How to Make Korean Beef Short Rib and Radish Soup

The quantities listed make enough soup for 8 servings, assuming 2 pieces of short rib beef and 3-5 cubes of radish per bowl of soup.

Ingredients:

4-5 yellow onions, halved
1 bunch of green onions
10 garlic cloves
Knob of ginger, about 1 tablespoon (optional)
Piece of dashima (dried seaweed) - about the size of 2 adult hands
Large pot of water
Glass noodles (made with sweet potato starch)
Beef short ribs - a cut that is sold at Korean grocery stores, 16 pieces
1 large Korean radish, called yuan radish, similar to daikon radish
Sea salt
Soy sauce

Directions:

1. Soak beef ribs in cold water for 1 to 1.5 hours to draw out any remaining blood in flesh. In a separate bowl or pot, soak glass noodles in cold water, a modest portion for each serving of soup you want to dish up.

2. While beef ribs are soaking in water, make broth base by bringing the following to a boil in about 6 quarts (5.7 litres) of water and allowing to simmer for 1 hour:

5 yellow onions, halved
1 bunch of green onions, washed and roughly chopped in half
10 garlic cloves
Knob of ginger, about 1 tablespoon (optional)
Piece of dashima (Dried seaweed) - about the size of 2 adult hands

Dashima:

3. Drain soaking water away from beef ribs and give the ribs a brief rinse in cold water before boiling them in a separate pot of water for about 10 minutes - as this pot boils/simmmers, use a strainer to skim and discard the impurities that rise to the surface of the water.

4. Once the bulk of the impurities have been removed from the boiling water, somewhere around the 10 minute mark, drain hot water and transfer beef ribs to a large bowl. Wash beef ribs under running cold water, using hands to remove any little bits of fat and cartilage that are barely hanging on.

5. Back to the pot of broth that has been simmering for about an hour, use a strainer to remove all broth ingredients, gently pressing down on the ingredients within the strainer with the backside of a spoon to sqeeze out as much goodness as possible - the garlic and onions should squeeze down almost to a paste.

6. Add washed beef ribs to the pot of broth and simmer for 30 minutes.

7. While beef ribs are simmering in broth, peel radish skin and chop into bite-size pieces. After beef ribs have simmered for 30 minutes, add the radish to the broth and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes or until radish is tender. If more impurities arise to the surface while simmering, skim out with a strainer. Season soup with one tablespoon of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, or to taste.

8. To serve, bring soaking glass noodles to a boil, but just before the water boils, remove from heat and portion noodles out into individual serving bowls - it's far better to undercook these noodles, as they will continue to soften in the hot soup. You want the noodles to be on the chewy side of al dente.

9. Ladle 2 pieces of beef short ribs, a few chunks of radish, and 3-3.5 ladles of broth over the noodles in each bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions, serve, and enjoy.

Note: Many Koreans serve this up with a side of steamed white rice which can be added to the soup or eaten separately on the side. Some also give each person a little soy sauce in a small dipping bowl to dip the short ribs into before each bite.

Here is a short video that shows the major steps of making Korean Beef Short Rib and Radish Soup (Gal Bee Tang):

Be sure to take heed of the steps that involve soaking and washing the meat, as well as skimming off impurities that rise to the surface of the broth, as these steps ensure a beautifully clear and delicious broth.

For easy cutting and pasting of the ingredients and directions into a word document for easy printing, please see:

How to Make Korean Beef Short Rib and Radish Soup - Recipe Only, No Photos