Recipe of the Month: Soy Marinated Korean Short Ribs With Spicy Peanut Noodles

Yield 4 servings / Time 30 minutes, plus 8 hours marinating

Thin-cut beef aka Korean short ribs are kind of like candy; you can't eat just one. They are outrageously flavorful. They're made for a marinade, and this soy-heavy one is no exception. Sometimes we cut them long, sometimes short. Either works for this recipe -- you can just slice the long ones into sections after you cook them. After eight hours of marinating, the process is super quick. You can grill the thin-cut short ribs or make them in a skillet in your kitchen. Serving them over spicy peanut noodles with a blistered shishito pepper or two is perfection.  

You will need:

For the Short Ribs:

1 package thin-cut beef aka Korean short ribs, approximately 1 pound

1 cup soy sauce

1 inch piece of ginger, grated

4 cloves of garlic, grated

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ cup rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 pound shishito peppers

1 tablespoon sambal chili paste

2 teaspoons cooking oil (if cooking on stovetop)

For the Noodles:

1 pound soba noodles

4 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon sambal chili paste

2 limes, juiced

2 cloves garlic, grated

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 jalapenos, sliced

½ bunch cilantro, chopped

• Make the marinade. Mix all ingredients except shishito peppers, short ribs, and cooking oil in a large mixing bowl, stirring until well combined. Place the short ribs and peppers in a shallow dish, pour marinade on top. Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

• Once marinated, heat a grill to 350 degrees F. Or, if you’re making on the stove, heat a large skillet with 2 teaspoons cooking oil over medium-high heat. Take short ribs out of the marinade, removing any solids, and sear on high heat, about 4 minutes per side. If using long short ribs, slice them into smaller two-bone sections. Set aside.

• When all ribs are cooked, remove the shishito peppers from the marinade and blister them on the grill or in the pan, about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles following package instructions. Rinse noodles with cool water until cold to the touch, then set them aside.

• Make peanut dressing by combining the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Coat cold noodles with peanut dressing.

• To serve, place noodles in bowls with a section or two of short ribs and a few blistered peppers.