Blasian Mom Korean Barbecue Rib Recipe

Who doesn't love a sticky batch of hot, sizzling, dripping, brown beef ribs?  Our family of four absolutely adores them!  I decided to treat my family to a wonderful meal of Korean Kalbi, also known as Korean Barbecue ribs.

Now, I have a thing about ovens and grills. I don't do ovens, period. And I only do grills if someone else lights em, reminds me too much of the hassle of getting an oven prepped correctly. And as I already stated, I don't do ovens.

So, even though Korean Kalbi is often served as a short rib dish grilled to perfection, I prefer the stove top version of this delicacy.

I have a family of a husband who really detests chewy meats, a 7 year old who recently started losing teeth left and right (in fact, he lost his 3rd today!) and a 1.5 year old with a new set of teeth growing in.  In other words, they all have sensitive teeth and ripping the sinewy meat off of some ribs is easier said than done.


I had  2 hunks of back ribs to work with... is that what they're called? The long ones? So I had to adapt the short rib recipe to suit what I had for ingredients.

Growing up in a Korean kitchen has taught me to make it work without measurements. Instead of putting one cup of that or two table spoons of this, I use my general common sense to get an idea of how much of something to put in my dishes. I taste as I go, observe coloring and adjust heat settings to get prime results.  Of course, being impatient and hating to be over a hot open fire causes me to figure out quick methods of making my favorite dishes.

This dish is best served with a piping hot bowl of steamed rice and some pickeled/fermented Korean side dishes, such as kimchee or cucumbers.

Having said that, I hope y'all can keep up with my ghetto Kalbi recipe! The end result is to die for and it will absolutely melt in your mouth!!!!!

 

Supplies you will need:

• A deep saucer  (and a super wide, deep frying pan is optional)
• knife
• chopsticks (for handling food)/ or your favorite large utensil
• a stove
• Chopping board

 

Ingredients:

1. RIBS RIBS RIBS! (cut them any way you like)
2. water (various quantities will be needed)
3. oil
4. sugar (I do a table spoon at a time, until I'm satisfied with the taste)
5. Onions (sliced) - I prefer white or sweet because they don't burn my eyes.
6. Mushrooms (any kind, any shape)
7. Peppers (green, chili, or those long spicy green ones, whatever they're called. Doesn't really matter, just for a little kick of flavor)
8. Scallions
9. Soy Sauce (just keep a bottle nearby, 'cause who knows how much you may need?)
10. Sesame Oil (Usually no more than 4-5 tablespoons will do it)
11. Minced Ginger (or chunks, whatever works for you)
12. Garlic (I like premixed, but any cut is fine... )
13. Beef Dashi (this is a Korean beef stock powder that I love to flavor food with. I generally do not use salt in any of my dishes. Flavors from other seasonings tend to make up for that.  You may use any beef stock product you like... or just use salt instead)
14. Toasted sesame seeds.

Phase One: Meat Prep

The best tasting Kalbi are first soaked in  marinade for a few hours prior to cooking. Usually the grilled version starts off this way and you are more than welcome to try it.

However, this version is designed to make the meat especially easy to chew and fall away from the bone. So I prepped it a bit differently.

Step 1: Clean your meat. Cut parts of the meat away from the bone, but not completely. Just enough to have most of it clinging on.  This will help you later when you don't want half your face covered in sauce while attempting to taste your meal.

Step 2:  Place the meat in a large saucepan and cover it with just enough water to bring it to a nice boil.  You will boil the meat for at least 25 minutes, or until all the meat is fully cooked and starting to become more tender. (If you have meat tenderizing tricks you love to use, feel free to do that. This may minimize boiling time for you)

Phase Two:  Pseudo Barbecue

Step 1:  Remove the meat from the boiling water.

Step 2:  Lightly, coat the now empty pot (or your large pan) with cooking oil. Heat the oil for 30-60 seconds on high heat. Transfer your cooked ribs onto your oiled pan.  Do not reduce the heat.

Step 3: As the meat cooks, turn each peace so that the sides are semi-browned and crispy. This will mimic that grilled effect that we're missing on the stove top. Once all the sides are toned just right, reduce the heat and keep your meat on the stove.

Phase Three: Marinade Prep

 In a bowl combine the following ingredients:

• All the chopped ingredients except mushrooms and scallions
• About 4 tablespoons of sesame oil  (The best place to purchase authentic low sodium sesame products and soy products are at your local Asian or Korean super markets. Ask the sales people to show you the best product for cooking.)
• About a cup of soy sauce. (This will vary depending on how much ribs you are making and how much extra sauce you want for them.  You can always add more later!)
• Beef  Dashi or a pinch of salt.
• You may add sugar now if you like. I wait until the end because I like to taste the sauce as it cooks to make sure the sweetness if just right.

Phase Four:  Seasoning the Meat

Step 1: Add the marinade to your pan of Ribs.  Coat each piece thoroughly. Cover the pot and let simmer for a few minutes.

Step 2:  Every one to two minutes, rotate the pieces and cover them with sauce from the bottom of the pot as you go. In between checks, cover the pot.  This will ensure the flavors cook into the meat well and they will taste as though you had marinated them before cooking.

Step 3: It's ok to taste! Try the sauce or a tiny chunk of meat as you cook to make sure the flavors are balanced. You do not want an overly salty sauce. Balance saltiness by adding more water and leaving the pot uncovered as you cook.  There should be a faint toasty flavor from the sesame oil. If you don't really taste it, add a little more.

Step 4: Color check. At this point, your ribs and sauce sould have a distinct brown color. This is how you know you used enough soy sauce. If the color is not rich, deep brown, you should add a bit more soy sauce. 

Phase Five: Finishing Touches

Step1:  Now you can add the mushrooms.  As they lightly cook, stir in a few sprinkles of sugar. Your best bet is to add a tablespoon at a time until you can taste the sweetness. Depending on how sweet you like your sauce, you can add more as you go.  Rotate all your rib pieces to ensure even taste.

Step 2:  Turn off the stove, keep the pot covered and let your masterpiece sit for about 5 minutes.

Step 3: While you wait for, prepare a bowl of steamed white rice to serve with your Kalbi. Us Asians love some sticky rice! But any white rice will do.  For sides (bahn-chan), try any kind of kimchee dish, fresh red leaf lettuce leaves, or anything else you might like to try. Check out a local Korean market for various prepared bahn-chan dishes.

Step 4:  Dish out your Kalbi in appropriate servings. Cover the meat with the sauce and veggies at the bottom of the pot.  Garnish with chopped scallions and sprinkles of toasted sesame seeds.

Step 5:  Dig In! They should be mouth wateringly delicious!

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Blasian Love!

A "REAL" KOREAN?

So, It's been a while since my family has been to a Korean Church.
We loved the last one we attended, before my pregnancy with Jahyu.  Many of the members were truly caring, and sweet to us. They made us feel like a part of their church family almost immediately.

After that experience, we imagined it would be unlikely that a new church would measure up.  Still, we decided it would be in the children's best interests to visit  a Korean church because they have almost zero interaction with Korean people in their daily lives. Jahyu is starting to mimic sounds and attempting to speak. We want her first language to be Korean.  Jeenu has a lot of brushing up to do in the language department.  Our solution seemed obvious: haul them to a Korean congregation and let them be immersed in the Koreanism... maybe some of it would rub off. Nonetheless, Korean churches usually serve delicious Korean lunches after service.

When we got there, the first person we encountered, a young Korean male, ended up escorting us to the children's Sunday School area, along with his own child.  On the way there, he kept gawking at me whenever I'd say something in Korean to him.  Instead of replying in Korean, he'd answer me in English. 

Finally, he asked the question I knew he really wanted satisfied.  "How do you know such perfect Korean? You don't even have an accent!"
I told him I was Korean; why would I have an accent?  He looked bewildered.  I added that I was half Korean, my mom was full Korean.  Then he looked less confused but still manage to murmur what sounded like, "Woah, I thought you were a real Korean".

Uh... excuse you?
Did he just say what I think he said?

I thought my ears had malfunctioned on me for a second.  A Real Korean? What the hell is that? I was so embarrassed, not for myself but for him, that I didn't bother responding. 

When we had a moment of privacy, I cornered my husband and asked him if he'd heard the comment made by the Korean guy who'd showed us to the kids' room.  He didn't, so I filled him in.  My husband's eyes grew like blow fish.  "Really?" he gasped. 

We contemplated what the guy could have meant by that.  "A Real Korean". Seriously, what did that mean?  His English sounded too good to be a misuse of the word REAL.  We just didn't get it.

I didn't know if I should feel  upset, offended, or if I should just shrug it off as nothing.

This man's comment made me realize how insensitive the Korean society can be to us mixed breeds.  We are not always given the same respect full Koreans are because we are looked at like watered down versions of them.  Many don't even consider us part of the ethnic group because we do not look like them.

One of my favorite Blasian Moms: rapper/singer YOON MIRAE
50/50 Korean and Black

This way of thinking truly hurts people like me, who consider ourselves equally Asian and American. I  identify easily with both my racial backgrounds.  I do not choose between them. I do not like one culture better than the other.  I do not teach my kids to choose only one side, as if the two are warring with each other. I encourage them to learn as much as possible about both of the nations that represent their genetics.  I am proud to be a Black Korean woman.  I enjoy the best of both worlds.

Most importantly, I love and respect BOTH races. I have a special place in my heart for all Koreans and Black people that I encounter.  Of course, I have friends and family of many different ethnicities. However, I connect with Koreans and Black people in a way I do not always connect with other races.  It is effortless for me to blend in with my people. It is easy for me to find comfort among them.  It is therapy to listen to songs rapped or crooned in Ebonics, which I believe is a true dialect of Black Americans.  It is refreshing to carry out a conversation in my first language; Korean.

To have someone I am so ready to embrace and learn from regard me as less than significant because I am not a full Korean, shreds up my heart in a real personal way.  And I would hate to have someone look down on my kids, whom cannot help their ethnicities.  It is an unfair, narrow-minded, ignorant and bigoted world that many Koreans live in. I wish I could shout at them to wake up and join the land of the living. It's 2013 for goodness sakes! 

And oh, how ashamed I was to have to explain to my Black husband why this ignorant (though educated) Korean guy didn't have enough sense to think about his choice of words before tactlessly blurting that out.  In church, no less!  I was doubly ashamed for Christians world wide.


FAMOUS BLASIAN FAMILY in Korea
Tiger JK (Rap Star Dad: 100% Korean)
Yoon Mirae (Rapper mom: 1/2 Korean & black)
Jordan (Blasian Baby:  25% black, 75% Korean)



Blasians... let's do better. Let's not feed into the frenzy of racism. Isn't it bad enough that our black people still have to struggle with so much aftermath following our so-called freedom/equality?  Let's set a better example for ourselves as a nation of Blasians, as members of the half Korean mixed race, as a Black individual and as a Korean individual.  We embody all these things, and it's our duty to show the FULL bloods, "real" Koreans and whoever else that believe we are watered down abominations, that we truly can and do exude class, intelligence, ability and nobility. 

 I pray we will get to a place soon where our own people will not feel the need to dismiss us because we aren't Korean enough or Black enough to be considered "Real"... at the end of the day, I am a real human being and that's something ALL people have in common.

I have included some photos of my favorite Korean rap artist, Tasha Reid, better known by her Korean name, Yoon Mirae.  She was born to a Korean mom and a Black American father in the military. As a youngster, she was raised in Korea and was super picked on by her peers. She was told that her father's race was unacceptable and that she should play down her blackness by telling people her grandfather was black, not her dad.  She was so ashamed of her tan skin she would spend hours scrubbing with soap to wash the darkness off.  By the time she was 19,she'd established a love for hip hop music, instilled in her by her father who was also a dj.  She was able to transcend the hate and ignorance of Korean racism through music and was elevated to the  title of The Korean Princess of Hip Hop and Soul.  Amazingly, the same culture that persecuted her for something she could not control, are now emulating her. Lucky for Tasha, she is beautiful, skinny and light enough (now) to pass for a "real" Korean. However, there are a growing number of mixed Koreans both in Korea and other parts of the world who are brutally tortured by their Korean peers because of their race. Especially the darker complexioned, as dark skin is associated with poorness.

Change starts with one person. There is no excuse for racism in any part of the world. Race is inherited, there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is our character and personality that should define who we are. Please educate yourself and your friends on racial tolerance and acceptance. Our innocent mixed children are damaged every minute of the day because someone wasn't taught by their parents to love everyone despite ethnic differences. Can we afford to wait another moment?  How long, Korea?

Just for kicks, I uploaded a Video Blog on this very topic and situation. Please watch and comment here or on the video. Feel free to voice your opinions, even if you disagree. Click HERE to watch directly from You Tube.

 

 

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