Re-make of Korean Beef Stew


Hee hee hee!! I think the curiosity for cooking Korean Beef Stew at home was when a friend and I were driving home on a hungry night and I found myself drooling over the thought of eating a nice warm broth of Korean Beef Stew.

Now, I got one of these cookbooks compiled by Good Housekeeping and saw a recipe for Korean Beef Stew. I’m never a beef buyer because I can never seem to cook it right. I go as far as ground beef and sirloin or breakfast strips. More than that… nu. But today, the flavor of spicy broth on a sweltering afternoon compelled to get some beef shanks and cook at a nice slow pace while I read some Kundera.

My experience with Korean Beef sadly started from a fast food stall in a mall. But damn that food stall really made great Korean Beef that it’s stuck in my poetic memory. Yes, Kundera-ing like whoa. That beef stew starts with a nice sweet broth that had that strange balance of soy sauce and sugar. It wasn’t saccharine but you strangely appreciate the sweetness’ contrast with the savory flavor of the beef and the broth. Then there was the spice which was honestly too hot for me when I was younger but I love the feeling of burning my lips just to taste that sweet and salty broth.

Many bowls and burnt lips later, it’s still an amazing taste and now, I’m happy to have cooked it in my home. \o/

Korean Beef Stew Recipe

(from Good Housekeeping, vol.6, pg.70,. Slightly modified)
Takes: 4 hours (for best melty results!)
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
1 kilo Beef Short Ribs
3 tablespoons of mirin
5 tablespoons of soysauce (I used light soy sauce/Japanese soy sauce)
1/2 cup of sugar (I made it a little lesser since I didn’t want it too sweet)
3 chilies (seeded and sliced into short strips. If you don’t have this, chili powder’s fine.)
4 slices of ginger
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Sprigs of Spring onion sliced diagonally.

1. Place short ribs in pot with water and cook until it’s tender. By tender I mean you can flake the meat easily off the bone. This takes around 2 hours to get to this state. :3 And water here is relative. The water should be at least 2 inches above the meat. It could evaporate to the same level, but if it’s not yet tender by then, just add more water.
2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, chili, and mirin. Put it in a low fire and simmer the meat for another hour this’ll reduce the broth and let the flavors seep in the beef. Reducing the broth would mean that the broth is now to a level or a little lower than that of the beef. <3 THIS IS A LONG PROCESS BUT IT’S GLORIOUSLY WORTH IT.
3. Add the sesame oil, spring onions, and sesame seeds. Serve in a pretty bowl then dig in.

Damn… I really love the broth of this recipe! >w<)v And although I was already drooling by the second hour, the wait was worth it. The beef just melts in your mouth and it’s glorious!!

9 thoughts on “Re-make of Korean Beef Stew

  1. Agree with you on long simmering. I also simmer my beef stew for 3 hours at least to make it really really tender and flavorful. NOM! Demn it. Now I want some.

  2. Hi! I saw your blog and enjoyed your reviews. You might enjoy the new features and promos we’re working on in our site, especially those for food bloggers like you. If you want an exclusive update, I just need your email add so send me a msg at leslie@myfoodtrip.com. There will be NO spam mail or flooding of msgs. 🙂 Hope to hear from you soon!

  3. this is my favorite korean dish ever… I remember Kimchi Resto.. they use to serve korean beef stew.. thought i dont know if they still exist;)

  4. what kind of beef short ribs did u use?? is it the kind that looks like its for kalbi, or is it the other kind??

  5. yummyyyy………………………..i want mine beef shank with chinese cabbage, beans, potatoes and onions, and green onions…..with some red ground pepper sauce!

Leave a Reply to mrs lavendula

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *