The Ancestral Table: Traditional Recipes for a Paleo Lifestyle (19 page)

2. Return the skillet to the stovetop and warm another 1 Tbsp. butter on medium heat. Add some of the meatballs and sauté in batches until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes per batch, turning every few minutes with tongs. As the first batch is cooking, preheat the oven to 170°F. As each batch finishes cooking, put the meatballs in a large oven-safe dish and place in the oven to keep warm. Add more butter to the skillet for each batch if needed.

3. To make the gravy, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in the skillet on medium heat; add the white rice flour and toast until it starts to turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beef broth, honey, and bay leaf, then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often, scraping up any remaining pieces of meatball. Add more broth if the gravy gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup cream. Add the meatballs to the skillet and coat with gravy before serving. This dish is best served with mashed potatoes, fresh dill, and tart berries (such as lingonberries or raspberries).

Kalbi
(Korean Short Ribs)

Kalbi (often spelled galbi) is a marinated, grilled short rib dish that is both tasty and easy to prepare. In South Korea, kalbi is also made with whole short ribs that are butterflied so they remain thin. This style is called wang kalbi (“king ribs”), and the resulting flap of meat attached to the large short rib bone provides for a unique presentation; many kalbi enthusiasts are convinced that this style of kalbi has a superior taste. I find them equally delicious.

SERVES:
4
PREP TIME:
30 MINUTES PLUS OVERNIGHT
COOKING TIME:
10 MINUTES

MARINADE:

1 ASIAN PEAR OR GOLDEN OR BOSC PEAR, GRATED (OR 1/2 CUP UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE)

6 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED

1/2" GINGER, PEELED AND GRATED (OR 1 TSP. GROUND GINGER)

1 CUP SODA WATER

1/2 CUP TAMARI

1/4 CUP HONEY

1/4 CUP SESAME OIL

2 TBSP. SESAME SEEDS

JUICE OF 1 LIME (2 TBSP.)

3 LBS. BEEF SHORT RIBS, CUT ACROSS THE BONE (OFTEN REFERRED TO AS FLANKEN, ENGLISH, OR L.A. CUT)

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients, then pour over the ribs in a resealable plastic bag. Mix thoroughly to coat all the pieces evenly. Marinate overnight.

2. The next day, grill the ribs over direct high heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with rice, Kimchi (
see here
), and leaves of lettuce or perilla (described in my Gamjatang recipe,
see here
) to wrap around the meat.

3. Kalbi is often dipped in Kochujang Sauce (
see here
) or gireumjang, which is made by combining 2 parts salt and 1 part black pepper and adding sesame oil until it becomes a thick, grainy sauce.

Japchae

A common party dish in Korea today, japchae has its origins in the 17th century; fittingly, it was first served at a party for the reigning king. Originally made with just vegetables and mushrooms, sweet potato noodles (also called glass noodles) were introduced in the 20th century and are now an integral part of the dish.

SERVES:
3-4
PREP TIME:
1 HOUR (TO MARINATE THE BEEF)
COOKING TIME:
20 MINUTES

2 TSP. TAMARI

2 TSP. SESAME OIL

1 TSP. RICE WINE

1/2 TSP. WHITE PEPPER

1/2 TSP. SEA SALT

2 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED

1/2" GINGER, PEELED AND MINCED

1/2 LB. RIB-EYE OR SIRLOIN STEAK, SLICED INTO STRIPS

1 TBSP. CHICKEN BROTH (
SEE HERE
)

1 TSP. HONEY

1/2 BUNCH (4 OZ.) SPINACH

6 OZ. SWEET POTATO NOODLES (DANGMYEON), CUT INTO 6" LENGTHS

1 TBSP. COCONUT OIL

1 CARROT, JULIENNED

3 SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS, FRESH OR RECONSTITUTED DRY (SOAKED FOR 30 MINUTES IN WARM WATER)

4 GREEN ONIONS, CUT INTO 1" SLICES

1 TBSP. TOASTED SESAME SEEDS, DIVIDED

1. Mix the tamari, sesame oil, rice wine, white pepper, salt, garlic, and ginger, then combine half of the resulting sauce with the beef strips and marinate for 1 hour. Combine the other half of the sauce with the chicken broth and honey and set aside.

2. As the beef marinates, prep the other ingredients. In a stockpot, bring some water to a boil. Parboil the spinach for 30 seconds, then remove with tongs, rinse, and squeeze until mostly dry. In the same water, gently boil the sweet potato noodles for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water; they will start to harden, which is fine. Toss the noodles with a little sesame oil to prevent sticking, then set aside.

3. Warm the coconut oil in a wok on medium-high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. Add the beef and stir-fry until cooked through, about 3 minutes, then remove the beef and set aside. Add the carrot to the wok and stir-fry until slightly softened, about 1 minute, then add the noodles, spinach, mushrooms, green onions, beef, sauce, and half of the sesame seeds. Stir-fry until the sauce cooks down, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes. Season to taste, then sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds over the japchae and serve.

Japanese Beef Curry

Curry is a relatively new dish to Japan, and it has a rich and interesting history. In the 19th century, sailors in the Japanese Navy often suffered from beriberi, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B1 (thiamine), mostly due to the fact that their diet consisted almost exclusively of white rice. To solve the problem, the Japanese Navy tried to introduce bread, but it didn’t catch on. In the early 20th century, the Japanese Navy observed that the British Navy served curry to their sailors and decided to follow suit, adding a wheat flour roux to the curry to increase its vitamin B1 content. The resulting starchy, sticky curry was an instant hit in the Navy and spread to the rest of the country from there. Today, curry houses are among the most prominent restaurants in Japan, and curry is a common daily meal; current estimates show that the average Japanese person eats curry at least once a week.

Making a Japanese curry without wheat flour is a challenge, but a rice flour roux creates a similar texture. The greatest difficulty in creating an authentic-tasting Japanese curry comes in finding the right combination of spices. I prefer to use store-bought S&B Oriental Curry Powder, but I have provided a recipe on the following page if you’d like to tackle the spice mix yourself.

SERVES:
6
PREP TIME:
10 MINUTES
COOKING TIME:
2 HOURS

1 TBSP. COCONUT OIL

2 LBS. CHUCK ROAST, CUT INTO 1 1/2" PIECES

1/2 ONION, COARSELY CHOPPED

3 RUSSET POTATOES, PEELED AND CUT INTO 1 1/2" CHUNKS

3 CARROTS, CUT INTO LARGE CHUNKS

3 TBSP. BUTTER

3 1/2 TBSP. RICE FLOUR

4 TBSP. S&B ORIENTAL CURRY POWDER (OR SEE RECIPE ON OPPOSITE PAGE)

2 TBSP. HONEY

4 OZ. APPLESAUCE (OR 1 GRATED APPLE)

2 TSP. SEA SALT

1. In a stockpot, warm the coconut oil on medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Brown the chuck roast, in batches if needed, for 3 minutes per side, then set aside. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Return the beef to the stockpot and add enough water to cover the meat by 1", about 1 quart. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer until the beef is tender, about 11/2 hours.

2. Stir in the potatoes and carrots, adding more water if needed to cover everything, then increase the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes start to soften around the edges, about 10 minutes.

3. While the potatoes and carrots are simmering, prepare your rice flour roux. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat for 1 minute, then stir in the rice flour. Toast until slightly golden, about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Once the potatoes are ready, gently stir in the roux, curry powder, honey, applesauce, and salt, being careful not to break up the potatoes. Simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add more salt and honey to taste and serve with rice. This curry is fairly spicy, but if you want to make it spicier, add cayenne pepper or Japanese pepper powder
(Shichimi Tōgarashi)
to taste.

JAPANESE CURRY POWDER

If S&B Oriental Curry Powder is not available in your area, or if you want to tackle making it on your own, here is my best approximation of the powder combination.

1 TBSP. TURMERIC

1 TBSP. FENUGREEK SEEDS

1 TBSP. GROUND CUMIN

1 TBSP. CORIANDER SEEDS

1/2 TBSP. GROUND CINNAMON

1/2 TBSP. GROUND GINGER

1 TSP. CAYENNE PEPPER

1 TSP. BLACK PEPPER

1 TSP. GROUND STAR ANISE

1/2 TSP. GROUND CLOVES

1/2 TSP. FENNEL

1/2 TSP. GROUND NUTMEG

1/2 TSP. ALLSPICE

1 GREEN CARDAMOM POD, SEEDS REMOVED AND POD DISCARDED

1 BAY LEAF, SMASHED (OR 1 TSP. CRUSHED BAY LEAVES)

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and grind with a pestle until smooth.

Loco Moco