Korean beef stew / Kalbi Chim

Mum has shared a similar recipe for this (3 years ago) which was from a book and was a bit too daunting and tedious. And then, mum found an easier way to make this classic Korean dish, without much of the hassle.  A quick and easy Korean beef stew, shared to us by a family friend.  Its great when friends share their recipes, because mum knows it has been tested and tried many many times and it works.

This is a great one pot wonder recipe.   It is great as you can drop everything in a pot and while away the time doing some other important domestic tasks deeming your attention (such as vacuuming the lounge or sorting the laundry, reading a book, water the plants!) coming back to the pot every now and then to skim it, but you let this simmer for a good 1-2 hours to let the meat become tender.  Braising is the proper method here as the meat is submerged and tenderised through a slow simmering process, in a prepared liquid.

To make:

1.5-2k beef ribs (cut in between the bones)

4 cups water

2 cups Kikkoman soy sauce

½  cup sugar

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 long chillies

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 

Note: To toast sesame seeds: 

Stove top: heat a pan and light fry the sesame seeds until they turn golden.  

Oven: place sesame seeds on a baking tray and roast in the oven until golden brown.  Do not burn.  If you do, just do another batch.  The smell of burnt sesame seeds will not add a nice aroma to the dish.

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan, add the beef and bring to a boil.  Make sure the meat is submerged in the liquid.  Bring to medium heat and simmer until beef is tender. May take 1-2hours, skimming impurities and fat every now and then. 

Once meat is tender and cooked, add sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds then turn off heat.   

The sesame oil and the seeds add a rich aroma to the dish. After you add this last ingredient, the house will just perk up like a sunflower standing tall.  The smell just lingers everywhere.  When I made this, someone peeked in the kitchen and said, “what’s for dinner?  It smells YUM!”

Serve warm with rice and lots of love.

I also found a similar recipe here  for the same dish - http://homecookingrocks.com/korean-beef-stew/