Koreafornian Cooking

Restaurant review: Korean BBQ Plus!, Concord, Calif.

2012-02-21T22:41:00.000-08:00

Serendipity brought me to this restaurant on the east side of the San Francisco Bay area. I had an appointment with friends in Concord early one February morning. By noon, our meeting was over, and I was hungry. Rather than waiting until I returned to more familiar territory to eat, I followed my instinct — and my insistent stomach. Tapping "Korean restaurant" into my smartphone map app pointed

What do peppers and cats have in common?

2012-02-21T00:13:00.000-08:00

Last week, I finally started my Korean peppers. They are tropical plants that need lots of warmth and time to grow well. I started my peppers on a south-facing window sill to give them a good headstart. During the day, this is probably the warmest spot in the house with the sun light coming in through the window and the curtain retaining the heat to keep them as warm as possible. Charles

Recipe: Asiago Serrano Polenta (from Bale Grist Mill)

2012-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

This past summer, my husband and I visited Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, located three miles north of St. Helena in California's Napa Valley. Since I brought my single bag of stone-ground polenta meal home, I've been looking for a recipe that represented Northern California's Mexican-Italian heritage. The park, located at 3369 N. St. Helena Hwy. (Highway 29), has a functioning

Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken Nuggets (양념닭)

2012-01-24T23:46:00.000-08:00

I received a box of Kikkoman Kara-Áge Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program to review. I didn't sign up for it the first time around because I couldn't think of a Korean way to use this classic Japanese cooking technique. By the time the chance came around again, I knew I wanted to experiment with the Kara-Áge coating and find out if it could be a

Hidden kimchi: Java Hub, San Anselmo, Calif.

2012-01-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Many assume the territory between San Francisco and Sonoma County wine country an hour's drive north is bereft of Korean cuisine. I did, too, until I discovered a venue for such fare long-disguised as a coffee shop. Java Hub Cafe is Marin County's only noted venue for Korean victuals. It's a simple coffee shop in San Anselmo, Calif., a suburb of San Rafael located about 10 minutes north of

A wonderful birthday present: Yonhap published my latest article today

2012-01-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, I admit it. I have a birthday once a year on January 11. Yonhap News inadvertently helped me celebrate my birthday by posting my latest article for them today. Here I am with Korean Consul General Lee Jeong-Gwan (r) and his wife Park Jong-Ran (l). Tammy Quackenbush photo In early October, San Francisco’s Korean Consul General, Lee Jeong-gwan, hosted nearly 100 food writers, chefs,

Starbucks pairs Korean cuisine with coffee

2012-01-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

Koreans are just beginning to learn the art of pairing traditional foods, such as Korean barbecue, japchae and bibimbap with wine and now coffee. Starbucks Corp. wants those captivated by Korean cuisine to consider serving coffee alongside each course of a meal, rather than as a dessert complement, according to Philippine Daily Inquirer. Starbucks hosted a two-day lecture in Seoul in December

How to store fruits, veggies artistically (w/o a fridge)

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Many make New Year's resolutions, promising to improve themselves in the coming year. Pledges to quit smoking or lose weight are admirable, but I have a different set of New Year's resolutions. One is to reduce the amount of food I waste. According to Enviromental Protection Agency, nearly 31 million tons of food waste went to landfills or incinerators in 2008. Repurposing it as compost is only

Koreafornian Cooking in 2011

2011-12-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

In 2011, I grew as a writer and a cook of Korean cuisine, venturing beyond Koreafornian Cooking to write posts and feature articles for WineKorea and Yonhap News Agency. “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” —Hal Borland The following are my favorite posts and publications throughout the year. January The most

Yujacha French Toast v. Yuzu French Toast

2011-12-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

During my visit to the late, great Namu in San Francisco's Inner Richmond, an item on the dessert menu caught my attention: Yuzu French Toast. Who eats French toast for dessert? I will if it has yuja (Korean citron, called yuzu in Japanese) and bae (Korean pear) in it. The dish is a slice of yuzu/yuja-spiked brioche bread topped with fresh fruit compote laid on top of a drizzle of caramel

Are latkes Korean?

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

On Dec. 3, 2010, Robert Aiudi asked himself, "Hannukah's Potato Pancakes are also Korean?" Yep, here's the proof: My "Korean latkes" video, originally posted on YouTube on Dec. 21, 2008.

Smokers, drink your Yakult!

2011-12-19T03:07:00.000-08:00

A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has found that daily supplements of the probiotic Lactobacillus casei shirota, which is a proprietary strain used in Yakult, a Japanese yogurt drink, popular in Korea and throughout Asia, may boost activity of key immune cells in smokers. On a side note, it also showed promise in reducing symptoms of nausea and stomach aches. For more

Recipe: Korean-style spicy walnuts

2011-12-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe taught me the real trick to flavoring nuts without grease: coat the nuts with egg while before coating them with the seasoning. The resulting nuts might not look as pretty as spiced nuts made with a coating of oil but they aren't as messy, especially on your guest's fingers. "God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them." —Franz Kafka (Tammy Quackenbush photo) I used

S.F.'s Namu continues street eats as first restaurant closes, second to open

2011-12-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Namu, a San Francisco restaurant with a Korean spin on California cuisine, will continue to serve its version of Korean tacos as well as its popular 감자 gamja fries from street venues after the initial restaurant closes later this month and as a different-format location is set to open elsewhere in the city early next year. Namu still will be serving its famous gamja fries at the Ferry

Secret Recipe Club: Korean Shingo Pear Butter

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

This month's Secret Recipe Club assignment for reproducing a food blog's recipe came from Angela's Kitchen. The recipes there are neatly organized so those with food allergies can avoid whatever will ail them. All her recipes are free of gluten, wheat and dairy products. What caught my eye was her recipe for pear butter. Making it in a slow cooker that requires minimal attention was a big bonus

Guest Post: Free Meal Planner & the Kimchi Burrito

2011-12-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Carolyn K. is a freelance writer from Austin, TX and began cooking with different Asian cuisines after she studied abroad in Singapore a couple years ago. She said, "I love how all the cultures there have blended, and I had some pretty interesting and wonderful food because of that blending. I have been doing some little fusion dishes since because it helps revamp meals and leftovers." Carolyn's

No more Cafe Gratitude kimchi or vegan bibimbap

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Restaurant chain Cafe Gratitude, which focuses on raw vegan food, plans to close not only all seven Northern California locations but also its wholesale department, whose product line includes kimchi. Cafe Gratitude's I Am Alive kimchi makes a very good topping on your favorite burger. Cafe Gratitude on Nov. 29 announced on its Facebook page it will close all seven Northern California

Recipe: Korean fish tacos

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

The modern fish taco was born in Baja California, although different kinds of fish tacos have been part of that Mexican state's cuisine for centuries. I made a Korean fish taco with 된장 doenjang-glazed cod, Korean pear salsa and coleslaw (shredded cabbage or lettuce would work). Savory Doenjang and sweet, crunchy Korean pears add texture to these fish tacos. (Tammy Quackenbush photo) In

Is American soju 'watered down'?

2011-11-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Twitter makes it so much easier to "eavesdrop" on conversations of random strangers, which I do via a list of search terms related to Korean cuisine. For every person who asks a question, many others have the same one bouncing around their minds. Even random comments that don't ask a question, but should ask a question, sometimes catch my eye. SylviaKoss tweeted to Steven Chappell, aka

Recipe: Chinese Five Spice Cream Cheese dip

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

My obsession with Chinese five-spice powder rages again. I found this recipe for Spiced Cream Cheese Dip. I swapped the cinnamon with the five-spice combo, which is much bolder by comparison. The brownie is just the carrier for the dip or spread. (Tammy Quackenbush photo) Spiced Cream Cheese Dip adapted from original recipe by Monet at Anecdotes and Apple Cores 1 package cream cheese,

Recipe: Rosemary garlic walnuts with smoked olive oil

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

This recipe took quite a journey along the way from one blog to another, each food blogger added and deleting ingredients as the recipe meandered its way to me. It reminds me of the old game of Grapevine, also called Telephone, Broken Telephone or Chinese whispers. One person whispers a word or phrase into a neighbor's ear, and that person repeats the word to the next, continuing until the

Secret Recipe Club: Spicy Mushroom Soup

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Mushroom soup brings back recollections of getting my wisdom teeth pulled in Korea. But for some reason, that memory is not as dismal as one might expect. Drawing by Taryn (tarale), Flickr (Creative Commons license) I had been living in the country for about six months when one of my wisdom teeth really started bothering me. I was teething, all over again. But this time around, the dull,

Restaurant review: Seoul Garden, St. Louis

2011-11-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't visited St. Louis in 18 years, and I certainly don't remember the city for its Asian food. So it was a treat to eat at a Korean restaurant there during a recent 20th high school reunion trip to rural southern Illinois. St. Louis is the nearest major metropolitan area with a sizable airport to my little hometown, located more than an hour east. After a long flight, my husband and I

Considering the crock of kimchi

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Onggi photo by Adam Field It's crazy to try to answer important, thoughtful questions in Twitter's 140-character limit. The microblogging service handles Korean groups of two to four characters as one, so 140 characters could be a short novel. I refuse to butcher English spelling and grammar for the sake of texting: "I need 2 go 2 the store B4 U go home. Can I C U F2F tonight?" Cat Morrow

Black and White Wednesday: Korean radishes

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Black and White Wednesday has resurrected my love of food photography and allowed me to show you some of the photos I've taken that didn't make the final cut in other posts but deserve their own little spotlight. These Korean radishes were found laying around in front of the Korean Central Market in Anchorage, Alaska, just waiting to be taken home by a Korean home cook and make into kimchi. The