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№ 266 · Korean

Galbi-jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)

Tempo

1h 30 + overnight marinade

Picante

Dificuldade

Médio

Rende

4porções

Ingredientes

Meat

1½ kg

costela bovina with bones, **cut into 5cm sections** (English-cut short ribs, bone-in, sometimes called "ribs jangchu" or "Korean short ribs" by Brazilian butchers — show them a picture)

Pre-soak (removes blood, ensures clean braise)

Cold water + 2 tbsp salt — submerge ribs for 1 hour, then drain and rinse

Marinade (overnight ideal, 4 hours minimum)

medium Asian pear (or Brazilian pear, or 1 small grated apple) — purées into the marinade as a tenderizer; this is non-negotiable Korean technique

small onion, roughly chopped

garlic cloves

4cm piece ginger

120ml soy sauce

60ml mirin (or 60ml dry sake + 1 tbsp sugar)

60ml Korean rice wine (cheongju) or dry sake

4 tbsp

brown sugar (or 3 tbsp honey)

2 tbsp

sesame oil

2 tbsp

toasted sesame seeds (gergelim torrado)

1 tbsp

gochugaru (Korean chile flakes — Liberdade, SP, or Korean groceries) — optional, omit for heat 0

Plenty of black pepper

Blend pear + onion + garlic + ginger to a smooth paste. Combine with everything else.

Vegetables (added at stage 2)

large carrots, cut into 3cm chunks, then **rounded at the corners** with a knife (Korean *ggakdugi* style — they cook prettier)

200g daikon (nabo) or large white turnip, in 3cm chunks

dried jujubes (red dates — Asian groceries) — optional, classic

100g peeled chestnuts (castanha-portuguesa, vacuum-packed at supermercados in season; or substitute halved hard-boiled quail eggs) — optional

dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked 30 min and stems removed (or 6 fresh shiitake)

Garnish

spring onions, sliced

1 tbsp

toasted sesame seeds

A few thin strips of fried egg (optional, makes it look festive)

To serve

Steamed short-grain rice (japonica)

Kimchi

A small bowl of pickled radish

Modo de preparo

01**Pre-soak the ribs.** Submerge in cold salted water 1 hour. Drain, rinse well. Pat dry. **This step is essential** — Korean braised meat must be pristine; the soak draws out blood that would muddy the sauce.
02**Parboil (Korean technique).** Place ribs in pressure cooker, cover with cold water, bring to a hard boil, simmer 5 minutes. Drain. Rinse ribs and pot under cold water. Scrub off any gray scum on the ribs. (Yes, this is two cleanings — Korean home cooks always do both.)
03**Marinate.** Mix marinade. Combine with cleaned ribs in a bowl, mix thoroughly so every piece is coated. Refrigerate **overnight** (or 4 hours minimum).
04**Cook day — combine.** Tip ribs and all marinade into the pressure cooker. Add 250ml water.
05**Pressure cook stage 1.** Lock lid, high pressure, **35 minutes**. Natural release.
06**Add vegetables.** Open lid. Skim any visible fat from the surface. Add carrots, daikon, jujubes, chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms.
07**Pressure cook stage 2.** Lock lid, high pressure, **8 minutes**. Quick release.
08**Reduce to glaze.** Open lid. Set sauté mode. Reduce uncovered 8-10 minutes until the sauce **darkens, glosses, and clings to the ribs**. Stir gently to coat — don't break up the ribs (they're tender now).

Galbi-jjim

Korean braised short ribs — a celebration dish made for Lunar New Year, Chuseok harvest festival, and birthdays. The ribs are simmered in a glossy, slightly sweet soy-based sauce with garlic, ginger, sesame, jujubes, chestnuts, and rainbow vegetables. Pressure cooker makes the impossible-tender short rib texture reliable.

Heat: 1/5. Mild — heat is from optional gochugaru (Korean chile flakes). Easy to make heat 0.

Tame it

Heat 0/5: skip the gochugaru entirely. The dish doesn't need it.
Heat 2/5: double the gochugaru to 2 tbsp.

Serving

A pile of short-grain rice, a few ribs with sauce ladled over, vegetables alongside. Spring onion and sesame on top. Kimchi and pickles on the side. Warm Korean rice wine (makgeolli) or cold beer. Rip the meat off the bones with chopsticks — bone gnawing is encouraged.

Notes

The pear is the dish. Korean grilled and braised meats use pear (or pineapple, or kiwi) as a natural tenderizer — the enzymes break down protein. A grated Brazilian pear works fine. Without it the dish is good; with it, it's dramatically more tender.
The double clean (pre-soak + parboil) is non-negotiable. Korean braising prizes a clear, clean sauce. Skipping these steps gives a meaty-tasting but cloudy result.
Cut size for ribs. 5cm sections, bone-in. If your butcher only cuts longer, ask them to halve them. Smaller pieces don't have enough bone-meat-fat layering.
Festive vs everyday. Add jujubes and chestnuts for the festive version (Lunar New Year, weddings, birthdays). Skip them for a weeknight version — still excellent.
Make ahead. Galbi-jjim is one of the dishes Korean ajummas (aunties) deliberately make the day before. Reheat gently — never microwave; gentle stovetop reheating preserves the texture.
Wine: Korean rice wine (makgeolli or cheongju) is the canonical pairing. A soft Pinot Noir works.