DIY cooking experience aside, one of the things that makes Korean BBQ so great are the Korean barbecue marinades. There’s a few things makes Korean barbecue marinades so distinctive:

1. Exceptional tenderising effect – Korean barbecue marinades incorporate fresh fruit such as nashi pears, regular pears, apples, kiwis and pineapples which have natural tenderising qualities. These fruits break down the fibres of otherwise tough meats, such as the short ribs we are using today, to render theme exceptionally tender – even if you happen to overcook them!

2. Distinctive sweet-savoury flavour – They have a familiar yet unique Asian flavours. They are often strong on garlic – much Korean food is! – leaning towards the sweet but still savoury. As some of the sweetness comes from fruit rather than sugar, it’s very different to the sugary-sweet taste of some Western sauces. They are also complex, including ingredients like grated onion which adds a a great boost of savoury flavour and body.

Ingredients in Korean BBQ Marinade for Beef Short Ribs

Here’s what you need for the Korean Barbecue Marinade:

• Nashi pear or normal pear or apple – The unique ingredient in Korean Barbecue Marinades, nashi pear and other fruits have natural tenderising qualities that can soften the fibres of even the toughest cuts of meat. Beef short ribs are typically slow-cooked until fall apart tender (such as in this recipe and this recipe), yet here the meat is suitable for even barbecuing thanks to the marinade.

  “Nashi” is the Japanese word for “pear”. (So really, “nashi pear” means “pear pear”! 😂) It’s also known by various other names including Korean pear, Asian pear, Chinese pear, apple pear and sand pear, to name a few.

  It’s shaped like a round apple rather than the distinctive pear shape, but with a flesh texture and taste similar to a crisp pear. Except – dare I say it – juicier and tastier than most pears!

  Nashi pear is typically available throughout autumn and winter, though often I see them well into spring.

  Best substitutes: Normal pears or red apples. They have a very similar flavour and tenderising effect in end result;

• Garlic – Korean food is known for being liberal with the garlic, and Korean marinades are no exception!

• Ginger – The garlic plays a dominant role here, but ginger adds a lovely fragrant back note. I consider ginger to be complimentary and highly recommended but not essential;

• Onion – An essential savoury base ingredient, especially with the unique way in which it is finely grated;

• Mirin – Japanese sweet cooking wine which adds depth and complexity into the marinade and, well, anything it comes into contact with!;

• Soy sauce – For flavour and salt;

• Sesame oil – Like garlic, Koreans are very fond of sesame oil, and we do not complain!

• Sugar – Adds more sweetness as well as terrific caramelisation on the beef; and

• Black pepper – For a touch of warmth.

Beef Short Rib cut used for Korean BBQ

Beef ribs are a thick meaty cuts on the bone that are typically slow-cooked as hunks in Western cuisine, to break down the tough fibres until they become meltingly tender, such as these Beef Ribs in Red Wine Sauce.

In contrast, for Korean BBQ, beef short ribs are cut for cooking in various ways. They may be boneless, served as small, ready-to-grill, bite-sized pieces. Otherwise they may be cut with bone still attached. This can be one of two ways.

The first is known as “flanken cut” (also called LA galbi in the USA, and asado in other parts of the world including Australia), where the meat slices are cut across the ribs so you have several small pieces of rib per slice. The other is “English cut” ribs, where there is a single, longer rib bone section per slice. In Korean butchery these are cut smaller than you’ll typically find in the shops here in Australia. Also, and most characteristically, the meat is butterflied out into one long, thin piece of beef that unrolls, still attached to the bone.

The latter, butterflied beef short ribs, is what I’ve used today. This and the boneless cuts are rarely found at Western butchers, you need to get them from Korean or Asian butchers. But don’t worry, see below for an easily accessible substitution!!

The photos below show what butterflied beef short ribs looks like. The top photo is how it is sold at the Korean butchers, with the meat rolled up on the bone. The second photo shows what it looks like unrolled.

Best options / substitutions for Korean cut beef short ribs

The best options and substitutions for Korean cut beef short ribs are:

1. LA galbi / asado slices – As mentioned, these are also common in Korean BBQ, especially in the US. These are beef ribs, simply cut a different way (across the bone). Make sure the LA galbi / asado slices you buy are reasonably thin (no more than 1cm / 0.5″).

2. Boneless beef ribs, sliced – This is simply short ribs without the bone; or

3. Beef oyster blade which is essentially flatiron steak in the US. It has similar cooking and flavour characteristics to beef short ribs in that:

   • It can be slow or fast cooked;

   • It has a similar beefy flavour; and

   • When sliced thinly and marinated in a Korean BBQ marinade, it stays nice and juicy even when grilled long enough to caramelise (which necessarily pushes the thinly sliced beef far into well-done territory).

While oyster blade might not be a well-known cut of beef here in Australia, it is in fact even sold at large supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farms) and is one of the better value cuts of beef.

To use oyster blade, simply finely slice it and use per the recipe in place of the beef short ribs. If you get the oyster blade in steak form (which is how it’s typically sold at supermarkets), then slice it thinly on an angle to get pieces with a larger surface area (partially freezing it helps).

The last option (expert level!) is: butterfly your own Korean beef ribs! Sometimes you can find suitable sized short ribs on the bone, but not butterflied. If you are confident, you can butterfly your own. It is not difficult if you are competent with a knife and take your time. You need pieces with ribs about the size you see in my photos, ie. ~8cm / 3″ long. The cutting part however is out of scope of this post, so follow this handy tutorial from Modern Pepper (a Korean cooking website) to see how to do it.

How to make Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs

One of the distinguishing techniques used in Korean marinades is that onion and fruit (nashi pear, in this case) are finely grated for maximum effect and flavour in the marinade.

1. Finely grate onion, nashi pear, ginger and garlic, then combine with remaining marinade ingredients;

2. Unroll the Korean cut butterflied beef short ribs;

3. Place beef in a ziplock bag or container then add the marinade;

4. Marinate beef for 24 hours. Don’t shortcut this – beef short ribs are a tough cut of beef so it needs the full marinating time to ensure it is properly tenderised;

5. Cook beef preferably on a BBQ but even a stove is fine. I like to use my BBQ so I can cook the beef strips whole – because it looks so good! But practicality rules when indoors, so just cut them up into pieces that will fit in your skillet or pan.

   It takes around 2 – 3 minutes on a hot BBQ to caramelise each side, by which time the inside of the thin slices of beef are very, very well done – in fact, technically overcooked for meat this thin. But do not worry, this is intentional! Why? Because the marinade keeps it tender. In fact, I’ve cooked it for well over 10 minutes and it was still unbelievably tender.

   Seriously. This Korean marinade is foolproof magic!

6. Remove from the BBQ or stove, then serve! Unlike other types of un-marinated Korean barbecue meats which have a dipping sauce, this beef is infused with and dripping with flavour so you absolutely will not need a sauce!

What to serve with Korean Marinated BBQ Beef Short Ribs

Korean food is equally well known for the selection of delicious, simple, and mostly vegetable side dishes known as banchan that are offered up alongside the main meal. The count can run from just a modest couple in the home to up to a dozen in some restaurants, where every available surface on the table is crammed with a dizzying array of sides served in individual dishes (spare a thought for the poor soul on dish washing duty!)

Kimchi (either store-bought or home-made) is a must, and potato salad nearly always makes an appearance. Some kind of simple lettuce salad – say, lettuce, some canned corn kernels, thinly sliced onion – is also typical (my Asian sesame dressing would be perfect here!) Plainly stir-fried vegetables also make great accompaniments to richly flavoured Korean mains. So any of the individual vegetable preparations in my bibimbap are also essentially mini-banchan recipes!

Meanwhile I can also offer up some other very typical Korean banchan recipes I’ve used from other websites:

• Bean sprout or soybean sprout salad – from the loveable Maangchi!

• Pickled radishes (easy) – from My Korean Kitchen (one of my go-to sources of authentic Korean recipes); and

• Korean Sesame Spinach Salad (easy) – also from My Korean Kitchen

• Sweet Soy Potatoes – from DriveMeHungry

Pictured in post are Kimchi Fried Rice and Ginger Smashed Cucumbers (both my recipes) which are a sensational pairing with this juicy Korean beef. I love the fiery red colour of the fried rice, which looks much more fierce than it actually is in taste!

And here are a few more options for you:

Kimchi Fried Rice

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

How to cook white rice – easily and perfectly

Sesame Noodles

Happy Korean cooking! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Galbi – Korean BBQ Marinated Beef Short Ribs

Recipe video above. This is an excellent Korean barbecue marinade that will work with pork, chicken or even lamb. And while it's delicious cooked on the stove, a BBQ will better replicate the true Korean barbecue experience!

Do not worry about overcooking the thin slices of beef. The marinade is magical, it keeps the thin slices of beef incredibly tender even if you cook it for over 10 minutes which would ordinarily turn the beef into inedible dry cardboard!

Course Mains

Cuisine Asian, BBQ, Korean

Keyword Galbi, Korean Barbecue beef, Korean beef marinade, KOrean beef short ribs, Korean marinade, Korean short ribs

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

1 day day

Servings 4 people

Calories 431cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 kg/ 2lb beef short ribs, butterflied Korean style (pictured) or thinly sliced through the bone (Note 1 for subs)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil , for cooking

Korean Barbecue Marinade:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce (all purpose or light soy, not dark or sweet)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp mirin (Note 2)
• 1/4 cup onion , finely grated (including juice)
• 1/4 cup nashi pear , finely grated including juice (sub normal pear or any red apple, Note 3)
• 2 tsp garlic , finely grated
• 2 tsp ginger , finely grated
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil (Note 4)
• 1 tsp black pepper

Serving (optional):

• Green onion, sesame seeds, coriander/cilantro leaves , for garnish
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Smashed Cucumbers

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Make Marinade: Whisk Marinade ingredients in a bowl.
• Marinade 24 hours: Place beef in a ziplock bag, glass or ceramic container. Pour over Marinade, mix well to coat. Cover and marinade for 24 hours.

Cooking:

• Remove beef from Marinade, discard Marinade.
• BBQ – Heat on high until smoking hot, then brush grills with vegetable oil. Lay beef on BBQ and cook for 2 minutes on one side until caramelised. Turn and cook the other side until caramelised. Remove, loosely cover with foil, cook remaining beef.
• Stove – Cut beef strips into pieces that will fit your skillet. Heat skillet with oil over high heat. Add beef and cook for 2 minutes until caramelised, then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes.

Serving:

• Garnish beef with sesame seeds and green onions if desired. You don't need a sauce for this one – it is literally dripping with flavour! Pictured in post with Kimchi Fried Rice and Ginger Smashed Cucumbers.

Notes

1. Beef short ribs cut – Korean barbecue calls for a specific way of cutting beef short ribs so they are thin and cook quickly on the grill. They are either sliced through the bone into approx 0.7cm / 1/4″ slices (called LA galbi in the US, or asado elsewhere), or “butterflied” (pictured in post) so the meat rolls off the bone with the bone still attached.

Slicing through the bone requires special butchery equipment, butterflying short ribs requires not only nifty knife skills but also beef ribs that are not as fatty as the usual Western ones that are intended to be slow braised until meltingly tender (such as in Red Wine Sauce or BBQ Sauce).

I opt to buy mine pre-cut from Korean butchers! I go to Hahn’s Quality Korean Meats in Eastwood (Sydney) which is a Korean neighbourhood. Korean cut beef ribs can also be found at many Asian butchers.

Best substitutions:

a) Boneless short ribs, sliced; or

b) Beef oyster blade which is equivalent to flatiron steak in the US. It has similar cooking characteristics (able to be slow cooked or fast cooked) and similar texture + beefy flavour. Best to buy it in a roast form then slice 0.5cm / 0.2″ thick, marinade and cook per recipe. Oyster steak is sold at large grocery stores in Australia (Woolies, Coles, Harris). For these, freeze for 1 hour (it makes it easier to slice) then slice across surface on the diagonal so you get larger surface area thin slices.

2. Mirin – Japanese sweet cooking sake, which adds complexity and depth of flavour to anything it comes in contact with! Best substitute: 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), or cooking sake. Otherwise, leave it out.

3. Nashi Pear – Prized for the natural tenderising qualities for this tough cut of beef, and sweet flavour it brings! Substitute with normal pear or any type of red apple.

4. Sesame Oil – toasted sesame oil is brown and has more flavour than untoasted (which is yellow). Default sesame oil sold in Australia is toasted, untoasted is harder to find.

5. Storage – marinated beef can be put in the freezer immediately, then it will marinate as it thaws overnight in the fridge. Cooked beef will keep for 4 – 5 days, but it’s truly at its best freshly cooked!

6. Nutrition assumes all the marinade is consumed which of course it is not. Impossible to calculate the actual calories per serving because of this, but suffice to say it is less!

Nutrition

Calories: 431cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1269mg | Potassium: 742mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 5mg

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Life of Dozer

When I cheated on Dozer in Tasmania!!! 💔 This is Oscar the trail dog, owned by a friend, who is actually able to keep up on mountain bike riding trails. Dozer, on the other hand, is no long distance runner, so he stayed at home with the golden retriever boarder. This is in Derby, Tasmania – just got back last night!

And here is Dozer and I, reunited. He knows I’ll always be faithful to him…..!!

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