Tteokkaibi – Short Rib Meat Patties – Traditional

떡 갈비
Alternate Spelling: Ddeok galbi, Ddeokgalbi, Ddukkalbi, Dduk kalbi, Tteok galbi, tuk kai bi, duk gal bi, Duk kaibi

Tteokkaibi was a way to prepare meat that was full of flavor, and easy for the King to digest.
This recipe is for a traditional method to prepare this dish.

3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

1

pound

bone in beef short ribs

10

ounces

pork

5

ounces

garaetteok 가래떡 or 흰떡 — (rice cake)

1/2

tablespoon

flour

Optional

1

tablespoon

toasted sesame seed

Meat Seasoning:

1/4

Asian pear

1/4

small

onion

6

cloves

garlic

1/4

teaspoon

ground black pepper

1 1/2

tablespoons

maesil cha 매실차 — (plum tea)

Meat and Rice Cake Marinade:

4

tablespoons

soy sauce

1

tablespoon

MulYeot 물엿 (Malt Syrup)

1

tablespoon

sugar

1

tablespoon

refined rice wine

Garnish

3

walnuts

30

pine nuts — (30 to 40)

2

small

green onions

Yujang 유장 (Glaze Sauce)ingredients:

1 1/2

tablespoons

soy sauce

1

tablespoon

honey

1

tablespoon

refined rice wine

1

tablespoon

sesame oil

Procedure

Garaetteok (Rice Cake):

Rough chop the rice cake into small pieces.

Meat Seasoning:

Fine chop (mince) the pear, garlic, and onion. Combine all meat seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Meat:

Short Ribs:

Remove the meat from the ribs.

Cook the bone until done. (Bake, boil, fry, or microwave – Baking or frying results in better flavoring)

Pound the meat with the back of a knife, then chop (mince) the meat to an almost ground consistency.

Pork:

Place the pork in a bath of cold water and soak for 20 minutes. (Removes excess blood and lightens the odor of cooking pork)

Cut the pork into thin slices.

Pound the meat with the back of a knife, then chop (mince) the meat to an almost ground consistency.

Mix the meat (pork and beef) with the meat seasoning (and optional sesame seeds) and let stand for ten minutes.

In a small bowl combine the flour and rice cake pieces and mix well.

Add the floured rice cake and the marinade to the meat mixture, mix well, then let stand for at least ten minutes.

Form the meat “dough” into bar shapes around the cooked rib bones just shorter and wider than the length and width of the rib bone sections.

Yujang:

Mix all ingredients together and let stand at least ten minutes.

Garnish:

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until lightly browned.

Rough chop the walnuts and toasted pine nuts, then mix together.

Rough chop the green onion.

Cook:

Heat a lightly oiled fry pan over medium heat.

Add the tteokkaibi, reduce the heat to low, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes on the first side.

Turn and cook about 5 to 8 minutes on the second side.

Baste the upper side with yujang, turn and cook about two minutes.

Repeat until a semi glaze forms on both sides.

Top with garnish then serve hot with steamed white rice and banchan.

Tips

In Korean markets with an in-house meat cutter, short ribs are usually available in either the LA cut (three or four bone pieces in a strip about 1/8 inch thick), a traditional cut (rib sections about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long with the meat butter-flyed in a long strip still attached to the rib at one end), or an “English Style” cut where the ribs are cross cut in about two inch lengths and separated.

For this preparation purchase the traditional cut or the “English Style” cut.

In other markets your meat cutter should be able to cross cut the ribs in two inch sections in an “English” cut.

Frozen garaetteok can be found in most Korean markets and many other Asian markets.

Fresh Garaetteok is available in many larger Korean markets.

Frozen garaetteok should be soaked in lukewarm water until soft.

Fresh garaetteok is soft and does not need to be soaked.

Commercial Maesil cha is used in this recipe as home made maesil-cha, while simple to make, takes more than a month to complete.