CUISINE > Galbi-jjim (Korean beef stew)

Galbi-jjim (Korean beef stew): This is a Korean traditional dish great for entertaining guests. Sweet and savory, it’s a favorite of young children and adults alike. Never left out from the traditional holiday table, galbi-jjim goes well with rice and lettuce, too.

Ingredients:

1kg beef short rib (cut into 5cm pieces)

1 chunk of Japanese radish (cut into 5cm chunks)

10 chestnuts

10 gingko nuts

10 dried dates

Sauce:

5 cups beef stock (water left over from boiling beef rib)

6Tbsp soy sauce

4Tbsp grated pear (preferably Korean pear)

2Tbsp corn syrup (or substitute with 6Tbsp of sugar)

1Tbsp minced garlic

1/2Tbsp minced ginger

1Tbsp sesame seed oil

black pepper

Direction:

1. First soak beef short rib pieces in cold water to draw out the blood. Trim off the fat and make little cuts on the rib so that the sauce can seep well into meat.

2. Cut Japanese radish into large cubes, about half the size of beef rib pieces. Peel the inner skin off chestnuts.

3. Peel off the outer skin of gingko nuts and stir fry them in oiled frying pan to eliminate the inner skin. You can easily peel off the inner skin if you rub the gingko nuts in paper towel.

4. Grate pear and strain it in cheesecloth to get only the pear juice.

5. In a large pot cook the rib pieces drained of blood. Once it boils, take the meat out of the pot and reserve about 5 cups of stock.

6. Mix only 2/3 of the sauce with the partially boiled meat and cook in a big pot with the reserved beef stock. Bring it to boil.

7. Add radish chunks, chestnuts, gingko nuts, and dates and put in the rest of the sauce, and mix well.

8. Let it simmer until the sauce boils down to half the amount. Garnish with pine nuts before serving.

Tips:

1. Beef rib may be tough to some people. You can soften beef effectively with grated pear, onion, pineapple or kiwi. When using kiwi, you have to remember that kiwi is a strong meat-softening agent, so use only one kiwi per 6 kilograms of beef.

2. You may add chunks of carrots, onions and black mushrooms to get more vegetables in your diet.

3. If you don’t like the rich flavor of beef, sprinkle a bit of lemon juice before serving.

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Film marketer CineClick Asia said Tuesday that it sold “Breath” at the Hong Kong Film Market held from March 20 until 23. The French distributor is devoted to introducing Asian movies to the country. Kim’s latest work had also been sold to other 10 nations including Spain, Italia, Mexico, Greece and Belgium.

The marketer also sold “Seducing Mr. Robin” starring Daniel Henney and Uhm Jung-hwa to Japan’s Geneon Entertainment. It is expected to be released in the island country late this year. “Oasis” and “Friends” were sold to Britain, “The Birth of a Family” to Greece, and “The Host” to Hungary.

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Having been released in 71 theaters on March 7, the film raked in 320,000 dollars for the first week, and the earnings reached 690,000 in the second week and one million in the third week, when the number of theaters also rose to 94.

The producer said that the film reached the million dollar mark in the shortest time among all Korean films released in the U.S. Citing the film’s US distributor Magnolia Pictures as saying that it plans to show the film for the long-term, the Korean producer expressed its confidence in the film’s success there.

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Kim is the first Korean celebrity to receive the International Cooperation Award, whose previous winners include Hong Kong star Leslie Cheung. Kim’s agency cited the event organizers as saying that the actress received the award for her outstanding acting in TV dramas and movies that have aired in Japan and for contributing to movie exchanges between Korea and Japan.

Kim has appeared in all four “season series” of drama director Yoon Seok-ho, including “Winter Sonata” and “Summer Scent.” In addition, she has gained popularity in Japan for her role in the movie “My Brother,” which also stars Won Bin. Kim is also one of the few middle-aged Korean celebrities to appear in a Japanese TV commercial.