recipe: korean beef stew

there was this one resto/pastry shop in taft avenue where we frequent the most during college days. it's name was henry's and that was where i first tasted korean beef stew..the unforgettable henry's beef stew. a few years after i graduated (or was it only just a few months?), i discovered that henry's no longer existed and it saddened me to bits. anyway, it was only a few years back that i realized i can still have a taste of my fave college lunch meal at any korean resto in the city. but now, after making a few research on the net, i can have a taste of that beef stew at home in a few easy steps. it's so delicious that it instantly became b's fave meal the first time i cooked it.

ingredients: 1 kilo of beef cut into serving pieces (preferrably ribs), 1 whole garlic peeled, 1 whole onion peeled and cut into half, a large piece of ginger peeled and sliced, 2 finger chilis sliced into thin strips, 1 bay leaf, soy sauce, white sugar, sesame seeds, chives.

procedure: place beef in a casserole and cover with enough water. when the water starts to boil, add the whole garlic, onion, ginger, bay leaf and half of the sliced chilis. stir in about 3/4 cup of soy sauce and 3/4 cup of sugar then simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. you can also pressure cook for 30-45 minutes but i think slow cooking is better for the beef to absorb the flavor. serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and chopped chives and topped with the rest of the sliced chilis.