Galbi-jjim (braised beef short ribs) is one of the most popular Korean dishes. It’s made with beef short ribs and is often prepared for special occasions.
Traditionally it’s a dish for special occasions such as Korean festival days like Chuseok, New Year’s Day (Seollal), or family’s birthdays, but you can make it for any occasion or as a weekend dish. It’s kind of a challenging recipe but the result is amazing: the meat is almost falling off the rib bones and is tender, sweet, savory, and irresistible.
This is a recipe from my new cookbook, Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking, and it’s the first recipe I am posting in 2020, a remake of a recipe and video from 2008! This one is even more traditional than the one I posted 12 years ago, and includes ginkgo nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts and jujubes.
Choose good quality short ribs for this recipe, with lots of meat attached to the ribs. Remove the blood, excess fat, and impurities by soaking and blanching the ribs. If you skip this process, the final dish may smell off. Peak season for chestnuts is late fall, so if you use fresh chestnuts, that’s the best time. Fresh frozen skinned chestnuts are available all year round though, and available in the frozen section of Korean grocery stores. They also sell frozen ginkgo nuts, if you can’t find fresh ones.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and make it for your friends and family! If any special guests coming over this will be a colorful center piece on the table. It’s January 5, 2020! I hope you are having a happy new year so far, and a prosperous and healthy new decade, too!
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the seasoning sauce and vegetables:
- 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, washed and soaked in 2½ cups cold water for 3 to 4 hours, until soft
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup mirim (aka mirin), or water
- ¼ cup sugar (white or brown, or swerve)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
- 1 medium size Korean radish (8 ounces to 12 ounces) or daikon, peeled
- 2 large, thick carrots, peeled
For the beef short ribs:
- 2 pounds beef short ribs (8 pieces), rinsed and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour, changing water a couple of times
- 12 peeled frozen chestnuts or fresh chestnuts (see how to skin fresh chestnuts below; frozen are sold pre-skinned)
- 2 tablespoons rice syrup
- 8 large dried jujubes, pitted
For garnish:
- 12 pine nuts, tips removed (optional)
- 12 frozen ginkgo nuts, shelled and cooked (optional); see how to shell and cook ginkgo nuts below
Directions
How to skin fresh chestnuts:
- Lay the chestnut on the flat side and slice off the flat end, then slice off the pointed end.
- Using a paring knife, slice down both of the narrower sides, removing the dark skin inside the shell.
- Peel off the remaining shell with your fingers. Trim away the dark skin on the outside of the chestnut so that it is a uniform creamy color.
How to cook ginkgo nuts:
- Heat about 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add some shelled ginkgo nuts.
- Add some salt and stir-fry until the skins loosen and the color of the nuts changes to golden or bright green.
- Transfer to paper towels, fold the paper towels over the nuts, and gently massage the nuts to remove more skin.
Make the seasoning sauce and vegetables:
- After soaking the mushrooms, place a strainer over a bowl and drain.
- Measure out 2 cups of the soaking water. If it can’t make 2 cups, fill it with cold water. Transfer to a medium bowl; discard the remainder if you have.
- Add the soy sauce, mirim, sugar (or swerve), ground black pepper, garlic, and ginger and mix well with a spoon. Set the seasoning sauce aside.
- Remove the stem from each mushroom and reserve for future use, like stir-fried rice. Cut each mushroom cap into quarters and transfer to a plate.
- Cut the radish into 1½-inch cubes and round the edges of each cube with a paring knife to make approximately 1-inch balls. Make 10 to 12 balls. Add to the plate with the mushrooms.
- Cut the carrots into 1½-inch cubes and round the edges of each cube with a paring knife to make approximately 1-inch balls. Make 10 to 12 balls. Add to the mushrooms and radish balls.
Cook the beef short ribs:
- Fill a large, heavy pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drain the ribs, rinse again, and add to the boiling water.
- Blanch for 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Wash the pot with soapy water nicely.
- Put the ribs back to the pot and add the seasoning sauce. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the mushrooms, chestnuts, radishes, and carrots. Cover, turn down the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the jujubes and rice syrup.
- Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the meat is just about falling off the bone. Thicker short ribs will take longer. To check, poke the meat with a wooden skewer. If the meat is tender enough to serve, the skewer should go through easily. If it does not, add some water (about 1 cup) and cook a little longer, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the short ribs.
- Increase the heat to high and spoon any remaining broth from the bottom of the pot over the meat and vegetables for a few minutes, until most of the sauce has reduced and the meat and vegetables are nicely glazed.
Serve:
- Transfer to a large platter, sprinkle with the pine nuts (if using) and ginkgo nuts (if using), and serve with rice and more side dishes.
Maangchi's Amazon picks for this recipe
It's always best to buy Korean items at your local Korean grocery store, but I know that's not always possible so I chose these products on Amazon that are good quality. See more about how these items were chosen.
omg great site, I love the recipe and especially the concept of posting an instructional video that makes cooking as easy as 123. Cheers.
I love your cooking site! All the recipes I have tried are all so delicious. I used to go to Korean restaurants and get some Korean dishes but now I can cook it on my own. Thank you for all your time in creating this wonderful show! more power to you!
Thank you for your update! Wonderful!
Hi Manngchi,
Your recipes are wonderful and amazing!! I love to learn cooking Korean dishes from your website! I have tried few recipes, they have turned out so well so yummy!! I just had my Galbijjim for lunch today, it was so delicious!! You are very good cook!! So much appreciated for your recipes!! I will keep cooking korean dishes for my korean husband. All the best for you!!
wow, galbijjim for lunch! I should make galbijjim soon for myself. ; )
Thank you so much for this recipe! I started making it last night, but then everyone decided they weren’t hungry, so I stuck it in the slow cooker on warm and left it overnight. Wow, what a fantastic way to do this! The ribs are completely falling apart. I even added potatoes around noon, and so they were done perfectly at the time we ate. Thank you thank you!
“The ribs are completely falling apart.”
my mouth is watery now. : )
와우
`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“
I had galbi jiim with noodles in it? when and how do i add the clear noodles?
If you want to make galbijjim with starch noodles(dangmyun), add it when the galbijjim is almost done. Before adding the noodles, soak them in warm water to make them soft.
I once had galbijim at a korean restaurant in LA an I think they had plums in it…..Do you think adding plums will enhance the taste of galbijim? tks
The restaurant probably used jujube.
https://www.maangchi.com/ingredients/jujubes
Yes, you could use jujube in your galbijjim. I don’t think adding jujube enhances the taste. It will make your galbijjim look more colorful and you can enjoy the taste as it is.
thanks u very much!! i will be trying your recipe today for lunch hope it comes out as great as yours!! =)
Good luck with making delicious galbijjim!
Hi Maangchi your website has been really very helpful! thanks for sahring your recipes! For the Cooking wine, can i use rice wine as a substitute? thanks!
Yes, you can, thank you!!
Thank you for the photo link. yes, it’s jjimdak. : )
It’s one of my upcoming recipes. Thank you very much!
i love your website and all of your recipes…. thank you so much for all the time and effort that you’ve put into your website, we all appreciate it.. i’ve made a bunch of the dishes for my friends and family and they’ve all been a big hit… when i was in korea, the one dish that i absolutely loved was jjimdak (or andong jjimdak)… i’m not sure if i’m spelling it right but it looks like this http://blog.verraes.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/chimtalk04.JPG … do you by any chance know how to cook this dish and if so, can you please consider adding it to your list of recipes?
Hello! I absolutely love your recipes! I am looking for a recipe for the thin cut bbq short ribs. They are really popular in the local korean restaurants here. Will you post a recipe for that?
it’s called “LA galbi”. You could use the marinade for my bulgogi recipe for it, too. Yeah, someday I will post the recipe, too. Thank you!
Some Galbi Jjim recipes call for using an earthenware pan. The local K-BBQ place does this. I would love to try this dish. I think it would go great with Kimchi and a bowl of rice.
You are right! : )
Maanngchi,
Can i apply the instructions to prok ribs as well…?
Coz my religion don’t allow me eat beef @ home…
Yes, you could use pork ribs for this recipe, too. Thank you!
The video has problems halfway through. It causes my iPod to pause and it will move to the next video. No problems on Youtube, Vimeo or other sources. Maybe it’s my iPod but I think there is some kind of a glitch in it.
its delicious and easy to make i did not add radish,patato is good too..
next time i will try it with radish thanks
Thank you for the update!
So easy to understand and so fantastic delicious…..You are Top Chef !
Thank you very much!
Hi Maangchi,
LOVE your website! I have a question for you. I’ve been seeing the short ribs in the market already marinated and ready to cook. Would you happen to have the ingredients at hand on what to use to marinate the short ribs? Is it the same as the above recipe?
Thanks!
Yes, you could use the same marinade for short ribs
Anonymous,
I would not use broccoli and potatoes for this recipe. As you see the recipe, you will have to boil all ingredients for a long time. So if you use broccoli and potatoes from the beginning, they will end up being mushy and make this dish look messy.
THU,
I’m very glad to hear about your successful galbijjim making. Sure, I would like to meet you if I go to Vancouver. I have never been there. Besides, I love Vietnames food, too. Basically I love almost all kinds of food from different cultures.
Maangchiiiiiiiiiii :))))))))) my beef short rib is so delicious and so is my kim chiii toooo… now i dont need to go to buy kim chi in the super market. I showed my bf your website and he was so impressive with it . I will start trying to make the noodle with black bean sauce next week after the semester end :)))))
Thanks again for posting up the video.
ps: if u happen to go to vancouver , i can treat you back with the vietnamese food hehehehhe
broccoli and pottaoes ok?
Dbird,
oh yeah? you are another fan of eundaegu jorim. Thank you for your request!
I am looking forward to your eun dae gu jorim recipe– one of my favorites too and I no longer live in LA or NY so it would be fantastic to be able to make it.
Neleh,
Thanks for your update! eundaegu jorim is included in the list of my future recipes.
Hi Maangchi,
I love your gal-bi jjim recipe, it was my first time making it and it came out great… you made it so easy to understand, thanks!
Do you plan to post a video/recipe for eun-dae-goo jo-rim in the future? It’s one of my favorite dishes and would love to learn that!
THU,
Thank you! Don’t forget to let me know how your galbijjim (beef short ribs) turns out. : )
hi maangchi, I love your video . It’s simple and easy to make.. iam going to use your video to make kimchi and beef short ribs today…keep up your work!!!!
juliet,
Happy New Year! : )
hi Maangchi, It seems that i search so many website for korean recipe and i`m not satisfied… thank god i saw one of your recipe in youtube.your recipes looks really delicious.and thank you also you have your own website for preparing the menu.Belated,HAPPY NEW YEAR(saeae bok manni patuseyo!)more power
James,
If your galbijjim is not cooked well but it’s burning, you will have to pour more water. I think you should turn off the heat before it burns.
Hi Maangchi,
I recently cooked using this recipe, but I found that the bottom of the pot burned slightly… it this supposed to happen or should I have used more water?
Portugalbear,
Any cooking rice wine will be ok. I sometimes just use wine for drink. Yes, mirim sounds good, too.
Hi Maangchi,
Can you also post a picture of the rice wine you used in this recipe. Is this the same as the Japanese mirin?
John,
Please read my answer the above!!!
Follow the recipe tightly. Did you use corn syrup?
Maangchi,
I have tried to make the galbi jim a few times and the problem that I keep having is that I end up with more water. So the galbi jim looks and tastes like soup. I cook the galbi jim for about 2 hours. How do you get it so black and shiny?