Galbi Jjim - Korean Braised Short Ribs

Happy New Year! I have about 2 more hours to finish this blog before it's too late to wish anyone happy new year (on the West coast at least :P). I've been busy packing, because I'm leaving LA today :'(  I spent new year's at home with the fam, although no count downs, since my brother was having a fit about not being able to play his stupid computer games. I've been purposefully downloading large files to slow down the internet :P. Brothers! What can I say?! The last time I ever "tried" to celebrate new year's was first year of college when I went to visit my friends who were studying in London. Let's say it involved a lot of drinking and failing to get into any clubs, because it was too darn expensive. Now, I've really become an old fart. I've stopped drinking after the second year of college and realized I much prefer staying at home and lounging in my PJs. It may be boring to some people, but I'm so much more comfortable that way!

This year has been pretty fun, since I've started rotations. I've been able to meet and work with people I never knew were in my class! I've also met some amazing bloggers and a few that are also in med school. I'm excited and scared about the new year, since I have to start thinking about what I want to do in life after med school! While I'm leaning towards surgery, I don't mind obstetrics, my BF is going to be in the East coast for sure since he's from Long Island, but I've always thought I'd end up on the West coast. All these dilemmas are stressing me out and it's only the first day of the year. Argh!

Anyway, I'm leaving home in LA with a full belly of galbi Jjim. My mum used to make this a lot when we were kids, but it's been a while since I've had it, so I had my mum make it again for me. I was flitting around her in the kitchen like a fly and I'm pretty sure she wanted to swat me away with a fly swatter haha. The short ribs get super tender from the pear juice in the marinade and then cooked until it's falling off the bone. I've written my mum's recipe to a tee, so I can make it later and for you to enjoy too! It's Korean comfort food at it's best :D. Happy new year!

Galbi Jjim - Korean Braised Short Ribs

serves 4-5

5 lb beef short ribs
1 medium sized carrot
1/2 lb radish
1/4 lb lotus, sliced into 1/2" rounds

Marinade
1/2 yellow onion, finely grated
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 small asian pear, peeled and grated
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp cooking wine (like sake)
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp black pepper

1. Cut short ribs so that there is a one bone and meat attached (like how they cut galbi in Korean BBQ). Submerge short ribs fully in cold water for 3 hours to take out the blood from the short ribs. Change the water at half time
2. Drain ribs and set aside in a colander. Mix marinade in a large pot. You can also just blend all marinade ingredients in a blender if you don't want to grate by hand. Toss the ribs in the large pot and make sure every rib is covered. Marinated for 24 hours for best taste, or at least 5 hours
3. Cut carrot and radish into 1.5" spheres. This is so there are no edges that will smush and get everywhere
4. Pour 2 cups of water into the pot with the ribs in it and cook on high heat until it boils. Then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Mix from time to time. Grease will rise to the top from the ribs, so use a fine mesh grease skimmer to take it out
5. Add lotus and let simmer for another 20 minutes. Skim grease again and mix around. Add carrot and radish and cook for another 20 minutes. There will be a little bit of sauce but not that much, just enough to generously cover the ribs. If it is still soupy, cook on high heat during the last 20 minutes

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Lotus Seed and Salted egg yolk cookie sandwich

Happy Mid Autumn Festival! This is the time to light up lanterns and stuff your face with mooncakes. When I was young, my dad used to buy me all kinds of pretty lanterns that we would light up and hike up a hill to see the full moon. He also bought me ones that sang, but I bet he regretted that because I would play it all night until the song started to get out of tune and was really painful to the ears :D

My sister and I were also pyromaniacs back in the days and would line up waxy red candles on a mooncake tin lid and make a bonfire. Things were so simple back then haha. What I really miss the most is eating mooncakes though. Friends and relatives would gift traditional mooncakes and I loved opening them up to see the intricate design on top and then to cut it open to reveal the golden yolk in the center. I could eat a whole one and it would sit like a brick in my stomach all day (you should weigh one of these, they are so heavy!)

Anyway, I decided to create something mooncake-like and made some mooncake cookie sandwiches. It took me a month to make these, because I made my own salted eggs which took about a month of endless waiting (recipe below). The cookies are studded with salted yolks throughout and are so buttery and crumbly. They are sooo good on their own, that my bf kept eating them and I didn't have many left to sandwich >:( . I'm excited to eat these and watch the full moon today!

Lotus Seed and Salted Egg Yolk Cookie Sandwich
makes 15-20 cookie sandwiches

2 cups flour
4 tsps cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp dried milk powder
3/4 cup salted butter, room temp
1/3 cup white sugar
2-3 tbsps maple syrup
3 salted egg yolks, cooked* (how I made the salted eggs below)

egg wash
black and white sesame seeds (optional)
sweetened lotus seed paste

1. Place salted eggs in pot and cover with water and put on high heat. When it starts boiling, start the timer to let it boil for 4.5 minutes. Once time is up, take it off the heat and dunk in ice cold water.
2. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder and soda and milk powder in a large bowl and set aside. Beat softened butter with sugar until light, stir in maple syrup. Stir dry mix to wet ingredients gently, until it comes together into one lump of dough. (if the dough doesn't come together, add a little bit of vegetable oil)
3. Spoon out cooked egg yolks (some white is fine), and crumble coarsely with a fork. Fold into cookie dough. Make sure you have some chunks scattered throughout, because it is absolutely divine to taste the salted yolk here and there in the buttery cookie.
4. I used mooncake molds to get the cool flower pattern on top. But if you don't have one, then roll out dough to 1/4" thick. Cut out to any shape you want. Place on lined baking trays and chill them for 30minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat 1 egg to make the egg wash. Brush liberally on top of cookie cut outs. Sprinkle on black and white sesame seeds if desired.
6. Bake for 18-22mins or until nicely golden on top. Let it cool at least 10 minutes on the tray before moving because they are pretty fragile out of the oven.
7. You can definitely make your own lotus seed paste or buy a can of it in your local Chinese supermarket. Pipe some onto the cooled cookies and sandwich them. 

*I actually made my own salted eggs using extra-large chicken eggs, instead of the traditional duck egg. You just need a ratio of 1:4 salt to water ratio (so 1 cup salt for 4 cups of water), and place your eggs into the mix. I also placed a ziploc filled with water on the top, so the eggs wouldn't float in the salty water. I then put a lid on it and stored it in on top of my fridge for a month. The yolks when cooked came out really nicely bright orange/red and salty :D

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