How I Efficiently Made 6 Chuseok Dishes at Once
This Chuseok I cooked six dishes at once and got everything to the table warm, in one afternoon (roughly 3 to 3½ hours of cooking). This page gives you the exact sequence I used, every ingredient by dish, and one combined shopping list.
The six dishes: galbijjim (Korean braised short ribs, think Korean bourguignon), beef radish soup, kkaennip jeon (stuffed perilla leaves), songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes), eggplant muchim, and cucumber kimchi.
None of these recipes are mine. I followed recipes from Maangchi, Korean Bapsang, and My Korean Kitchen, linked at the bottom. My contribution is the timing and tips: how to overlap them so nothing waits on anything else. For each dish's full method and photos, go to the original recipe. Make sure to read each individual recipe prior and watch the videos so you can see the techniques and understand what to expect — my motto is life is all in the preparation. No avoidable surprises!
Before you start
The night before: thaw all meat (short ribs, brisket, ground beef) in the fridge.
Day of: measure out every ingredient and lay it out by dish before you turn on a burner. With six dishes going, you won't have time to measure mid-cook.
Equipment:
2 large pots: one for blanching the short ribs, one clean one for braising
1 medium pot for the soup
Steamer, lined with a damp cotton cloth
Kettle or small pot for boiling water
Large nonstick skillet
Small mesh strainer for beaten eggs
Spice grinder, mortar, or small blender (for grinding sesame)
Plastic wrap and mixing bowls
Burner tip: at peak you'll have the galbijjim (Korean bourguignon), soup, and steamer going at once. If you only have four burners, steam the eggplant in the same steamer right after the songpyeon comes out, or microwave it until tender.
The efficiency timeline
The galbijjim's 1 hour 20 minute braise is the backbone. Everything else happens inside that window, and the jeon fry happens last so they're hot when you serve.
Phase 1: Prep (first 30 to 60 minutes)
Galbijjim: soak the short ribs in cold water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This is your starting clock.
Galbijjim: put a large pot of water on to boil now, so it's ready when the ribs are done soaking.
Galbijjim: mix the braising sauce. Cut the shiitake, radish, and carrots in small circles and set aside.
Kkaennip jeon: mix the beef filling. Beat and strain the eggs. Refrigerate both until the end.
Soup: slice the radish and prep the green onions and garlic.
Phase 2: Get the pots going
Galbijjim: drain and rinse the ribs, then blanch in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and move to a large clean pot. Add the braising sauce, cover, and cook on medium-high for 20 minutes.
Soup: boil the radish in water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Soup: add the beef and garlic and cook on medium for 25 to 30 minutes.
Galbijjim: after its 20 minutes, stir in the shiitake, radish, carrots, and chestnuts. Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.
Phase 3: Songpyeon while it braises
Songpyeon: boil water in a kettle.
Songpyeon: add the boiling water to the rice powder a teaspoon at a time. Mix with the spoon first, then your hand once it's cool enough. Stop at a play-dough consistency and cover with plastic so it doesn't dry out.
Songpyeon: grind the sesame seeds and mix with the honey, sugar, and salt for the filling.
Soup: stir in the fish sauce, salt, and green onion, cook 5 more minutes, and turn off the heat.
Songpyeon: roll the dough into even 1-inch balls so they cook uniformly.
Songpyeon: press a well into each ball with your thumb, spoon in the filling, and compact it gently with your index finger. Pinch closed and shape into a rounded half-moon. Squeeze gently in your fist to push out air bubbles. Go slowly, or the dough will crack.
Songpyeon: steam on a damp cotton cloth for 20 minutes, then let cool.
Phase 4: Cold sides while the songpyeon steam
Cucumber kimchi: cut and salt the cucumbers, and let sit 20 minutes.
Eggplant muchim: steam the cut eggplant for 5 minutes (right after the songpyeon, or in the microwave). Let cool, then tear into strips.
Eggplant muchim: mix the seasoning and toss with the eggplant.
Cucumber kimchi: mix the kimchi paste, brush the salt off the cucumbers, and toss together.
Songpyeon: once cooled, coat with sesame oil.
Phase 5: Finish hot (last 30 minutes)
Galbijjim: stir in the jujubes and rice syrup and simmer 10 more minutes.
Kkaennip jeon: spread a thin layer of the cold beef filling on one half of each floured perilla leaf and fold over. Keep it thin so it crisps.
Kkaennip jeon: dip each packet in the strained egg and fry on medium, about 2 minutes per side. Mix the dipping sauce while they fry.
Galbijjim: turn the heat to high and spoon the sauce over the meat until glazed.
Soup: reheat until hot.
Serve.
Ingredients by dish
Amounts follow each original recipe's yield. Scale up if you're feeding a crowd.
Galbijjim (serves 4)
2 lb beef short ribs (about 8 pieces)
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 medium Korean radish (about ½ to ¾ lb)
2 large carrots
12 peeled chestnuts (frozen section)
8 dried jujubes
2 Tbsp rice syrup
Braising sauce: 2 cups water, ½ cup mirim, ⅓ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup sugar, 8 garlic cloves (minced), 1 tsp minced ginger, ½ tsp black pepper
Optional garnish: 12 pine nuts, 12 ginkgo nuts
Beef radish soup (serves 2 to 3)
½ lb beef brisket, cut small
½ lb Korean radish
7 cups water
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions
1 Tbsp fish sauce (or soup soy sauce)
1 tsp kosher salt
Kkaennip jeon (makes 15)
15 perilla leaves
½ lb ground beef
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp sugar (optional)
¼ tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of kosher salt
3 Tbsp flour
Vegetable oil for frying
Dipping sauce: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp chopped green onion, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, ¼ tsp gochugaru
Songpyeon (makes about 16)
2 cups wet rice powder (frozen section; dry rice flour won't work)
4 Tbsp boiling water, plus more 1 tsp at a time as needed
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Filling: ⅓ cup roasted sesame seeds, 1½ Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp honey, pinch of salt
Eggplant muchim (serves 4)
3 to 4 Korean eggplants (about 1 lb)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, crushed
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp gochugaru
Cucumber kimchi (serves 6 to 8)
3 Lebanese or Persian or 2 Korean cucumbers (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
½ cup julienned carrot (optional)
½ cup chopped garlic chives (optional)
Kimchi paste: 2 Tbsp gochugaru, 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 1 Tbsp grated red apple or Asian pear, 1 Tbsp honey or sugar, ½ Tbsp saeujeot (salted shrimp, minced), ½ tsp fish sauce, ½ tsp minced ginger
Shopping list(Consolidated)
Everything above, combined and grouped by store section. Most of it is at any Korean grocery store (H Mart, etc.).
Meat and eggs
2 lb beef short ribs
½ lb beef brisket
½ lb ground beef
2 eggs
Produce
1 large Korean radish (about 1¼ lb, covers galbijjim and soup)
3 carrots (2 large, 1 small)
3 to 4 Korean eggplants (about 1 lb)
3 Lebanese or Persian cucumbers (about 1 lb)
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
15 perilla leaves (1 pack)
1 bunch green onions
1 small onion
2 heads garlic
1 small knob ginger
1 small red apple or Asian pear
Garlic chives (optional)
Frozen
Wet rice powder (쌀가루), 2 cups needed
12 peeled chestnuts
Ginkgo nuts (optional)
Dry goods
8 dried jujubes
About ½ cup toasted sesame seeds
3 Tbsp flour
Pine nuts (optional)
Sauces and seasonings
Soy sauce (about ⅔ cup)
Mirim (½ cup)
Sugar (¼ cup + 2 Tbsp)
Honey (2 Tbsp)
Rice syrup (2 Tbsp)
Fish sauce (1½ Tbsp)
Saeujeot, Korean salted shrimp (½ Tbsp)
Gochugaru (2½ Tbsp)
Toasted sesame oil (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp)
White vinegar (1 Tbsp)
Coarse sea salt, kosher salt, black pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
Recipe credits
The full methods and photos for each dish live with their creators. Please visit and support them.Galbijjim
Maangchi:
Korean Bapsang
My Korean Kitchen