Ingredients
| 1.2kg beef short rib | |
| 11⁄2 cups water | |
| lettuce or perilla leaves, thinly sliced radishes and chopped chives, to serve | |
| BULGOGI SAUCE | |
| 26g fresh ginger | |
| 100g garlic | |
| 150g brown onion | |
| 280g apple | |
| 300ml soy sauce | |
| 300ml mirin | |
| 200g sugar | |
| RADISH KIMCHI | |
| 2 bunches radishes | |
| 20g salt | |
| 4 teaspoons finely chopped spring onion | |
| 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| 80ml rice vinegar | |
| 100g sugar | |
| 80g Korean chilli powder | |
| 4 teaspoons crushed sesame seeds | |
| DASHI CUSTARD | |
| 250ml cream | |
| 250ml milk | |
| 1 teaspoon dashi powder | |
| 1 teaspoon kombu extract | |
| 5 cloves garlic | |
| 30ml light soy | |
| 30ml mirin | |
| a handful of bonito flakes | |
| 2 egg yolks, plus 3 whole eggs | |
| a pinch of xanthan (about 1g) | |
| WARM SALAD | |
| 1 bunch each spring onions, garlic chives, radishes | |
| 1 punnet mixed mushrooms |
In Korea, bulgogi means ‘fire meat’. Rib-eye is a popular choice for this dish, but you could also use sirloin or tenderloin. I chose beef short ribs and slow cooked them until almost falling off the bone. This special dish was handed down to me by my mother, a passionate cook and the reason why I became a chef. Bulgogi is often served with steamed rice and various Korean condiments, but I’ve chosen to serve it with a dashi custard, radish kimchi and a warm salad on the side. The radish kimchi gives the dish a slightly salty, sweet and nutty flavour.
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Instructions
| 1. | To prepare the beef short rib, clean the short rib and place it into a large pot of rolling boiling water. |
| 2. | Boil the ribs for 6-8 minutes over a medium-high heat. |
| 3. | Drain the water and rinse the ribs in cold running water. |
| 4. | Cut off any excess fat from the ribs. |
| 5. | To make the bulgogi sauce, blend all the ingredients together, transfer to a pan and bring to the boil. |
| 6. | Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, then set aside. |
| 7. | Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). |
| 8. | Place the prepared beef ribs into a deep baking tray and add 1½ cups water. |
| 9. | Add the bulgogi sauce. |
| 10. | Cover the tray with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour. |
| 11. | Stir gently, change the position of the ribs and cook for another hour, or until tender. |
| 12. | For the kimchi, slice the radishes 1 centimetre thick or cut into wedges and sprinkle with salt. |
| 13. | Leave for 10 minutes until softened, rinse and pat dry. |
| 14. | Mix the remaining ingredients together to make a paste, combine, ensuring the radishes are well covered. |
| 15. | To make the dashi custard, put the cream, milk, powdered dashi, kombu extract, garlic, light soy and mirin into a saucepan and mix together. |
| 16. | Bring to a temperature of 80°C. |
| 17. | Add the bonito flakes and remove from the stove. |
| 18. | Leave to infuse for about 30 minutes. |
| 19. | Mix the egg and egg yolks, add to the infused cream and heat over a low heat until the temperature reaches 65°C. |
| 20. | Put into a blender, add the xanthan and blend until smooth. |
| 21. | Cool, season and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. |
| 22. | For the warm salad, lightly char the spring onions, chives, radishes and mushrooms and keep warm. |
| 23. | Toss together before serving. |
| 24. | Serve the ribs with the dashi custard, radish kimchi, lettuce or perilla leaves and the warm salad on the side. |
| 25. | Garnish with thinly sliced radishes and chopped chives. |