Galbi

Galbi
Korean name
Hangul	갈비
Hanja	n/a
Revised Romanization	Galbi
McCune–Reischauer	Kalbi

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Galbi or kalbi generally refers to a variety of gui or grilled dishes in Korean cuisine that is made with marinated beef (or pork) short ribs in a ganjang-based sauce (Korean soy sauce).^[1] In the Korean language, galbi literally means "rib" and can often indicate uncooked ribs. In addition, the dish's full name is galbi gui, although "gui" (grilling) is commonly omitted to refer to it.

Galbi is generally made with beef ribs, and it may be called "sogalbi" (소갈비) or "soegalbi" (쇠갈비). Prefix "so" or "soe" (beef) is often omitted. It is also called bulgalbi when grilled over fire. As the literal meaning is "rib", the galbi dish can also be made with pork ribs or chicken. In such cases, the dish is called "dwaeji galbi" (돼지갈비) or "dak galbi" (닭갈비) to emphasize the main ingredient.^[1]

It is listed at number 44 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll complied by CNN Go in 2011.^[2]

[edit] Overview

Galbi after being placed on the grill

The ingredients (often, ribs or meats) are marinated in a sauce made primarily from soy sauce, garlic, and sugar. However, several variations on the marinade exist including recipes that utilize sesame oil, rice wine or hot pepper paste. Fruit juice, lemon-lime soda and honey have become more common additions to Korean marinades in recent years, and is present in some incarnations of the dish.

When cooked on a griddle or grill, the meat is usually cut in thin slices across the bones and called L.A. Galbi. This permits the marinade to penetrate the meat faster, allows the meat to cook more quickly, creates a more tender cut, and makes it easier to eat the finished dish with chopsticks. Traditional cut is called Wang Galbi, literally meaning King Ribs. In this version, ribs are into 2 to 5 inch segments, and the meat is filleted in layers away from the bone to form a uniformly thin layer. Wang Galbi is usually what is served in restaurants, as it is the traditional cut and hence considered more genuine. Rarely, if ever, are L.A. Galbi served at top establishments. Pre-cut galbi is available from many meat markets in Korea and elsewhere.

Galbi is generally served in restaurants known as "galbi houses", and the meat is cooked right at customers' tables on grills set in the tables (usually by the customers themselves). It is typically served with lettuce, perilla, or other leafy vegetables used to wrap the meat, which is then dipped in ssamjang (쌈장), a sauce made of fermented bean paste and red pepper paste. It is often accompanied by side dishes known as banchan.

In Korea, galbi is also a popular picnic food, and many people have portable gas or charcoal stoves for cooking it outside.

Many Korean dishes incorporate ribs, including soups and stews. Some restaurants serve "pork galbi", and chicken galbi is a popular specialty of the Chuncheon region.

Galbitang is a clear soup containing pieces of galbi. Galbi jjigae is a thick stew with many large pieces of galbi, usually single bone cuts, which may also contain red peppers, green peppers, kimchi, and doenjang (Korean bean paste). Galbi Jjim is short ribs braised in sweet soysauce based sauce.

[edit] Varieties

Dwaeji galbi (돼지갈비), made with pork ribs that can be seasoned with a typical ganjang-based sauce or gochujang-based sauce (chili pepper condiment). In the later case, the dish is called "maeun dwaeji galbi" (매운돼지갈비), literally meaning "hot and spicy pork ribs" in Korean.
Dak galbi (닭갈비), made with chicken legs although the name contains "galbi". It is seasoned with a gochujang-based sauce, but "maeun" (매운, hot and spicy) is not prefixed.
Tteokgalbi (떡갈비), made with beef ribs and rice cakes.
LA galbi (LA갈비) made with beef ribs thinly cut across the bone.