Galbi or Ribs, by way of Korea

I was first introduced to Korean food by the redhead’s Korean aunt, who came visiting with pots & pans & mortar & pestle and ground & marinated & fermented & spiced to produce the most divinely scrumptious array of food.

The graciousness with which her aunt fed poor starving college us is so characteristic of the redhead’s entire clan. They so irreverently welcomed me into into their fold with their unlimited conversations, teasing & poking that I felt instant comfortability. I think, as an expat, you don’t quite know a country till you’ve been invited into a native’s home. And for that & much more I thank the redhead & her zany family!

A little note about the recipe: As I understand it, Galbi is made with short ribs & is usually a braised dish. We were in the mood for grilling and had regular ribs, so used that instead. For a more traditional recipe, please see here. We made ours with the help of Deep Fried Kimchee & the good people at Chowhound.

What We Used:

Ribs – 3 lbs

Soy Sauce – 1.5 cups

Rice Wine – 1/2 cup

(I found several links when looking for rice wine substitutes, if it is unavailable in your part of the world)

Sesame oil – 1/4 cup

White rice vinegar – 1/4 cup

Water – 1/2 cup

Honey – 1 tbsp

Dark Brown Sugar – 1/4 cup

Chopped Scallions – 2 bunches

Grated Garlic – 2 tbsps

Grated Ginger – 1.5 tbsps

Black Pepper – 2 tsps

Bowl & Grill – 1 each

How We Did It:

• Combine all ingredients, save the ribs, in a large bowl.
• Add ribs. Check to see if marinade covers ribs. If not, add water & other ingredients proportionally to make it so.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Place on hot grill for 2 minutes on each side. Serve with anything you like.

Note:

When I tasted the marinade pre-ribs addition, I was a bit apprehensive. The flavor of the marinade is different for my palate, since it has little to no heat in it. It’s more tangy, almost sharply sour and yet sweet. But, fear not – you won’t be disappointed in how the meat tastes when it is grilled after soaking in this marinade. The combination of the fat in the ribs & the marinade makes for a very succulent, albeit different, dish.

Grilled Peach by way of As & Ds

I love how grilled peach tastes. It almost feels like you are biting into a banana fritter, with no fried batter, just the delicious sweetness of a peach.

This is an effortless recipe, with nary the need for cutting or chopping. Just the sweet comfort of our grill, given to us by our fabulous groomsman (Ds) & best man (As).

I think the closer I get to our one year anniversary, the more nostalgic I get for the memories of the wedding. Yesterday I cooed over the grill, remembering the fantastic surprise that it was when it was wheeled into our place. We enjoyed our wedding immensely. We had planned, had scurried to & fro for appointments & multiple tastings, the Mostafa had been forced to sit through countless viewings of chairs & to see all those efforts come to fruition was a fabulous experience. But no amount of planing would have made our wedding the glorious memory that it is, if it hadn’t been for our friends & family.

So, in honor of them, I am hoping in the next week or so, to cook around all the lovely appliances gifted to us. Here’s a small start to that idea!

What We Used (for two):

Peach – 1

Sugar – just enough to sprinkle on the peach halves

Honey – 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract – 1 tbsp

Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1/2 of a lemon

Water – less than 1/4 of a cup

Bay Leaf – 1

Saucepan & grill

How We Did It:

1. Cut rinsed peach in half, discard pit.
2. Sprinkle sugar on the peach halves.
3. Place on preheated grill & grill till grill marks appear on each side (about 3-4 mins on each side).
4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine honey, a little water, vanilla extract, lemon juice and bay leaf. Boil till the sauce is thick, about 4 minutes. I stopped boiling once I was sure all the flavours had merged well.
5. Pour sauce over grilled peaches and serve. If you have frozen yogurt or ice cream lying around, add a dollop of that too & enjoy!