Korean Barbecue (Galbi or, in Japanese, Karubi)

[Like CS I also like to experiment with more than just traditional East European fare. As the mother of a son who occasionally likes exotic flavors, I scoured through my cookbooks to find an interesting, easy to make recipe and this is what I found. It brings back some memories of the past, memories of another life:

Getting on and off the plane in Korea for buying and chatchka jewelry/accessory design trips in the 80’s, I mostly remember the smell of kimchi – the traditional national cabbage dish of Korea – I’m not sure if it was the long flights or the 5:00 am arrival and crazy non-stop foreign vendor work load, but the smell always made me nauseous. I never developed a yen for the Korean versions of the leafy green, and happily ate my tuna a la suitcase, though I understand kimchi has now become quite the rave here in the U.S. Go figure! 

However, with the secular New Year approaching and new resolutions abounding, we thought we would offer up a relatively healthy Korean grilled dish called Kalbi or Galbi  (means rib in Korean) or in a Japanese bastardization of the Korean namewhich can be substituted with chicken, BTW, for the truly resolute.  The beef or ribs are marinated in a Korean style savory sauce comprised of soy sauce, garlic sesame oil, and honey or sugar.  This dish is traditionally made with rice wine although any red wine will do; a hot pepper paste can be added to the marinade for those who want the extra kick to their dish. Enjoy served with your favorite rice recipe. SYR]

This photo doesn’t do justice to this dish, but since CS was not available I used the one that appears in the book on page 117

From Japanese Kosher Cooking by Kinue Weinstein (page 116)

Korean Barbecue (Karubi)

You’ll need a portable grill placed in the center of the dinner table

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef steak (rib eye is the best)
• 1 green pepper
• 1 round onion
• 1 leek
• 1 Italian eggplant (4 ounces
• 1 carrot
• 1 portobello mushroom

Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon white or sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted and crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• black pepper

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons red wine
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sugar 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed

Directions

1. Slice the beef thinly 2-3 inch pieces.
2. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, and marinade for about 20 minutes.
3. Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce, and divide into 4 individual dishes.
4. Cut the green pepper into 8 sections.Slice the onion in rings. Cut the leek into mpieces 1 1/2 inches long, and slice the eggplant, carrot and mushrooms thinly.
5. Place the meat and vegetables on platters.
6. Each diner will grill meat and vegetables on the tabletop grill and eat with dripping sauce when it is finished.
7. Serve with favorite rice.

Enjoy, gentle reader, I certainly did!

SYR