Maeun Galbi Jjim aka spicy galbi jjim is Korean style braised beef short ribs.
I shared traditional style a long ago and recently this spicy version got viral in LA. This restaurant Sun Nong Dan in Korea town LA sells this spicy braised galbi jjim and everyone can’t have it enough!
I, myself went there to eat as well and it was delicious! They actually give an option to put cheese on top, which we did on the half of the spicy galbi jjim.
Oh, man. It was SO GOOD!! They torch the cheese on the table which made a really great show! Loved it!
So today, I’m going to share how to create the spicy galbi jjim at home! It is time consuming dish, because beef short ribs take some time to get soften, BUT very easy to make though. You can play Candy Crush while making it!
Bring enough water to boil that can cover all the beef short ribs in a large pot. Add the beef short ribs.
Bring water back to boil. it will take about 8 to 10 minutes. No worries, we won’t loose any flavors but excess blood and bone bits that we don’t want to eat! This way the end product will have a such a clean and pure flavors!
Let the water bring back to boil. When it started boiling again, drain the water and beef in a strainer. You could save the broth, but it is filled with beef blood and bone bits, so make sure to strain in a super fine kitchen cloth.
Quickly rinse the pot. Wash the beef one by one under running cold water.
Add the clean beef short ribs in the now-clean pot.
Add soy sauce, sugar, soju, gochugaru, maesilaek, black pepper, garlic ginger and water. (I added garlic and ginger at last in the video, because I forgot to add in the begining! lol) You could use regular red pepper flakes, that will work just fine or even Thai chili flakes for extra spiciness!
Mix well, cover and bring it to boil over high heat. Let it hard boil for 30 minutes over high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer for additional 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, smooth edges of Korean radish and carrot using a knife or vegetable peeler.
This step is not necessary for the taste, it’s just for the look. By treating the sharp edge of the vegetables will prevent break down and make the galibijjim looks not as neath.
I also cut some onions into same size as radish and carrots and soak my dangmyeon in hot water during this time.
I used flat and wide shaped dangmyeon, Korean glass noodles but the shape of the noodles is not too important. In fact, this glass noodle part is optional!
You also could use zero calorie noodles if you want to!
Dangmyeon is Korean sweet potato noodles aka glass noodles. Easy to find at your local Asian grocery or online. Noodle part is absolutely optional, and if you deiced to use them, soak in hot water at least 30 minutes and drain right before use.
Add the radish and carrot into the pot. Stir well until well combined.
Cover and cook additional 30 minutes over medium heat.
Then add the onion and soaked glass noodles (if you are using).
Stir well and cook 5 to 10 more minutes or until onions are soften and the noodles are fully cooked.
Remove from heat, stir in green onions and chili.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy with a warm bowl of rice and kimchi!
Spicy Galbi Jjim
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
Galbi jjim is Korean Braised Beef Short Ribs and this is spicy version which is the best version!
Ingredients
- 5 lb 1” to 1 1/2” thick single beef short ribs
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup soju, Korea liquor or rice wine
- 3 to 6 tbsp gochugaru Korean red pepper flakes or regular red pepper flakes (for extra spiciness, add Thai chili flakes)
- 1/4 cup maesilaek, Korean plum extract or apple/pear juice
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 20 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped ginger
- 6 cups water
- 1 1/2 lb moo, Korean radish or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2”x2” cubes
- 2 large carrots, peeled, cut into 2”x2” cubes
- 2 large yellow or sweet onion, cut into 2”x2” cubes
- 4 to 6 oz dried dangmyeon Korean glass noodles or zero calorie noodles (optional), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained right before use
- 5 to 6 green onions, cut into 2” longe pieces
- 1 to 3 green and/or red chili, sliced
Instructions
- Bring enough water to boil that can cover all the beef short ribs in a large pot. Add the beef short ribs. Let the water bring back to boil, about 8 to 10 minutes. When it started boiling again, drain the water and beef in a strainer. You could save the broth, but it is filled with beef blood and bone bits, so make sure to strain in a super fine kitchen cloth. Quickly rinse the pot. Wash the beef one by one under running cold water. Add the clean beef short ribs in the now-clean pot.
- Add soy sauce, sugar, soju, gochugaru, maesilaek, black pepper, garlic ginger and water. (I added garlic and ginger at last in the video, because I forgot to add in the begining! lol) Mix well, cover and bring it to boil over high heat. Let it hard boil for 30 minutes over high heat then reduce heat to medium and simmer for additional 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, smooth edges of Korean radish and carrot. This step is not necessary for the taste, it’s just for the look. By treating the sharp edge of the vegetables will prevent break down and make the galibijjim looks not as neath.
- Add the radish and carrot into the pot. Stir and cook additional 30 minutes. Then add the onion and soaked glass noodles (if you are using). Cook 5 to 10 more minutes or until onions are soften and the noodles are fully cooked. Remove from heat, stir in green onions and chili. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy with a warm bowl of rice and kimchi!
- Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
23 comments
If I am making it non spicy can I use the same recipe but skip out the red pepper? Thank you
You definitely can!!
Hi, would it make a difference if I used gochujang to add a bit of heat? Can you explain why gochujang isn’t used in this recipe? I feel it would be the perfect addition to a stew.
Do you leave the lid on or off during hard boil?
At first when blenching the ribs, you leave the lid open, but when when hard boiling, leave the lid closed!
Can we use beef chuck instead?
Sure! but Make sure its similar size as the beef short ribs!
Hi Can I subtitute maesilak with apple oligo syrup??? Do I mix it with a bit of water?
You can substitute Maesilak with apricot jam!
What is the title of the song in the video?
Thanks.
If I can’t find beef shirt ribs, what else would recommend for this recipe I would really like to try it. Thanks !
an amazing recipe! My boyfriend but it in the hall of fame for things I have made us to eat!
It is just as good as daeho in SF!
So happy to hear that! I’m glad could help out (:
Is Rice Wine Mirin or will Shaoxing Wine work? Thanks
All of those should work fine!
Hello SEONKYOUNG
I tried making this recipe last month but for some reason I could not reduce the liquid enough. It came out looking more like a soup than a stew. I left the lid close during the recommended times and used the same amount of liquids. Do you think i should uncover next time?
This happened to me too…I cooked it for another hour and even added potatoes, but the liquid isn’t reducing at all 🙁
The flavor of this dish is amazing! I halved the recipe and I used half ribs and half flank. Sooo good, I practically licked my plate clean. I don’t have ribs on hand all the time but the sauce is so good I’ll be putting any meat in this and including it in my dinner rotation. Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Seonkyoung!
I tried your recipe and I love it. If I want to make this with a slow cooker, what should I do?
This is my second time making this recipe, and the first time I used the beautiful short ribs from the Korean market (but it’s so expensive!) like you, I also LOVE Costco. Last week I found a pack of beef short ribs at Costco, and the packing was too sealed for me to tell if it was the thick kind of the thin kind of galbi used for BBQ. Unfortunately it was the thin kind but I went YOLO and used it anyway. It still came out soft and tender and delicious! The bones fell right out of the meat and the meat was melting in our mouths. Thanks Seonkyoung!
Can I make boneless will it taste the same as my family prefer boneless
Yes, that would work perfect! Also Don’t forget to rate the recipe once you try! It means a lot to me (: