Easy Korean Beef Rib Soup (Galbitang) recipe

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Easy Korean Beef Rib Soup (Galbitang) recipe

Make a classic Korean soup: Galbitang! Also known as Korean Beef Rib Soup, it's comforting and nourishing soup featuring meaty beef ribs and a savory broth. Serve with glass noodles, rice, green onion, and kimchi for a delicious meal. YUM!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 30

Soaking Time30

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Beef, Beef Bone Soup, Beef Short Ribs, Radish

Servings:

Calories: 483kcal

Author: Lis Lam

Equipment

Large Stockpot
Colander

Ingredients

3 lbs Beef Short Ribs or Beef Back Ribs
2 small onions *or 1 large onion
400 grams Korean radish (Mu) *about 1.5 cups
1 piece Dried Kelp *also known as Dashima or Kombu
1 Tbsp Beef Bouillon Powder *also called Dashida
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
13 cups water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bundle Sweet Potato Noodles *also called Dangmyeon

Garnish

1 bunch green onions, minced
black pepper

Instructions

Soak the beef bones. Add the beef bones to a stockpot. Add enough cold water to cover. Place a lid on top and set aside in a cool place (fridge or cold kitchen counter) to soak for 30 minutes. During this process, the blood will seep out of the meat and bones. Drain and add the beef bones back to the pot.
Prep the vegetables. Peel the onion and trim the ends, making sure to keep it whole (for easier removal). Peel the radish and cut into two large chunks. Finely mince the green onion and set aside.
Parboil the beef bones. Add enough cold water to cover the bones. Bring to a boil over high heat until the fat and scum rises to the surface, about 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse. Using a colander, drain the bones. Rinse under cold water, using your hands to wipe away any residual fatty bits or scum clinging to the meat and bones. Also, make sure to wash the pot thoroughly.
Cook. Add the clean beef bones back to the clean pot. Add 13 cups of cold water, onion, radish (mu), dried kelp (dasima), soy sauce, and beef bouillon powder (dashida). Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to medium. Remove any residual fat or scum that floats to the surface. Cook, uncovered, until the beef is tender but not yet falling off the bone, about 60 minutes. Cover and cook until the meat is falling off the bones, another 15-30 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.
Remove aromatics. When the meat is tender and falling off the bone, remove the onion, radish and dashima. Discard the onion and dashima. Reserve the radish and set aside.
Optional: Refrigerate Overnight. For a less oily broth, refrigerate the soup overnight. The fat will harden and be easier to remove.
Add Dangmyeon + Garlic. Add the sweet potato noodles directly into the soup. Add the minced garlic. Cook until the noodles tender yet slightly chewy, about 5-7 minutes.
Add cooked radish. While the Dangmyeon cooks, slice the cooked radish into thin 1/2-inch half moons. Add the radish pieces back to the soup pot.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning. Add more salt or a pinch or two of beef bouillon powder if needed.
Serve. Transfer the soup to individual soup bowls. For each portion, add 1-2 beef ribs, noodles, radish, and soup. Garnish with black pepper and green onion. Serve immediately with rice and kimchi. Enjoy!

Notes

Tips:

Keep aromatics (onion + radish) big and chunky. For easier removal. Keep the onions whole and intact. Cut the radish into big chunks.
Make sure to parboil the bones. In Korean cuisine, parboiling is an essential cooking technique that removes impurities and strong odors from meat dishes. Don't skip this step! It will result in a clearer broth, better flavor, and less gamey-smelling soup.
Cook noodles in batches. If you're not eating the full 4 person portion, I recommend adding less noodles. For example, if I'm only eating 2 portions or the soup, I will add just enough noodles for 2 portions. Otherwise, the leftover noodles will absorb the soup and bloat enormously.

Nutrition