Galbi
Cooking did not come naturally to my mom’s side of the family. In the Philippines, the family had a cook who prepared all their meals. None of them learned how to cook until they immigrated to the US. To this day, my mom barely cooks; if she does, it’s as minimal as possible. When galbi was introduced to our family gatherings many moons ago, it was something my mom & any one of my time-strapped family members could easily prepare, thus becoming a mainstay at the table of every family gathering.
I’m not exactly sure how or when galbi was first introduced to us. The Bay Area is a melting pot so it’s not far-fetched to believe that it was introduced by someone’s coworker or by going out to eat. I suspect it was my aunt who started it—she was always out “gallivanting” according to my Grandma & the one that cooks the most out of the siblings. When she learned & shared how easy it was to make, the rest is history. As simple as it was, my mom always had a million things on her plate so sometimes I would take over the prep duties. All it required was taking the short ribs out of the packets, placing them into a plastic bag, dumping jarred marinade into the bag & shoving it into the fridge until it was time to cook. We would line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up & bake until the meat was nicely caramelized.
Instead of using the jarred marinade, I wanted to try to make it from scratch. I took a little bit of creative license & subbed @sibeihosibeiho sambal since I didn’t have gochujang. You can probably decipher all the ingredients from the picture—just process them all together until smooth, pour over the short ribs & marinate overnight. The next day, just grill & enjoy. Again, this isn’t a traditional Noche Buena dish, but it’s been a part of my food memories for so long. This also serves as a reminder that while it is important to preserve traditions, it’s also okay to throw something new into the mix & make some new, delicious memories in the process.
@nomnom_nori & @triciasanmateo are going to continue the series by sharing their Noche Buena memories in the coming weeks. In the meantime, stay cozy and cook something delicious!
🖤Jane
INGREDIENTS
Korean style Short Ribs or Beef Flanken Ribs, cut 1/3 inch thick across the bones
MARINADE:
Soy Sauce or Tamari
Sesame Oil
Sake
Gochujang (or your favorite chili paste, I used Sibeiho Boomz Sambal)
Asian Pear or Apple, cored and cubed
Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Garlic, peeled and smashed
Onion, peeled and sliced
Brown Sugar
Black Pepper
NOTE: I am not providing measurements as this can be adjusted to the amount of meat that you are marinating and your desired flavor profile.
METHOD
STEP 1
In a blender or a food processor, process all the marinade ingredients until smooth.
STEP 2
Pour marinade over Short Ribs and make sure to coat both sides. Refrigerate and marinate overnight.
STEP 3
An hour before cooking, remove the marinated short ribs from the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature. Lay the meat on a sheet pan with a rack to let the excess marinade drain before cooking.
STEP 4
Heat up your grill pan or outdoor grill to a high heat. You want to make sure the pan or grill is hot so you can get a sear. When the grill is hot, add the marinated short ribs and cook until each side achieves caramelization and has a bit of sear. We tend to like our ribs caramelized but not burnt. Since these short rib pieces aren’t very thick, cooking can happen fast so stay on top of this.
STEP 5
When done, remove from heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute and keep the meat moist. Serve with rice and enjoy!