Korean Beef Stew

Yum! Yum! Beef Stew! Korean Beef Stew!

This is dedicated to my son's Korean friend, Sam. Because Paolo had a funny story about him...



When Sam was new, Paolo and his classmates were trying to teach him how to speak Filipino in their Outreach activity. They told him, " 'Pahalik nga' means ' I want to be friends', now go over to that girl and practice!"

("Pahalik nga" actually means, "Can I kiss you?")

Ingredients

3/4 kilo beef spareribs
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pc ginger, thumb size, peeled and sliced
1/2 pc knorr beef cube
3 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp mirin or rice wine
sesame seeds
sesame oil


Place beef, garlic, ginger,1/2 beef cube, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, and water in a pot. Bring to a boil then lower heat. Partially covered, let simmer 1-2 hrs depending on how tough your meat is. Adding water, 1/2 cup at a time as needed.

You can also pressure cook this. Beef in the Philippines is tough so I pressure cook this for about 45 min.

At this point, meat should be soft enough that it separates from the bone. Adjust seasoning, if needed.
Just before serving, add 1 tsp sesame oil and a tsp of sesame seeds.

**Sauteed bean sprouts make an excellent vegetable siding.

Saute garlic, ginger, onion. Do not brown the garlic. Add 2 cups bean sprouts and 1/4 cup of the sauce of your beef stew. Add 1/4 pc of knorr beef cube and 1 tsp soy sauce. Cook for only 2 minutes more. Turn off heat and place in a bowl to cool. Refrigerate at least 30 min before serving. Cooling this dish will remove the slight bitter taste of the sprouts. Drizzle with sesame oil, sesame seeds and chopped green onions before serving.