Gaeseong radish and three-meat braise (Gaeseong mu-jjim)

Step-by-step cooking

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1. Step 1

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   Plan 35 minutes preparation, 80 minutes cooking and 5 minutes resting; allow extra time if the beef needs it. Use a heavy 24 cm pot with lid (at least 3 litres), two boards, knife, tongs, skimmer, measuring spoons and a probe thermometer. If the meats are frozen, thaw separately on covered trays in the refrigerator at 4°C or below for about 24 hours beforehand, never on the counter. Prepare vegetables before raw meat.

2. Step 2

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   Before cutting the scallion, remove its roots and any wilted outer leaves. After peeling the garlic and ginger, rinse them under running drinking water and pat dry before mincing. Wash the radish and carrot, peel tough skin and trim ends. Cut radish into pieces 4 cm across and 2 cm thick; cut carrot into 2 cm chunks. Briefly rinse shiitakes, pat dry, remove hard stem ends and halve the caps. Rinse chestnuts and remove any remaining brown skin. Rinse jujubes, slit lengthwise and remove every hard stone. Rinse the scallion; cut whites into 4 cm lengths and greens into 2 cm pieces. Peel and finely mince the garlic and ginger.

3. Step 3

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   Do not wash raw meat. On the meat board, pat beef and pork dry, trim thick surface fat and tough silvery membranes, and cut across the grain into 3 cm cubes. Handle the chicken last with separate clean utensils; remove loose fat, cartilage and any bone fragments, then cut into 3 cm pieces. Wash hands for 20 seconds and clean the board, knife and worktop afterward. Keep the three meats in separate bowls in the refrigerator.

4. Step 4

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   Mix 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 level tablespoon sugar, all the minced garlic and ginger, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Before touching meat, divide the sauce: two-thirds for the beef and pork together, one-third for the chicken separately. Turn the meat in its allocated sauce and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Never taste raw marinade or use it as a serving sauce; all of it will be boiled in the pot.

5. Step 5

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   Put the beef, pork and their marinade in the pot with 4 small paper cups water (720 ml). Bring to a full boil over high heat, about 5 minutes, skimming gray foam without discarding the broth. Reduce to low heat, cover with a small gap and simmer for 25 minutes. A simmer means small, steady bubbles, not a violent boil. If the base is drying, add 2–3 tablespoons from the reserved water.

6. Step 6

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   Lay the radish, carrot and scallion whites around the meat. Spoon hot broth over the exposed pieces, cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Add the chicken with its marinade, chestnuts, mushrooms and pitted jujubes. Return to a gentle boil, then simmer on low, partly covered, for another 20–25 minutes. Shake the pot gently instead of stirring hard, which breaks the soft radish.

7. Step 7

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   Check several of the largest chicken pieces with a clean probe: the center must reach at least 74°C; color alone is not a safety test. The radish should be translucent at the edges and offer almost no resistance to a skewer. Beef and pork should separate with gentle fork pressure. If meat remains tough, lift the tender vegetables and chicken onto a clean covered plate, add 3 tablespoons reserved water, and simmer the beef and pork in further 10–15 minute blocks until tender before returning everything to the pot.

8. Step 8

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   Uncover and reduce over medium heat for 5–10 minutes, spooning broth over the ingredients. Stop with roughly 250–300 ml liquid: it should lightly coat a spoon, not become a sticky glaze or dry out. If too salty or reduced, add reserved water 1 tablespoon at a time and warm through. Add the scallion greens for the last 1 minute. Turn off the heat, fold in 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil and rest covered for 5 minutes.

9. Step 9

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   Lift the radish and meats gently into four shallow bowls and spoon the glossy broth over them. Check again for any hard jujube stone or bone fragment before serving; these ingredients were specified boneless. Serve hot with rice if desired. Jjim means moist braising here, not cooking in a steamer basket. Avoid further vigorous stirring or the radish and chestnuts will crumble.