How To: K-BBQ At Home

The sun seems like it is here to stay, and while on my daily walk, I have noticed the smell of BBQ smoke. Everywhere I go, it seems to follow me. It is clearly the right time to put the music up loud and cook up some Korean-style delicacies from your own home; but the grill is optional! This post will cover the three most important parts to cooking up your own feast; the meat and two delicious side dishes to pair it with. For the full experience, serve up with a bowl of rice!

Part one: Ribs

Although delicious chargrilled, these Korean BBQ beef ribs are versatile and can be cooked in an oven too. If you are not a fan of beef ribs, or simply prefer vegetables or meat, the glaze can be used on these instead.

• 1kg beef spare ribs
• 150ml soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp brown sugar or agave syrup
•  50ml mirin; a type of rice wine
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1/2 small pear or apple
•  3 cloves of garlic, minced
• optional: 1 Tbsp Korean gochujang paste

1. Finely chop your onion and grate your apple or pear
2. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, minced garlic, onion, pear and gochujang paste in a zip lock bag or Tupperware container
3.  Place your ribs, or substitute into the same container, seal it and give it a good shake for up to 1 minute. The idea is that the meat is covered in the sauce.
4.  Leave to marinate for 5 hours, but preferably overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 150°C
6.  Line a baking tray or cooking dish with aluminium foil, place the marinated meat inside.
7. Once the oven is hot, cook the beef ribs for approximately 2 hours. If cooking vegetables or other meat, this time will shorten significantly.

Part Two: Korean Omelette

• 6 eggs
• 1 Carrot
• Spring onion
• Salt

1.  Chop the carrot and spring onion finely and place to the side
2. Whisk the eggs together and pour half of the mixture into a pre-heated pan
3. When the eggs begin to bubble, place the spring onion and carrot in
4.  At the point when the eggs set, roll the omelette up like a spring roll, move to the side of the pan and pour the rest of the egg mixture into the pan.
5.  Once again, when the eggs are set, roll the omelette up completely and serve.

Part Three: Spinach Side Dish

• 1 small bag of spinach
• Salt
• 2 tsp spring onion
• Optional: shredded carrot
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

1.  After washing it, boil the spinach in salted water
2. Drain away the water with a sieve and run the spinach under cold water for at least a minute
3.  Squeeze excess water out of the spinach
4. Roughly chop the spinach up three or four times
5.  Add salt to taste, the sesame seeds and oil, garlic and spring onion before mixing and serving.