Made with instant curry mix, Korean curry rice (ka-re-raice, 카레라이스) is a stew-like curry sauce served over rice. It’s one of those dishes that were introduced to Korea by the Japanese and have become a staple in Korean homes. The Korean version of the sauce is generally lighter, which makes it so good eaten with kimchi. It’s a hearty, comfort food we all grew up eating!

The instant curry mix makes this dish so easy to make. In Korea, the powder form is more commonly used, but today, curry blocks (aka curry roux) have become popular as well. The curry roux is made with fat, so it has a richer taste and makes the sauce thicker. I used a curry roux here, but if you’re concerned about the fat content of the roux, use curry powder mix.

The Korean curry rice is usually made with meat and lots of vegetables. I used beef in this recipe. You can, of course, use any meat of your choice. Onions, potatoes and carrots are typical for this dish. I also like to add mushrooms and a green vegetable such as green bell pepper, peas, zucchini, broccoli, or scallions.

Next time you go to a Korean (or any Asian) market, pick up a box (or pouch if it’s powder) of curry mix. It comes in handy when you want to whip up a satisfying one pot meal at a moment’s notice!

Korean Curry Rice

2017-04-27 03:35:56

Serves 4

Easy Korean-style curry rice

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Ingredients

1. 8 ounces beef (or pork or chicken)
2. 1 medium onion
3. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
4. 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
5. 2 medium potatoes
6. 1 large carrot
7. 4 caps white mushrooms - optional
8. 1/2 green bell pepper - optional
9. 1/2 package of instant curry roux (use a couple more cubes for a thicker sauce)
10. 4 cups water (or low sodium chicken broth)
11. 4 servings of cooked rice

Instructions

1. Cut the meat into small bite size pieces. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dice the onion, and cut the other vegetables into bite size chunks.
   
2. Heat a large pot with a tablespoon of oil. Add the onion, and stir-fry until it turns translucent and light brown.
   
3. Add the meat, garlic and ginger, and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
   
4. Add the remaining vegetables and stir fry until potatoes turn translucent and partially cooked.
   
5. Pour the water (or chicken broth) into the pot. Bring it to a boil, and continue to boil for about 10 minutes until the meat becomes tender.
   
6. Break up the curry roux into small cubes. Drop them in, and stir well to dissolve.
   
7. Reduce the heat to medium low, and gently boil until the sauce is thickened. Serve over steamed rice. Add more water if too thick.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Korean Curry Rice appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Hello everyone! It’s been a while. I took a break to travel to Europe! I went to Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Lausanne, Luzern, Bern and Zurich. It was incredible! After coming back, I took my aunt (my father’s sister) who’s visiting from Korea to NYC and Niagara Falls. She’s 79 years old, and this is her first time traveling outside Korea. It’s been so much fun taking her around!

Tonkatsu is a panko breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. Like the curry rice I posted last time, tonkatsu (called donkkaseu in Korea, 돈까쓰 or 돈가스 ) is another dish that made its way into Korea by way of Japan and became widely popular. The Japanese adapted their version from the West.

There are many versions of breaded and fried cutlets in the world. The first one comes to my mind is German schnitzel. When I tried it for the first time in Germany many years ago, I actually thought it was very similar to tonkatsu, other than the fact that it used regular breadcrumb, not panko. During my recent trip, I ate at a restaurant in Luzern, Switzerland, where wienerschnitzel was actually made at the table. They breaded and pan-fried a thin, large veal cutlet in lots of butter, making the entire restaurant smell buttery delicious! Then, there’s an Italian version — Cotoletta, and milanesa in Latin America. Does your country have a popular breaded and fried meat dish? Please tell us a little bit about it in the comment section.

Pork loin chops are the best cut for tonkatsu. Korean markets usually sell pork cutlets specifically prepared for tonkatsu with slits all over on the meat. The slits help tenderize the meat and keep it nice and flat when fried. Koreans typically make tonkatsu thinner and larger than the Japanese version, but it’s up to you how thin you want to make.

The oil should be hot enough but not too hot. If it’s too hot, It will brown the breadcrumbs too quickly before the pork is cooked through. As with typical Korean deep-frying, double frying is the key to crispy tonkatsu.

Tonkatsu (Donkkaseu)

2017-06-04 21:04:05

Serves 4

Crispy, crunchy panko breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet!

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Ingredients

1. 4 pork loin chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2. 1 tablespoon grated ginger
3. salt and pepper
4. 2 eggs (or 1 extra large egg), beaten
5. 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
6. 1 cup panko bread crumbs
7. oil for frying
8. 1/4 head green cabbage
9. 1 lemon - optional for cabbage and garnish
10. few cucumber slices - optional
11. bottled tonkatsu sauce

Instructions

1. Trim off fat from the pork. Make a few slits without cutting through the meat. Then pound the meat with a meat pounder until desired thinness is achieved.
   
2. Squeeze out the juice from the grated ginger and drizzle over the meat, and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
3. Thinly slice the cabbage leaves, and soak in cold water with a couple of slices of lemon. Drain well before serving.
   
4. Place the flour and breadcrumbs in two separate plates, and the egg in a shallow bowl.
   
5. Dredge the meat in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in the egg, and then dredge in the breadcrumbs, pressing down gently on the meat for a good coating of breadcrumbs. Repeat for the remaining pieces.
   
6. Add 4 cups of oil to a deep fryer, wok or a deep pan. Heat over high heat to 325°F. Drop the meat in the oil. Do not fry more than 2 pieces at a time. Cook until lightly golden brown, flipping once, about a minute each side. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the meat.
   
7. Remove, and drain on a wire rack or a paper towel. Reheat the oil to 325°F. Add the meat and deep fry again for a minute until lightly golden brown. Drain on a wire rack or drain on paper towel again.
   
8. Cut each cutlet into small pieces and serve on plate with cabbage slaw with the optional lemon and cucumber slices for garnish. Serve hot with the katsu along with rice and kimchi, if desired.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Tonkatsu (Donkkaseu) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

This marinade is all you need for Korean BBQ this summer! It takes less than an hour to put this large batch together. You don’t need to assemble a marinade or run to a store to buy a jar of pre-made marinade every time. All the flavor enhancing ingredients are boiled together, so the marinade is so flavorful and the shelf life is naturally long.

In Korea, this type of sauce is called manneung ganjang (만능간장, meaning all-purpose soy based sauce) or mat ganjang (맛간장, meaning flavorful soy based sauce). The typical Korean soy sauce based sauce is pretty standard, so some people add complexity and layers of flavors by using a flavorful broth. Restaurants commonly do this to develop their own unique, tasty flavors, using all sorts of secret ingredients for the broth. It has also become common among home cooks.

To make this all-purpose marinade, the marinade ingredients are boiled with umami boosting vegetables such as dried shiitake mushrooms and dashima. Korean radish is good too. For fruity sweetness, I used an apple. You can also use an Asian/Korean pear. The fresh lemon is added at the end, which keeps the marinade fresh for a longer period.

Use it for any Korean BBQ dishes such as galbi, bulgogi, chicken bulgogi, salmon bulgogi, etc., or add Korean flavors to your steaks and ribs. You can zip up the flavors by adding fresh garlic, ginger, onion, scallion and/or grated Korean pear if you like, but it’s not absolutely necessary. Do add some sesame oil. It’s an essential ingredient for Korean meat dishes. You will generally need one cup of this marinade for 2 pounds of meat.

For a spicy marinade, simply add gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) and/or gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste).

This marinade is also great for stir-frying and braising. Try it with japchae or gungjung tteokbokki. Basically, you can use it in any recipe that calls for soy sauce. It’s that versatile! Keep in mind this marinade is diluted so you need to use more than the amount of soy sauce the recipe calls for.

I never thought Korean marinades were hard to put together, but it’s so much quicker and easier with a batch of this basic marinade, especially when I need to put together several dishes at the same time.

All-purpose Korean Marinade

2017-06-11 21:19:00

Serves 40

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Ingredients

1. Yields about 10 cups
2. 6 cups of water
3. 4 cups soy sauce
4. 1-1/2 cups sugar
5. 1 cup corn syrup (or Korean Oligodang) - use more for sweeter marinade
6. 1 onion, roughly cut into small pieces
7. 1 apple, roughly cut into small pieces
8. 2 scallions, cut into shorter pieces
9. 12 plump garlic cloves (or more), cracked open (using a side of the knife)
10. 2 inch long ginger (about 1 inch diameter), thinly sliced
11. 3 or 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
12. 1 teaspoon peppercorns
13. 5 inch square dashima, 다시마, (dried kelp)
14. 1 cup rice wine (or mirin or dry white wine)
15. 1 lemon, sliced

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients (except the dashima, rice wine, and lemon) to a large pot with 6 cups of water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and then reduce the heat to achieve a medium boil (between medium high and medium on my stove). Boil for 30 minutes.
   
2. Add the dashima and rice wine and continue to boil for 10 more minutes.
   
3. Remove all the solids with a strainer.
   
4. Add the lemon slices, and let it cool. Store in a jar(s) in the fridge.
   

How to use the marinade

Galbi (beef short ribs)

1. For 2 pounds of short ribs, use 1 cup of the marinade and add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. You can also add 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, grated 1/4 Korean pear and a handful of scallion and onion slices if you like.
   

Spicy pork

1. For 2 pounds of pork, use 1/2 cup of the marinade, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoons of gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes), and 3 tablespoons of gochujang (red chili pepper paste). If using more gochujang, use less marinade. You can add 1 or 2 teaspoons of grated ginger, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and a handful of scallion and onion slices.
   

Notes

1. You can adjust the sweetness or salt level by adding more sugar or soy sauce depending on the dish you are using it for. Grated pear, corn syrup, honey, and Korean plum extract (maesilcheong) are all great as sugar substitutes.
2. Add some sesame oil when you use the marinade.
3. If the smell of boiling soy sauce bothers you, keep your candle lit for an hour or two.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post All-purpose Korean Marinade appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

This steamed perilla leaf side dish (kkaennip jjim, 깻잎찜) is a summer favorite! While pickled kkaennip is a staple side dish all year around, this dish is enjoyed in the summer when fresh perilla leaves are plentiful. It’s one of those dishes that brings back memories of my childhood summertime meals that were made with lots of fresh vegetables.

The fragrant perilla leaves are lightly seasoned with a simple mixture of seasonings. Briefly steaming mellows the taste of this strong flavored vegetable while keeping the freshness of the leaves. If you find fresh perilla leaves a bit too strong, try this steamed version.

Once you clean the leaves, it only takes a few minutes to put the sauce together and steam the leaves either over the stovetop or in the microwave. I made it quite spicy here, but you can always reduce the amount of gochugaru or omit it entirely to make the dish mild.

Pick up a leaf with chopsticks and wrap a bit of warm rice in it and enjoy. It will surely perk up your appetite!

For other uses of summer’s abundant perilla leaves, see kkaennip kimchi, ssam (wraps) for meat or fish, bibim guksu, kkaennip jeon, gamjatang, gimbap (rice rolls), and pork rolls.

Kkaennip Jjim (Steamed Perilla Leaves)

2017-06-25 21:09:33

Serves 4

Steamed perilla leaves with a simple seasoning - quick and easy Korean banchan!

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Ingredients

1. 25 to 30 perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎)
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper flakes, gochugaru (I used 2 tablespoons for the photo)
4. 1 teaspoon sugar
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1 scallion, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
7. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
8. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
9. 2 tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Wash the leaves thoroughly (especially the back sides) under running water, one leaf at a time. Hold the stems together, and shake off the excess water.
   
2. Place them in a colander to further drain.
   
3. Mix all the seasoning ingredients well in a small bowl.
   
4. In a heat proof or microwave safe bowl, place 3 or 4 leaves at a time, and spread a teaspoon of the sauce all over the top leaf. Repeat the process with the remaining leaves. Rotate the location of the stem part of each batch to level the stack. Pour any remaining sauce around the leaves when all the leaves are used up.
   
5. To steam, boil about 1-inch high water in a large enough pot to loosely fit the bowl with the perilla, and then carefully place the bowl in the pot. Cover, and steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Adding a folded paper towel at the bottom will prevent the bowl from rattling in the boiling water. Another option is to wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Kkaennip Jjim (Steamed Perilla Leaves) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Click here to pin this collection of Korean BBQ dishes.

What says summer better than firing up the grill for a delicious smoky-flavored meal! Here, I’ve collected my best Korean BBQ dishes for you to try at home this summer. These are my go-to recipes that have also earned high marks from you readers out there!

The marinades are easy to put together, and most of these dishes do not take a long time to marinate. All of them can be easily doubled or tripled for a large group, making it perfect for your summer gatherings.

Oh, and don’t forget — if you make my all-purpose Korean marinade, it will be even quicker and easier because you don’t need to assemble a new marinade each time.

If you don’t want to bother with outdoor grilling, or it’s not feasible for you, use a portable gas grill or electric grill to cook at the table. Oven broiling is also an option for these dishes.

As always, serve Korean BBQ dishes with lots of vegetables such as lettuce, perilla leaves (kkaennip), pachae, ssukgat (crown daisy), etc. with ssamjang (sauce for wraps). If you want to add some vegetable side dishes, check this link.

1. Bulgogi

2. Galbi (BBQ Beef Short Ribs)

3. Dwaeji Bulgogi/Jeyuk Bokkeum (Spicy Pork BBQ)

4. Dak Bulgogi (Chicken Bulgogi)

5. Samgyupsal Gui (Grilled Pork Belly)

6. Dwaejigogi Doenjang Gui (Doenjang Marinated Pork) 

7. Spicy Grilled Chicken

8. Dwaeji Galbi (Korean-style Pork Ribs)

9. Gochujang saewu gui (Spicy Shrimp)

10. Salmon Bulgogi

The post 10 Korean BBQ Recipes appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

You already know a Korean table (bapsang, 밥상) isn’t complete without kimchi. In summer, that kimchi is most likely this yeolmu kimchi (열무 김치) both at home and restaurants. Yeolmu is young summer radish greens. It’s a variety of white radishes with tender, long greens, and a thin, small root. It’s not the top leafy part of mature white radishes or chonggak mu (young radish), which is much tougher.

Very commonly, young napa cabbage, called putbaechu (풋배추) or eolgari (얼가리), is also added to yeolmu kimchi, giving it a different texture and flavor. I like the ratio of radish greens to young cabbage to be 2:1. You can use only the radish greens without any young cabbage, if you want.  

This recipe also works with putbaechu (without any yeolmu), but then the kimchi is called putbaechu (or eolgari) kimchi, not yeolmu kimchi.

Look for the radish greens that have slightly plump stems, not too thin and not too thick, with dark green leaves. You can cut off the root part if it’s too thin and tiny, or use it if it’s big enough. 

It’s important to handle these vegetables with gentle care. If bruised, they will develop a grassy taste (called putnae, 풋내) which will linger in kimchi.  

These vegetables reduce in volume significantly once salted. This recipe yields about 1 gallon of kimchi. If that’s too much for you, the recipe can easily be cut in half.

For cooler weather kimchi, we generally use sweet rice flour paste, but here I used all purpose wheat flour for a lighter tasting kimchi. The flour paste helps reduce the grassy taste and feeds healthy bacteria during fermentation.

Another ingredient that makes this summer kimchi tastes nice and refreshing is fresh red chili peppers. You can find them in Korean markets, and use them by blending with other seasoning ingredients. If you can’t find them, use gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) instead.

We Koreans love to use this crunchy and refreshing yeolmu kimchi in bibimbap, bibim guksu, or in naengmyeon. I hope you try making it while summer is still here! 

Yeolmu Kimchi (Young Summer Radish Kimchi)

2017-07-30 22:09:09

Serves 40

Crunchy, refreshing, and light kimchi made with Korean young summer radish greens!

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Young radish greens and cabbages

1. 4 pounds yeolmu, 열무 (young radish greens)
2. 6 tablespoons Korean coarse sea salt (use less if using finer salt)
3. 4 cups of water
4. 2 pounds putbaechu, 풋배추 (young napa cabbages)
5. 3 tablespoons Korean coarse sea salt (use less if using finer salt)
6. 2 cups water

Seasoning Ingredients

1. 6 fresh red chili peppers
2. 3 to 4 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes) - use 1/2 cup or more if not using fresh peppers
3. 10 plump garlic cloves
4. 2 inch-long, about 1 inch-round ginger
5. 1/4 cup fish sauce, myulchiaekjeot, 멸치액젓
6. 1/4 cup salted shrimp, saewujeot 새우젓
7. 1 tablespoon sugar

Flour Paste

1. 2 tablespoons flour
2. 2 cups of water

Other vegetables

1. 5 or 6 thin scallions, cut into 1-inch long pieces
2. 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. Cut off the root end of each radish if the root is thin and not usable. Otherwise, cut the thin end of the root and scrape off the impurities with a small knife. Trim off any bad leafy stems, and cut the greens into about 3-inch long pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.
   
2. Trim off the root from each young cabbage. Cut the cabbages into about 3-inch long pieces, and transfer to another large bowl.
   
3. Fill the bowl of greens with water. Let them sit in the water for about 10 minutes for the greens to release any dirt. Then, wash the greens a couple of times by gently shaking with your hands in the water. Drain. Do the same with the young cabbages.
   
4. Dissolve 6 tablespoons of salt in 4 cups of water in a small bowl. Placing a handful of the greens back in the large bowl, sprinkle with some salt water. Repeat the process until all the radish greens are placed in the bowl. If you run out of salt water, pour some back out of the bowl with the greens and use again. Repeat the process for the young cabbages in another bowl with 3 tablespoons of salt and 2 cups of water.
   
5. Let the vegetables sit for about 40 minutes until they become slightly flexible. Flip them over once or twice while salting.
   
6. Meanwhile, mix the flour well with water, and boil over medium heat, stirring, to make the flour paste. Cool.
   
7. Coarsely blend all the seasoning ingredients together with 1/2 cup of water in a blender. Combine with the flour paste.
   
8. Gently rinse the salted radish greens and cabbages separately in cold water, and drain well.
   
9. Place the radish greens and cabbages in 3 to 4 batches in the same large bowl, pouring in some seasoning mix each time. Add the scallions and onions. Toss everything very lightly by hand (use kitchen gloves), until everything is evenly coated with the seasoning.
   
10. Store in an airtight container or jar (about 1 gallon size). Leave it out at room temperature for a few hours before storing in the fridge. You can start eating kimchi any time, but it will taste best after a few days in the fridge.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Yeolmu Kimchi (Young Summer Radish Kimchi) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Are you enjoying summer’s bountiful vegetables? In the summertime, Korean tables are full of vegetable side dishes. I’m growing cucumbers (oi, 오이) , zucchini (hobak, 호박), eggplants (gaji, 가지),  perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎), chili peppers, tomatoes, and garlic chives (buchu, 부추). I also go to the farmers’ market quite often, so there has been no shortage of summer vegetables in my house. Here’s one of my go-to, quick summer side dish made with eggplant!

You will need slender Korean/Asian eggplants for this recipe. They have tender skin and sweet flesh.

There’s another stir-fried eggplant side dish (gaji bokkeum, 가지볶음) on the blog. That one uses gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste), so it’s a bit spicy. This is a mild version seasoned with soy sauce. You can use a little bit of oyster sauce too if you have it. It will add another layer to the flavors.

To add a pop of green color to the dish, I used a couple of green chili peppers for this recipe. I also find garlic chives (buchu) works really well with this dish. Sometimes, I also add a handful of mushrooms (oyster, king, or shiitake mushrooms). If you use more vegetables than the recipe calls for, be sure to add more seasoning.

The other summer vegetable side dishes in the first photo are oi bokkeum, kkaennip jjim, hobak bokkeum, yeolmu kimch, and hobakjeon.

Gaji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Eggplant Side Dish)

2017-08-06 22:12:30

Serves 4

Quick, summer side dish made with eggplants!

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Ingredients

1. 1 medium Korean/Asian eggplant, gaji (or 2 small), about 8 ounces
2. 1/2 medium onion
3. 2 small green chili peppers
4. 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5. 1 small thumb size ginger, cut into short matchsticks
6. cooking oil

Seasoning

1. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
2. 1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
3. 1 tablespoon corn syrup (Korean oligodang, oligodang) or 1 teaspoon sugar
4. Pinch salt and pepper
5. 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
6. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Cut the eggplants lengthwise in halves. Then cut diagonally into about 1/4-inch thick slices. Thinly slice the onion, and slice the chili peppers diagonally. Mix the soy sauce, rice wine, and corn syrup (or sugar) in a small ball.
   
2. Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the eggplants and stir-fry, for a minute or two until they start to soften.
   
3. Stir in the sauce mix, and then add the peppers.
   
4. Continue to stir-fry until the eggplants are well coated with the seasoning and the pepper is slightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat off. Drizzle the sesame oil over, and mix well again. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds to serve.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Gaji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Eggplant Side Dish) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

This is not your ordinary cucumber pickles! Oiji (오이지), Korean cucumber pickles, is fermented simply in salt water. It is an age-old technique to preserve cucumbers beyond their growing season. No canning and no acidic liquid is used! During fermentation, a deep tangy flavor develops, the color turns golden yellow, and the texture becomes crunchy and slightly chewy.

My mother’s generation used to pickle a large earthenware (hangahri, 항아리) full of cucumbers (100 or more) in early summer to consume throughout the summer and until the next growing season. Many households still do. Oiji is a humble but essential food item in Korea.

These days, commercially prepared oiji is also available in the deli section of Korean markets. That’s an option if you don’t get to make your own.

Korean cucumbers are light in color, slender, and bumpy with thin skin. They are still available in Korean markets around here. Use kirby pickling cucumbers if you can’t find Korean cucumbers. Look for the freshest ones that are thin and small.

How to make:

The process is quite simple, but the ratio of water to salt is the key. I use the ratio of 10 to 1. It’s best to use Korean coarse sea salt. The salt water is boiled first and then poured, while still boiling hot, directly over the cucumbers. No, this will not cook the cucumbers. It’s a technique Korean homes traditionally use to keep the cucumbers crisp and crunchy during fermentation.

Make sure the cucumbers are entirely submerged in the salt brine at all times, or the exposed part will turn soft. I use a heavy plate or two to weigh them down.

In 2 to 3 days, the cucumbers will have released a lot of water, diluting the salt brine. Pour the brine out into a pot, and boil for a few minutes. Cool it this time, and pour back over the cucumbers.

You may see a white film develop on the surface of the water. That’s called golmaji (골마지), which is not harmful. Just remove it with a strainer.

How to serve:

These Korean fermented pickles are not meant to be eaten right out of the jar because they are quite salty. They are soaked in fresh water for the purpose of reducing the salt content before being used.

Sometimes, they are served in the water used to soak the pickles to be eaten like water kimchi (e.g., dongchimi). Oiji muchim (오이지 무침) is another common way to serve these cucumbers. After being soaked, thinly sliced cucumber slices are squeezed tightly to remove the water content, and seasoned with gochugaru and other seasonings. I will post my oiji muchim recipe soon.

Oiji (Korean Pickled Cucumbers)

2017-08-16 21:48:37

Serves 40

Korean fermented cucumber pickles - crunchy with deep tangy flavor!

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Ingredients

1. 10 to 12 Korean white cucumbers, small and thin (or 20 kirby pickling cucumbers, small and thin)
2. 10 cups water
3. 1 cup Korean coarse salt (about 7 ounces)

Instructions

1. Rinse the cucumbers, and air dry or pat dry with a paper towel.
   
2. Bring the water and salt to a boil, and continue to boil for 3 or 4 minutes.
3. Place the cucumbers in a jar or a container (heat proof, BPA free). Pour the boiling water directly over the cucumbers, or you can put the cucumbers in the pot with the boiling water.
   
4. Keep them entirely submerged in the water by weighing them down with a heavy plate or bowl. When the salt water has cooled down, close with the lid, and let stand at room temperature.
   
5. After 2 to 3 days, pour the brine out into a large pot, and boil it for a few minutes. If there’s a while film (golmaji) on the surface of the water, strain it out before boiling. Then, cool completely.
   
6. Pour the cooled brine back over the cucumbers. Close with the lid, and ferment at room temperature for 5 to 7 days, and then refrigerate. The color of oiji should be between olive green and yellow at this point. They can be eaten, but the flavor will further develop with more time, 2 to 3 weeks to a few weeks.
   
7. To serve, thinly slice the cucumber and soak in fresh water until the desired salt level is achieved. You can also cut the cucumber into about 2-inch logs and quarter each one lengthwise. Sprinkle with some gochugaru and/or sesame seeds and garnish with chopped scallion, if desired. You can also add a little bit of vinegar to taste and drop in a couple of ice cubes.

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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I’m in NYC for a few days visiting my children! Before I left home on Saturday, I prepared some foods to bring to them, including this bulgogi made with flank steak. I quickly cut up 2 flank steaks, in a pack from Costco, and prepared this marinade that works really well with flank steak. While I was doing all that, it occurred to me that I should also share this recipe I’ve been enjoying for quite some time.

The classic bulgogi is typically made with thinly cut ribeye, but it can certainly be made with any good quality cut of meat. I find flank steak works really well! Typically, flank steak is grilled whole and then sliced to be served. I also have a recipe here where I cooked the whole flank steak and then sliced to serve for my slow cooker bulgogi. For regular bulgogi, the meat is sliced before being marinated. Flank steak is full of beefy flavor, but somewhat tough, so it’s important to cut against the grain.

This marinade with some juice from a can of pineapple does the nice trick tenderizing the flank steak. You can substitute it with Korean green plum extract (maesilcheong, 매실청) or grated Korean pear. I cooked some for our lunch within an hour of marinating, and the meat was tender but pleasantly chewy. It will be best to marinate up to a half day, but you can marinate longer if you like your meat very tender.

If you have made my all purpose marinade, you will simply need to add the pineapple juice, ginger, and sesame oil to 1 cup of the all purpose marinade to make a similar marinade as this one.

Flank Steak Bulgogi

2017-08-20 23:44:41

Serves 6

Tender, juicy and delicious bulgogi made with flank steak!

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Ingredients

1. 1 flank steak (about 1.5 to 2 pounds)
2. 2 scallions, roughly chopped

Marinade

1. 5 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 3 tablespoons sugar
3. 2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin or white wine)
4. 4 tablespoons juice from a can of pineapple (use 100% juice)
5. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
6. 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
7. 2 tablespoons sesame oil
8. 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
9. 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Slice the meat (about 1/3 to 1/4-inch thick) against the grain at a steep angle.
   
2. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.
   
3. Add the meat and scallions and mix well until evenly coated. Marinate at least for 1 hour.
   
4. Heat a grill pan or a skillet over high heat and add the meat slices. Lower the heat as necessary. The marinade may burn if the heat is too high. Cook until the meat is cooked through and slightly caramelized, one to two minutes each side.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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We’ve been enjoying various cold noodle dishes all throughout the warm months! The weather has cooled down, but cold noodles are always welcome in my house. I have quite a collection of cold noodle dishes on the blog — naengmyeon, bibim guksu, kimchi bibim guksu, jaengban guksu, and kongguksu, and I hope you’ve tried some of them. If you are a fan of Korean spicy cold noodles, you will love this Jjolmyeon (쫄면) recipe!

Jjolmyeon is a cold noodle dish of chewy noodles in a sweet and tangy gochujang sauce. The word “jjolmyeon” actually means chewy noodles, but it also refers to the dish made with them.

In Korea, jjolmyeon is a common menu item of restaurants that sell street food and light meals such as gimbap (김밥), tteokbokki (떡볶이), ramen (라면), etc. It’s especially popular amongst teens and young adults. Those relatively cheap street food/light meals are called boonsik, and boonsik restaurants are called boonsikjip (분식집), which we all frequented growing up.

The noodles are made from wheat flour and starch, and they are slightly thick, chewy, and bouncy. You can find these noodles either in the refrigerator or frozen section. Some packages include a pouch of a spicy sauce. Those are convenient, but tend to be more expensive. If you’re using this recipe, be sure to buy the noodles only.

Typically, kongnamul (soybean sprouts), green cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers are the vegetables included in this dish. These crunchy vegetables stand up to the chewy noodles quite nicely.

I like to add some tangy/fruity sweetness to the basic ingredients for the sweet and vinegary gochujang sauce. Pineapple juice, Korean green plum syrup (maesilcheong, 매실청), or even lemon soft drinks work well for that purpose. Another trick is to add a generous amount of finely ground sesame seeds for extra nuttiness. Finely ground roasted peanuts would be good too. All these will nicely round up the flavors of the vinegary, spicy sauce!

Pleasantly chewy, bouncy noodles in a sweet and tangy gochujang sauce with lots of fresh, crunchy vegetables – what’s not to like!

Jjolmyeon (Spicy Chewy Noodles

2017-09-04 22:02:02

Serves 2

Chewy, bouncy noodles in a sweet and tangy gochujang sauce with lots of fresh, crunchy vegetables!

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Noodles and Vegetables

1. 14 ounces jjolmyeon, 쫄면 (refrigerated or frozen)
2. 6 ounces kongnamul, 콩나물(soybean sprouts),
3. 3 ounces green cabbage
4. 1 ounce of red cabbage (optional)
5. 1/2 carrot
6. 1/2 small cucumber
7. 1 hard boiled egg

Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon gochugaru, 고추가루, (preferably finely ground),,
2. 2 tablespoons gochujang, 고추장
3. 1 tablespoon cornsyrup, oligodang, 올리고당
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 2 tablespoons vinegar
6. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
7. 2 tablespoons pineapple juice (or maesilcheong, 매실청, apple juice, or lemon soft drink)
8. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
9. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (preferably finely ground)
10. pinch salt
11. 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well.
   
2. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, and add the soybean sprouts. Close the lid, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Quickly transfer the sprouts to a bowl of cold water to cool, saving the cooking liquid, which can be used as a soup. (See note.) Drain the sprouts.
   
3. Thinly slice the cabbages, and cut the carrot and cucumber into matchsticks.
   
4. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (usually about 5 minutes). Drain quickly and rinse in icy cold water until the noodles are very cold. Make two one-serving size mounds. Place the mounds in a colander to drain.
   
5. Place the noodles in the middle of a serving bowl and nicely arrange the cold vegetables over the noodles. The sauce can be served on top or separately. You can also mix the noodles and vegetables with the sauce before serving. Place a half of the boiled egg on top to serve.
   

Notes

1. You can make a soup with the liquid used to cook soybean sprouts. Drop some cooked soybean sprouts in, and season with salt and pepper. Add some chopped scallion. The mild soup will be great with this spicy noodles.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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This pressure cooker chicken has become one of my favorite ways to cook and enjoy chicken! It takes no effort yet yields a tender, moist chicken as well as sweet, creamy rice porridge. If you like chicken and Korean porridge (juk, 죽), you’ll love this recipe!

Baeksuk (백숙) is a Korean boiled chicken soup that’s similar to samgyetang (삼계탕, ginseng chicken soup), and often cooked in a pressure cooker in Korean homes. It’s traditionally made with a whole chicken, garlic and scallion without any seasonings and served with a salt and pepper mix for dipping and seasoning at the table.

When rice is added to baeksuk and cooked until the rice at the bottom is scorched, but the rest of the rice is velvety soft porridge, it’s called nurungji baeksuk (누룽지 백숙). Nurungji is scorched or slightly burnt rice that’s enjoyed by Koreans for its nuttiness. 

If you omit the sweet rice from this recipe, it’s simply baeksuk, which gives you a soup instead.

To prepare the whole chicken, I  cut out as much fat as possible with kitchen shears. My sister-in-law actually skins the whole chicken, so, if you’re concerned about the fat, you can do the same thing.  

For the right texture, this dish is typically made with sweet rice (aka glutinous rice) or chapssal (찹쌀) in Korean. If you want a thicker nurungji, you can cook the rice for a few more minutes after removing the chicken.

Traditionally, baeksuk was much simpler and more affordable dish than samgyetang because a chicken was simply boiled in water with garlic and scallions. These days, traditional samgyetang ingredients such as ginseng, jujube, chestnuts, etc. are also commonly added to baeksuk. I sometimes use these ingredients too in my baeksuk, but kept it simple here.

You can serve the chicken and rice porridge separately, or with chicken pieces/meat on top of the porridge. Either way, serve it with salt and pepper on the side, so the diners can enjoy the chicken dipped in the salt mix and season the porridge to their taste. All you need is good old kimchi with this delicious chicken and porridge dish!

Pressure Cooker Nurungji Baeksuk (Boiled Chicken with Rice)

2017-09-10 22:06:09

Serves 4

Pressure cooker nurungji baeksuk -- tender, moist boiled chicken with creamy rice porridge!

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Ingredients

1. 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
2. 1-1/2 cups sweet rice (glutinous rice), chapssal (찹쌀)
3. 1 large scallion (daepa, 대파)
4. 5 plump garlic cloves
5. 2 thin slices of ginger (about 1 inch round)
6. Salt and pepper
7. 4 cups water (or 2 cups good quality chicken stock and 2 cups of water)

Instructions

1. Trim off the excess fat from the chicken. You can also skin the chicken for less fat.
   
2. Rinse the sweet rice, drain, and add to the pressure cooker/Instant Pot.
   
3. Place the chicken on top of the rice. Add the scallion, garlic and ginger along with 4 cups of water (or 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups water).
   
4. Close the lid tightly. Press the “poultry” function, and using the “-” button, decrease the time to 25 minutes. When finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to the “Keep Warm” mode. Leave the pressure cooker alone for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
   
5. Remove the chicken. You can turn the instant pot back on for an additional 5 minutes if you want thicker nurungji. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before scraping off the nurungji. Remove ginger and scallion. You can remove the garlic cloves as well, if desired.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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What happens when spicy tteokbokki — Korea’s most popular street food — meets seafood and cheese? It’s elevated to the next level! All the contrasting flavors work so well together to create something incredibly flavorful and comforting. I recently enjoyed seafood cheese ttoekbokki at a Korean restaurant in K-town New York. It was delicious, so I’ve recreated it here for you!

Cheese didn’t exist in Korea in the past. The only cheese I knew growing up was American yellow cheese singles. Driven by the young generation, cheese consumption has been rapidly rising in Korea over the last decade as Western dishes such as pizza have become enormously popular. Cheeses are now commonly added to various traditional Korean dishes, such as tteokbokki, gimbap, gyeran mari, pajeon, bokkeum bap, dak galbi, etc. More creative ideas, incorporating cheese into Korean food, are on the rise, and cheese is becoming a “hip” ingredient in Korean cuisine!

Use any cheese(s) you would use for pizza or pasta. Mozzarella is great, and I also like the pizza blend (provolone, asiago, and mozzarella) in this dish. You can melt the cheese over the stove top, in the microwave, or under the broiler.

Any combination of seafood can be used. I used shrimp and squid in this recipe. Clams and mussels would be great additions as well. If you don’t like seafood, simply use my traditional tteokbokki recipe and add cheese on top to make cheese tteokbokki.

Both of my traditional and soupy tteokbokki recipes use anchovy broth, but I used dashima and shrimp shells to make a flavorful broth here. You can simply use water if you want. The additions of seafood and cheese give the dish lots of flavor anyway.

Seafood Cheese Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cake)

2017-09-18 21:12:25

Serves 3

Cheesy, spicy Korean rice cake (tteokbokki) with seafood!

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound tteokbokki tteok, 떡볶이 떡
2. 1 3x3 dashima (dried kelp) piece
3. 7 to 8 small shrimp (save shells if peeling)
4. 1/2 small squid
5. 3 ounces green cabbage (yangbaechu, 양배추)
6. 1 scallion
7. 1/2 to 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or pizza blend)

Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang, 고추장)
2. 1-1/2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru, 고추가루) - see note
3. 1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 1 tablespoon corn syrup (or 2/3 tablespoon sugar)
6. 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Instructions

1. Soak the rice cakes for about 20 minutes if hardened or refrigerated.
   
2. Clean the shrimp (saving the shells if peeling) and squid, and cut the squid into small pieces. Cut the cabbage and scallions into about 2-inch long pieces.
   
3. Add 2 cups of water, dashima, and shrimp shells, if available, to a pan. Bring it to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes. Remove the dashima and shrimp shells. Preheat the oven broiler if you want to use it to melt the cheese.
   
4. Stir in the sauce ingredients. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sauce mix. Add the rice cakes. Boil until the rice cakes become very soft and the sauce is thickened, about 8 - 10 minutes. Stir frequently so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
   
5. Add the cabbage. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 - 4 minutes. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
6. Mix in the seafood and scallion, and continue to cook, stirring, until the seafood is almost cooked.
   
7. Add the cheese on top. You can melt the cheese over the stove top, covered, or in the microwave, or under the oven broiler.
   

Notes

1. Adjust the amount of chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) if you want to increase or decrease the spicy level without altering the saltiness and sweetness.

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Yeongeun jorim (연근 조림) is a popular fall side dish that’s made with lotus roots. It’s sweet, savory and crunchy! Lotus roots (yeon-geun) are widely used in Korea and other Asian countries. This sweet soy braised dish is one of the most popular dishes made with lotus roots in Korea. It surely deserves a spot on your favorite basic side dish (mit-banchan, 밑반찬) list.

As I mentioned in my stir-fried lotus root post, lotus root is the stem of the lotus plant, which is high in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. It has a mildly sweet taste, and a fibrous, starchy and crunchy texture.

This dish is prepared similar to other Korean sweet soy braised dishes such as kongjang and jangjorim. For yeongeun jorim, you first peel and slice the lotus roots and then pre-boil in water with a little bit of vinegar before braising. This is a technique Korean home cooks use to reduce the starch level and remove any bitterness of the lotus root.

As for the braising liquid, I simply used water as a base, but dashima broth or dried shiitake mushroom soaked water would add another layer to the flavor. You can also add a few slices of garlic or ginger if you like.

The cooking time I used here gives a right amount of crunchiness and chewiness to the lotus root to my taste. If you like it crunchier, reduce the pre-boiling time from the recipe. Likewise, if you want it softer and chewier, pre-boil longer.

Yeongeun jorim (Sweet Soy Braised Lotus Roots)

2017-09-24 21:22:09

Serves 4

Sweet, savory, and crunchy lotus root slices!

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound lotus roots (yeon-guen, 연근)
2. 1 tablespoon vinegar
3. 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

For the braising liquid

1. 4 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons rice wine
3. 2 tablespoons sugar
4. 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
5. 2 tablespoons corn syrup or Korean oligodang (or rice malt syrup, jocheong, 조청 or honey)

Instructions

1. Cut the tough ends of the lotus root, and peel the skin with a potato peeler. Thinly slice the lotus root, about 1/4-inch thick.
   
2. Add the lotus root slices to a medium size pot with enough water to cover them and a tablespoon of vinegar. Bring it to a boil and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
   
3. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
   
4. Return them to the pot. Add 1 cup of water and the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and oil. Bring it to a boil.
   
5. Continue to boil, uncovered, over medium high heat until the liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to rotate the lotus root slices.
   
6. Add the corn syrup and sesame oil, and stir well until the liquid is almost gone, 3 to 4 minutes. keep your eyes on the pot to avoid burning the lotus root. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds to serve.
   
7. Keep the leftover in the fridge. Coat with the sauce at the bottom when serving.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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Korea is having a major holiday this week — Chuseok (or Hangawi)! It’s a mid-autumn festival (or Korean Thanksgiving), celebrating the abundant harvest, and paying tribute to ancestors with a scrumptious holiday spread that shows off all sorts of traditional dishes such as galbijjim, japchae, jeon, gujeolpan, and so on. Almost always, a Korean holiday feast includes humble, yet essential vegetable side dishes in three colors — samsaek namul (삼색 나물)! Typically, this trio consists of doraji (도라지, bellflower roots), gosari (고사리, fernbrake) and siguemchi (시금치, spinach). Today, I’ll introduce doraji namul (도라지 나물), followed by the other two in separate posts! The shorter versions of them are in my bibimbap recipe.

Doraji refers to the bellflower plant and its root. It’s also known as balloon flower or platycodon, which is native to Korea and other East Asian countries. To Koreans, doraji is much more than a common root vegetable. It’s long been used in herbal medicine and as a home remedy for treating common colds, coughs, congestion, and other respiratory diseases.

The tough, fibrous roots somewhat resemble ginseng in shape and size. If you’re in Korea, you can easily find them pre-peeled and shredded in markets or from street vendors. For the rest of us, the option generally is dried doraji packages that are available in Korean markets. Good doraji can be expensive, but it’s totally worth it! Doraji is usually split lengthwise before being dried, so it doesn’t take long to rehydrate.

How does doraji taste? It’s quite bitter and slightly peppery in its natural state. So, it’s important to know how to remove most of the bitterness before using it. You will need to rub fresh or soaked doraji hard with coarse sea salt, rinse, and then either soak in water or blanch in boiling water. When properly prepared, it has a hint of sweetness with a slightly bitter aftertaste, that’s unique to doraji, which we love.

For this white color dish, you can simply season with salt. I usually add a little bit of soup soy sauce. It adds a bit of umami punch without altering the color. In fact, the soup soy sauce should be your secret ingredient to many namul dishes.

For the purpose of samsaek namul (3-color vegetable side dishes), mu (Korean radish) namul is a common substitute for doraji namul for the white color, although they are completely different in textures and tastes. Both dishes are great in bibimbap!

Doraji namul (Sautéed Bellflower Roots)

2017-10-05 21:57:18

Serves 4

Lightly seasoned and sautéed doraji (bellflower roots)!

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Ingredients

1. 2 ounces dried doraji or (about 1 cup soaked)
2. 1 tablespoon coarse salt
3. 1 teaspoon soup soy sauce
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1/2 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
7. 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion
8. 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
9. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Soak the dried doraji in warm water until softened, about an hour depending on the doraji.
   
2. Split each piece into shorter, thin strips with your fingers or a small knife.
   
3. Add the coarse salt and massage well, in a kneading motion, for a few minutes to remove the bitterness. Rinse a couple of times, and drain.
   
4. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Blanch the doraji for a minute, and drain.You can cook a little longer for softer doraji.
   
5. Mix well with the soup soy sauce, salt, garlic, and vegetable or canola oil. Set aside for a few minutes.
   
6. In a heated pan, saute the doraji for 3 to 4 minutes over medium high heat until the doraji turns slightly opaque. You can add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water if it gets too dry. Stir in the chopped scallion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds before turning off the heat.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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This recipe is another variation of japchae (잡채)! I previously posted kongnamul japchae which is a variation made with soybean sprouts. This time, the japchae is made spicy with seafood! I got the idea from the spicy seafood japchae my son and I enjoyed at a Korean restaurant in NYC’s Koreatown. It had a nice and clean spicy kick which was prominent enough to wake up our palates but not overpowering. It also had a generous amount of seafood. We thought it was a nice change from traditional japchae.

If you’re not a fan of seafood, this recipe can easily be turned into a vegan japchae by omitting the seafood. Likewise, if you don’t like spicy food, simply omit the gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) for a mild seafood japchae.

The main ingredient, of course, is sweet potato starch noodles called dangmyeon (당면), also known as glass noodles. The most common way to cook the noodles for japchae is to boil in water for a few minutes. Here, I soaked the noodles until soft, and then stir-fried in oil infused with gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes). This method yields a bit chewier and bouncier noodles. If you like softer noodles, you can boil them first before stir-frying.

For the seafood part of the dish, I used a small, tender squid (known as calamari in America), and small shrimp. The restaurant version also had small octopus (nakji, 낙지). You can simply use shrimp if you’d like.

The vegetables I used in this recipe are pretty basic — onion, carrot, mushrooms, and scallion. Use any mushrooms you have or like. If you have leftover spinach, cucumber, zucchini or bell pepper in the fridge, any of them would be great in this recipe. You don’t need much for this recipe.

How is japchae served in Korean cuisine? It’s most commonly served as a side dish (banchan), but it’s also enjoyed as an appetizer, or over a bed of rice as a main dish.

Spicy Seafood Japchae

2017-10-09 20:20:30

Serves 3

Korean sweet potato starch noodles made with seafood and a spicy kick!

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For the noodles

1. 4 ounces dangmyeon, 당면 (Korean sweet potato starch noodles)
2. 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
3. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
4. 1/2 to 1 tablespoon gochugaru (preferably finely ground) - see note

For the seafood and vegetables

1. 1 small squid (about 4 ounces)
2. 8 small shrimp, peeled and deveined
3. 1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced
4. 1/3 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
5. 2 to 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or mushrooms of your choice), thinly sliced
6. 2 ounces enoki mushrooms - optional
7. 1 scallion, sliced diagonally
8. Salt and pepper

Sauce

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
3. 2 teaspoons minced garlic
4. 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Soak the noodles in warm water until soft (about 30 to 40 minutes).
   
2. Clean the shrimp and squid. Cut the squid into bite size pieces.
   
3. Prepare the vegetables, and mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
   
4. Add the vegetable oil, sesame oil, and the gochugaru to a pan, and heat until hot over medium low heat, stirring. Remove from the heat as soon as the oil starts to turn red and the chili pepper flakes become a bit pasty. Do not burn the gochugaru.
   
5. Turn the heat to medium, and add the noodles to the pan along with 1 tablespoon of the prepared sauce. Stir-fry until the noodles are soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
   
6. Remove the noodles onto a plate. In the same pan, stir fry the onion for a minute, and then carrot and mushrooms until wilted. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add the seafood and the remaining sauce, and stir-fry until the seafood is cooked through. Follow this by the scallion and optional enoki mushrooms until the scallions are slightly wilted.
   
7. Return the noodles to the pan, and toss everything well together. You can add a bit more sugar and/or soy sauce to taste.
   

Notes

1. You can grind your regular gochugaru in a spice grinder.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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Korean radish, mu (무), is back in season, which means it’s sweet and juicy! As the weather gets cooler, I’ve decided to show you another soup recipe you can make with Korean radish, which is a variety of white radish that’s with a crunchy texture. While the radish soup (muguk) made with beef broth is more common, we occasionally enjoy this doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) based radish soup, called mu doenjang guk (무된장국).

Look for the radish that’s firm and heavy for its size by comparing similar size radishes. For this doenjang based soup, the radish is usually cut into matchsticks not thin squares as in the beef muguk. Don’t ask me why — that’s how we had it growing up! But, you can cut it either way.

As shown in my baechu doenjang guk, I usually make doenjang guk with anchovy broth. Here, I made it with vegetable broth to show you a vegan option. Simply boil some basic aromatic vegetables, such as onion, garlic, scallion, dried kelp (dashima) and dried shiitake mushrooms — all common ingredients for making Korean broth. In this recipe, I thinly sliced and reused the boiled mushrooms in the soup, adding a meaty texture to the soup.

To make the broth for a doenjang based soup or stew, always start with the water used to rinse rice, ssalddeumul (쌀뜨물). The rice water adds starch to the soup and works as a binding agent between the soybean paste and the broth, while enhancing the flavor of the doenjang. If you don’t have it, stir-in a teaspoon of flour or rice flour.

Also, I used a couple of dried red chili peppers when making the broth. This adds a hint of spiciness without gochugaru or gochujang. The soup turns out light and clean this way!

Mu Doenjang Guk (Korean Soybean Paste Radish Soup)

2017-10-18 02:36:25

Serves 4

A simple, every day Korean soup made with soybean paste and Korean radish! It's vegan!

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound Korean radish, mu (무)
2. 2 tablespoons doenjang, 된장 (Korean fermented soybean paste)
3. 1 green part of a large scallion
4. soup soy sauce or salt to taste
5. For the vegetable Broth: (Or use anchovy broth)
6. 1/4 medium onion
7. 2 dried shiitake mushrooms
8. 1 small piece dried kelp (about 3 inch square), dashima 다시마
9. 1 white part of a large scallion
10. 3 to 4 plump garlic cloves
11. 1 or 2 dried whole red chili peppers (or fresh hot chili peppers) - optional
12. 6 cups of rice rinsed water, ssalddeumul (or plain water with 1 teaspoon of flour or rice flour)

Instructions

1. Add the water to the pot along with all of the broth vegetables. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil, covered, for 10 minutes.
   
2. Cut the radish into thin disks (about 1/4-inch thick), and then into slightly thick matchsticks.
   
3. Remove the aromatic vegetables, reserving the mushrooms.
   
4. Thinly slice the mushrooms.
   
5. Stir in the soybean paste, or run them through a strainer in the broth if you don’t want the bean pieces in your soup.
   
6. Add the radish and mushrooms, and boil until the radish turns translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.
   
7. Drop the scallions in, and boil for a couple more minutes. Add soup soy sauce or salt, if necessary, and pepper to taste.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Mu Doenjang Guk (Korean Soybean Paste Radish Soup) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

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When my daughter suggested we should go to Korea together in the fall, I was a bit hesitant at first. I had wanted my next trip to Korea to be in the spring. For some reason, I always end up going there either in the summer or fall. Don’t get me wrong – Korea’s fall is absolutely beautiful with stunning fall colors, but I simply miss Korea’s spring landscapes and seasonal foods. I eventually broke down. How could I resist another trip to Korea and opportunity to travel with my daughter! I’ll share our travel experiences over a few posts. The focus will be on the foods we had.

Planning the trip, my daughter wanted to include Seoraksan (설악산) and Busan (부산) in our itinerary. She was a child when we went to Seoraksan, and she had never been to Busan. I had Tongyeong (통영) and Yeosu (여수) in mind, parts of the country I had never been to but had always been enamored with seeing photos and videos of the coastal cities and surrounding islands. We both really wanted to revisit Jeju Island (제주도) — my parents’ hometown. After much discussion, we decided to include them all. It was a tight schedule.

When we arrived, my sister-in-law and her husband picked us up from the airport and took us to one of their favorite restaurants for our first meal in Korea. The restaurant (Gulgukbap Jeonmunjip Gulsesang, 굴국밥 전문집 굴세상), specializing in oyster dishes, was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. We ordered oyster bibimbap for me, oyster soup with maesaengi (매생이, super fine seaweed) for my daughter, and a big plate of crispy guljeon (굴전, pan-fried battered oysters) as an appetizer to share. Incredibly fresh oysters were delightfully incorporated into the classic dishes, offering a burst of ocean flavor in every bite. It was a meal that clearly reminded us we were in for a culinary treat in Korea!

In Seoul, we stayed in the center of the city near Kwanghwamun (광화문). Our hotel was tucked into a quiet area not too far from the main streets. It was within walking distance, or a short taxi ride away to many attractions, cool neighborhoods, traditional markets, restaurants, etc.

As we were turning into the small street where the hotel was located, I was struck with a strange feeling of familiarity in the area where I couldn’t recognize anything. I quickly learned that it was the area where my middle school used to be, which I had not visited for over 40 years. The City relocated the school to Gangnam (강남) and tore down the buildings for commercial development. One morning, I walked around the neighborhood looking for the exact location where my school used to be. As I was passing the back of the Jogyesa Buddhist temple, I noticed a stone memorial of another school that was also moved. All of sudden, a lot of details from my middle school days came back to life. I used to walk by that temple every day, and there was a boys’ middle/high school next door to ours. The area was known for haejangguk (해장국, hangover soup) restaurants, many of which I used to pass by on my way from the public bus stop. What a walk down memory lane!

The next morning, we ate at one of the haejangguk places (Cheongjin Dong Jangteo Soondaeguk, 청진동 장터 순대국). We ordered soondaeguk (순대국, blood sausage soup) and bbyeo haejangguk (뼈해장국, hangover soup with beef bones). The soups were so good – deep and complex! It’ll be a must go stop when I visit Seoul.  

Our stay in Seoul was a mix of sightseeing, seeing/visiting friends and relatives, shopping, eating and drinking our way through the culinary delights of the city, and taking photos every step of the way. We did so much!

Some of the places we explored include Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), Changdeokgung (창덕궁), and Changyeongung (창경궁) palaces. We were totally immersed in these palaces, their history, magnificent architecture and landscapes and gardens, especially beautiful with colorful fall foliage.

We also enjoyed wandering around Samcheongdong (삼청동), a hip neighborhood with boutiques, cafes, restaurants, galleries, etc. After stopping at a few stores, we had lunch at Samcheongdong Sujebi (삼청동 수제비). We were there a little early for lunch but there was already a long line outside. The place is very popular to Koreans for their sujebi (traditional soup with thin, hand torn flour dumplings) and potato pancake (감자전, gamjajeon). A friend brought me here last time I was in Seoul, and I really enjoyed these dishes. So, we ordered them again this time. Delicious comfort foods!   

Bukmakgol (북막골) is another popular place in Samcheongdong, where we indulged in braised beef ribs (galbijjim, 갈비찜) and yukhoe (raw beef) bibimbap. Braised in a sweet and savory garlic sauce, these huge ribs were fall-off-the bone tender and loaded with bold flavors. They were served on top of steamed colorful vegetables, which was a nice twist on this classic dish. The bibimbap was a refreshing accompaniment.

From Samcheongdong, it’s an easy walk over to Bukchon Hanok Village. We strolled along the alleys admiring the hundreds of years old traditional houses, their persimmon trees with plentiful, deep orange color fruits, and the stunning view of the city.

Although Insadong (인사동) is better known as a tourist area, it houses an infinite number of traditional restaurants, which are also popular among local Koreans. Insadong is a neighborhood with all sorts of traditional, cultural goods and artwork, galleries, souvenir shops, tea houses, and street food vendors. For us, it was a nice, convenient location to hang out and meet up with friends for dinner and drinks.  We enjoyed bossam (보쌈) and kimchi jjim (김치찜) at Insadong Maneul Bossam (인사동 마늘보쌈) with lots of good makgeolli (막걸리, Korean milky rice wine) and another night of delicious dinner at Yangbandaek (양반댁), which included gulbi (굴비, dried salted yellow croaker), ganjang gejang (간장 게장, soy marinated raw crabs), and many other dishes. For some sweets after dinner, green tea ice cream at Osulloc (오설록) is lovely!

Recommended by a friend of mine, I chose Tosokchon (토속촌), a samgyetang (삼계탕) place, to take my relatives out for dinner one day. It certainly didn’t disappoint! The slightly thick soup was very rich and nutty, and the young whole chicken was moist and tender. The complimentary ginseng wine on the side was a nice touch. If you’re in the area, also check out the Sejong Village Food Culture Alley (세종마을 음식문화거리) nearby. We were too full to eat anything there, but it was lots of fun walking along these alleys which were lined with all sorts of eateries, cafes, bars, and shops.

For some quality bulgogi, we headed to Hanilkwan (한일관) in Abgujeong (압구정). Hanilkwan is one of the oldest and finest Korean restaurants in Seoul, and serves traditional Korean dishes, including royal court dishes, such as gujeolpan (구절판, platter of nine delicacies) and sinseollo (신설로, royal hot pot). We went with a special menu item that included bulgogi, gujeolpan, sinseollo, nakji bokkeum (spicy stir-fried octopus), soups, and much more. Every dish was well prepared with quality ingredients! The bulgogi was no exception.

No trip to Seoul is complete without visiting Namdaemun market! We went there a couple of times for shopping and eating. Among other things we ate in Namdaemun, the japchae hotteok we had to wait in line for was so good and totally worth the wait! Hotteok is usually stuffed with sweet filling, so this was something new to me. While we were in the area, we also visited the Sinsegye Department Store nearby, the basement of which is a gourmet food paradise.

One of my favorite things we did in Seoul was a day trip to the pottery town in Ichon, Gyeongi-do, Sagimakgol Doyechon (사기막골 도예촌). The place was a food blogger’s dream with so many beautiful tablewares made by local artists! While I could only get a few small plates and bowls due to my luggage limit, I really enjoyed browsing through a number of showrooms. It was a marvelous day out, and a feast size lunch at Icheon Ssal Naranim Bapsang (이천쌀 나랏님 밥상) was an exceptionally satisfying and memorable meal! 

There were so many food choices we wanted to try everywhere, but not enough meals in the day to try even a fraction of them. Here are photos of some other foods we had in or near Seoul.

Imjingang Jangeo Gui (임진강 장어구이, 하남, 경기도)

Samdae Eobu (삼대어부, 방이동, 서울)

Chicken and beer (치맥 – 치킨 + 맥주)

Debating between bibim naengmyeon and mul naengmyeon? Yuwonjeong (유원정) in Lotte Department Store in Myeondong offers a serving with half and half in separate bowls! 

Do you have any favorite restaurants in Seoul?  Please share in the comment section below. 

Our next destination was Sokcho and Seoraksan, where we spent 2 nights and 3 days. Stay tuned for part 2!

The post Trip to Korea Part 1 – Seoul appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Happy 2018! Did you have a bowl of tteokguk (떡국) on New Year’s day? It’s a Korean tradition to eat this soup made with white oval rice cake to welcome a bright, prosperous new year. Don’t worry if you didn’t. Lunar New Year is coming up! Tteokguk (ddeokguk or ddukguk) is usually made with beef broth, but I made it with oysters (gul, 굴) this year. After having so much delicious foods made with oysters in Korea last fall, I’ve been longing to use them more in my cooking. The strong briny flavor of the oysters plays off quite well with the soft, starchy rice cakes!

For soups, I like to use small oysters. Chopped up oysters don’t look as appetizing as small intact oysters. I’ve been buying frozen oyster packages from Korean markets lately, which have been pretty good. They are from Korea, one of the world’s largest exporters of oysters.  

As I mentioned in my gulguk (oyster soup) recipe, oysters are packed with essential vitamins, protein iron, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc, etc. Highly nutritional if you’re thinking of healthy eating for the new year!

Not a fan of oysters? Use clams or mussels instead. When I posted a photo of my oyster tteokguk on my Facebook page, a reader commented saying he made his with both oysters and mussels. That sounds great too!

Sometimes, I parboil the rice cake slices separately in the boiling water before adding to the broth. This is a good way to keep the soup from getting too thick and starchy, if you prefer a lighter soup.

Finally, I hope you and your family have a healthy, prosperous, and joyous new year with no shortage of great home cooked foods. As for me, I’m always grateful that you allow me to be part of your Korean cooking. You can look forward to many more delicious recipes in 2018!

Gul Tteokguk (Oyster Rice Cake Soup)

2018-01-09 04:23:37

Serves 2

Korean rice cake soup made with oysters!

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Ingredients

1. 8 to 10 ounces rice cake slices (tteokguk tteok, 떡국떡)
2. 3-inch square dried kelp (dashima) - optional
3. 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce (gukganjang 국간장) or fish sauce
4. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
5. 6 to 8 ounces small shucked oysters
6. 1/2 scallion, thinly sliced
7. salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnish

1. 1 egg for jidan (egg garnish)
2. 1/4 sheet roasted gim (nori), cut into thin, short strips with kitchen shears

Instructions

1. Soak the rice cakes in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes.
   
2. Clean the oysters by gently swishing around in salted water. Drain. Rinse again in clean water and drain again.
   
3. Add 6 cups of water and the optional dried kelp to a medium size pot. Bring it to a boil, and continue to boil for 5 minutes.
   
4. To make the optional egg garnish (jidan), separate the egg. Lightly beat the white by gently cutting it with a spoon. Stir the yoke with a spoon until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Pour each egg part into a thin layer, tilting the skillet and/or spreading with a spoon. Cook each side briefly until no visible liquid remains. (Do not brown the egg.) Slice into small diamond shape pieces or short thin strips.
   
5. Remove the kelp if used. Add the rice cake slices, garlic and soup soy sauce (or fish sauce), and cook until very soft.
   
6. Drop the oysters in. Cook for a couple of minutes after the soup comes to a boil again. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the scum. Ladle the steaming soup into individual bowls and top with the scallion and the optional egg and gim strips.
   

Notes

1. If you don't like your soup too thick and starchy, you can separately parboil the rice cake slices in the boiling water until soft, drain, and then add to the soup.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang https://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Gul Tteokguk (Oyster Rice Cake Soup) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Do you like oysters? I hope you do because I have another oyster recipe to share today! If you remember my Trip to Korea Part 1 post, I talked about our first meal in Korea at a restaurant specializing in oyster dishes. We ordered guljeon (굴전, pan-fried battered oysters) to share. To everyone’s delight, what came out was a big plate full of golden brown, fritter-like oyster treats — nothing like the guljeon I was expecting. Traditionally, guljeon is egg battered and individually pan fried. The restaurant’s version was made with the typical savory pancake batter like the one used for pajeon, loaded with oysters, and fried to perfection!  I’ve recreated it here for you!  

First things first, oysters are seasonal during cold months. I’m sure you’ve heard the advice “only eat oysters in months that contain the letter “R” (September through April). If you’re in Korea, you should be able to find the freshest oysters all over the country right now. We can find some of those, in a frozen state, in Korean markets around here. Jarred fresh oysters are fine for this recipe as well.

For the batter, I used buchim garu (부침가루) Korean ready-made pancake mix) along with a little bit of potato starch to add extra crispiness to the pancakes. If you don’t have ready-made mix, which is flavored and seasoned, simply use all purpose flour and add some minced (or powder) garlic and/or ginger, and season with salt.

This recipe uses minimal vegetables. I used carrot, scallion, and mushrooms. Zucchini, chili pepper, garlic chives, red or orange bell pepper, and onion are all great options as well.

The restaurant obviously deep fries their guljeon in a generous amount of oil for an extra crispy and crunchy exterior while keeping the interior delicately soft. That’s what I did here. Of course you can use less oil if you’d rather cut back on calories. Simply pan fry as you would do for other Korean savory pancakes such as hobak buchim, kimchi jeon, and pajeon. The results will be delicious either way!

Crispy Guljeon (Korean-style Oyster Fritters)

2018-01-16 03:34:34

Serves 4

Crispy guljeon is Korean-style oyster fritters! Made with the typical savory pancake batter, loaded with oysters, and fried to perfection!

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Ingredients

1. Makes 7 to 9 about 3-inch fritters
2. 8 ounces oysters (gul, 굴)
3. ½ small carrot
4. 1 scallion
5. 2 mushroom caps (any fresh mushrooms)
6. 1 cup buchim garu (ready-made pancake mix) or flour (see note)
7. 1 tablespoon corn or potato starch
8. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
9. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
10. oil for frying

Dipping Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
2. 1 teaspoon vinegar
3. 1 tablespoon water
4. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
5. pinch of black pepper
6. pinch of gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)

Instructions

1. Clean the oysters by gently swishing them around in salted water. Drain. Rinse again in clean water and keep them in a strainer over a bowl to drain well.
   
2. Finely chop the carrot, scallion, and mushrooms.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix, starch and baking soda and whisk well. Mix with 3/4 cup icy cold water. Add a tablespoon or two more if needed. The batter should be slightly thick but still runny.
   
4. Mix the oyster with the sesame oil, and then add to the batter along with the vegetables.
   
5. Heat 1/4-inch oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add about 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter, and spread it evenly into a small round shape. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook 5 to 6 pancakes at once. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. Serve hot with a dipping sauce.
   

Notes

1. To substitute the buchim garu, use 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang https://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Crispy Guljeon (Korean-style Oyster Fritters) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

When it’s cold outside, skewered eomuk (어묵) simmered in a light savory broth is hugely popular at street food carts and stalls in Korea. Eomuk (aka odeng, 오뎅) is processed fish cake made with pureed fish and other ingredients. It’s a common ingredient used in various Korean dishes such as gimbap and eomuk bokkeum. The street version of eomuk guk (soup) is conveniently served on long skewers with the hot broth served separately in a cup. At home, eomuk guk can be prepared without skewers as an easy everyday soup!

This dish originates from the iconic Japanese dish called “oden” which is a stew made with fish cakes and many other delicacies. The Korean version is much simpler, made mostly with fish cakes and radish. Oddly enough, Koreans call fish cakes “odeng” not the dish itself.

As mentioned in my eomuk bokkeum, Busan, a southern coastal city, is most famous for delicious eomuk. Outside Korea, you can find fish cakes made in Busan in the frozen section of Korean markets. Eomuk comes in many shapes and sizes. You can use any type for this recipe. I like to use a combination of different types for varying shapes and textures. Simply cut them into bite sizes if necessary.

A simple anchovy broth is all you need for this soup. You can of course use more complex broth if you like. See my How to Make Anchovy Stock for options. But, let me tell you my secret ingredient — a dried or fresh hot chili pepper when making the broth. It’ll make the broth taste really good, giving a subtle spicy kick to the broth while reducing that oily taste of the fish cakes.

Eomuk Guk (Fish Cake Soup)

2018-01-29 04:41:48

Serves 4

A simple soup made with fish cake and Korean radish!

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Ingredients

1. 12 ounces eomuk (fish cake)
2. 8 ounces Korean radish (mu)
3. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
4. 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
5. 1/2 tablespoon soup soy sauce
6. 1 scallion, roughly chopped
7. salt and pepper to taste
8. 8 cups anchovy broth (made with 1 optional dried or red chili pepper) - See anchovy broth for the recipe.

Instructions

1. Make 8 cups of anchovy broth with the optional chili pepper.
2. Cut the fish cakes into bite size pieces.
   
3. Cut the radish into about 1 to 1-1/2 inch-thin squares.
   
4. Quickly blanch the fish cakes in boiling water to remove excess oil, and then drain.
   
5. Add the radish slices to the broth, and boil until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and season with the soy sauce.
   
6. Drop the fish cake in, and boil for a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drop the scallion in before turning off the heat.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang https://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Eomuk Guk (Fish Cake Soup) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.