Thursday, April 8, 2010

Kalbi Jim

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Korean beef stew, kalbi jim

I had to shop so I told Vero to boil the short ribs in the pressure cooker and prepare some blanched veggies, any veggies from the fridge, for dinner. When I came home, I added the seasoning ingredients, let the stew cook in the pressure cooker for a while longer and then switched the heat off to let the flavors develop. Dinner time, and Vero brought this plate of veggies to the table:

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Isn't that a pretty plate of veggies? The lettuce looked like they were boiled to death but still, who would've thought, a plate of lettuce surrounded by purple cauliflower? I told Vero she did a good job and she dismissed it humbly.

When the weather's cool and rainy, I like dishes that warm the body. Stews do a great job warning up the body and stomach. The funny thing about kalbi jim is, the few times I cooked it, that it was either too watery and or too dry or too bland but this time, when I didn't bother to follow the cookbook, it turned out perfect. I found that with the pressure cooker, my stews turn out better when I get the meat half-way tender and then switch the fire off so that the sauce can seep into the meat while the meat continue to cook in the retained heat. After some time, I re-heat and let it cook without pressure to reduce and thicken the sauce. If I use the pressure cooker all through the cooking process, the stew doesn't turn out as flavorful. You can cook a good stew with the pressure cooker but by combining pressure and non-pressure simmering, your stew can be better than just good.

Instead of marinading the ribs, I cooked them until half-tender and then added the seasoning ingredients.  The family gave high marks for this, and I'm happy.

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Kalbi Jim
1.5 kg beef short ribs, in 4-5 cm pieces
2 carrots, in small chunks
1 large white carrot/radish (daikon), in small chunks
 7-8 red dates, washed well
5 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked & halved
1 small piece of ginger
1 T minced garlic
1 T sesame oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
6 T light soy sauce
1 T dark soy sauce
1 T sugar
3 T rice wine
1/4 cup scallions or spring onions, chopped
2 T corn syrup
generous dose of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup pineapple or pear juice, preferably from the fresh fruit*

*in Korean cooking, pear or pineapple juice is often added to tenderize the meat.  I used the stem/heart of a fresh pineapple, because we had a fresh pineapple.

1. Trim the rib of any fat, wash well. Blanch the ribs with plenty of boiling water, drain.

2. Put ribs into a pressure cooker and add enough water to just cover and cook about 20 minutes after the pressure is reached. Turn heat off.

3. When the safety button drops, remove the lid and add all the remaining ingredients except a large pinch of chopped spring onions for garnish. Cover and simmer at normal cooking heat  without pressure for about 20 minutes. If there's too much liquid, leave the lid half-on, turn the heat to high and cook so that somw of the liquid is reduced. Cover and turn heat off.

4. After 20 minutes, re-heat the stew and let it cook under pressure for another 10-15 minutes depending on how tender the meat is.

Let the stew steep in the sauce until just before serving time. Re-heat, taste & season if necessary.The sauce shouldn't be too thin. If it is, leave the lid open and cook the stew at high heat to burn off some of the sauce to thicken it. Sprinkle the reserved spring onions over the stew and serve hot with rice.

9 comments:

Agnes said...

Yum Yum~ comforting looking stew :D

the lunch guy said...

once again, never fails, a great looking dish you have here.

short ribs are fantastic any way they are prepared. i first cooked them for a scandinavian menu with a finishing to the sauce of sour cream and dill. all on top of broad egg noodles.

but just a few weeks ago i went to a new california/mexican place here in bangkok that had them on the menu:

prime australian beef short ribs ~ braised with corona beer and mexican spices.

right beer. some of the best beef i have ever eaten, just fell off the bone.

http://www.loscabosbangkok.com/food/19.jpg

the chef is a guy from california who has opened a few mexican and bbq joints in town and he was the first guy in thailand to truly replicate mexican cuisine and american smoke pit bbq. if anyone ever comes to town, and wants something other than thai food, try this joint out.

That's Ron said...

yunmmo!

Zurin said...

ThaT cauliflower looks good enough to decorate the house!!! gorgeous!

u dreamt huh.....just tell me it was good kay! I didnt mess up your food did I? LOL

Anonymous said...

Hi!
You've always such beautiful ideas!!
Thank you!!
I've added you to my blog-lists!
And I've visited your daughter's blog: she's an architect like me!
Take care!
Laura

terri@adailyobsession said...

agnes: yes, stews are comfort food..

lunchguy: i am noting this down. when we were in LA years ago, i ordered everything on the menu for our family n they sent all their food out. we ate so much that we never ate mexican again! i must venture into that cuisine once more..

ron: :))

zurin: yes, it's so pretty. no, i woke up missing you n your posts n wondering when you'd write again:))

laubao: you live in wonderful italy! tell me which cities i shouldn't miss??

Laura said...

Hello!
Yes, I live in Italy, in Tuscany. I live in Prato, near Florence!!
Here in Tuscany there are lot of beautiful cities, a part of Florence!
You should visit Siena (and near it Monteriggioni, Bagno Vignoni), Lucca, and all the part in Maremma with lot of mystery about "Vie Cave" (you can find something here: http://www.inntravel.co.uk/Holidays/Walking/Italy/Tuscany/A-Stroll-through-History.aspx). Pitigliano and all the cities around it are wonderful!
And then there are Orvieto, Roma, Tuscania, and lot of cities in the south!!!

Mr. Pineapple Man said...

wow that looks very good~ drooling on my comp!

Western Dental said...

Really colorful pictures and the stew looks fantastic!

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