Kalbi Tang (Korean Short Rib Soup)

This soul-warming kalbi tang, also known as Korean short rib soup, delivers fall-off-the-bone tender beef in a rich, silky broth that's pure comfort in a bowl.

Ingredients

• Daikon radish: Serves a dual purpose - in the jangajji, it provides crisp texture and absorbs the tangy pickling liquid to cut through the soup's richness. In the soup itself, it becomes tender and sweet while helping to naturally clarify the broth and add a subtle, earthy flavor.
• Persian cucumbers: Essential for the jangajji pickles that provide crucial acidic contrast to balance the heavy, fatty broth. Their thin skin and crisp texture hold up well to pickling, and they don't get mushy like regular cucumbers.
• Beef short ribs: The absolute heart of the dish - these bone-in ribs create the deeply flavorful, gelatinous broth that defines kalbi tang. The bones release collagen and marrow that gives the soup its signature rich, silky mouthfeel, while the meat becomes fall-apart tender. Without quality short ribs, you simply don't have authentic kalbi tang.
• Glass noodles: Provide satisfying chewiness and substance that makes this a complete meal rather than just broth. These sweet potato starch noodles have a unique bouncy texture that's essential to the Korean soup experience - they absorb the flavorful broth while maintaining their distinctive bite.

Substitutions and variations:

• Spicy: Add red chili flakes to the jangajji for a spicy sauce.
• Additional toppings: If you want to load up on the toppings, feel free to add seasoned bean sprouts, toasted sesame seeds, salted shrimp, or seasoned Korean chives.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Kalbi Tang (Korean Short Rib Soup)

Total Time2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Asian noodles, beef

Servings: 6

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Jangajji

• 2 Persian cucumbers
• 1 jalapeno sliced
• ½ daikon radish
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon salt

Soup

• 3 pounds beef short ribs bone-in, cut into 2 inch sections
• 12 cups water
• 1 onion peeled
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 inch ginger peeled
• ½ daikon radish peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks
• salt and pepper
• 6 ounces glass noodles
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 large eggs whisked
• 6 green onions chopped

Instructions

• Prepare the jangajji. Scrub the cucumbers until clean. Slice cucumbers, jalapeno, and radish into ¼ inch thick slices. Place into a glass jar.
• Heat sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour soy sauce mixture in the jar onto the cucumber mix. Let cool to room temperature. Cover the jar and let sit overnight.
• To make the soup, soak the beef short ribs in cold water in a large bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Drain ribs and rinse. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and let boil rapidly for 10 minutes to remove any impurities. Remove from heat, drain and rinse the ribs. Thoroughly wash the pot.
• Place ribs back into the pot and fill with 12 cups water. Add whole onion, garlic, and ginger into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the ribs are tender. The meat should easily fall apart from the bone.
• Strain the broth, discarding the onion, garlic, and ginger. Set aside the short ribs. Bring the strained broth back to a boil. Add the radish and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Return the short ribs to the broth and season the soup with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the whisked eggs and spread in an even layer to create an egg crepe. Cook for one minute. Flip and cook on the other side until the eggs have set. Remove from heat and slice into thin strips. Set aside.
• Portion the glass noodles into 6 bowls. Ladle soup on top with short ribs and radish. Garnish with egg strips and chopped green onions. Serve with rice on the side and jangajji.

Notes

The jangajji can be prepared up to 2 weeks in advance.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make jangajji

Since the jangajji needs to pickle overnight, start by preparing this component. If you're wondering, "What is jangajji?", it refers to Korean pickled vegetables. You normally have it as a side dish, but we're going to use it as a sauce for the short ribs.

If you have ever pickled vegetables before, the process is the same. Heat the pickling liquid, pour it over the vegetables, and let it sit. In order for the vegetables to absorb the flavors, make sure to let them sit for at least 12 hours.

Feel free to prepare the jangajji up to 1 week in advance.

Step 2: Prepare short ribs

Now it's time to concentrate on the main dish, the kalbi tang. When purchasing the beef short ribs, make sure to pick the English cut.

There are three types of short ribs: boneless, English-cut, and flanken style. The flanken style is when the bones are cut across the bones, a cut ideal for grilling. The English cut is most often used for braising because of the large cuts of meat.

You want the bone-in short rib to add heartiness to the broth. Ask your butcher to cut the ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces rather than in long slabs.

In order to achieve a pure, clean broth, we need to first soak the ribs in cold water. This is the first step in removing impurities. The second step is blanching the bones.

Boil the beef ribs for 10 minutes, then drain the pot and wash both the pot and the ribs. You'll be able to spot the scum that rises to the top of the pot; that is evidence of the blood that you want to get rid of.

Step 3: Braise

Now, the ribs are ready to be braised. Place the meat back in the pot and fill it with water. We need plenty of water since some of it will evaporate as the beef cooks.

Add the vegetables and bring the pot to a boil. Many kalbi tang recipes do not add onion, garlic, and ginger to the broth, but I prefer adding these aromatics to help not only impart flavor but also to remove any unpleasant odors.

Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer on the lowest setting for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Once the short ribs are tender, remove them and strain the broth, discarding the aromatics. Add the daikon radish and continue to simmer until the radish is soft and tender. Add the ribs back to the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

The broth should taste light and clean with a subtle sweetness from the daikon radish.

Step 4: Putting it all together

While the daikon radish is cooking, cook the noodles and prepare the toppings. We're sticking with the traditional dish and topping the soup with egg strips and fresh scallions.

Portion the soup into bowls and serve with the noodles and toppings. You can also enjoy the soup with a side of rice.

You can technically serve the kalbi tang without the jangajji, but I find that using it as a sauce is optimal. The soup itself is clean and light in flavor; therefore, dipping the meat in the jangajji adds another flavor element that excites the palate.

I served the kalbi tang to first-timers like myself and to my parents, who had this dish many times before; both parties very much enjoyed it.

Another great Korean soup to add to my list, along with dumpling soon dubu jjigae, and budae jjigae!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: The pickles will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They actually get better after a few days as the flavors develop.
• Store: Keep leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The noodles are best enjoyed fresh, but you can hold leftovers for up to 1 day.

Frequently asked questions

More Korean recipes

Looking for more Korean dishes? Try these: