Spinach Korean Side Dish

Here is the recipe for the Spinach Korean side dish that I enjoy.

1 bunch Spinach - trimmed of wilted leaves and dense stalks
1tbsp soy sauce - I use kikkoman
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 green onion - chopped
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds

Boil water, add about 1 tsp salt.  Cook spinach  for about 30 seconds or so.
Drain cooked spinach, rinse, then squeeze to remove water.
Cut up spinach a few times.  Add rest of the ingredients.  Mix all together.  Add more soy sauce if it tastes bland.

Photo credit: Google image

Korean Beef Stew - Pinoy Version

This is the recipe with the taste that is more or less what most Filipinos are familiar with.  Almost the same as that served at Kimchi, in the Food Courts of most malls.  I have fond memories of eating this in the 80's.  Had it last year at the Food Court of Trinoma and I was disappointed.  The meat was very tough and the flavor not quite how my taste buds remember it. 

Discovered it here and I have tweaked it from time to time based on what ingredients I have and don't have.

1-1/2 kilos of beef short ribs, cut into serving pieces
1 whole garlic
1 whole onion
3 thumb-sized pieces of ginger (wash and scrub, no need to peel)
1 tbsp. of whole black peppercorns
3-4 siling haba (finger chilis), optional but recommended
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup soy sauce
3/4  cup of white sugar
12-15 stalks onion leaves
1-2 tbsps. toasted  sesame seeds

Rinse beef ribs a few times.  Put in a pot and put just enough water to cover the meat.  Let the water boil until the meat is no longer red.  Remove from heat, change the water and rinse a few times to remove the scum.  Put meat again in pot, add the same amount of water, boil.  Add everything else except onion leaves and sesame seeds.  Boil for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender or coming off of the bones. Taste.  Adjust seasoning.  Garnish with onion leaves and sesame seeds just before serving.

I sometimes use brisket instead of short ribs.  Caloy says short ribs have too much fat and is BAD!  But short ribs are more flavorful and the texture a lot better.  Brisket to me is like chicken white meat which I do not enjoy.  To remove the fat, what I do is cook this one day before, refrigerate it then  remove all the solidified fat.

In place of finger chilis, I almost always use dried pepper flakes as I have this in stock.

If the sweetness is lacking for you, you can add up to 1/4 cups more.  BUT taste or it might end up cloyingly too sweet.

Instead of adding more soy sauce if somewhat bland, use salt.  

I enjoy this with the Spinach Korean side dish (recipe to follow) as well as beans sprouts.

"I always knew I was going to be rich. I don't think I ever doubted it for a minute"

 - Warren Buffett

This should be everybody's mind set! 

Received this in an email and just wanted to share.

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Korean Beef Stew (galbijjim)

안녕하세요  An nyoung ha se yo  Hello!

I love Korean food!  OK, not love - love but I like and I appreciate!  Problem is, in the family, only I do.  But there is one dish that is enjoyed by everyone, the Korean Beef Stew.  Here is an authentic Korean recipe. I will also post a Filipinized version.  Both have their own merits and are equally  liked by the family.

Photo credit: google images

Ingredients:
     1 kilo beef short ribs
     2 cups water
     4 tbsp. soy sauce
     8 cloves garlic, minced
     1/2 onion sliced
     1 tbsp. rice wine
     1 tbsp brown sugar
     1 tbsp sesame oil
     1 carrot  sliced into 1" thick
     1 radish  sliced into 1" thick
     5 shiitake mushrooms sliced and soaked in hot water.
     2 tbsp corn syrup
     1/2 tsp ground black pepper
     green onion,  sliced for garnish
     toasted sesame seeds

Procedure:

1. Soak  shiitake mushrooms in hot water.
2. Soak short ribs in cold water in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and change the water a few times.
3. Boil short ribs in water in a large pot for about 5-10 minutes.
4. Take out the ribs from the boiling water and wash them with cold water to remove scum.
5. Throw away  water and clean the pot.
6. Place the clean  beef short ribs back in the pot.
7. Add   water,  soy sauce,  garlic,  onion,  rice wine,  brown sugar.
   
8. Boil it over medium heat for 20 minutes.
9. Add the vegetables.  Let it simmer for about 1.5-2 hours over low heat.
     Stir the ribs and other ingredients from time to time.
10. When meat is tender, add corn syrup, sesame oil and  black pepper. Turn up the  heat. Mix it well until liquid evaporates or very little of it is left.
11. Transfer galbijjim to a platter before serving.  Garnish with spring onion and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

***
I did not have corn syrup so I used honey
For rice wine, I used Japanese mirin
Since this yields very little sauce and because we love sauce to go with rice,   I multiplied everything except the ribs and vegetables by 1.5 times the indicated amount in the recipe.