Korean Short Rib Soup - $10 and 1 Pot!

Korean Short Rib Soup - $10 and 1 Pot!

origin - Food Network Kitchen
difficulty - medium
health meter - medium (short ribs aren't the leanest cut of beef....)

Nothing beats an entire meal for less than $10 AND leaving it in the slow cooker all day only to come home to a delicious meal! (you do have to cook the noodles separately - but that's a cinch!) This is a noodle pot meal that reminds me of something from LuLu's Noodles in Oakland, PA. The depth of flavor in this broth is amazing and the richness of the meat makes it a satisfying meal. I made a few changes as I was out of chili paste - so note changes below. You could easily add any vegetables you want, just be sure not to overcook them. I was able to make this for under $10 because I made a trip to the Strip District where produce is less expensive. Tally it up - short ribs were on sale (absolutely don't need english cut) for $5.00/2 lbs, noodles $1.50, cilantro $1.50, scallions $1.oo, carrots $1.00 and everything else was in my cupboard already!

Ribs:
12 English-cut short ribs (about 6 pounds) I used half this amount which made 3 large servings.
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger No need to finely grate, just grate like cheese.
2 tablespoons Korean red chili paste or sambal oelek, plus more for serving I was out, so added 1/2 tsp. of chili pepper flakes.
2 tablespoons dark (toasted) sesame oil If you don't have, just use vegetable oil.
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bunch scallions (white and green parts, separated), thinly sliced
1/2 cup brandy - if you have this on hand, it really adds depth to the soup.

Noodles and Garnishes:
10 to 12 ounces medium-thick rice noodles (also called rice sticks or jantaboon) Or just use any long pasta - spaghetti, linguini, angel hair etc.)
1 carrot, finely grated I julienned
1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms soaked in 1 cup warm water then rough chopped.
1 small Kirby cucumber, thinly sliced regular cucumber works fine, just remove the seeds.
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, torn
2 limes, cut into wedges

Remove any silver skin from the surface of the short ribs, and then make 2 cuts across the grain, through the meat down to the bone. Put the ribs in the slow cooker.

Whisk together the broth, soy, sugar, ginger, chili paste, sesame oil, garlic, and scallion whites and brandy. Pour over the ribs. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours. (I prefer low 8-10 hrs.)

About 30 minutes before serving, put the rice noodles in a bowl with hot water to cover. Soak until tender and pliable, about 30 minutes. Or cook any noodles according to package directions.

Skim any fat that may collect on top of the beef broth and discard. I highly recommend removing the meat and bones from broth - set aside. Using a gravy skimmer remove all grease from the broth. Remove the bones and extra fat from the meat and slice into large bite size chunks. Return both to slow cooker. I added the carrots and mushrooms(including broth) here and let cook for 15 minutes.

Divide the noodles among 6 large shallow bowls and ladle the broth over top. (Cut the meat from the ribs if desired.) Divide the meat evenly among the bowls. Garnish as desired with the carrots, cucumber, cilantro, lime and the remaining green parts of the scallion and more chili paste, if desired.