Zion Market - Kalbi Time

***** I'm sure you already know that Zion Market has moved

After sharing a Kalbi recipe on Elmo's Site - Monster Munching, I became motivated and decided to do a batch of ribs for myself. So this entailed a trip to Zion Market:

Zion Market is a huge Korean Grocer with a wonderful selection of produce, meat, and various Korean grocery items. Today I picked up some very fragrant Donut Peaches at $1.49/lb. I also picked up some other miscellaneous grocery items, that I'll go into later. There is also a large selection of pan-chan - I call it the "Great Wall of Kimchee" as well as marinated meats. The quality and selection in the meat department can be mind boggling; for example, 3 "grades" of cross sliced short ribs and 4 grades of sliced rib eye. Maybe someone can explain the difference between 'A', 'B' and '10 up' sliced rib eye - some cuts look thinner and some are more marbled. The prices are also very reasonable $2.59/lb for short ribs is a bargain!

There is also a small "food court" and a fresh seafood counter, and a bakery within the Marketplace.

Zion Marketplace
4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111
Between Engineer Rd and Dagget St

When I got home I started on the Kalbi.

Here's my standard recipe:

2-3lbs Short Ribs
2/3c Soy sauce
1 c Water
1/2c Sugar
2 Tb grated, pureed or minced garlic
2 Tb grated, pureed or minced onion
2 Tb pureed ripe papaya or Asian pear
1/2 tsp pepper
1 large stalk green onion chopped
1 Tb sesame oil (optional)

I added a few twists  - There were no ripe papaya's, and the Asian Pears looked horrible - so I decided to use kiwi. Now I had heard that marinating with kiwi can be a bit dicey as it has a tendency to over-tenderize the meat, but I thought I'd give it a try. So scratch the papaya or Asian pear, and replace with 2TB pureed kiwi. I had also heard that  Malt Syrup gave kalbi a nice distinctive sweet flavor and gave kalbi a lacquered appearance, so I found and purchased a bottle. The Malt Syrup is amber in color, and tastes basically just like corn syrup. I replaced 1/2cup of sugar with 1/4 cup of malt syrup and 1/4 cup of sugar. I mixed the marinade, added the meat, and went to sleep. We'll see what happens tomorrow when I fire up the grill.

Comments

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

Do you get the "big bone" kalbi there in SD? I can get it every now and then here, but it's quite expensive.

As for malt syrup, it should make the kalbi better. I also like to include a few sesame seeds and shredded carrots in the marinade when I make it. Don't ask me about the shredded carrots, I got that from a Korean friend. LOL!

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - Yes, you can get it that way - if you look at the picture with all the kalbi - it on the left. Same price as thin cut.

[Miffy]

Wow!
You have whole bunch of Good information of Asian foods!
I'm Japanese and cook most of meals at home, just because I didn't know where to eat out good SUSHI!
I used to love to go TAJIMA on Convoy (for OKONOMIYAKI) and SUSHI OTA in Pacific Beach till they changed owners(chefs).
I also bake Japanese(French) style cakes & cookies.
Let me know if you want recipe.

[Kirk]

Hi Miffy - I'm having a problem getting the Missus to Tajima, she prefers the Okonomiyaki we make at home:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2006/05/okonomiyaki.html

Though I do enjoy the Tonkotsu style ramen there. I'll let you know if I am in need of any recipes. Thanks for visiting and commenting.

[Carol]

Hey Kirk! I finally got around to picking up a bottle of malt syrup from Zion a couple of weeks ago. Made up a batch of kalbi using a similar recipe to yours w/o the fruit. The malt syrup, I think, was the key. I might have added too much since it was a little on the sweet side. I was aiming for more of Korean style rather than Hawaiian style. So I'll definitely go lighter next time. As always, I kowtow to your food sagacity (hehe). BTW, you are known as my food sensei on my blog.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Thanks for the kind words! The malt syrup does give the Kalbi a nice sheen...the fruit does a great job of tenderizing the meat. One of my friend's uses some Jack Daniels, which gives the kalbi an...interesting flavor!

[Carol]

Jack Daniels? Very interesting. I've had JD meatballs before and they are quite tasty when not overpowered by JD. I've even had Pepsi cola JD ribs once. I'll have to rummage around the liquor cabinet to see if we have some JD. The Mister's b-day is coming up next week and the inlaws are coming over for a bbq. Maybe I make a small batch of it and test it on the eating machines, I mean the inlaws.

[ahfook808]

i tend to like my kalbi on the sweet side and being here in hawaii there is no shortage of korean markets for the best cuts. one of the best tips for kalbi i've used is from one of my co-workers husband's "secret." if there's no time for a prolonged marination, rub the sugar on the ribs first, and let it sit in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour....then add your other kalbi ingredients, and marinate for another hour or so...then grill. another tip that i use if i'm going to marinate the ribs overnight is to first soak the ribs in water to draw out the blood. can't remember where i got this from but it works for me....

[Kirk]

Hi Ahfook - I can go both ways. I do find the meat in Hawaii to be a bit tougher. On the mainlan, in a Korean Market you'll find at least 5-6 different grades of meat for Bulgogi 5-up, #2, 10-up, etc, which indicate the amount of fat, cut, etc.... Here's a tip I got from a Hal Mu Ni (Grandmother), if the meat is tough, soak in milk for a few hours. When making stuff that can be on the expensive side, I'm from the "do it right, or don't bother" school of thought.