A local specialty of South Jeolla Province, tteokgalbi is seasoned, minced short rib beef wrapped around the ribs. A special sauce is spread on both sides while they are grilled. It was named tteokgalbi as the meat is minced and pounded in a similar way to how the sticky rice cake, injeolmi, is made. Unlike other short rib beef dishes, tteokgalbi minced beef is juicy, tender and easy to digest.
Main Ingredients :
(Serves 2)
150 g minced beef, 300 g minced pork, 10 cm bar of rice cake, 1/2 tbsp flour, 10 g walnuts, 10 g pine nuts
Spices :
Meat-seasoning spices: 3 tbsp minced pear, 4 tbsp minced onion, 1.5 tbsp condensed Japanese apricot juice, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp starch syrup, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp refined rice wine
Yujang condiments: 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp refined rice wine, 1 tbsp sesame oil
Cut the garaetteok, or bar of rice cake, into 0.5 cm-thick, 2 cm-long pieces. Roughly chop the minced meat with a knife. Mix the meat with the seasoning and spices – minced pear and onion, condensed Japanese apricot juice, and ground black pepper. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Finely chop the stir-fried pine nuts and walnuts to use as a garnish. Mix the flavored meat and flour-coated pieces of rice cake with the rest of the seasoning spices – soy sauce, starch syrup, sugar, and refined rice wine. Shape the meat dough into round and flat patties of tteokgalbi. Pre-heat the frying pan on medium high gas; pan-fry the tteokgalbi on low heat. Prepare the yujang soy sauce-based sauce. When 70 percent of the meat patties is cooked, spread the sauce on both sides and keep cooking as you flip them. Present the cooked tteokgalbi on a plate and sprinkle the chopped nut garnish on top. ☑ If the rice cake is hard, soak it in water to soften.
☑ The first seasoning step will make the meat tender, while the second step will flavor the meat dough.
☑ Coat the pieces of rice cake with flour to enhance stickiness.
☑ Pre-heat the frying pan on medium-high gas, then reduce to low heat and slowly cook the meat patties for about 10 minutes.
☑ When 70 percent of the tteokgalbi is cooked, spread the yujang on both sides to add glaze to the food.
Seon Dong-ju: Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway
Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway
Head Instructor of CJ Cooks / Host of Hansik Cooking Class