Korean short beef ribs with banchan and rice
Serve these flavour-packed marinated ribs alongside traditional Korean side dishes such as pickles and kimchi.
Ingredients
For the Korean beef short ribs
- 800g/1lb 12oz short beef ribs, cut flanken-style
- 75ml/5 tbsp soy sauce
- 75ml/5 tbsp rice wine or sake (or use water)
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- 1 small onion
- 1 small firm pear (nashi, if you can find it), peeled and cored
- 5 garlic cloves
- thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
For the pickled cucumbers
- 6 baby cucumbers (or 1 large)
- 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tsp soft dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp gochujang paste
To serve
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- steamed rice
- kimchi
- Korean or Japanese pickles
- Little Gem lettuce leaves, separated
- ssamjang sauce
Method
Put the ribs into a container. Mix the soy sauce with the rice wine or water and honey and pour over the ribs. In a small food processor, blend the onion, pear, garlic and grated ginger to a smooth paste and add this to the ribs, along with the sesame oil, pepper and gochujang. Turn to coat evenly and mix, then cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours, covered in the fridge.
To make the pickled cucumber, slice the cucumbers into rounds, sprinkle with the sea salt flakes and leave to drain in a sieve over a bowl. In a separate small bowl, mix together the rest of the pickle ingredients. Rinse the cucumbers and pat them dry, then toss in the pickling mixture and leave for at least 1 hour.
When you are ready to cook the ribs, remove them from the marinade, shaking off any excess and discarding the marinade. Place a griddle pan over a high heat and, once hot, add the ribs (or place them on a barbecue over a direct heat) and cook for 2 minutes on each side (4–5 minutes each side if you have a thicker cut), or until you have deep char marks on the outside and the beef is still slightly pink inside (medium-rare). Rest the ribs for 5 minutes, covered with kitchen foil, then slice into bite-sized pieces.
To serve, arrange the meat on a warmed platter and scatter with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions. Bring to the table with bowls of rice, the pickled cucumber, kimchi, pickles, lettuce leaves and the ssamjang sauce.
