Short ribs with a Korean vibe

The front cover of Food and Wine magazine this month was stunning. Usually I am less than impressed and somewhat bewildered by the images the editors choose to showcase their mag, but this time, the dish really appealed to me. It was a casserole of short ribs with caramelised kimchee, complete with pale, translucent daikon, pretty pink radish slices and beautiful orange carrots nestled in a glossy, deep brown sauce. I had to make it, immediately. I did and changed it quite a bit, amping up the Korean vibe with Gochujang sauce and omitting the caramelised kimchee, (stupidly), for a raw spoonful on top instead. Unfortunately, my kimchee was just horrible, the lactic acid of fermenting giving it a sour tang beyond acceptable, but it was easy to remove, (the kimchee, not the tang). The real show stopper though was the beef, (of course). Dark mahogany from searing, it was fall apart tender and flavourful with the salty, sweet flavours of the sauce. This was magnificent, really. If you haven't tried short ribs before or are British and still suffering from the mad cow 'no beef on the bone' hangover, get over it and buy some, cook them for hours until they literally melt, eat them and you will be happy.

Recipe : Beef short ribs with Korean flavours

Adapted from Food and Wine magazine

4 meaty short ribs

2 tbsp peanut oil

Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce 

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped

2 tsp agave nectar

a few twists of black pepper

1/4 onion, finely minced

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, left whole

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

6 mushrooms, halved

a handful of kale, shredded

a handful of spinach

2 tbsp Korean Gochujang sauce (optional)

1/2 cup chicken stock

Brown or white rice for serving

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add the ribs, turning well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 8 hours or overnight.

When you're ready to cook, remove the ribs from the marinade, wiping off any large pieces and reserve the remaining marinade. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over high heat until hot and sear the ribs on all sides until mahogany in colour. Remove the ribs from the pan and add the onion and 2 tbsp water, stirring well to release all the juices and browned bits. Return the ribs to the pan, along with 1.5 cups of water, the chicken stock, remaining marinade, garlic and gochujang sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1.5 hours, then remove the lid and continue cooking for another hour. 

Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, kale and spinach and stir well. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are soft, the greens wilted, the meat falling apart and the broth thick, glossy and very savoury. Serve over some rice to mop up all the juice.

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