Korean BBQ Beef Kalbi

Christopher Cho, a Korean chef explains how to make kalbi, in a grocery store magazine.

Foreign films and food. When you live in a geography cocoon, you think lettuce is for salads and nothing else. In Korea and Japan, they use it to wrap cooked meat.

I picked up a free magazine at the food co-op today. I paged through and guess what? They have a recipe called kalbi, Korean BBQ beef. I like the name because I can pronounce it. It sounds like Zulu.

I was happy to see kalbi because it reminded me of Tampopo, arguably the best food film ever made. It was written and directed by Juzo Itami from Japan. Well! We might throw in another great food film, Eat Drink Man Woman, directed by Ang Lee.

Tampopo is about Tampopo, who has a ramen shop but she is a terrible cook. Goro-san, a truck driver is rough at the edges but knows all the tricks of a good ramen. He becomes her muse.

In one scene they go out to dinner at another restaurant. They drink sake and eat beef wrapped in lettuce. That was new for me. That is why I’m glad I picked up that magazine at the grocery store today.

Now I know that in Korea, they also BBQ the meat and eat it wrapped in lettuce. Kalbi, they call it.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.