Galbi-jjim (LA-style braised short rib)
Photo: by Richy! at flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Sun Nong Dan opened on 6th Street in Koreatown in summer 2013 and built its reputation on a tableside spectacle: a black hot pot of soy-and-garlic-braised galbi-jjim, lava-bright, topped with shredded mozzarella that staff blowtorch into a brown crust at the table. The Korean-Italian fusion topping was a Koreatown LA invention; the original 6th Street room closed in November 2025 but the 24-hour Western Avenue branch and Rowland Heights and San Gabriel Valley outposts carry the canonical version.

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Common allergens: Soy, Dairy, Gluten, Sesame

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 40 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.5kg English-cut beef short rib, 5cm pieces
  • 1 daikon, cut in 3cm chunks
  • 2 carrots, cut in 3cm chunks
  • 12 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
  • 200g Korean rice cakes (garaetteok), sliced
  • For the braise: 200ml soy sauce
  • 60ml mirin
  • 60ml sake
  • 60g brown sugar
  • 1 small Asian pear grated
  • 1 small onion grated
  • 8 garlic cloves grated
  • 1 thumb ginger grated
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 200g low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • Sliced spring onion and toasted sesame seeds, to finish
  • Steamed white rice and kimchi, to serve

Method

  1. Soak the short ribs in cold water 1 hour to draw out blood, changing the water twice.
  2. Blanch the ribs in boiling water 5 minutes; drain and rinse off scum.
  3. Whisk the braise ingredients in a heavy pot. Add ribs, daikon, carrot and rehydrated shiitake.
  4. Cover with cold water by 2cm. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 hours, lid ajar, until the meat is fork-tender and the liquid has reduced to a glossy sauce.
  5. Add the rice cakes in the last 10 minutes; they should soften without breaking up.
  6. Transfer to an oven-safe stone pot or shallow casserole, pile the mozzarella over the surface, and grill under a hot top element until the cheese is bubbling and patchy brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
  7. Finish with sliced spring onion and sesame seeds. Serve with rice and kimchi.

Tip from the editors. The pear-and-onion in the braise is non-negotiable; their natural enzymes tenderise the rib and round out the salt-sweet balance. Without them the braise tastes flat and one-note.

Where to eat galbi-jjim (la-style braised short rib)

Galbi-jjim (LA-style braised short rib) in Los Angeles

Sun Nong Dan ★ 4.6

$$ Korean BBQUntil Open 24/7

Sun Nong Dan in Koreatown, Los Angeles is open 24 hours and serves the city's reference seolleongtang and a TikTok-famous cheese galbi jjim.

OrderGalbi jjim braised short rib finished with cheese, plus a bowl of seolleongtang.

Tip02:00-04:00 has no wait; come at 22:00 Friday and the wait is 90 minutes.

Directions

Park's BBQ ★ 4.6

$$$ Korean BbqKoreatown

Jenee Kim's Park's BBQ in Los Angeles Koreatown grills USDA Prime short rib over real charcoal in a buttoned-up dining room with reliable banchan.

OrderMarinated boneless short rib (yangnyum galbi) and the seafood pancake to share.

TipBanchan refills are free and generous; ask for the live abalone if it's on the spec sheet by the door.

Directions Book

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