My Epikorean - A Korean Recipe Journal

Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: MyEpiKorean Fusion Fire & Fry

2009-06-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

A MyEpiKorean Special Event Featuring Summer Eats

What better way to enjoy a sunny, breezy Southern California summer day than an outdoor cookfest with friends and family? Since this is my first post after a roughly year-long hiatus, I thought it would be nice to feature an old recipe in addition to introducing some new ones in a special MyEpikorean Fusion Fire & Fry event. This special event, funded generously by FoodBuzz, marks a new direction for MyEpikorean.

Our summer menu featured the following:

- Marinated, fried chicken and kochujang barbeque dipping sauce

- Sweet potato & Okinowan yam french fries with kochujang-garlic-kalamanzi aioli

- Barbequed corn

- Grilled purple onions & korean hot peppers

- Whole roasted garlic cloves (to be eaten with fries & aioli)

- Pressure-cooked brown rice (blended short grain and sweet rice)

- Modified version of my Super G Salad (everything is the same except the gogi berries were replaced with Persian green raisins)

- Chilled makkoli (malty, farmer-style, unrefined Korean rice wine)

- Kalimanzi bars

- Black sesame ice cream with whipped cream

Kalamanzis, also known as calamansis or Panama orange, and kochujang, Korean fermented hot red pepper paste, were a running theme throughout the dishes. The kalmanzis added a fragrant zip to aioli and was the star of the desserts. And kochujang added a hot kick to the barbeque sauce and aioli.

In this particular post, our main course of special marinated and deep-fried chicken with sweet potato and Okinowan yam fries are balanced by plenty of those yummy anti-coagulents, such as whole roasted garlic, grilled purple onions and pepper, ginseng, gingko and of course, alcohol! We even give your stomach a head start as the apple cider, vermouth, garlic, onion, and pineapple juice in the marinade break down the enzymes of the chicken, tenderizing it.

We had two versions of chicken. The first was marinated chicken, battered in sweet potato starch and deep-fried. The second version was the same, except dipped in a kochujang barbeque sauce and grilled. It was nice to have two different versions because we could dip the fried chicken in the kochujang-kalamanzi-garlic aioli or as much or as little kochujang barbeque sauce as our heart desired. I marinated the chicken for over two nights because of my kitchen situation (it is out-of-commission due to remodeling) and had to borrow a kitchen in order to prepare the chicken. I was crazy enough to skin and fillet three whole chickens + a pack of thighs (roughly 15 lbs of chicken), partly because I wanted the carcasses for soup but also because they were on sale. Once I peeled the skin, cut the fat, and removed the bones, these fifteen pounds reduced to about 5 ½ lbs of chicken. You can save yourself a lot of grief by buying pre-prepared chicken. Make sure that the chicken is fresh by checking the date. You can marinate the chicken over one night instead of two, but at the very least, you need to marinate it for a few hours. If you find that you made too much chicken, simply place the extra chicken with marinade in a zip-top baggy and freeze. I usually put as much chicken in the bad as I intend to serve/eat for the week. The day before I want to cook the chicken, I pull it out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge.

Originally, I wanted to have candied sweet potatoes and Okinowan yams as one of my two desserts. That was more of a fall dessert though, and with sweet potato already incorporated in the menu in fry form, a second dose of sweet potato might be overkill. Since I did not want to lose the Okinowan yams, I moved them up with the sweet potato fries. The color contrast between the two fries was quite nice, although I think the brilliant purple was subdued by the batter color. Both the Okinowan yam and sweet potato fries tasted delicious with the kochujang-kalamazi-garlic aioli and whole roasted garlic, which popped out of their sleeves, and had a lovely mellow flavor and creamy texture.

We ended up having a rather wide selection of desserts because my friends brought some Russian ginger bread cookies, bird's milk (chocolate covered marshmallows), and dried anise-flavored guava in addition to the kalamazi bars and black sesame ice cream. The black sesame ice cream was very easy to make. I took a nice tub of vanilla ice cream and folded in fresh ground black sesame seeds and a sprinkle of finely ground sea salt. For the kalamazi bars, I used King Arthur flour, which has less gluten than other flour brands, and unsalted Plugra butter, which has a higher butterfat content than other butters. These higher quality ingredients made the shortbread-like base extra flaky and buttery.

The formatting for this post is a little bit different since I posted multiple recipes. I will repost the recipes individually later for easy searching. Since the focus of this special event was as much about my friends and fun as it was the food, here is a very short-video clip of our outdoor food fest on the patio.

Without my friends valiantly helping with last-minute food preparations, dishes, and of course, photography, none of this would have been possible. The person you don't see, behind the camera, is one of my dear friends and the creative genius behind all the MyEpikorean photography. Life is so much sweeter with good friends. Guhn-bae!

Kochujang Barbeque Chicken Recipe
I used about 6 lbs of skinned, deboned, fat-removed chicken, including mixed parts from the whole birds. Marinate the chicken overnight—I marinated mine over two nights-- (or at least 2-3 hours minimum) with the following:
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 ½ cup hard apple cider (I used Scrumpy’s)
- 2 medium sweet onions
- 2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
- 3 tsp ginger, minced
- 1 cup of vermouth
- 1 ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup light soy sauce

For the frying, I blended canola and peanut oil- 5 quarts of canola oil + 3 pints of peanut oil. Proportions don’t matter too much. I recommend either canola, peanut, or a blend. Peanut oil has a higher burning point (450) versus canola (400), and peanut also imparts less flavor to the food being fried. Generally, you should keep the oil at 350 degrees for the chicken. deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes or until a burnished golden brown.

For the sauce, I simmered the following for about two hours:
- three 18 ounce bottles of Trader Joes Kansas City BBQ sauce
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 24 ounces of barely malt syrup/yut girum (Eden’s is better than some Korean brands, which are so processed they resemble corn syrup)
- 18 ounces of a mild honey
- 1 ¼ cup kochujang (O’Foods brand is best for this because it has the least amount of sodium of all brands)
- 3 tablespoons of minced fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons Korean red hot pepper flakes
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup of vermouth

Kalamanzi Bars Recipe
Set oven to 350 degrees For crust, bake the following for 25 minutes:
- 1 ½ cup flour
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ stick butter (3/4 cup butter)

For the topping, beat the following:
- 4 eggs slightly beaten
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 ½ tbsp flour
- 1 cup fresh kalamanzi juice

Pour the liquid mixture over the baked crust, and bake for another 25 minutes.

Kochujang-Kalamanzi-Garlic Aioli Recipe
The most important detail about this recipe is to not to dump the oil in all at once.
- 5 fresh garlic cloves
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cup of olive oil
- 2 tablespoon kochujang (fermented hot pepper paste)

Combine the garlic, egg, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and kochujang in a food processor or blender and puree. Add the oil in a slow stream and continue to process until the mixture has emulsified.

Sweet Potato and Okinowan Yam French Fries
I used about 4 1/2 lbs of mixed Korean sweet potato and Okinowan yams. Chop them into sticks roughly 1/4 inch thick. You will need 1 1/2 cups of mung bean or sweet potato starch and ice cold water.

Prepare a fryer filled one-third of the way with canola/peanut oil heated to 275 degrees. Fry sweet potatoes and Okinowan yams about 2 minutes. Remove sweet potatoes and yams to paper towel-lined trays, wait till they cool a bit, and then chill in fridge until cold (about 15 minutes). Heat fryer to 350 degrees. Fill a large bowl with the mung bean or sweet potato starch and mix with ice cold water to make a batter. Batter the fries till well-coated. Working in batches, place fries in fryer and cook until coating adheres, but do not brown the fries, about 2-3 minutes. Remove fries to a sheet pan in a single layer, taking care to keep fries separated. Freeze fries overnight. Once fries have frozen, you can preserve them in bags until ready for use. If you are using them right away, just reuse the oil you have and fry them at 350 degrees.

Stewed Korean Short Ribs, Kalbi Jjim (갈비찜)

2008-06-06T16:02:00.001-07:00

Succulent Stewed Ribs Reminiscent of French Bourguignon

Whenever recent inductees to Korean cuisine describe fond memories of Korean food, the frequently mentioned universally palette-pleasing dish is kalbi, Korean barbeque short ribs. Typically marinated overnight and then fired over a tabletop or backyard grill, kalbi is the Korean equivalent of American barbeque. What people are less familiar with, however, is the kalbi jim*. Kalbi jim essentially uses the same cut of rib meat and similar seasonings as barbeque short ribs, only the bone is longer and meat scored or butterflied. But, the similarities end there. This tasty dish has more in common with the flavorful French bourguignon than its brother barbeque.

Bourguignon is beef braised in red wine and seasoned with garlic, onions, carrots and bouquet of assorted herbs like thyme, sage, tarragon and parsley. Like the French bourguignon, kalbi jim is also slow-cooked with liquor and spices, simmered till it reaches a fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. The reduction, when cooled, congeals and resembles aspic, a savory meat gelatin. The richness of kalbi jim derives from the bone marrow of the ribs, which steadily seeps into the sauce, thickening it as it simmers.

Although many traditional Korean recipes call for par-boiling the ribs, soaking the meat, or adding chicken broth, I have found that the simplest and most efficient way to cook kalbi jim is to just group the ingredients together according to cooking time and throw each of them in at the right time in a heavy-bottomed, copper-coated pot. What is most important in this dish is the cooking time and quality of ingredients. I love simmering raw chestnuts in kalbi jim, but since chestnuts are out of season, I used small Korean sweet potatoes with similar success.

^* Kalbi is also spelt galbi, kalbee or galbee. Jim is also spelt jjim or chim.

Kalbi Jim, Korean Stewed Short Ribs Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Preparing the beef short ribs
3 lbs short beef ribs (English, thick-cut 3”-5” pieces)
1. Rinse the ribs in cold water to clean away any remaining bone bits.
2. Trim and discard excess fat.
3. Score or butterfly the meat (I will post separately for how to properly butterfly short ribs).
Cooking the beef short ribs
The alcohol and fruit juices in this kalbi jim tenderize and naturally sweeten the meat. With enough meat tenderizers, overnight marinating and sugar or honey rendered unnecessary.

6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
6 tbs soy sauce
1 ½ cups pineapple juice
1 cup vermouth or rice wine
¼ cup maesil ju, green plum wine, or Grand Marnier
½ cup water
1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbs roasted sesame seeds
8 raw chestnuts, peeled or 2 Korean sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 ginkgo nuts, shelled
2 tbs red pepper threads (sil kochu), cut into 1” pieces
1 tsp black pepper, ground
1. Throw all ingredients, including meat but except the chestnuts and ginkgo nuts into heavy-bottomed or thick clay pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
3. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom does not burn.
4. Add in chestnuts and simmer for another 20 minutes.
5. Add in ginkgo nuts and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and turn up heat to medium high.
7. Stirring frequently and scraping the bottom with a wooden paddle, cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the meat becomes shiny and liquids reduce.
8. Optional step: Wait till the whole pot cools, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Scrape away the fat, then reheat and serve with ogokbap, mixed rice.

Mixed Rice2, Dolsot Bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥)

2008-05-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

Sizzling Stone Pot Rice, A Multi-Grain Mix of Rice Mixed with Seasoned Vegetables & Meat

This Sizzling Stone Pot Mixed Rice, Dolsot Bibimbap*, should be called Dolsot Bibim Ogokbap (돌솥 비빔 오곡밥) because not only is the rice physically mixed with all the vegetables, meat, and rice as in traditional bibimbap, but the grains themselves are composed of a mix, hence Mixed Rice².

My blend of grains diverges from the traditional ogokbap^† five-grains^± of sweet rice, foxtail millet, red beans, black beans, and sorghum. And, unlike ogokbap, which is traditionally served on the day of Jeongwol Daeboreum, the first full moon of the new lunar year, my grain mix has been modified for daily consumption. While health-conscious Koreans are increasingly consuming multi-grain rice nowadays, I find pre-packaged blends of mixed grains to not be quite to my liking. I don’t like the taste of beans in rice that I plan to eat with kimchi, unless they are buttery Peruvian lima beans or quick-to-cook lentils. Nor do I like wild black rice mixed with sticky rice. Wild black rice tastes better, in my opinion, with fragrant, long grain rice, like jasmine rice. Some varieties of black rice not only poke at your throat but also bleed into the rice, coloring the rice a dark purple. Grains and beans also have different soaking times, and the pre-packaged multi-grain rice does not allow you to adjust for the different soaking times.

In my everyday version of ogokbap, I blend short grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, foxtail millet, wheat berry, oat groats, green lentils, and peas to create a golden brown rice mix with flecks of yellow and green. Combine this rice with a medley of delicately seasoned summer vegetables, earthy shitake mushrooms and burdock, and well-marbled bulgogi-style flank meat and you have a well-balanced meal all in one bowl! Crack in an egg, drop a dollop of kochujang or samjang^‡, mix the mix up, and your dolsot bibimbap will be ready to eat!

Cooked in a granite stone pot, even the leftover roasted rice stuck to the bottom of the pot, nurungi, is delicious and is, in fact, a favorite Korean snack now sold in grocery stores. After you scoop out the rice, pour water into the stone pot for a toasty, after-meal palette cleanser.
^* Also spelled tolsot pibimbap.
^† Ogokbap, also called chapgokbap, is served on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar year.
^± The exact grain blend varies, depending on which region you examine. Sometimes, for instance, black soybeans are included. Generally, the grains used in ogokbap are those they plan to plant in the coming year.
^‡Samjang, also spelled ssamjang, is a combination of kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste, and doenjang, fermented soybean paste. Although kochujang is more commonly used in bibimbap, samjang may also be used.

Dolsot Bibimbap Recipe

~ Serves 2 people

Soaking and Cooking the Mixed Grains
Peruvian lima beans require a longer soaking time of 4-6 hours and at least three water changes (in hot weather, soaking time is less than in cold weather). Otherwise, most of the grains here are relatively quick-to-soak-and-cook.

1 cup short grain brown rice
½ cup sweet brown rice
2 tbs split peas
2 tbs wheat berry
2 tbs foxtail millet
1 tbs lentils
1 tbs oat groats
¼ tsp salt

1. Soak the short grain brown rice, sweet brown rice and wheat berry together for 1 ½ - 2 hours and separately, the lentils for the same time, rinsing the lentils thoroughly and changing the water at least once.
2. Soak the millet for one hour, rubbing the grains and changing the water at least once.
3. Drain the millet and set aside.
4. Mix together the short grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, split peas, wheat berry, lentils, and oat groats and rinse once more. Drain and set aside.
5. Make sure your stone pot has been properly cleaned. See below for Dolsot Cleaning Instructions.
6. Put all of the grains except the millet in the pot with three cups of water.

7. Bring the water to a boil with the lid off. Dissolve salt into the boiling water.
8. After boiling gently for 15 minutes, add the millet in, decrease the heat to low, and cover the pot, leaving a crack of an opening.
9. Cook for another 15 minutes and then seal the opening shut with the lid.
10. Cook for another 15 minutes on very low, and then turn off and let sit for 5 minutes.
11. Fluff the rice with a fork and immediately seal to preserve the heat.

Preparing the Vegetables
Some people feel that bibimbap has a very labor-intensive process for preparing and seasoning vegetables, but actually, you can use whatever seasonal vegetables you like, including fresh sprouts and purple cabbage, both of which involve no preparation other than washing and chopping! Alternatively, you can cheat and go to the Korean grocery store and pick up prepared banchans such as doraji saengchae (marinated bellflower root) and pre-packed bibimbap seasoned vegetables. In general, the best short cut is using the right equipment. A mandolin slicer, as featured in Ratatouille and my cucumber salad recipe, is indispensable in any recipe that calls for slicing vegetables into thin disks or matchsticks.

3 medium carrots, sliced into matchsticks
2 Italian squash, sliced into matchsticks, leaving out the seed middle
1 lb chrysanthemum, leaves separated from stalks, stalks chopped in 1” pieces
2 tbs distilled white vinegar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. Boil 6 cups of water with vinegar and salt.
2. Using a metal sieve, douse the carrots in the boiling water for 1 minute and then immerse in a bowl of icy water. Drain and set aside.
3. Douse the Italian squash for 45 seconds, immerse in icy water, drain and set aside.
4. Douse chrysanthemum leaves for 30 seconds, immerse in icy water, squeeze dry, and set aside.
5. Douse chrysanthemum stalks for 2 minutes, immerse in icy water, drain, and combine with wilted chrysanthemum leaves.
6. Coat the wilted chrysanthemum leaves and stalks with the soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper.

Soybean sprouts- Mung bean spouts may also be used as a substitute for soybean sprouts. Although they are not as wide available, I do think they have a better flavor than soybean sprouts. You can also sprout your own, but it takes a few days.

1 ½ cups soybean sprouts
1 cup water
7. Place soybean spouts and water in a covered pot.
8. Boil for three minutes and then drain and set aside.
Ginkgo nuts- These healthy nuts are a beautiful addition to bibimbap, adding a wonderful chewiness and nutty flavor.

1 cup gingko nuts
2 tsp of vegetable oil

9. In a non-stick pan with oil, roast shelled ginkgo nuts over medium heat.
10. Transfer to a brown paper bag and rub between hands to remove the shell. Set aside.
Burdock & Shitake Mushrooms- The burdock root, which resembles a parsnip once peeled, adds a deep, earthy flavor. Similarly, shitake mushrooms add earthy and rustic undertones to this bibimbap.

1 burdock root, approximately 2 ½ ft, cut into matchsticks
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp honey

4-5 shitake mushrooms, fresh or thoroughly soaked and sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp honey

11. Over medium heat, pour the oil in the pan, then add the crushed garlic, sliced burdock, and roast for five minutes.
12. Add the soy sauce and honey, stirring often to make sure the burdock is well-coated. Cook until the burdock is browned on the edges, approximately 10 minutes.
13. Repeat these steps for the sliced shitake mushrooms.

Bulgogi
Literally translated, fired-meat adds a punch of protein to this otherwise vegetable-intense dish.

10 ounces of well-marbled rib-eye or tenderloin, thinly sliced
1 tbs + 1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs vermouth
2 tbs maesil ju, green plum wine
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ onion, sliced
¼ cup pineapple juice
½ tsp black pepper, ground
2 tsp red pepper threads, cut in 1” pieces

1. Put all the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
3. Remove cover and on medium heat, cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and turned into a thicker sauce, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.
Dolsot Bibimbap
All of the prepared toppings won’t fit on the top of the rice in the dolsot, so arrange a bit of each for the purposes of presentation on top. You can then allow your guests to add more vegetables and meat to each of their dishes.

Ssamjang or kochujang
1 tbs toasted sesame seeds for garnish
1 sheet gim, seasoned, roasted pressed laver, shredded for garnish
1. First, crack the eggs on the piping hot rice.
2. Arrange the vegetables and meat on top of the rice in the pot.
3. Serve with more vegetables, meat, and a dollop of either kochujang or samjang.
4. Garnish with seaweed and sesame seeds.

Instructions on How To Clean Your New Dolsot, Chiseled Granite Stone Pot

You may notice that dolsots are traditionally a shiny jet black color, reminiscent more of cast iron than chiseled granite. Dolsots become this way over time after repeated seasonings with oil and salt. Chonju, a Korean city, is famous for serving delicious bibimbap in these striking jet black granite bowls. My dolsot has not gone through enough seasonings to get this color, but I am noticing it steadily getting darker with each serving of bibimbap.

There are two different ways to wash your new granite stone pot. Regardless of which method you choose, you must never wash your dolsot with soap. The granite surface of stone pots is very porous and will absorb the soap and emit a very-difficult-to-rid-of-soapy-flavor.

The First Method

1. Rinse your pot very well.
2. Wearing rubber gloves to prevent your hands from chafing and becoming dried from the salt, pour a generous amount of salt into bowl and rub the salt around the sides and bottom. You will notice the salt pick up the dirt and become grey in color.
3. Rinse the bowl well.
4. Fill the bowl with water and at least ¼ cup of salt and bring to a boil.

The Second Method

1. Rinse your pot very well.
2. Place your stone pot in a large pot filled with salted water.
3. Bring the large pot of water to a boil.
4. Boil for an hour.
5. Remove the pot once the water is cooled.
6. For good measure, rub salt in the inside of the bowl to remove any sanded stone residue.

Dolsot Maintenance
After each use, use only salt and water to clean your dolsot. If you wear rubber gloves, you can either rub the salt into the dolsot to clean it well or just boil the whole thing to remove large residual rice grains and etc. Once your dolsot has dried, rub a little oil all around it and inside it. Keep it away from dust.

Korean Green Plum Liquor, Maesil Ju (매실주)

2008-05-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

A tart and fruity summer aperitif

Tart, easy to make, and delicious, maesil ju, Korean green plum liquor is the perfect summer aperitif. Korean green plums, maesil, also known as Japanese apricots, or ume (梅) are tangy fruits with origins in China. Today, there are well over 150 distinct varieties of these green apricots, commonly referred to as plums. Umes are often pickled or dried and salted by both Japanese and Chinese and eaten as snacks or side dishes. But to me, the liquor is the most delicious form of these flavorful green plums.

Although the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans all have liquors or wines made from these tart green plums, Japanese umeshu and Chinese mei jiu differ in that the ume is steeped in a clear alcohol. The traditional Korean version of this liquor uses equal parts brown sugar and plums and is fermented for a minimum of two months. In my Maesil Ju recipe, I modified my cousin’s recipe, which uses equal parts of brown sugar and green plums. In my recipe, I add raw white aloe bee honey to speed the fermentation process and obviate the risk of bad bacteria blooms. I am a huge fan of raw honey because of its anti-bacterial properties, and you can expect to find me adding it to anything fermented. I am also experimenting with making maesil ju out of crunchy Middle Eastern green plums, but thus far, I am discovering that the fermentation rate is much slower than Korean plums, which I think has something to do with the permeability of the peels. The skin of the Middle Eastern plum is not as furry or porous as the Korean plum. Regardless of which plum you pick, be sure to serve this delicious drink chilled or on the rocks, sipping it for full flavor. Sssssp!

Korean Green Plum Liquor (Maesil Ju) Recipe

~ Produces 3/4 liter of liquor

Preparing the Plums
I use a one-liter glass canning jar with a rubber gasket, but a regular glass jar also works. Make sure your plums are fresh and not shriveled or marred. I recommend sticking to the Japanese apricot version and not the Middle Eastern one because I don't know what the latter will taste like just yet. Also, be sure to get real brown sugar and not the white sugar with coloring or molasses added. The bulk food section of your local health food store is a great place to buy cheap brown sugar.

2½ cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup raw white aloe bee honey
3½ cups Korean green plums (maesil) or ume
1. Soak the plums for two or three hours.
2. Gently wipe the plums dry and take calyces off with toothpick.
Making Maesil Ju
If you use a Fido jar, you should periodically release the accumulating gas every week or so.
1. Put a cup of plums and follow with equal parts brown sugar.
2. Pack down the brown sugar and plums and then, repeat steps, topping the jar off with honey.
3. Store the jar in a cool dark place.
4. Check on the jar every week, you will noticed the plums beginning to shrivel. By the end of two weeks, they should be fully immersed in clear brandy-colored liquid.
5. At the end of two months, serve chilled or on the rocks.

Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Pancake (김치전)

2008-05-14T13:11:00.001-07:00

East meets Southwest in this sizzling hot dish

This Korean kimchi pancake, Kimchijeon*, adopts the okonomiyaki free spirit of mix-in-whatever-you-like while loosely following a Korean-Mexican fusion theme. Made with organic sweet brown rice flour, tangy sliced kimchi, spicy chicken chorizo sausage, fresh-cut Korean watercress, chopped red onions, hot chili peppers, and chewy Korean corn, the outside of this pancake is crisp while the inside is chewy like mochi. It’s the ultimate savory pancake, bursting with heat and intense flavor. Incarnated, this Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancake might be a Korean cowboy living in New Mexico. Ssssssss hot!

Not only encompassing fried savory pancakes but also other fried dishes, including egg-dipped vegetables and meats, 전 or chŏn/jŏn/jeons are often served as appetizers or side dishes. The batter is generally composed of wheat flour, ice cold water, and egg, although variations include pure or blends of ground skinned-mung beans, soybeans, corn starch, and sometimes, rice flour. I always prefer the non-wheat flour versions of pancakes because they have more character. The flavor and texture of nokdujeon (mung bean pancake), also called bindaetteok or bindaedduk, for instance, is very distinct, and when properly executed, the light golden bits of mung bean melt in your mouth. For today’s recipe, however, I selected a pure sweet brown rice flour base because I have a penchant for that sticky, satiating combo of meat and sweet glutinous rice. At dim sum, for example, one of my favorites is Hahm Sui Gock, a deep-fried, crispy glutinous rice flour dumpling stuffed with ground pork, Chinese chives, Shitaki mushrooms, and dried shrimp that resembles a miniature golden football you just want to punt into your mouth. You can think of my Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancake as being the healthier fusion, pancake version of Hahm Suey Gock. It’s also a delicious solution to the problem of leftover kimchi in your fridge.

Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Pancake Recipe

~ Makes roughly a dozen 6-inch pancakes

Sweet brown rice batter
I bought a whole bag of organic sweet brown rice mochi gome from my local Nijiya market, but you can just purchase regular sweet rice flour at your local store. I recommend using a Pyrex 2-Quart Measuring Cup when measuring the water, mixing up and microwaving the mochi.

1 ¾ cups sweet brown rice, finely ground into flour
2 cups boiling water
1. Sift the sweet brown rice flour into the boiling water.
2. Mix well, breaking up any clumps, and microwave for 1 minute.
3. Mix well, breaking any clumps, and microwave for 40 seconds at a time. Repeat 5 times.
Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Batter
Make sure to remove the excess liquid from the kimchi and washed watercress. You don’t want the batter to be too runny.

¾ cup ripe kimchi, squeezed to remove excess liquid
1 lb chicken chorizo sausage
1 Korean corn cut from the cob
2 bunches Korean watercress (minari), washed and pat or spun dried
1 small red onion, chopped
2 Korean hot red peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons red pepper threads (sil kochu), cut
1. Mix the ingredients listed above into the sweet brown rice batter.
2. Microwave another minute and mix well. Set aside to cool.
3. Cover and refrigerate the batter. Chilling the batter before frying it will create more crispy pancakes.
Frying the Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancakes
I recommend using either peanut, grape seed, or canola oil, but not olive oil. Olive oil does not have a high burning point, and when raised to a temperature past that burning point, it becomes carcinogenic.
1. On a medium fire, heat up a cast-iron or non-stick skillet with just enough oil to cover the surface of the pan.
2. Pour the pancake batter in and wait about five - seven minutes, watching the bottom of the pancake to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Flip the pancake and cook the other side for about four minutes.
4. Transfer to a plate. Do not stack the pancakes or place them on paper towels or they will stick. Enjoy immediately.

Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi (보쌈배추김치)

2008-05-03T19:48:00.001-07:00

Baechu* Whole Cabbage Kimchi Bursting with Aristocratic Bossam** Flavor

Reconnecting With My Kimchi Korean Roots

When considering East Asian cuisine, there are many similarities and cross-over dishes between cultures, such as dumplings, but kimchi, spicy fermented napa cabbage, is distinctively Korean. There are over 100 varieties of kimchi with ingredients, seasonings, and fermenting techniques varying by region, province, and family. Kimchi tends to get spicier the more south you travel, and closer you get to the coast, the more oysters, squid, beltfish, and other sea creatures are added in kimchi.

There exists a kimchi for every season: clear mul kimchi quenches parched summer throats while spicy baechu kimchi warms winter bellies. The pervasive saying that, "A meal without kimchi is a sad meal" shows how elemental kimchi is to Koreans. Like Westerners who suffer from cabin fever when cooped up, Koreans purportedly suffer from kimchi fever when deprived of their kimchi. Worse yet, some marriages are said to fall apart if a wife's cooking and kimchi cannot match that of her mother-in-law!

Last fall, I visited South Korea for the first time with the intention of visiting my relatives and hope that I would glean some family recipes from my aunt and cousin. Since my grandmother died before passing on her recipes to my mother but not my mother’s sister-in-law, I thought, by virtue of being a member of the Lee family, I was entitled to share the family jewels. But upon arriving to my aunt and uncle’s home, I discovered myself shooed out of the kitchen and prevented from helping with the preparation of meals. By the time I woke up, the food was often already laid upon the table, and if I prodded my aunt and cousin enough, they begrudgingly discussed the main ingredients but not the methods. I understand that part of their treatment toward me was motivated by their perception of me as a guest. In Korean traditional culture, my helping is considered an insult because it insinuates that the hostess cannot handle the work alone. But my aunt and cousin also believe that an American born Korean will never be as familiar with or capable of mastering the art of Korean cuisine. They have not recently visited Los Angeles to realize that it is home to the largest Korean population outside of Korea.

Hence, when asking for my grandmother’s kimchi recipe, I was repeatedly denied a reply, mostly because my aunt and cousin did not believe that I could know anything about Korean food, let alone pull off making kimchi. My aunt was astounded that I was even familiar with doenjang jiggae, a fermented soy bean stew with tofu and scraps of fish, meat, and vegetable—something I ate often as a child.

My journey was drawing to a close and my disappointment mounting when my cousin, sensing my distress, tried to comfort me with an explanation for her refusal to share my grandmother’s kimchi recipe. First, my aunt’s kimchi recipe was not exactly the same as my grandmother’s because each generation tweaks the recipe a bit to improve upon it. Second, with the advent of technology, Koreans drastically reduced the amount of salt in kimchi because they had refrigerators now to prevent spoiling. Third, kimchi recipes change according to taste and what ingredients are on hand. If seafood is not available, it won’t be included in the recipe. And fourth, there really is no point in her explaining since kimchi making is a complex, all-day procedure, which she cannot fathom me following!

Of course, she could have just explained her recipe in the same breath she wasted on why she refused to tell me, but my heart lightened in a moment of epiphany: my grandmother’s kimchi recipe is interesting as a historic artifact but is just that—a relic of old times. I am luckier than my cousin because I, as an American, am free to be even more innovative with my kimchi recipe and fermentation techniques than her. With no preconceived notions of what is proper or not, I can experiment without fear that my Chinese boyfriend will leave me because my kimchi is not like his mother’s (which does not exist since kimchi is not a Chinese dish, although it is now a very hot and highly politicized export which China fights trade war over). And best yet, I can start the tradition of passing down my perfect kimchi recipe for the next generation to completely revamp. Perhaps they will decide to forgo the fresh shucked oysters?

Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi

After researching several kimchi recipes and the ingredients for each, I developed a hybrid kimchi recipe. My Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi recipe combines the best aspects of bossam kimchi, an elite kimchi from Gaeseong, what is now considered a North Korean province, and baechu kimchi, a classic whole cabbage favorite which appears at every meal. Bossam kimchi is renown for its aristocratic heritage: the expensive, rare ingredients combined with its labor-intensive preparation made it available only to the wealthy few. Baechu kimchi is popular for practical reasons: made from whole cabbage, it lasts the longest and is easy to prepare. Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi extracts the ingredients and seasonings of bossam kimchi and combines them with the relatively easy preparation techniques and longevity of baechu kimchi.

What makes this Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi truly unique is the addition of rare, raw, white aloe bee honey in lieu of the oft-called for over-processed sugar. Honey is an unconventional way of enhancing the kimchi fermentation process and reducing the risk of bad bacteria blooms without added salt. As an anti-bacterial agent and one of the only natural fermentable sugars, honey kills off the bad bacteria in the kimchi while encouraging fermentation and the flourishing of lactobacilli.

Two days pass when I detect a heady scent reminiscent of runny French cheeses. Take one bite into bossam-style baechu kimchi and your dormant taste buds will awaken and nasal passages clear. Crunchy like a half-sour pickle and refreshing as wine spritzer, bossam-style baechu kimchi complements any meal with its perfect balance of acidity and complex combination of flavors. Lightly roasted walnuts and pine nuts gently meld with the subtle sweetness of crisp Asian pear and fruity Fuji apple. Bits of brined shrimp, fresh shucked oysters and scallops fill the crevices of each cabbage leaf, leaving the taste of the ocean on the tip of your tongue. Like Willy Wonka’s Amazing Fabulous Sensational Three-Course Gum, Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi will reverberate through your mouth and leave no part of your palette unexplored.

* Baechu kimchi is also called Baechue Tong Kimchi, Baechu Tong Kimchi, Tongbaechu Kimchi, Bechu Kimchi, and Bechu Tong Kimchi.
** Bossam is also spelled Bosam, Possam, and Posam.

Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi Recipe

~ Makes one gallon or 4-quart jar and one 1/2 gallon 2-quart jar

Salted whole napa cabbage
It is very important not to over-salt the napa cabbage and to be attentive to its changing chemistry during the salting process, in which it will lose over 90 percent of its water. Make sure you have enough sterilized, glass, screw-top jars. You can choose between one gallon jar and one half-gallon jar or three half-gallon jars.

7-8 lbs/2 heads Napa cabbage, cut into quarters or 2-inch wedges, depending on size of cabbage
1 3/4 cup coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Water
1. Rinse the cabbage well once and drain.
2. Trim off any residual root of cabbage, leaving only enough to hold the cabbage together.
3. Slice the cabbage into length-wise quarters.
4. Use water sparingly to rinse the cabbage. Reserve the collected cabbage water.
5. Sprinkle salt between each leaf of the quartered cabbage, and place each in a row in a large, non-reactive bowl or pot and layer them.
6. Pour the reserved cabbage water toward the side of the container so as to not wash off the salt from the cabbage. The salted cabbage should not be entirely submerged in cabbage water.
7. Pour the remaining salt on top of the quartered cabbages.
8. Let the cabbage salt for three hours, shifting the cabbage pieces every hour. After the second hour passes, make sure you tend to it every fifteen minutes and test to see whether it has a crunch to your liking.
9. Rinse the salted cabbage pieces very thoroughly.
10. Wring the liquid from each cabbage piece and set aside. Reserve the juice in a separate bowl, you may require this later.
Spicy Kimchi Paste
I used my very powerful Vita-Mix Blender to finely grind my own organic sweet brown rice flour, but you can use regular sweet rice flour. For oysters, I used Hama Hama, which are famous for their briny flavor, firm meat, mild finish and freshness even during summer months, but if you can get a hold of them, use Olympia oysters because they have a unique smoky flavor and copper finish.

Kimchi Paste Base
3 tbs sweet brown rice flour
3/4 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 tsp ginger juice, fresh squeezed
1/4 cup Korean brined baby shrimp
1 cup Korean hot pepper powder
½ cup oysters, raw, freshly shucked
¼ cup scallops, raw
1 blood orange, juice + zest
1 shitake mushroom, fresh or rehydrated if previously dehydrated
1/3 cup honey
½ sweet white onion

Kimchi Paste Bits
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 lb Korean radish or daikon, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
1 large Asian pear, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
1 Fuji apple, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
2 tbs pine nuts, brown tips removed
2 jujubes, pitted and thinly slivered
3 tbs goji berries

1. Boil 1 ½ cups of water in a small non-reactive pot, reduce to a simmer, and gently sift 3 tbs of sweet brown rice flour into the water, stirring frequently. Let cool.
2. Pour the cooled sweet rice paste and the rest of the ingredients listed under Kimchi Paste Base into a blender and blend on high.
3. Mix the Kimchi Paste Base together with the ingredients listed under Kimchi Paste Bits.
Preparing the Kimchi
Make sure you use a plastic drop cloth or newspapers when stuffing the kimchi because the red peppers stain surfaces and clothing easily. Also make sure you wear rubber or powder-free latex gloves in order to prevent chili pepper burns.
1. Smear the kimchi paste between each of the cabbage leaves, depositing some of the radish, apple, and pear in the outer-most layer of the cabbages as well as the inner.
2. Tightly compress the leaves and then start depositing each prepared cabbage quarter into a sterilized glass jar with screw-top lid.
3. Press down on the prepared bundles as you fill each jar to remove any air bubbles.
4. Make sure you leave at least two inches of space on top of each jar.
5. Sparingly pour the reserved cabbage juice from the wrung cabbages into each jar.
6. Pile any remaining kimchi paste and bits into each jar.
7. Double saran wrap over the mouth of the kimchi jars and stretch a rubber band over the necks. Screw the cap on tightly.
8. Bag the kimchi in a plastic bag and make sure the whole jar is covered the bag to prevent odors and the potential release of gases.
9. Set aside in a cool dark place overnight. In the morning, ladle out some of the juice if necessary.
10. Let mature in a cool, dark place for 2-3 days before placing the kimchi in the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process. The kimchi will last up to 3 weeks after which it will gradually increase in sourness.
11. To serve, transfer one whole piece onto the cutting board and slice crosswise into 2 inch sections.

Bulgogi Buffalo Burger (불고기버거)

2008-04-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

Bison burger meat fired with bulgogi flavor & nestled in a sticky brown rice bun

If there exists an edible that epitomizes the experience of being an American born Korean raised in Southern California, it is the Bulgogi Buffalo Burger. Imagine a 1/2 lb bulgogi-style seasoned slab of all-organic, grass-fed, free-range American buffalo meat topped with grilled onions, melted cheddar, crisp bean sprouts, crunchy purple cabbage, fragrant perilla leaves, pungent kimchi, and spicy jalapeños nestled between a roasted brown rice bun with a dollop of kochujang ketchup on the side. The bison burger meat is flavored with typical Asian seasonings of soy sauce and garlic but given an unconventional shot of Korean green plum wine, maesil ju. The Bulgogi Buffalo Burger also prominently features kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste and kimchi, spicy fermented napa cabbage- two national Korean foods, according to the Korean government. With your bulgogi, bap, and banchan in burger form, you can manhandle your meal and sink your teeth in the good old fashioned American way!

Buffalo (American Bison) meat is sweeter in flavor and leaner than beef. Bison meat is also healthier than skinless chicken, pork, lamb and even some fish, especially if you consider the mercury levels in fish nowadays. There is little shrinkage in bison meat, and because there is less fat to insulate the bison meat, it cooks faster than beef. Furthermore, in comparison to grain-fed beef, buffalo meat contains 69% more iron and higher levels of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, which help promote a healthy metabolism. So, send this buffalo home on the range and then, straight in your tummy

Bulgogi Buffalo Burger Recipe

~ Serves 4 people

Bulgogi-Style Marinated Bison Meat
If you are not eager to march off to a hunting range with a bow and arrow, check whether your local farmer's market carries bison meat or make the purchase online.

2 lbs ground buffalo (American bison) meat
4 large cloves of garlic
6 tsp soy sauce
4 tbs pineapple juice
3 tbs Korean green plum wine, maesil ju
2 tsp ginger juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1. Crush and roast the garlic. Let cool.
2. Force the ginger through the garlic crusher to obtain ginger juice. Mix the ginger juice with roasted garlic and other marinade ingredients.
3. Marinate the ground bison 2-3 hours or overnight.
Kochujang Ketchup
In lieu of ketchup, you can dab some fermented hot pepper paste on your burger. I recommend either O'Foods or Pulmone kochujang for the best quality results. Don’t slather on the kochujang like ketchup, however, because kochujang is much saltier than ketchup. O’Foods is less salty and much tastier than Pulmone but also twice as much in cost.

1/4 cup kochujang
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs green plum wine, maesil ju
2 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed

1. Mix all the ingredients together well. Let everyone help themselves.
Mixed Brown Rice (Bap) Buns
The stickiness of the sweet brown rice helps hold the grains together. Inspired by a favorite Korean snack, nurungi, which is the scorched rice at the bottom of the pot, down-home Korean melds with backyard American cooking.

2/3 cup short grain brown rice
1/3 cup sweet brown rice
2 cups of water
4 tsp sesame oil
1. Mix 2/3 cup short grain brown rice with 1/3 cup sweet brown rice, rinse and drain.
2. Pour 2 cups of water and pressure cook rice. Let cool to a warm temperature.
3. Cut about 1 square foot of saran wrap. Place a little over 1/4 cup of rice in the center of the saran wrap, and flatten and compress the rice into the shape of patty. Make sure you pack the patty tight.
4. Pour 1/2 tsp of sesame oil per patty on the pan. You will have 8 rice patties.
5. Cook each patty for 5-7 minutes over medium heat on each side. Do not flip the patty unnecessarily. 7 minutes will produce a more scorched bun than 5 minutes.
Preparing Toppings
Make sure you purchase perilla (kenip) leaves from the Korean market and not shiso leaves from the Japanese market. Korean perilla leaves are larger, heartier, less furry, and gentler in flavor than their Japanese counterparts. Kimchi can be purchased almost anywhere nowadays, including Costco, but I like to go to the Galleria market in K-town and get the kimchi with the raw oysters, croaker, and beltfish.

12 perilla leaves
2 cups young soybean sprouts
2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
2 green jalapeño peppers, sliced
1/2 onion, grilled
2 cups kimchi, sliced
4 slices cheddar cheese
1. Wash, dry, and prepare all the fresh vegetables. Set aside.
2. Grill the onions on the pan with touch of olive oil. Set aside.
Cooking & Assembling the Burger
Bison meat cooks 1/3 faster than regular beef, so if you like your burger medium rare, keep a close watch on the time. As with any lean meat, bison burger meat tastes better not over-cooked to well-done because the meat may become chewy and dry. The basic cooking strategy is: sear on high, then low and slow. Make sure you use a pancake spatula or tongs to flip the meat. Do not agitate or poke the meat more than necessary because the delicious juices are more likely to escape.

Ground bison meat, marinated
2 tsp vegetable oil
1. Heat the pan or grill up on high. Use 1/2 tsp of oil per burger patty.
2. Divide the meat into four patties.
3. Sear each side for about 1-2 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook 3-4 minutes on each side.
5. Place the burger meat on top of the rice bun and pile on whatever toppings you desire.

Uncookie Cookies (과자)

2008-04-03T15:32:00.001-07:00

Gluten-free, nutty, flax-seed cookies that you mix & shape, not bake

When is a cookie not a cookie? When it's an uncookie! Dubbed "uncookies" because they are not baked, these flavorful cookies, mixed and pressed into shape, are more at home in your fridge than the oven. So, satiate your sweet tooth in a guilt-free way with flourless, gluten-free, sugar-free Uncookie Cookies. Packed primarily with fresh ground flax seeds, walnuts and almonds and naturally sweetened with honey and maple syrup, omega-3 fatty acids charge this cookie with power to preserve and promote healthy bones and protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.

The coolest crumb bit about Uncookie Cookies is that the recipe may be tailored to fit your favorite cut of cookie. Choose from chocolate chip chocolate to cinnamon raisin and peanut butter. This cookie crumbles your way!

Uncookie Cookie Recipe

~ Yields 2 dozen 2 ½ - 3 inch cookies
Roast
The nuts should, ideally, be roasted, but if you subscribe to the raw foods faith, you may also choose to only warm them up to 116 F°. For the full raw version of this recipe, please see the recipe variations below.

2 cups walnuts
1 cups almonds
1. Set oven for 160-170 degree F°. Roast nuts on cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes. Alternately, you may also toast them on a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Finely grind the nuts using a food processor.

Note: A blender has too small of a base to properly grind large quantities of nuts.

Grind
This recipe relies heavily on a heavy duty blender and food processor. I opt for mostly whole spices because they keep fresh longer than pre-ground store-bought spices, which after a time, taste like dust.

1 whole nutmeg
1 tsp whole allspice
1 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sea salt
4 cups flax seeds
1. Use a very powerful blender to grind the spices and salt.
2. Sweep the spices into a big, non-metallic mixing bowl, and do not rinse the blender.
3. Pour flax seeds into the blender and grind them into a fine meal.
4. Combine flax seed meal with ground spices and salt.
Mix
When purchasing maple syrup, grade B is better than grade A because it is less processed and has a full maple flavor and thicker consistency. If you like molasses and spice cookies like Joe Joes or ginger snaps, feel free to ante-up the spices, kick in some ginger, and substitute molasses for honey. Do keep in mind, however, that molasses is not as healthy as honey or maple syrup. See below for cookie variations.

3 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp peanut butter
1. Drizzle the melted butter over the cookie mixture, and mixing with a wooden spoon, make sure the butter is evenly distributed and integrated into the mixture.
2. Add maple syrup, honey and peanut butter and mix well.
Shape
I use plastic saran wrap to shape the cookies and then vacuum seal and refrigerate them. You may also use silicon molds, but these cookies, when first shaped, are very delicate, so they must firm-up in the refrigerator before being served.
1. Cut a 12" by 12" piece of saran wrap.
2. Scoop two to two and a half heaping tablespoons of cookie mix onto the saran wrap.
3. Press the cookie into shape.
4. Vacuum seal the cookie. You will notice that as the cookie compresses, some of the liquids pull away, which allows the cookie to better retain shape.
Serve
If you used a silicon mold to shape the cookies, place them in a paper towel lined tupperware container and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving. If you vacuum-sealed the cookies, snip the edge of the plastic bag, without breaking the seal, so the freshness of the cookie is retained till the cookie is torn and ravaged from its protective casing.
Variations

For raw uncookie cookies....
1. Do not heat the nuts above 116 F°.
2. Omit butter and peanut butter.
3. Increase honey to 1/2 cup.
For chocolate chip chocolate uncookie cookies...
1. Add 1 cup unsweeted cocoa powder.
2. Increase the 1/4 cup honey to 1/2 cup
3. Add either raw cacao nibs or your favorite dark chocolate bar cut into chunks. I prefer Valrhona 's extra dark chocolate with 85% cacao.
For spicy raisin cookies...
1. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2. Increase the cinnamon to 3 teaspoons and nutmeg to 2 whole pieces.
3. Substitute 1/8 cup of honey for 1/8 cup of molasses.
4. When shaping the cookies, scoop a heaping tablespoon and half of the cookie mixture onto saran wrap, rest a few raisins on top of the pile, and then scoop another heaping tablespoon of cookie mix atop the raisins, sandwiching the raisins in between the cookie mix before compressing the cookie.
For peanut butter raisin cookies...
1. Omit 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.
2. Increase the peanut butter to 3 tablespoons.
3. Follow the spicy raisin cookie instructions above for adding raisins.

Black Sesame Panna Cotta (검은깨파나코타)

2008-03-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

An Italian dessert with an Asian twist

Lighter and healthier than crème brûlée, yet more decadent and creamy than typical Asian desserts featuring black sesame, black sesame panna cotta is a happy marriage between the Northern Italian specialty and Asia's favorite seed. Indispensable in Asian cooking, black sesame is mixed in both sweet and savory dishes. Koreans use black sesame in cold salads, such as oi muchim, or to season soups, meats, and noodles.

Black sesame is also used as a garnish in desserts or as the main ingredient, bound by corn syrup and served with other nut and seed candies. In addition, black sesame frequently assumes the starring role in Korean misutgaru, mixed-grain gruels, which I will feature in another post. Mitsugaru is composed of some combination of ground nuts, seeds, and/or grains stirred with enough water to make a gruel. Similarly, the Cantonese have a dessert, which features nothing but liquefied black sesame sweetened with sugar. But, in my opinion, those gruels are more like breakfast foods than desserts. Black sesame panna cotta, on the other hand, is like a fancy cookies and cream with Asian fusion flair.

Black Sesame Panna Cotta Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Black Sesame Panna Cotta
I used Yung's Food 100% black sesame powder, but you can grind your own sesame seeds. If the sesame seeds are not roasted, soak them in water for about an hour and then lightly roast them in a pan until you hear them start to pop.

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp agar agar
2 tbs black sesame powder
1/4 cup honey

To combine
Make sure you do not bring the milk and cream to a boil. Keep the heat low.
1. Bring milk and cream to a simmer.
2. Add sugar and stir a few minutes till sugar dissolves.
3. Sprinkle agar agar into milk mixture and stir until dissolved.
4. Add black sesame powder and continue stirring for two-three minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let stand five minutes.
To set
If you are using the silicone mold, steps 1 and 2 are unnecessary.
1. Rinse glass ramekins in cold water and do not dry. Or, you can use silicone molds to produce either standard-sized panna cottas or tiny bite-sized panna cottas.
2. Pour the black sesame cream mixture into the ramekins or molds.
3. Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
To serve
You can garnish the black sesame panna cotta with a simple green herb in addition to the melted honey, or you can choose to dress it with fresh fruits or even liquor-soaked fruits.
1. Place the bottom of the ramekins in hot water.
2. Run a knife along the edge of the panna cotta to loosen it.
3. Flip the panna cotta out on a plate. If you are using the silicone mold, you can just pop the panna cottas out.
4. Melt the honey and drizzle over the panna cottas.

Bellflower Root Salad (도라지나물)

2008-03-09T21:25:00.001-07:00

Mouthwatering mountain root vegetables with a kochujang kick

Doraji! Doraji! Delicious doraji! I have no qualms about joining in the chorus of the Korean folk song lauding doraji, albeit with my own twist. I can still vividly recall my first bite of spicy bellflower root salad, doraji saengchae. The kochujang kicked my tongue first, then, a natural sweetness unfolded with every crunch into the doraji's firm, fibrous flesh.

In my family, many traditional recipes were lost because my halmoni, the glue of my family and Korean traditions, suffered suddenly from stroke. In Korean culture, each generation learns from the previous one. With my mother working 60 hours or more per week at the hospital and grandmother incapacitated, pre-made store-brought banchans showed up on our plates with increasing frequency.

The store-bought banchans still taste great and actually, are often made by halmonis hunched over big metal bowls of banchans. But, the problem with pre-made banchans is lack of quality control. Many banchans contain MSG or corn syrup, despite being halmoni-made. I'm not sure what this signals, if not a change in times.

This bellflower root salad recipe is a modified version of Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall's Toraji Saengch'ae recipe (you can spell it with either a "t" or "d", depending on regional dialect, although the latter is more common). Hi Soo's cookbook, Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen, is one of the best Korean cookbooks written in English that you can purchase today. Here is what Hisoo had to say about doraji:

Most of the old Korean folk ballads I know are drenched in han manŭn insaeng, "Life is nothing but regrets and laments." The folk song titled "Toraji" is an exception. Koreans love singing the happy bellflower root-gathering song. In praise of toraji, the lyrics begin,
Toraji! Toraji! White Toraji!
In the deep, deep forest,
Even after digging only one or two roots,
My basket is overflowing.
Youngsters grow up singing and dancing to this plant and eating it too. Seeing a field covered with a blanket of bell-shaped toraji flowers, some snow-white, others a shocking purple, is a beautiful sight.

In the Korean Kitchen, toraji is considered one of the most important herbal roots. It is served on its own as a tasty side dish, included in simple dishes such as soups and pancakes, or in more complex ones from pibimbap and chapch'ae. It makes a delicious candied dessert, too.

I altered Hisoo's recipe to fit my tastes, including garlic, balsamic vinegar, and honey, and I also opted to rub salt into the doraji to remove some of the bitterness, which Hi Soo does not do.

Bellflower Salad Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Doraji
Over 70 percent of South Korea's landscape is mountainous, so it is no surprise that their food culture is marked by foraging and consists of a diet rich with mountain vegetables and herbs. If you do not have access to fresh doraji, simply soak the dried ones in hot water overnight.

1 lb fresh bellflower roots, doraji
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs kochujang
1 tbs kochugaru (hot pepper flakes)
1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbs vinegar
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs vermouth
1 1/2 tbs honey
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp chopped green onion
2 tsp sea salt

1. Rub salt into the fresh bellflower root and let sit for ten minutes.
2. Rinse the bellflower root, and then soak for another ten minutes. Repeat this procedure.
3. Split each root to be about or less than 1/8 inch thick.
4. Use a cheese cloth to squeeze out all excess water from the bellflower roots.
5. Crush the garlic and mix it into the kochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, hot pepper flakes, vinegars, honey, and half of the sesame seeds.
6. Marinate the bellflower roots, cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours.
7. Garnish with remaining sesame seeds and green onions.

Variation: For a sweeter, chewier version, omit the white vinegar and hot pepper flakes, increase the honey by 1/2 tablespoon, and then pan fry the doraji with a little olive oil.

ACORNucopia Noodles (도토리국수)

2008-02-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

Acorn noodles with a cornucopia of protein and crunchy veggies

A Primer on the Delectable Edible Acorn

Way healthier than wheat and tastier too, acorns served as sustenance to us since prehistoric times. During times of destitution in Korea, the poor and forlorn would seek food derived from the acorn. Now, it is not necessity that drives us to squirrel away these oak nuts but its health benefits and delicious nutty flavor.

Google for acorn flour, and few people—save self-sufficient mountain Jacks, Wiccan chefs, and Native Americans—go through the trouble of processing acorn flour because the procedure is notoriously difficult. First, you must collect acorns, being wary of weevil larvae, then, leech out the tannins, and peel away tough husks before grinding the grain-like nuts into flour. Leeching out the tannins alone may take up to ten hours and several water changes.

But, dig a little deeper into the web, varying your search terms, and you will find dotori muk, acorn jelly, and dotori gooksoo, acorn noodles. In Korean cuisine, acorn flour and starches are frequently used in cooking, so much so that the starch and flour are manufactured and sold at many Korean grocery stores. Finished acorn-based products such as the dotori muk and dotori gooksoo are also available at many Korean stores. Be wary of products labeled as acorn noodles, however, because some contain as little as 4% acorn flour. The highest percentage of acorn flour I have seen contained in acorn noodles is 35%, and this was fact was proudly touted in a Well-Being store in Seoul.

The acorn noodles in my recipe are homemade and contain 70 percent fresh ground acorn meal. Due to the freshness and lack of preservatives of the acorn noodles, they should be stored in the freezer. I have decided to make these noodles available for purchase due to a complete absence of quality acorn noodles web and storewide.

All About Acorn Hut's Acorn Soba Noodles

Packed with essential amino acids and antioxidants, Acorn Hut's acorn noodles are a healthy and flavorful alternative to any pick of pasta. This dish teems with ten different vegetables and the parent-child proteins of chicken and egg. The juxtaposition of contrasting textures and tastes create a unique savory experience as the garlic, pan-roasted burdock seasons, and is in turned livened by, a bunch of crisp bean sprouts. Fragrant, fresh-snipped perilla and garland chrysanthemum, tossed in with sliced cabbage, green onions, carrots, cucumbers and two types of hot peppers, complete the spicy cornucopia with a satisfying crunch.

I developed this recipe after tasting Kobawoo restaurant’s version of dotori gooksoo. Their kochujang sauce left much to be desired as it varnished my tongue with a watery wasabi-like resin. Meanwhile, key Korean vegetables seemed M.I.A. while the red onions and bell peppers tasted misplaced.

In Acorn Hut's ACORNucopia Noodle Recipe, only the finest ingredients are used. No corn syrup is added to the organic kochujang sauce—the same cannot be confidently said for Kobawoo’s kochujang sauce. Acorn Hut’s noodles consist of a 70 percent acorn flour base. And the only two oils sparingly used are organic extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame oil. The best part about making this dish at home is that you are the Q.C.M. (Quality Control Manager), and the ingredients are as organic and fresh as you desire.

ACORNucopia Acorn Noodle Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

The Chicken and the Egg
You can use either hard boiled eggs or egg ribbons. Using hard boiled eggs takes less time but otherwise, which you choose is a matter of personal taste. To save time, you may also opt for a pre-made rotisserie chicken.

Hard Boiled Eggs
Boiling an egg is not as straightforward as tossing it in boiling water. Here are a few tips for a fluffier egg.

2-3 eggs
1. Prick the top of the egg with a pin to allow the egg to expand into its whole shell as it cooks.
2. Boiling time may vary depending on the size of the egg, but I don’t think you should boil any sized egg for more than 15 minutes.
3. Rinse the eggs in cold water to make peeling easier.

Egg Ribbons
Use a small non-stick pan when making these egg ribbons. Always keep the heat medium to low to prevent to release of unwanted chemicals. This recipe is similar but less labor intensive than my egg omelet recipe in Kickin’ California Kimbap.

3 eggs
½ tsp olive oil
¼ tsp honey
1 tsp mirin
Pinch sea salt
1. Melt the honey into the mirin.
2. Beat the honeyed mirin and salt into the eggs.
3. Lubricate the heated pan with olive oil.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and wait until the egg solidifies and edges brown a little.
5. Flip the egg, turn off the heat, and let sit.
6. Slice the egg into 1/6 inch strips. Set aside in small bowl.
Chicken
I have used pre-made rotisserie chickens from Costco and Zankou with great success. Be wary of pre-made chickens at grocery stores like Ralphs because they tend to be overly salted. But for a healthier alternative, cook your own chicken breasts.

One tablespoon sesame oil
2 large chicken breasts
2 two-inch pieces of ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
½ cup mirin
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tbs water
1. Pan roast the chicken with sesame oil, ginger, and sliced garlic. When the chicken is browned, flip, turn off the heat and let the pan cool a bit.
2. Pour soy sauce, mirin, pineapple juice, and water into the pan and cover.
3. Cook on medium low heat for fifteen minutes.
4. Uncover and continue to cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid thickens into a sauce. Set aside to cool.
5. Slice the chicken using your knife or throw it into your food processor for a few pulses in a batch separate from the vegetables.

Kochujang Dressing/Fermented Hot Pepper Sauce
The best kochujang is homemade from scratch with organic ingredients, but if you don't have time, the best MSG-free store-bought brands for kochejang are O'Foods and Pulmone. Due to the nature of the fresh dressing ingredients, you require a powerful blender. One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Vita-Mix Blender because the motor is incredibly powerful, and it pulverizes my smoothies, spices, grains, and of course, dressings in mere seconds.

3 tbs kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste
2 tbs dry vermouth
2 tbs olive oil
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon or kalamanzi juice
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
½ Korean pear, peeled and seeded
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbs sesame oil
1. Place all the kochujang salad dressing ingredients in your blender.
2. Blend on low before increasing to high. The resulting salad dressing should be smooth and resemble cream of tomato soup, or a reddish Thousand Island’s dressing. Let people help themselves.

Vegetable cornucopia
Most of these fresh vegetables may be purchased at your local farmer’s market. Find garland chrysanthemum (ssukgat), perilla (kkenip), and hot peppers (gochu) at your local Korean or Japanese market. You can choose between 4 different types of cucumbers- Japanese, Korean, Persian, and English. Korean oi have a pastel green hue and tend to be a bit less crisp than their forest green Japanese kyuri counterparts. Both are shorter, thinner, and crisper than the English hot house cucumber. Persian cucumbers are shorter than both Korean and Japanese cucumbers and have a thicker seed middle but not as thick as English cucumbers. For your reference, 3 kyuri = 3 oi = 4 Persian = 1 English hot house cucumber

2 cups bean sprouts
¼ purple cabbage
1 bunch garland chrysanthemum
2 bunches perilla leaves, 10-14 leaves
1 stalk green onions
2 Korean green hot peppers
1 red jalapeño pepper
5-6 young carrots
3 Japanese cucumbers
1. Wash and then pat or spin dry all of the vegetables.
2. Place the bean sprouts in a small bowl covered bowl and fridge. As you finish chopping or slicing each vegetable, refrigerate each in a small bowl to preserve freshness.
3. Slice the purple cabbage into ¼ inch thick pieces.
4. Chop the garland chrysanthemum into 1 ½ - 2 inch pieces.
5. Fold the perilla leaves over one another in a deck and snip them into 1/3 inch thick pieces.
6. Slice the green onion into thin disks.
7. Slice the Korean green hot peppers into 1/6 inch thick disks.
8. Slice the red jalapeño pepper into thin disks.
9. Insert the coarse blade into your mandolin slicer and slice your carrots evenly into ¼ inch thick strips.
10. Repeat this procedure for your cucumbers.

Time Saver: If you value time over the aesthetics or if you plan to double this recipe, throw all the vegetables one batch at a time into your food processor and pulse a few times. My Kitche nAid food processor shreds the cabbage perfectly in less than ten seconds.

Pan-Roasted Garlic Burdock
Burdock (uuong/gobo) may be found at your local Korean or Japanese grocer. Some Chinese markets also carry burdock, known as Ngau Pong in Cantonese. To pick a fresh burdock, look for obvious shriveling and then carefully inspect the density of the root at its base. Ideally, the base should be solid and have no splinters of wind tunnels. If you whip the burdock a bit, it should also have a firm resilience and not be limp.

2 whole roots of burdock (uuong/gobo)
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbs sesame oil
Pinch of sea salt
1. Slice the burdock into thin matchsticks using your mandolin slicer, or chop the root into 2 inch pieces and toss into a food processor.
2. Throw the sesame oil and salt in a pan over medium low heat.
3. Add the sliced burdock and 4 crushed cloves of garlic in the pan.
4. Stir fry until the burdock edges and garlic bits are a golden brown. Set aside in a small bowl.

Acorn Hut's Acorn Noodles
Try substituting acorn noodles in any recipe that calls for pasta noodles. Acorn noodles are an especially excellent alternative to soba noodles. You can try purchasing acorn noodles either at your local Korean grocer or for higher quality acorn noodles, here at Acorn Hut.

1 lb Acorn Noodles (dotori gooksoo)
1. Immerse acorn noodles in boiling water and boil for 6 minutes.
2. Rinse noodles in icy cold water and drain well.

Arranging Acorn Noodles
Arrange all of the different prepared toppings on the table and let people choose which toppings they want, or prepare each bowl separately.

Acorn noodles
Vegetables
Chicken
Egg
Kochujang sauce
1. First, place the noodles in each bowl.
2. Pile on the toppings.
3. Allow each person to pour as much sauce as they please.

Super G-Salad (인삼산채)

2008-02-10T15:47:00.001-08:00

A Medley of Ginseng, Garland Chrysanthemum, Gingko Nuts, Goji Berries, Green Peppers & Garlic

This ambrosial assortment is a stimulating health elixir in salad form. The ginseng, garland chrysanthemum, gingko nuts, goji Berries, green Korean hot peppers, and garlic hot pepper dressing create a rare, delicious salad. Composed of numerous nutrition-packed ingredients beginning with the letter “G”, hence the name “Super G Salad”, this salad sings with a robust, distinctively nutty, spicy, slightly bitter, savory, yet subtly sweet, fresh deliciousness.

Dressing this herbaceous bouquet of quintessential Korean ingredients, such as ginseng and gingko, is a distinctly Korean condiment-kochujang, fermented red hot pepper paste. Despite a striking resemblance to cream of tomato soup, the kochujang dressing savors like a garlicky fire gently dancing on your tongue.

And the Super G Salad tastes as good as it is for you. In particular, the ginseng and gingko nuts act synergistically together to improve cognitive function. Ginseng also widens blood vessels by increasing production of nitric oxide, which is also how a certain Little Blue Pick-Me-Up Pill works. This salad is not only an aphrodisiac but also an alleviant for Type 2 diabetes. The ginseng, gingko nuts, garlic, and Korean hot peppers all actively lower blood sugar levels. And, if you believe 5000 years of East Asian medicine, the Super G Salad is essentially a panacea for all existing ills.

Super G Salad Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Salad
Living in Los Angeles, I am blessed with numerous shopping options for Asian groceries. I found the best place to buy organic garland chrysanthemum, however, is at your local farmer’s market or a Japanese grocery store like Nijiya or Marukai. Garland Chrysanthemum is also known as Crown Daisies, Shungiku in Japanese, or Ssukat/Ssukgat in Korean. Fresh ginseng can generally be found at any Korean market. To create the ginseng shreds, I suggest using a vegetable peeler that resembles a personal razor.

1 bunch organic garland chrysanthemum
2 fresh ginseng roots, 5-6 inches long, 1 inch base
4 green Korean hot peppers
1. Wash, spin-dry, and then separate the garland chrysanthemum leaves.
2. Wash, pat dry, and shave the ginseng lengthwise with your vegetable peeler.
3. Slice the green Korean hot peppers into thin disks.
4. Mix the garland chrysanthemum, ginseng, and green Korean hot peppers together.
5. Divide the salad onto plates.

Toppings
I purchase my gingko nuts fresh in Korean markets, but I have also seen them sold shelled and vacuum-packed in plastic. Gingko nuts are small and have a thin, delicate shell, so regular nut crackers are not efficient for shelling them. The best nut cracker for gingko nuts is actually a lime squeezer, and you can usually crack about 5-6 gingko nuts in one go.

½ cup gingko nuts
2 tbs goji berries
2 tbs pine nuts
1 tsp olive oil
pinch salt
1. Lightly roast the shelled gingko nuts over a low fire with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside and let cool.
2. Lightly roast the pine nuts over a low fire. Combine with the cooled gingko nuts.
3. Sprinkle the gingko nuts, pine nuts, and goji berries over each salad.
Kochujang Dressing/Fermented Hot Pepper Sauce
The best kochujang is homemade from scratch with organic ingredients, but if you don't have time, the best MSG-free store-bought brands for kochujang are O'Foods and Pulmone. O'Foods is two-three times more expensive than Pulmone, but it also tastes better and is less salty. Due to the nature of the fresh dressing ingredients, you require a powerful blender. One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Vita-Mix Blender because the motor is incredibly powerful, and it pulverizes my smoothies, spices, grains, and of course, dressings in mere seconds.

3 tbs kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste
2 tbs dry vermouth
2 tbs olive oil
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon or kalamanzi juice
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
½ Korean pear, peeled and seeded
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbs sesame oil
1. Place all the kochujang salad dressing ingredients in your blender.
2. Blend on low before increasing to high. The resulting salad dressing should be smooth and resemble cream of tomato soup, or a reddish Thousand Island’s dressing. Let people help themselves.

Winter Cool Cucumber Salad (오이무침)

2008-02-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

A cool salad for keeping yourself HOT in the wintertime

Wintertime is harsh on your skin and body— your body burns more calories than usual trying to keep warm. Of course it doesn’t follow that you lose weight because you crave heartier foods. Meanwhile, your skin gets battered by the wind, cold, and sun. But you can keep that polar pudge off and skin smooth by harnessing the hydrating powers of cucumber in combination with the fat-burning fire of red Korean chili peppers.

What makes this seasoned cucumber or, in Korean, oi muchim work is the Japanese cucumber, kyuri, which are available year-round. You may also choose to use Persian cucumbers or English hothouse cucumbers. The cucumbers, in tandem with ginger, garlic, green onion, and hot chili peppers, produce a powerfully potent salad of Vitamin A, B6, and C, chromium, manganese, silica, selenium, and sulfur—all vital for aiding your skin in its natural repair. The red chili peppers also boost your metabolism as capsaicin continues to burn calories, long after you have already digested it! Omit the honey, and this recipe is a homeopathic alleviant for diabetics.

Winter Cool Cucumber Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Garlicky Vinegar
This garlicky vinegar may be added to soy sauce for dipping dumplings, kochujang, or any other sauce or dish that calls for vinegar.

3 garlic cloves
6 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maesil ju, Korean green plum wine
1. Crush or thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Soak the garlic in 6 tsp of rice vinegar for an hour, or preferably, overnight.

Cucumber Salad
What adds an extra special spicy kick to this salad is the shot of fresh ginger juice.

3 japanese cucumbers – kyuri
2 tsp scallions/green onions, finely chopped
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbs Korean red chili pepper, cut in thin .5 x .1 inch strips
1 tbs seaweed, cut in thin .5 x .1 inch strips
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger juice
¼ tsp salt
3. Stir in honey into the ginger juice, which you have obtained from crushing the bulb of ginger.
4. Use your Japanese Mandolin slicer to evenly slice your cucumbers into thin 1/16 inch disks.
5. Lightly sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers.
6. Mix the garlic vinegar, soy sauce, and honeyed ginger juice together and pour over the cucumbers.
7. Add scallions, cracked pepper, salt, red chili pepper, and if you so desire sesame seeds and oil, and lightly toss.
8. Add the seaweed and additional red pepper on top for garnish and serve.
Variations
For a softer sesame version, add:
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Bebop for Kimbap... California Style (닭고기김밥)

2008-02-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

The healthy, organic version of Korean fast food sushi

Lucky the leprechaun just might forgo his Lucky Charms if he knew about kimbap*, Korean sushi, which is composed of a mishmash of colorful ingredients, thus capturing the rainbow in a roll instead of a bowl.

As an all-inclusive-meal-in-a-bite you can pop in your mouth, kimbap produces some odd bedfellows. Combinations in kimbap can range from your typical marriage of tuna and mayonnaise to the eye-brow raising duo of kimchi and cheese. Basically, it’s a free-for-all, so let loose your creative juices when choosing your kimbap fillings. Roll themes can range from all-organic, vegan and macrobiotic-friendly to rib-eye richness.

Although short grain white rice is the most commonly used grain for kimbap, I opt for a 1:2 grain ratio of organic sweet brown rice and organic short grain brown rice. Sweet brown rice is a glutinous, high-protein variety of rice, whose refined counterpart is commonly used in desserts such as mochi or dduk/tok. This grain mixture produces rice strongly characterized by a sticky, chewy and hearty goodness. Each grain seemingly pops with a sweet, nutty flavor under the grind of your molar. Adding sweet rice also increases the overall gluten, making it easier to use less rice and tightly roll the smorgasbord of meat and vegetables into the blanket of rice and seaweed.

Spinach may add a bold kick of green color to kimbap and remain a frequently favored darling among vegetables for Koreans, but I am not a fan of its flavor or texture in kimbap, so I gave it the boot. I prefer a combination of crunch and velvety richness balanced by enough vinegary acidity to make kimbap the way I imagine it should be: a-balanced-meal-in-a-bite, where every ingredient has its place and the addition of soy sauce becomes a travesty.

Kickin' Californian Kimbap Recipe

~ Yields 12 rolls,serves 3-5 people

To save time, consider preparing some of the kimbap materials the night before, such as the chicken and any of the vegetables, except the avocado.
Yummy Brown Rice Mix
I can always differentiate a good variety of organic short grain brown rice from inorganic rice by whether the eye of grain is intact. When organic rice is cooked, the light yellow eye should be staring at you from the tip of the grain.
1. Mix 1 1/3 cup short grain brown rice with 2/3 cup sweet brown rice.
2. Soak for an hour, drain, and add 2 2/3 cups water to pressure cook.
3. Melt 1/2 tsp honey into 1 tsp hot water, mix with 3 tsp rice vinegar and ¼ tsp salt.
4. Sprinkle this vinegar seasoning over the cooked rice while fanning the rice to make the grains shiny.
Kickin' Chicken
I know the health benefits of white meat outweigh the dark, but I prefer dark-meat. To compromise, I mixed chicken parts and then shredded everything together with a fork, but if you pick only breast meat for this recipe, I would advise that you purchase meat with some skin and bones because otherwise, there’s no flavor to savor! The marinade for this chicken is a healthier, sugar-free version of the standard Korean barbeque marinade. In lieu of maesil ju, Korean green plum wine, feel free to add mirin, grand marnier, or marsala wine. Each liqour imparts a different subtle flavor on the chicken and which you choose is a matter of personal preference.

2 ½ lb chicken parts
6 garlic cloves
½ onion
¼ cup ginger
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup maesil ju, Korean green plum wine

1. Slice the garlic cloves into 1/8 inch thick disks and set aside.
2. Slice the ginger into thick strips and set aside.
3. Soak and rinse the chicken in water to get rid of any debris or blood.
4. Place the chicken and other ingredients in a pot with a thick-bottom or copper coating.
5. Cover and cook on medium heat until it starts to boil, then quickly reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or until much of the liquid has evaporated and meat becomes shiny, falling off bone.
7. Wait until the meat cools a bit and then remove all the bones, ginger, and onion bits.
8. You can leave the meat in chunks or shred the meat slightly and pour the remaining
liquid back into the meat for extra seasoning. Set aside.
Crunchy Vegetables
Young carrots- the carrots should not be cooked too long or they will lack the firm, dense crunch.
1. Douse the carrots in boiling water for about five minutes to blanch.
2. Rinse carrots in cold water.
3. Slice each carrot length-wise into fourths and scatter ¼ tsp salt over carrots.
4. Pour just enough rice vinegar over to steep the carrots. I used shallow oval bowls, but you may also place them on a plate with high rim. Set aside.
Japanese cucumbers/kyuri- These cucumbers are similar to Persian cucumbers with a thinner middle and crunchier outside than English hot house cucumbers. Kyuri contribute a fresh, crisp crunch to the kimbap roll.
5. Slice each cucumber length-wise into sixths, trimming the seed middle a bit. Set aside.
Pickled radish/Daikon- I believe in making things from scratch for quality control, but pickling vegetables to crunchy perfection is an art of its own. The perfect daikon is wrinkly as the trunk of an elephant, about 1 ½ inches thick, and marked by a deep, edgy crunch.
6. Slice the daikon length-wise in halves. Slice that half into sixths. Set aside.
Pickled red radish/Fukujin zuke- this vibrant red pickled radish adds a subtle sweetness to the kimbap.
7. Drain the fukujin zuke and set aside in a small bowl.
Pickled eggplant & cucumber/shiba zuke- This pickled eggplant paints the kimbap with a beautiful purple, imbuing the roll with aromatic perilla flavor while adding a cushy crunch.
8. Drain the shiba zuke and set aside in a small bowl.
Avocado- Some people slather mayonnaise as a quick flavor fix or to offset the way their kimbap sticks in your throat, which is often caused by too much white rice and not enough filling. Slicing fresh avocados into your rolls, however, is a great, tasty alternative to mayonnaise. In this Kickin’ California Kimbap, avocados add a bit of creamy decadence and complement the nutty, chewy brown rice.
9. Peel and seed the avocado, then slice it length-wise in half.
10. Cut each halve into sixths and set aside.
Egg omelet/Gehran/Tamagoyaki
Usually, a little bit of sugar is added in the egg omelet, but I try to cut my use of refined, processed sugar wherever I can and instead, substituted a little bit of honey. The secret to making a good tamagoyaki is pouring just enough egg to cover the bottom of the pan and having the right pan. You need a heavy-bottomed, non-stick square pan.
1. Melt ½ tsp honey in 1 tbs of hot water, stirring in 1tsp mirin and ¼ tsp salt.
2. Beat this mixture into 8 eggs. You will cook omelette in two
batches. Heat up a square non-stick pan, lightly coated with olive oil on a low
fire.
3. Pour enough of the egg mixture to cover the pan.
4. Wait until the egg turns opaque and firm but not browned, then use a flexible pancake spatula to loosen the edges. Fold each end onto the middle in thirds, so 1/3of the egg remains as a bar in the middle of the pan.
5. Pour a little more of the egg mixture onto each empty 1/3 section of the pan. Wait until the egg turns opaque and solid, and then flip each end onto the third in the middle.
6. Repeat until half the egg mixture is gone. Set the egg aside to cool before cutting it into sixths. Repeat process so the next batch is cooked and cut. Set aside.
Easy Rolling Instructions
Select a roasted, unseasoned, thick, sushi-grade laver, and you will not encounter rolls that splinter before you can roll them.
1. Carefully spread ½ cup of rice onto 2/3 the laver sheet.
2. Position the chicken on the 1/3 line of the rice section.
3. Pile the egg and other ingredients on top of the chicken.
4. Tightly roll the fillings into the blanket of seaweed and rice, tucking them in if they fall out. Set each roll aside and pile them on a plate.
5. When you are finished rolling the kimbaps, slice each roll horizontally, about ¼-1/3 an inch thick. Wash your knife blade clean in a mixture of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water when too much rice accumulates on the blade.
Variations
For smoked fish lovers out there, I also tried replacing the chicken with cold smoked white fish from my local Russian grocer and with great success. Cold smoked white fish is rich with natural oils, however, so watch how much avocado you put in your roll. Cold-smoked mackerel, although an acquired taste, also works beautifully.

Vegetarians should feel free to use smoked tofu. Smoked tofu, especially when combined with all the other ingredients in this roll, tastes delicious and has a texture a bit similar to some fish cakes. Vegans should also feel free to cut the egg out as well, although I really think the egg enhances the flavors of the roll.

*Kimbap is also sometimes spelled Kimbop, Gimbap, Gimbop, Kimbob, and Gimbob. The most common spelling, however, is kimbap.

Super Natural Samgyetang (삼계탕)

2008-01-21T17:31:00.000-08:00

A souped up Korean ginseng chicken soup dressed with the finest organic ingredients

Here is the Super Natural twist on an old Korean dish – Samgyetang, ginseng chicken soup. This bright coffee-colored consommé stands in stark contrast to the oatmeal opaque of standard ginseng chicken broths. Generous portions of jujubes, goji berries, and ginseng saturate this soup with the deep reddish gold and brown hues you see.

I encountered my first bowl of samgyetang a few years ago. Although Los Angeles is home to many different samgyetangs, each one fell short of the first one I dreamt of, as I waited, sick and eager, fingers tightly gripping my spoon. I imagined samgyetang fusing the crock pot of aromatics in my childhood memories to chicken matza ball soup—deliciously potent Korean penicillin. But, where ingredients were right, quantities and proportions were wrong, and vice versa, a milky broth bursting with rich flavor would only be spoiled by a bite into a bitter, gritty date. One restaurant boiled their tiny bird under such a fast, furious fire that I would have swore they served me the wrong order, Chicken with Water, were it not for my spoon stirring up a sliver of ginseng from the cast iron bottom. Leaving my bowl of Chicken with Water untouched, I vowed to create a Super Natural Samgyetang, a souped-up samgyetang dressed with the finest organic ingredients.

After several different attempts and learning through trial-by-fire, two of which included a crunchy rice filling, the following recipe is a richer, healthier, and more flavorful version of the traditional Korean chicken ginseng soup. The cooking method for this samgyetang differs dramatically from others in that a crock pot is used. The crockpot allows the herbs to soak and cook at a lower temperature, which preserves the goodness of the ginseng, gingko, and jujubes, rather than a quick, furious boil, which destroys the nutrients and scarcely provides time for the herbs to permeate the broth. The crockpot also allows for long cooking time without long watching time, hence it is often dubbed the Prep-It-and-Forget-It (PIFI) cooking method.

Super Natural Samgyetang Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Starting Herbal Broth
Worry not if you exceed the cooking time on this herbal broth, or if the herbal broth simply sits around for a few hours longer because this will allow the herbs to thoroughly saturate the soup.

3 quarts of water
3 cups/15 large jujube dates
½ cup goji berries 3 large fresh ginseng roots/2 dried ginseng roots>5 years
1. Place all the ingredients in a 6-quart Rival crock pot and cook on low for ten hours.
2. Strain the herbal broth through a sieve.
3. Pour the herbal broth back into the crock pot and discard the scraps.
Sweet Rice Stuffing
When picking your chicken or hen, make sure the poultry's skin is pale, spot-free and resilient. What you stuff inside your bird may vary. Some recipes stuff ginseng directly into the chicken. If you are using fresh ginseng, you may add a bit of fresh ginseng in the stuffing mix; however, I believe the ginseng is most efficacious steeping in the broth. If you are using two birds, divide the stuffing materials accordingly.

1 organic young chicken (3-4 lbs), or 2 organic cornish hens
6 medium garlic cloves
3/4 cup organic sweet brown rice
¼ cup goji berries
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp cracked black pepper
½ tsp rock sea salt
1. Soak the sweet brown rice for 1-2 hours, drain, and set aside.
2. Wash and clean the inside of the chicken.
3. Sew-up the neck end of the chicken.
4. Stuff a clove of garlic into the neck end from the tail end.
5. Lightly salt the inside of chicken, reserving a tiny pinch of salt for the rice stuffing mix.
6. Line the rest of the garlic cloves against the ribs of the chicken.
7. Mix the sweet brown rice with goji berries, toasted sesame seeds, cracked black pepper, and pinch of salt. Stuff the rice mixture into the chicken.
8. Sew-up the chicken.
Ginseng Chicken Soup
Be very careful when peeling the chestnuts. I use a tool specially designed for peeling chestnuts, which can be found in the kitchen tool section of your local Korean grocery store.

Herbal Broth, prepared
1 organic chicken, stuffed
2 cups/10 raw chestnuts
2/3 cup gingko nuts
2 cups of jujube dates
2 tsp of rock sea salt
1. Peel the chestnuts.
2. Shell the gingko nuts.
3. Place the stuffed organic chicken, chestnuts, gingko nuts, dates, and salt into the prepared herbal broth.
4. Set the crock pot to cook on high for six hours. Your Supernatural Samgyetang is cooked and ready to serve!

Equipment for Super Natural Samgyetang

Cooking is always easier and more fun when you have the right tools.
Starting from clockwise:

Trussing Needle & Twine~ absolutely necessary for sewing poultry

Chestnut peeler~ prevents fingers from getting cut

Lime Squeezer~ can crush 5 gingko nuts at a time, in addition to squeezing limes

Kitchen Shears~ A phat way of trimming poultry fat

6-quart Rival Crockpot or Luminarc glass casserole pot