Korean Short Rib Soup (kalbi tang) #SundaySupper

This Sunday Supper Event is all about sharing your favorite comfort food. I’m sharing my recipe for kalbi tang! Don’t forget our hashtag #SundaySupper.

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Comfort food. Uncomplicated. Familiar. Personal. Soothing.

I actually had a hard time pin pointing my favorite comfort food. I have so many. Obviously, I grew up with my mom’s cooking which I love, but there are a lot of non-Korean dishes that are on my list when I need a little TLC and certainly a lot of dishes that MY grandma never made!

I have many favorite comfort dishes depending on the occasion. It could be a bowl of my mom’s yuk gae jang, a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, spaghetti and meatballs, or chicken souvlaki. These days, it’s a plate of awesome cheese, good salami, and castelvetrano olives.

The other weekend my sister and her family came over to go apple-picking in beautiful west New Jersey. I made a pot of kalbi tang (literally short rib soup) the night before so that dinner wouldn’t take too long to get on the table once we got home. It is a simple soup, but flavorful and soothing. Kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) is the perfect complement to the soup with its tangy, spicy, and bold flavors. And of course a side of rice is always needed. This meal is perfect on a chilly day and more perfect with family.

This recipe has been updated. It was originally published October 14, 2012.

Kalbi Tang (short rib soup)

Serves 4 generous bowlfuls

2 pounds bone-in short ribs (cut into 2-inch sections)
2 pounds boneless short ribs (cut into 2-inch sections)
6 cloves of garlic
16 cups (4 quarts) water
1/2 pound daikon
green onions for garnish

salt and pepper for seasoning

cooked white rice (to serve)
kimchi (pickled cabbage) or kkakdugi (to serve)

1 – In a large pot or bowl, soak the beef in cold water for about 20 minutes until the water is a dark pink. This helps helps draw out the impurities before cooking. Drain. Trim the ribs of any excess fat.

2 – In a another large pot, add the ribs and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Foam and scum will come to the surface. Once it has come to a boil, drain and give the ribs a quick rinse. Clean the pot of residue. Note: This step is important. I’ve tried omitting this step, but the broth ended up tasting metallic and not so great.

3 – Once again, add the ribs, 4 quarts of water, garlic cloves to the large pot and bring to a boil.

4 – Lower the heat to medium low and simmer for about 3 hours. Periodically skim the the foam that has risen to the surface. At the end of 3 hours, the beef should be tender and the broth will be a little milky.

5 – Remove the beef and bones and set aside. With a large spoon, skim the broth of as much fat as you can. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the garlic cloves. If you’re making this a day ahead, cover and refrigerate the beef until ready to serve.

Note: An easier way to remove the fat and if you have enough time (like, if you’ve made this a day ahead of actually serving it), cool the broth and place the pot in refrigerator. Within a half an hour, the fat will have coagulated and will be much easier to remove with a large slotted spoon. And if you really want to make the broth super clean, you can pour the broth through a sieve into a another large clean pot.

6 – Cut the the daikon in 2-inch cross sections, cut each section in half lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices so you end up with rectangles.

6 – Over high heat, bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the beef and daikon. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the daikon is tender and translucent.

7 – Place 2 or 3 ribs in each large soup bowl. Ladle the hot broth into the bowl. Garnish with green onions. Serve with rice and kimchi. Season the soup with salt and pepper as needed.