I’m not reinventing the wheel here. Korean food is slowly getting the recognition it so rightly deserves across America.  Although you may not be able to find as giant a Korean menu in Des Moines as you would in Los Angeles or New York, you’d be surprised how many Korean BBQ restaurants exist. (Upon a bit of research, Des Moines did have a Korean restaurant, but, unfortunately, it closed.)  My point is, Korean food could have a mass appeal if more people were exposed to it and just gave it a try.

Ok, so maybe the sannakji or some of the tripe or cold noodle soup dishes may not appeal to everyone, but most Korean dishes are extremely delicious and extremely palatable.  Dumplings, stews, scallion pancakes, grilled calamari, soups with layered flavors, and delicious grilled meats are just a few tastes of what Korean food has to offer. Think about Thai food fifteen years ago – one may have only found it in big cities.  Now this is a cuisine you definitely can find in Des Moines (sorry to pick on you again, Iowa!).

If you are a Korean food virgin, I highly recommend you start with this dish – kalbi (also known as galbi): marinated short ribs.  LA Kalbi is called “LA” because it is cut LAterally.  You can see how ours were cut thinly on the bias across the bone. This really helps speed up the cooking time.  Talk to your butcher about slicing some short ribs this way for you.  If you can’t find short ribs, this marinade will also work wonders with thin slices of beef (one that is marbled with fat and not super-lean).  The marinade helps break down the meat so it becomes fabulous in flavor and pretty tender.  Pair with some rice, toppings and soju and you’ve got yourself a delicious Korean meal at home.  The only thing you really need is a little forward planning since for best results you should marinate the meat overnight.

Since I’m asking questions, have you ever been hungover (or just REALLY hungry) and wanting that food you ordered to come so badly you stare at the minutes ticking away on your clock?  Well this is what happened to me – catch me hungover and, worse yet, hungry, well, let’s just say beware.  But when you promise me my food within forty five minutes and you take over an hour to arrive with it (cold, mind you), well then you’re blackballed off my restaurant list for life!

Months later I realized how badly I was craving Thai but I REFUSED to go back to Mango to fulfill my craving.  I decided to create my own dish and here’s what I came out with. It’s my own recipe and it really turned out great.  The rice side is an adaption of a Delia Smith recipe.  This dish that takes a bit of prep time, but once you get it into the pressure cooker/slow cooker, you can just sit back and relax.  Make some extra for leftovers the next day – it really improves the next day. 

LEMONGRASS BEEF SHORTRIBS WITH THAI-INSPIRED COCONUT RICE 

For Shortribs:

• 2 lb beef shortribs
• 1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces and bruised with back of knife – reserve bottom 2 inches of the lemongrass (slice this in half)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 cilantro stalks/leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 5 cloves
• 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon stick
• 1 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, skin trimmed off
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 hot chile pepper (whatever you like)
• 2-3 cups of beef or chicken stock
• cheesecloth
• 6 mushrooms, thickly sliced (Optional)

What to do:

1. Season short ribs with some salt and pepper.
2. In cheesecloth, add top part of lemongrass (remember to cut into small pieces and bruise), cloves, cinnamon stick and black peppercorns.  Tie to secure with kitchen twine.
3. Heat up your pressure cooker on medium. Saute your chopped onion.
4. In a food processor, chop your garlic, ginger, cilantro (stems and all), reserved bottom 2 inches of lemongrass and hot pepper.  Add a bit of olive oil to help chop it more.
5. Add the garlic/ginger/cilantro/pepper mixture to the pressure cooker.  Saute for another few minutes. Remove onions and garlic mixture and reserve on side.
6. Add a bit of olive oil back to the pressure cooker.  Add the meat and brown on all sides.
7. When meat has browned, add a small bit of hot stock and pick up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  When this is done, add back your onion and garlic/ginger/cilantro/pepper mixture and add enough stock to almost cover all your meat.  Give this all a bit of a stir to get the veggies well distributed in the stock.
8. Add the optional chopped mushroom and throw the spices in the cheesecloth in (make sure it’s somewhat submerged in the liquid).  Put lid on pressure cooker and cook as usual – 30-35 minutes.
9. When finished, remove meat on side and add the creamy coconut milk that rises to the top of a newly opened can (it’s much thicker than the watery-coconut milk below).  All the sauce to reduce on medium for 10 minutes.

For the rice:

• 1 cup of basmati rice
• 1 can of coconut milk + some boiling H2O
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 inch knob of fresh ginger
• 1 hot chile pepper
• 4 stalks of cilantro
• 1 shallot, minced finely
• 1 stalk lemongrass, outer leaves removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces and bruised with back of knife – reserve bottom 2 inches of the lemongrass (slice this in half)
• 5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• zest from one lime
• cheesecloth
• 2 teaspoon salt
• Sliced scallions for garnish

What to do:

1. In a food processor, finely chop (together) garlic, ginger, cilantro stalks and pepper.  Reserve.
2. In a piece of cheesecloth, put the cloves, cinnamon stick, some lemongrass pieces, black peppercorns and 1/2 of lime.  Secure with kitchen string.
3. Saute the shallot in some olive oil.
4. After about 1 minute, add the garlic mixture and saute for a minute.
5. Add basmati rice and toast for 30 seconds. Stir.
6. Add one can of coconut milk and the salt to the rice.  Add enough hot water so the line of liquid comes up to the width of 2 fingers above the line of rice (NOTE: Make the peace sign, then put those two fingers together. The width of the pointer and middle finger together should be used as your ‘ruler’ when pouring the liquid into your rice.  This method will always make the most perfect rice – thank you Daisy Martinez!!). Stir the rice, put the lid on, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer (still with lid on – you can peek to see if it’s boiling/simmering) for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, turn heat to low and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes – do not take lid off. After this, turn the heat off – do not lift the lid – and allow to sit for another 10 minutes to steam.
7. When it’s finished steaming, take off lid, fluff rice with a fork. Add the lime zest, the squeeze of half a lime and check for any additional seasoning.  Top with some scallions and enjoy!

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER GREAT PRESSURE-COOKER RECIPES ON OUR BLOG:

• Wine Braised Lamb Shanks
• Korean Style Pork Ribs
• Lebanese Fatteh Blahmeh

***Just noticed the lovely chip in our expensive Target plate that you’ll often see on this blog showcasing our creations. Nuthin’ but the best for our readers!!***

Thanks to We Are Never Full reader/commenter Valerie (see Under Pressure), we decided to check out Epicurious.com’s recipe for Asian Beef Short Ribs. This inspired me to use our pressure cooker again, using the Epicurious recipe as a backbone for our own creation using Pork Ribs. Months ago we ate in Little Korea in NYC (YUM! That’s a whole other post!) and after our gut-busting meal, shopped at a local Korean market where we picked up a beef marinade. Although it’s not necessary to use for our recipe, I think it added a little bit more body (and maybe saltiness?) to the dish. The end result was a very rich and satisfying meal. If your butcher can’t cut up your pork ribs to 2-2.5 inch pieces, hopefully you have a super sharp knife/cleaver to try out your hacking skills! I hacked my own up – it gave me a real burst of adreneline and helped me get out some aggression! Also, remember to hack up your ribs BEFORE you marinate them. I was an idiot and looked like I honestly hacked something to death with all the marinade splattered on my shirt!

KOREAN-STYLE PORK RIBS WITH BOK CHOI

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lb. pork spare ribs, chopped into 3 inch pieces (use cleaver, sharp knife or ask your butcher to cut it for you)
• 1 cup of korean kalbi marinade (could substitute w/hoison sauce with a bit of soy sauce mixed in)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large onion chopped
• 1 cup beef or chicken broth (or a mix of both) – low sodium so you can measure the level of salt in the dish (there’s alot!)
• 3 tablespoons soy
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 red chiles, chopped, seeds and all
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 inch piece of ginger, chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced for garnish

What to do:

1. Marinate your pork rib pieces for a few hours (if you have time) in the Korean BBQ marinade or the hoison sauce.
2. Heat up pressure cooker and add a bit of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add pieces of pork ribs and brown on all sides. Remove ribs and reserve on the side.
3. Deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker with your stock. Make sure you pick up all the browned bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon!
4. Add back your ribs and ALL the other ingredients (including any extra Korean Kalbi/hoison sauce that was used for the marinade.
5. Cook in your pressure cooker for 30 minutes. Remove lid and reduce sauce even more, simmering for about 20-30 minutes. Add some cornstarch to thicken if necessary.
6. Serve with white rice/stick rice and some bok choi sauteed with garlic, chiles a bit of soy and a bit of sesame oil. Sprinkle thin slices of scallion on top and enjoy!

Super easy! The added potatoes and carrots make for a really hearty sauce. You’ll love how the pork falls off the bone. Thanks, Valerie for the inspiration! Happy Columbus Day!

CHECK OUT SOME OTHER POSTS YOU MAY ENJOY:

•  WINE-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH ROSEMARY AND THYME IN PRESSURE COOKER
• LEBANESE-SPICED LAMB OVER CRISPY PITA WITH CHICKPEAS, PINENUTS, POMEGRANATE SEEDS SMOTHERED IN GARLIC YOGURT SAUCE
• LEMONGRASS BEEF SHORTRIBS