Joon

Haha I asked her how to make Ori Dori Tang and she just says "It's the same as dak dori!" She also throws in some not-korean herbs like rosemary or sage that she grows in her garden..

My mom says the first one is Don-Damul and second one is Chwi-Namul.

For me the key to delicous dduk boki is ample cabbage. When the cabbage cooks in the sauce it really give it an earthy oomph that you don't find in any other dish..

I know I'm late to this party but I'm totally on the Pa jori/muchim bandwagon. BBQ just isn't the same without it... I like to roll mine with lettuce, ket nip, garlic, chili, ssam jang and scallions. YUM. By the way, if any of you guys have a Costco type place near you check the meat counter for something called "flap meat." Makes AWESOME galbi, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper.

Yes, Dak Jjim literally is stewed chicken. The Dori-tang is also a stew but somehow gets a tang. For some reason "tang" dishes span from stews like dak-dori all the way to brothy soups - like, say, galbi tang. My mom's been making me dak dori with duck, and it's a delicious variation

Yes, we demand them! How's the fermenting going?

Hey everyone, I went to the local Japanese market here (NJ), Mitsuwa and saw some beautiful wagyu beef. It was so fatty that I just had to buy it. It sort of looks like this: http://images26.fotki.com/v895/photos/7/75...0056Edit-vi.jpg There were two different packges labeled Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu, but the cuts and shapes of the beef looked identical. Since this beef is so expensive, I want to make sure I do the right thing with it. What would you guys recommend? Shabu or sukiyaki? I'm a little hesitant to take this great beef and 'boil' it, but then it's so thin that i can't conceive of grilling it either. Any good recipes would be appreciated also. Thank you!

This isn't Japanese, but from what I've seen, Koreans use abalone mainly for two things: juk and sashimi. Both preparations are delicious.

Ba ga ji is just a general word that means 'bucket.' I'm so impressed with people making Kimchi at home! I don't think I have the balls or the patience to try this myself. And the local supermarket kimchi here is so good that my mom doesn't even make her own any more..

Glad to hear you enjoyed the food. You had almost exactly what I had t last time I went to Nicholas but I much prefer to eat in the bar, since you don't have to deal with silly table formalities and can pick and choose only what you want. I've been meaning to try the crispy pork belly - had the duck last time and thought the polenta was the best part of the package. They used to have a "Bananas Foster" version of the Foie Gras that I thought was far superior to the cherry one but that one's not bad either. If you go again, try the lobster. It's IMO their best dish.

Mmm! A little sugar would go great in that sauce too.

My mom used to make this all the time - the "jellyfish" part looks/feels like it's noodles right? I'll ask her how to make it. Mmm, I miss it!

IMHO the real secret to the Ramyun soup packets are Miwon aka ajinomoto aka MSG. But aside from that the obvious candidates are the ingredients listed + dashida. Personally since Ramyun is so plentiful and cheap I would never make it myself - if I were gonna take the time to make the soup I might as well try something other than to aim for results out of a soup packet.

This is SOOOOOOO TRUE. I am always running out of spring onions and when I have them they always go bad. What is up with that? koreans consume garlic and green onion like it's going out of style. I think koreans also consume more garlic than any other country in the world. ← My mom's gotten me into the habit of chopping then zip-lock bag freezing green onions. It's almost the same as fresh since I primarily use it to finish off soups. I also happen to be a fan of Pa Kim Chee or Bu chu kimchee so when I'm in a bind I'll just throw some of that into the soup.

I know there've been lots of responses - here's my personal take. I'll try to concentrate on things that are are strongly korean (excluding things like soy sauce) since you already have a Japanese kitchen. Condiments, spices, things that last forever: 1. Gochu garu (the other chiles just aren't the same!) 2. Gochu jang 3. Ssam Jang (or Den Jang - Ssam Jang is den jang + stuff) 4. Sesame Oil and Seeds 5. Saewoo jut 6. Gim - the pre-salted roasted and cut kind. 7. Noodles - Ramyun (Shin, NeoGuri), Jajang myun (Chapaghetti (not chacharoni), BiBim Naeng Myun (I believe I get Paldo Bibim Myun) Food, fresh: 1. Scallions 2. Korean peppers 3. Whatever "namul" veggie floats your boat - spinach, bean sprouts, gosari, doraji, etc. 4. Korean Pears Food, pickled/cured: 1. kimchee 2. Your choice of Jut - my favorites are changran (fish guts) and myungran (fish eggs) jut. Protein: 1. Soft (Silken) Tofu for Soon Dubu 2. Sliced beef/Pork for galbi/bulgogi/dejibulgogi 3. Gulbi (semi dried/salted...croaker?) or Cod (for MaeOonTang Fish Soup) I think that's what I usually get anyway. Edit: I can't believe no one on this thread has mentioned the quintessential korean protein - SPAM! Must have spam at all times.

Hah! My mom does the same thing too! I'm thinking someone needs to come up with a T-Shirt (or bumper sticker) about Koreans and garlic. Scratch and sniff would make it even better.

If it's not your money then I'd go for Nicholas. I just got a bunch of gift certificates for friends and coworkers. Hope they like it!

I think both the type of fish and size matter, but it also probably differs from fish to fish. I'm lucky enough to live an hour away from a japanese market where I can get (bluefin) chu and oh toro. But they're not necessarily consistent in the marbling of the fats. Just did a quick search and according to wisegeek.com: While sushi uses many different types of tuna including yellow fin and big eye, true toro is only taken from blue fin tuna. . The most valuable toro, otoro, is from the underside of the fish close to the head. Chutoro, a lesser grade, comes from the belly in the middle and back of the fish, and is less marbled than otoro. So maybe it's like torakris said - related to size? Coincidentally last night I got a piece of "toro" from a local sushi shop and the whole piece was WHITE with insane amounts of fat in it. I've never seen this before. Is this normal?

Yum! Do you know the names of the first two dishes?

I used to buy all my spices from Penzeys until I realized that the local warehouse club had a lot of the same things for much less. I get whatever I can from Costco/BJ's, buy most of my mexican spices from the local mexican store, and my indian spices at the indian shops. They're all much cheaper than Penzey's and I can't tell the difference in flavor. Anything I can't find locally I'll go to Penzeys for.

I think you got me aroused with that comment. Hah!

Ah! I was going through FatMan's blog and found a picture! JJampong broth: And going back to an earlier discussion, JaJang Bap: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v85/fatman_seoul/tangbokbab/04.jpg Original page is here: http://fatman-seoul.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html

Gah!!! Looks so good. Where is this place? Oh, it's in Korea. Damn. As far as the name of the restaurant, I was wondering the same thing. Is it Sal or Ssal? If it's Ssal (rice), bap in this context translates into something like "meal" or something.. e.g. - ssal bap = rice meal, bori bap = barley meal, kong bap = sort of breaks the rule and means rice + beans) Generally speaking the term "Ssal bap" is used only when you need to differentiate between pure white rice and a different (mixed) rice/grain dish. So if my mother had two types of rice prepared and i wanted the white I would ask her specifically for "Ssal bap". But sal could mean a few things. Two I can think of are flesh, or soft/brittle/light. But I still have no idea what it would mean!

Hi Forceten, Well, it depends on what you consider "area." In the immediate vicinity (say 10 mile radius?) KeoKu is the only Korean restaurant I'm aware of. Have you been to any of the Korean restaurants in Fort Lee/Palisades Park? It's about 30-40 minutes away but in my opinion well worth the trip. For me the difference between charcoal grilled BBQ and gas BBQ is like night and day..

Hate to say this but KeoKu might be my least favorite korean restaurant in NJ. Their sides are pretty skimpy, there's no charcoal for the meat, and they skimp on a lot of stuff you take for granted at other korean joints. One time I asked for a round of rice and they charged me! Big no no. I got a seafood stew/soup there that was mostly broth and had almost no seafood in it. I'll only go there when I absolutely have to.