Maui Kalbi | Recipe
A copycat recipe of Da Kitchen Kalbi Short Ribs and a bonus coconut rice recipe. A perfect combo that will bring the taste of Maui to your kitchen.
The first week of sheltering in place got me dreaming of Maui beach. I wish can fly to Maui right now and spend my quarantine days on the beach with a glass of lava flow and a Kalbi plate.
Instead of daydreaming, I decided to bring Maui to my kitchen. I got some Kalbi short ribs from Costco a while back and decided to try out this recipe from foodnetwork.com, of course with a little tweak of my own. The result was amazing and I can’t wait to share it with you and your family.
Oh, don’t forget to read toward the end for a bonus coconut rice recipe.
Here is the link to a printable copy of the recipe ;)
Ingredients
(feel free to double or triple the batch for a BBQ party)
- 2–3lbs of beef short ribs, Kalbi (aka Galbi)
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of orange liqueur
- 1 tbsp of sesame oil
- 5–10 cloves of garlic, chopped (the more the better)
- 2–3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1–2 pieces of ginger, chopped ( I love my super spicy)
Optional
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Procedures
1. Clean the Kalbi by soaking them in cold water for at least 30minutes. This helps remove impurities and blood from the meat. Does it really and do we need this step? Check out the Tips and Tricks section.
2. In the meantime, prep the marinade. Chop and slice the garlic, green onions, and ginger. Add all the ingredients above except for the Kalbi and sesame seeds into a jar and mix.
3. After 30 minutes, drain and pat the Kalbi dry with a paper towel to remove any excess water.
4. In a container with lid, pour just enough marinade to cover the container bottom. Layer the Kalbi over the marinade. Top the Kalbi with more marinade and repeat the process until all the kalbi layers are covered in the marinade. Similar to how you do lasagna. Why so complicated? Well, I didn't want to kill the environment by wasting a Ziploc bag, but if you don’t mind, feel free to dump all the marinade and kalbi into a 1-gallon Ziploc. Make sure to give it a little Ziploc a little massage if you do so. Put the lid and refrigerate overnight in the fridge.
5. Light the grill of your choice. For me I prefer charcoal. Cook the Kalbi until it is cooked to your liking. It takes about 2–3 minutes per side depending on your Kalbi cut thickness. Glazed the excess marinade over the Kalbi throughout the cooking process for extra flavor.
Optional: If you are a saucy person and can’t live without some sort of sauce over your Kalbi. Take the leftover marinade sauce and reduce it down in a saucepan. Serve it along with your Kalbi.
6. Serve with your favorite sides and hot sauce. For an extra fancy touch, sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds prior to serving. I served mine with a side of coconut rice and stir-fried asparagus.
Tips and Tricks
Why soak the beef in cold water?
There is no concrete answer to whether or not it is beneficial to soak the meat in plain water. I have seen my grandma and other chefs use this soaking method to make cleaner and clearer broth. Similarly, when time is tight, meat blanching, a method of putting meat specifically bones in cold water which is then brought to a boil before the meat is drain and rinsed, is also used to remove what is often referred to as meat impurities. Since we are not making broth here, skipping this step will not have any effect on the outcome. Personally, I do this method out of habit.
Can’t find Kalbi
You can use the marinade to marinate any type of meat such as pork and chicken or use any type of beef cut of your choice.
Don’t have access to orange liqueur
No problem, just use orange juice instead. Zest in some orange zest for that extra aroma. You can also use pineapple juice instead, but if you do so do not marinate the meat overnight. Pineapple juice is super acidic so it will over tenderize your meat.
I made too much Kalbi
There is never such a thing as too much Kalbi, LOL. However, if you decided to make extra like I sometimes do. Cooked Kalbi freeze really well in a freezer Ziploc bag or vacuum seal bag. To serve just reheat your Kalbi in the oven at 400–425°F for 15–20 minutes depending on your Kalbi thickness.
Bonus: coconut rice recipe
I served my Kalbi with some coconut rice and a side of stir-fried asparagus. The first time I had coconut rice was on the Big Island and man, did it changed my rice world. The rice was perfectly fluffy with a balance of creaminess, salty, and sweet. I loved it so much that I immediately recreated as soon as I got home and now this has become one of our favorite rice recipes.
This recipe makes about 1.5 cups of coconut rice. Double or triple it to your desire.
How I made my
Into a rice cooker, add 1.5 cups of short-grain rice. Rinse the rice 3 times to remove excess starch. Add 1.5 cups of water, 0.5 cups of canned coconut milk (I used light coconut milk), and a pinch of salt. Cook rice according to your rice cooker (I cooked my on quick mode). Once the rice is cook, use a chopstick or fork and fluff the rice. Note, this step is very important. Do not skip. To make it extra fancy, top the rice with freshly toasted shredded coconut.
