The Star of Holidays! Tender and Juicy Braised Pork Ribs (Dwaeji Galbi Jjim) Golden Recipe
Solyeosi’s Must-Have Holiday Dish: The Perfect Braised Pork Ribs
Is there any holiday table without braised ribs, be it beef or pork? So, I made some too! ^^ This recipe guarantees a deeply flavored, melt-in-your-mouth pork rib stew that will impress everyone at your holiday feast.
Main Ingredients
- Pork ribs, blood-removed, 600g (approx. 1.3 lbs)
Additional Ingredients
- Radish, 1/3 medium
- Potatoes, 2 medium
- Onion, 1 medium
- Carrots, 2 (for juice or regular carrots)
- Kiwi, 1 (peeled)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms, 17g
- Dried eggplant, 15g
- Dried jujubes (dates), 30g
- Fresh basil leaves, 1g (or dried basil powder)
- Green onion, 80g
- Dashi stock (or water), 370g (approx. 1.5 cups)
- Bay leaves, 0.001g (a tiny amount)
Seasoning Mix
- Soy sauce for soup (Guk-ganjang) or regular soy sauce, 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Dashi stock (or water), 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Oligosaccharide (or corn syrup/honey), 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Sugar, 60ml (approx. 1/4 cup)
- Cooking wine (like Mirin), 60ml (approx. 1/4 cup)
- Salt, 1 Tbsp
- Natural seasoning powder (e.g., plum extract, or store-bought galbi seasoning), 1 Tbsp
- Black pepper, a pinch
- Minced garlic, 1g (a tiny amount)
- Radish, 1/3 medium
- Potatoes, 2 medium
- Onion, 1 medium
- Carrots, 2 (for juice or regular carrots)
- Kiwi, 1 (peeled)
- Dried shiitake mushrooms, 17g
- Dried eggplant, 15g
- Dried jujubes (dates), 30g
- Fresh basil leaves, 1g (or dried basil powder)
- Green onion, 80g
- Dashi stock (or water), 370g (approx. 1.5 cups)
- Bay leaves, 0.001g (a tiny amount)
Seasoning Mix
- Soy sauce for soup (Guk-ganjang) or regular soy sauce, 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Dashi stock (or water), 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Oligosaccharide (or corn syrup/honey), 120ml (approx. 1/2 cup)
- Sugar, 60ml (approx. 1/4 cup)
- Cooking wine (like Mirin), 60ml (approx. 1/4 cup)
- Salt, 1 Tbsp
- Natural seasoning powder (e.g., plum extract, or store-bought galbi seasoning), 1 Tbsp
- Black pepper, a pinch
- Minced garlic, 1g (a tiny amount)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare all the ingredients as shown in the photo. You might find the use of basil unusual, but basil is excellent for tenderizing meat and effectively eliminating gamey odors (it even works well for fishy smells!). Its unique aroma elevates the flavor and richness of the meat, making it more luxurious. However, basil is a potent herb, so use it sparingly to avoid overpowering the dish. ^^ I used fresh basil from my garden, but you can find dried basil powder in stores. If you prefer not to use it, it’s perfectly fine to skip this ingredient. ^^
Step 2
Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in about 250ml of warm dashi stock until they are fully rehydrated. This will enhance their savory flavor.
Step 3
Now, let’s remove the blood from the pork ribs. Unlike beef, pork doesn’t require extended blood removal. Some people parboil the ribs briefly, but I always feel it’s a shame to skip this step for both pork and beef, especially with larger cuts. ^^ Also, many people don’t realize that unlike beef, pork can lose some of its natural sweetness and saltiness during blood removal. ^^ That’s why I add a bit of cooking wine to help with the gamey smell and to slightly replenish the lost flavors. ^^ I usually soak the ribs for about 30 minutes this way. This process removes the distinct metallic smell of blood while preserving the meat’s natural taste, resulting in clean-flavored ribs.
Step 4
In a bowl, combine 120ml of dashi stock, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, oligosaccharide, a pinch of black pepper, salt, natural seasoning powder (store-bought galbi seasoning works well too!), and minced garlic. Mix them well. Add the blood-removed pork ribs to the marinade and gently massage them a couple of times to coat evenly.
Step 5
Place the marinated ribs, basil leaves (fresh or dried powder), peeled kiwi, onion, and a little bit of the mushroom soaking liquid into a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer the blended mixture back into the bowl with the ribs and mix well.
Step 6
Add the bay leaves and mix everything together. It’s crucial to marinate meat for at least an hour to allow the flavors to penetrate deeply. In this recipe, I let it marinate for 3 hours. You all know that meats need sufficient marination time to absorb flavor, right? ^^
Step 7
Keep the dried eggplant and dried jujubes as they are. Slice the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms into quarters. Chop the green onions into large pieces, as shown in the photo. You might wonder why the eggplant isn’t soaked like the mushrooms. Since galbi jjim cooks for a long time, soaking the already tender eggplant would cause it to disintegrate. ^^ I used homemade dried eggplant, so I just washed it thoroughly. If you’re using store-bought dried eggplant, just rinse it well without soaking; it will retain a pleasant chewy texture. ^^ This chewy eggplant is a delightful surprise in the dish!
Step 8
Phew, I get sleepy just making this! ^^ Cut the radish, carrots, and potatoes into bite-sized pieces and shape them by rolling while cutting. This technique (called ‘gulryeo kkakki’ in Korean) helps them maintain their shape during cooking. Adding radish to galbi jjim makes the broth wonderfully refreshing and clean-tasting.
Step 9
Wow, 3 hours flew by! ^^ Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Step 10
First, add the dried eggplant, radish pieces (shaped like pebbles), and shiitake mushrooms to the pot. Place the marinated pork ribs on top. Cover the pot and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes.
Step 11
After 30 minutes, once the stew begins to boil, add the chopped green onions. Continue to cook over medium heat for another 20 minutes.
Step 12
When the 20 minutes are up, add the remaining ingredients – the carrots and potatoes. Increase the heat to high and boil vigorously for about 15 minutes until everything is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly. You can watch a video of it boiling above. ^^
Step 13
It’s bubbling away nicely, isn’t it? ^^
Step 14
Oh, it looks so delicious! ^^ My wonderfully flavorful braised pork ribs are now complete!
