LA Galbi
The pièce de résistance and the showstopper of our feature on South Korea. Galbi, or Kalbi is not a single food, but rather a variety of grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. “Galbi" is the Korean word for "rib", and this dish is usually made with beef short ribs or pork spareribs. For our final feature on Korean cuisine this round, we are showcasing LA galbi - marinated grilled beef short ribs, which most people are familiar eating at Korean barbecue restaurants!
Origin of Korean Barbecue
In order to learn the history of galbi, one must know the history of gogi-gui as in “meat roast”, popularly known as Korean barbecue. From humble beginnings in the wilds of the Korean peninsula to most major cities in South Korea and the rest of the world, galbi along with gogi-gui is without a doubt one of the tastiest and best ways to enjoy Korean food. With a wide variety of meat, veggies and sauces to select from, the choose-your-own-adventure style of eating is popular amongst people from all walks of life.
Korean barbecue is hip and trendy now, but its origins can be traced back to a nomadic group of people, called the Maek. Koreans are descendants of several different nomadic tribes — some from Siberia and some from central Asia. One of those tribes were the Maek, a wandering group of people who left their territory in central Asia to go east. It is said the the maeks brought a hardy meat dish with them so they could have enough sustenance to survive the harsh weather they expected to face during their journey. Maekjeok was the name of this dish and it contained meat pre-salted and pre-seasoned to help preserve it for a long time.
But centuries later, with the spread of Buddhism to the Korean peninsula during 4th century CE, the eating of meat was generally prohibited and maekjeok almost disappeared. The Buddhists shunned the consumption of meat, resulting in an array of creative vegetable dishes. Banchan, which is translated as "side dish" and includes popular vegetarian dishes like kimchi and bibimbap, became a focal point of Korean food. Then several centuries later, the Mongols invaded between 1230-1271 and normalized the consumption of meat all over again. Maekjeok made a comeback and by the early 20th century, it had evolved into neobiani — a luxurious dish of thinly sliced, marinated and charbroiled beef favored by Korean royalty. The royal palace favorite neobiani goes on to pave the way for commonly consumed bulgogi, galbi as well as other gogi-gui. Together, these grilled meats and banchan are what we call Korean barbecue today.
Source: Mashed, Asian Inspirations, Korean BBQ Online, Food Worth Writing For
Galbi-Gui vs LA Kalbi
Traditionally, galbi is made from the English cut in which short ribs are cut to expose one smooth bone along the short edge with the meat uniformly filleted in flat layers, grilled like an unrolled blanket. This is also known as Wang Galbi or King Galbi which is the original preparation for this dish and how it has typically been eaten in the Korean peninsula.
An alternative cut, known as the flanken cut, Koreans call it "LA Galbi" named after the city of it’s origin. This was developed by Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, who had adapted to the the thinner rib-eye cut preferred by local butchers. LA galbi is thinly cut across the bone, so each strip has three or four little oblong pieces of bone along the top.
How did Galbi become LA Kalbi?
With the Japanese invasion and occupation followed by the Korean war, many Koreans left the peninsula to resettle overseas. Like many different waves of immigrants, the Koreans brought their culture, cuisine and way of life which they successfully established in places like Los Angeles, California. Again, like many different waves of immigrants, this meant opening restaurants and food shops. Since Korean barbecue was so easy to cook, whether by the diners or the waiter, and the flavors were so friendly to foreign palates, gogi-gui quickly became a culinary sensation and started to develop a dedicated following.
LA galbi as we know today, barbecued, cross-cut short ribs were adopted by Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, since this cut of meat was cheaper and more easily available at the local Mexican supermarkets. A lot of Korean meats were once unwanted off-cuts—pork belly, oxtails, brisket, and short ribs—and were popular amongst poorer Koreans as they recovered from the Korean War, and for immigrants in America as they worked to make ends meet. More than any other food, LA galbi is a Korean dish that is uniquely Korean-American. The story of this dish is once again a beautiful reminder of how food develops, fuses and evolves over time. Not only does LA galbi as a dish depict the experience of the Korean diaspora but showcase how they successfully made the best of foreign resources in a foreign country.
Why is LA Galbi more popular?
Turns out, this variation enables the marinade to penetrate the meat faster. The thin cut also helps the salty-sweet marinade soak in much quicker. And so it became so popular within the Korean diaspora in California that it has since made its way back to South Korea, as well as the rest of the world.
Recipe — Koreal Grilled Beef Short Ribs
Serves: 4-6
Key Ingredients for a Proper Korean BBQ
Galbi and other grilled meat is typically cooked by the diners themselves on grills set in the tables. The meat cooks quickly while the marinade is brushed during grilling to produce a glazed finish.
Once the meat is cooked, it is cut into small bite size pieces with kitchen scissors. Then the grilled meat is wrapped inside lettuce leaves, perilla leaves and other leafy vegetables. It is topped with ssamjang, a gochujang (spicy red chili paste) and doenjang (soybean paste), along with onion, green onions, garlic, and green pepper. Like many other Korean dishes, galbi is also accompanied by bap (cooked rice) and banchan (side dishes).
Recommended Cookware and Utensils
Baking Dish (with lid) - for marinating
Your favorite grill/bbq - if you are grilling
Cast Iron Grill Pan - if you are pan-frying
Baking Sheet with Wire Rack - if you are broiling
Recommended Pantry Ingredients
The Marinade
Onion - 1/2, diced
Garlic - 8-10 cloves, that’s 1 head of a garlic
Scallions - 4-6, white parts only (save the greens for garnish)
Ginger - 1 knob, about 1 inch
Kiwi - 1/2 (see note)
Combine all the ingredients above in a food processor and blend to a coarse purée, scraping down sides of the food processor bowl as needed.
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Black Pepper - 1 tbsp
Mirin - 1/3 cup
Sesame Oil - 1/4 cup
Soy Sauce - 1/3 cup
Water - 1/3 cup
Add the rest of the above ingredients to the food processor, continue blending until the vegetable puree, spices and the liquids are well-combined.
Beef Short Ribs, Flanken Style - 3 lbs
Place beef in a gallon zipper-lock bag or large baking dish with lid. Pour the marinade over the short ribs and toss to evenly distribute. If using a bag, then seal removing as much air as possible. If using a baking dish, wrap tightly with a plastic wrap, then cover the lid. Transfer short ribs to the refrigerator and marinate overnight 12 hours but no more than 24 hours.
Hot Tip: I use both zipper bags and a large rectangular baking dish to marinate. In the zipper bag, the ribs and marinade stay air right. Then I lay the zipper bag flat on the baking dish (which stays clean) and the beef ribs lay flat and absorb the marinade evenly.
Note: Kiwi
Short ribs are tough cuts of meat and need to be tenderized for grilling. Traditionally grated Asian pear is used in galbi marinades. The fruit contains an enzyme called calpain which tenderizes the meat while also adding a subtle sweetness to the marinade.
You can find Asian pears, also known as Korean pears or Nashi pears sold at supermarkets, covered in polyethylene fruit socks for protection. However, they aren’t always available in every grocery stores, and if they’re out of season then their price can climb quite high. Whatever the reason, if you can’t get your hands on Asian pears, other good substitutes are: bosc pear, kiwi, or pineapple.
Also keep in mind, not to let the ribs sit in the marinade for more than 12-24 hours. Any longer than that, you will risk mushy beef and the enzyme will eventually over-tenderize the meat. It’s not very appetizing!
Different Methods of Cooking
Traditionally, this dish is grilled over a wood fire. But there are more than one way to cook the meat, you can grill, pan-fry or even broil the short ribs. I chose to grill the ribs because it was the easiest and most convenient method. Here are some generic guidelines for the different methods of cooking.
Grill - Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-heat. Drain excess marinade off the ribs. Grill the meat, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Pan-Fry - Use a cast iron pan with the grill grates like this one. The heat from the cast iron will put a nice char as well as grill marks on the ribs. Brush the grill pan with a little bit of cooking oil and preheat the pan over medium-heat. Place short ribs on the hot pan and cook to desired doneness, turning several times, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
Broil - Set the oven to broil and let it preheat. Lay the meat in a single layer on a sheet pan with wire rack or a broiling pan. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven, usually about 6 inches below the broiler. Cook until the ribs are slightly charred and caramelized, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip them over and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Watch closely not to burn them.
Hot Tip: Don’t throw away the leftover marinade. You can pour all that marinade into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Skim or sieve the sauce according to your preferred consistency.
Not only does it work as a delicious dipping sauce for the galbi along with the ssamjang. But you can also use this sauce to brush on as the final glaze if you are grilling the short ribs.
Dipping Sauce | Ssamjang
Doenjang - 1/4 cup
Gochujang - 1 tbsp
Gochugaru - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Green Onions - 2 stalks, minced
Anaheim or Jalapeño Pepper - 1, deseeded and minced
Toasted Sesame Oil - 2 tsp
Toasted Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp
Honey - 2 tsp
Water - 1-2 tbsp
In a small mixing bowl, combine all the above ingredients. Add more/less water until you have the creamy consistency to your liking.
How to Serve + Eat
LA Galbi
Red Leaf Lettuce
Perilla/Shiso Leaves - if you can find them, if not just omit them (like I have!)
Ssamjang
Cooked Rice
Grilled Vegetables — zucchini, green onions, peppers, mushrooms, the possibilities are endless. I decided to chargrill some Mexican Green Onions (the kind with with the small white bulb in the end). The combination of grilled meat + grilled green onion is 🔥
Garnish - red/green chili pepper and green onions
Lots of banchan on the side
Once the meat is cooked, put them on a serving platter. Using scissors, cut the meat part off the bone and into bite sized pieces. Like many other Korean dishes, galbi is also accompanied by bap (cooked rice) and banchan (side dishes). You can find all our banchan recipes here.
Put a piece of meat on top of a lettuce leaf and a perilla leaf. Then add the ssamjang, and top it off with a little bit of minced chili pepper and green onions. Fold it over into a small parcel and pop it into your mouth in one bite! That is the traditional way of eating galbi but really have it your own way, eat it however it delights you. Enjoy!
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This brings us to the end of our South Korea series, for now.
That being said, if there is a particular dish you want me to make, do leave your request in the comment section below. I will continue to share easy and everyday recipes with you all. Bye for now! Annyeonghi Gyeseyo!
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