Sleeping with the fan on

This is one of the most expensive Korean dishes (about $20-25 per portion) both here and in New York, but the recipe is both simple and cheap.

You need about 3 pounds of beef short ribs, 2 garlic cloves, 2 cups of soy sauce, 1 cup of sugar and about a tablespoon of seasame oil. Probably less.

You probably also want rice, black pepper and sesame seeds, and you can use half a kiwi for this, too.

STEP 1 -- THE MEAT

Cut the meat off of the bones, and then cut the fat off of the meat, leaving thin strips of beef. Make slices in the strips against the grain. This helps it marinade.

STEP 2 -- THE MARINADE

This is more of an art than a science. I actually never measure anything, but I've had kalbi maybe 40 times and I used to make it frequently when I lived in the Bronx.

Cut up the garlic into very thin slices and add to a mixing bowl. Add the soy sauce. Add the sugar, and then the sesame oil. I put in enough to make a thin layer of sesame oil across the top of the soy sauce. Mix it up and taste it. You'll know if you've got too much of something.

STEP 3 -- MARINADING

Marinade the beef for about 2 hours. Some places marinade overnight, but 2 hours aught to be sufficient for "ghetto fabulous galbi". I put the beef in a container, pour enough marinade to cover the meat, and them mix it up with my hands to let the marinade soak into the meat.

STEP 4 -- COOK

Put the meat onto the broiler for a few minutes, turning it from time to time. You can also use a grill.

You probably want rice. Get Japanese sticky rice, wash it about 7 times and put it in a rice cooker with a little more water than rice.

OPTIONS --

With the marinade, you can add some sesame seeds and black pepper. These are good ideas. You can also add a bit of kiwi, or alternately rub the meat with a kiwi to help tenderize it. I have heard of people adding some wine or Coke to the marinade. Experiment.

You can also use some leftover marinade and cook vegetables in it. I have done this with string beans and peas, although peas are tough to eat with chopsticks.

You ARE gonna eat this with chopsticks, RIGHT?!

I will experiment more with this recipe when I get back to New York.