🍠 Sweet Potato Galbi Jjim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)

This version of Galbi Jjim (갈비찜) is inspired by Maangchi’s recipe — but with my own twist.Instead of chestnuts, I use sweet potatoes for that soft, nutty sweetness that blends right into the sauce. And instead of using store-bought marinades, I blend apples, pears, onions, and garlic for a naturally rich, velvety flavor.

It’s the kind of dish that looks like it took all day — but really, everything goes into one pot. No frying, no multiple pans. Just slow simmer, rich aroma, and tender meat that falls right off the bone.

🥩 Ingredients

(Serves 3–4)

Main:

• 2 lbs (900 g) beef short ribs

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

• 2 carrots, cut into thick pieces

• 5–6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soft (reserve soaking water)

• 5–6 dried jujubes (Korean dates), soaked

• 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces

Braising Sauce (blend together):

• 2 apples, peeled and chopped

• 1 Korean pear (or regular pear), peeled and chopped

• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 4–5 cloves garlic

• 1–2 slices of ginger (optional)

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Korean corn syrup (or honey)

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Soaking water from mushrooms & jujubes (about 1½ cups total)

🍲 Instructions

1. Prep the ribs: Soak the short ribs in cold water for 60 minutes to remove excess blood. Drain and rinse.

2. Blanch: Add ribs to a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil for 5–7 minutes. Drain and rinse again — this keeps the sauce clean and smooth.

3. Make the sauce: In a blender, combine the apples, pear, onion, garlic, soy sauce, corn syrup, black pepper, and the soaking water from the shiitake mushrooms and jujubes. Blend until smooth — this fruit-based sauce adds depth and natural sweetness.

4. Simmer in a Dutch oven: Place the ribs in a Dutch oven, pour in the blended sauce, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover. Let it simmer gently for 2 hours and 30 minutes, until the ribs are tender and nearly falling off the bone.

   💡 Faster method: You can cook it for about 1½ hours if you’re short on time — but letting it rest overnight makes the flavor even deeper the next day.

5. Add the vegetables: After about 1 hour of simmering, add sweet potatoes, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and jujubes. Continue to cook until everything is tender and the sauce has thickened into a glossy glaze.

6. Finish: Stir in green onions just before serving.

🍚 Serve

Serve hot with a bowl of steamed rice and kimchi. The short ribs are soft, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth tender — and the sweet potatoes soak up all that savory-sweet sauce like flavor sponges.

What I love most about this dish is how simple it is:you put everything in one pot, let it do its thing, and your kitchen smells amazing for hours.

✨ Notes

• Sweet potatoes naturally thicken the sauce — no need for extra sugar or starch.

• You can replace corn syrup with honey or brown sugar if preferred.

• It tastes even better the next day after the flavors settle.