Taek Sang Kang's Korean galbi beef

Taek Sang Kang, the executive chef at Sonamu shares his recipe for galbi beef, one of his favourite dishes.

Galbi beef (Serves 4)

1kg jumbo beef short ribs

For the galbi sauce:
240ml soy sauce
50g caster sugar
100g pear, peeled and finely chopped
50g onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic, peeled and finely chopped
50g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
100g apple, peeled and finely chopped
45g sesame oil
50g spring onion, peeled and finely chopped

To garnish:
1 white onion, peeled and roughly sliced
30g king oyster mushrooms, sliced
30g shimeji mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
4 tbsp finely chopped pine nuts
4 tbsp finely chopped spring onions

For the salad:
1 onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 red onion, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 chilli, sliced
mustard cress
sesame oil
soy sauce


Whisk together the soy sauce and caster sugar in a large bowl. Add all the other sauce ingredients and set aside.

Prepare the beef by first removing the fat and skin. Using a sharp knife, slice length ways across the bone so that you end up with long strips of boneless meat, approximately 1/3 inch to 1/4 inch think. Make diagonal incisions along the length of the meat, to allow the marinate to be better absorbed.

Add the beef to the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.

Heat a griddle pan or stove top grill to medium-high. Shake off the excess marinade from the beef and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the onion slices, mushroom slices and whole garlic cloves to the grill at the same time. Slice the beef into bite size pieces.

Toss together the sliced red and white onions, the chilli and the mustard cress. Dress with a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil.

Arrange the meat and vegetables on serving plates. Place a little of the salad on the side and spoon over the chopped pine nuts and spring onions.