chefzadi

Korean and Japanese curries are the same. Just different brands. The Japanese had an earlier start on in the industrialization game so they began making processed foods earlier than the Koreans. Anyway, the Japanese instant "block curries" are basically knock offs English powdered curry blends that tried to mimic a non-existent Indian "curry". The Japanese block curries include a type of roux to produce thick stews. But like most commerciallly prepared curry blends, they are mostly made of cheap spices (usually a lot fo turmeric).

Harissa is basically reconstituted dried red peppers (the tiny, super hot kind), fresh garlic, olive oil and a combination of several typically North African spices (cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and caraway seeds are the most common). Puree all in a food processor or blender. The addition of onions and sundried tomatoes is not traditional at all. Don't get me wrong, it might taste fine, but it's not authentic.

Lots of fat and a quick broil or grill will give you a crispy/crucnhy finish. True, there are so many dishes that are best left to the experts in their home countries. But when you are far from home and you need your fix what can you do? I've never tried this, even though I dearly miss the Turkish and Algerian owned kebab sandwich shops in France. Maybe you could get a similar effect by cooking very thinly pounded chicken, lamb, or beef, seasoned with spices (I can give you a spice recipe, but they vary from country to country, region to region, neighbor to neighbor.) over hot coals or under the broiler?

chefzadi- Welcome to egullet! Your comment brings up a good point concerning "hummus". In Lebanon when oprdering this dish you would not order "hummus", instead you would order "hummus bil tahini" (translation : chickpeas with tahini). If you simply order "hummus" it will be like telling the waiter at Chili's that you want a side of "potatoes". My reply was really to the way this dish is known in the US, as simply "hummus". In Algeria would the dish you mentioned simply be called "hummus"? Elie ← First of all, thank you for the warm greeting! Yes it would be simply called hummus. They have other names for it also depending on the region of Algeria you are in. I've never seen tahini used in traditional Algerian cooking. So in Algeria you ordered "hummus bil tahini" you would get some blank stares. But you are correct, in the US hummus usually includes tahini.

My favorite kimchi is napa cabbage kimchi with rice and kalbi (or sauteed sausages). Does it get better than this? The most unusual kimchi I've tried? It wasn't a kimchi, it falls unde the jeot category. Fermented cuttle fish, seasoned with garlic, ground red pepper, garlic. A drop or two of sesame oil before service. Delicious!

Yes! Shin Ramen. My wife is Korean too. But she came to the States when she was 5. It's one of those things that always around. It's a staple. Funny thing is I eat more Korean food than my wife, like A LOT more. I've seen my in laws add sliced scallions, sliced jalapeno or serrano peppers, mandu, kimchi "juice" and sricracha hot sauce to it. Not neccessarily all at once. They even use white beef stock instead of plain water.

My wife likes to add rice flour to her batters. It gives a crispier crust. Her favorite part of buchingae is the lacey, super crispy perimeter. The rice flour also makes for a chewier interior. Also, soy milk or cow's milk (or any other milk for that matter) is not traditional. I've never seen this. Although the first time I had kimchi buchingae, I told my in laws that it would taste really good with the addition of cheese and they gasped. But I recently found a Korean restaurant in Los Angeles that makes it with cheese and they call it kimchi pizza.

Stronger mushrooms, okay. But roasted red peppers and turnips with a red wine sauce? And the cayenne and sage to flavor the turnips or the stew, either way. To each his own. But why?

You can also make kimchi mandu Ground beef or pork or a combination of both Rinse really old kimchi, drain, chop and squeeze out excess moisture My mother-in-law has a more traditional method for making the filling, but her less tradtional daughter (my wife) adds all kinds of things like: chopped scallions Korean vermicelli garlic sesame oil toasted sesame seeds tofu (it makes the filling lighter) grated carrots (just to get the kids to eat more vegetables) grated zucchini (same reason as above) It freezes pretty well. If you want to make the mandu for freezing put them in the freeezer in a single layer on a tray untill they are solid and then pop them in a bag. But I don't know how big your freezer is. In Europe and Asia the refrigerators are tiny compared to the ones in the States.

RE FOODMAN: Personally I do not think Hummus with out Tahini is the "real" hummus even though the word itself (hummus) means Chickpeas _______________________________________________________________________ In Algeria we make a chickpea puree without tahini. And we call it hummous.

RE: Yes, Julia Child. The one and only Julia (at least to me). ___________________________________________________ So you when you're in the kitchen you ask yourself WWJD? Instead of What Would Jesus Do, it's What Would Julia Do? I'm teasing. I know who she is. She started writing/publishing cookbooks at a pivotal time in modern French culinary history. It was about the same time that Nouvelle Cuisine was introduced in France. By the time I attended culinary school in Paris a few decades later, French cooking had become decidely lighter than what Julia first taught America in her cooking shows.

I make mine the simplest way. Beef, shallots, garlic, a touch of tomato paste and red wine. Of course salt and pepper. If I have bay leaves I add them. A little chopped parsley is good too. The lardons are traditional but not a must. Mushrooms and pearl onions are also traditional garnishes, but not a must. Usually it's served with boiled potatoes. The meat should be good and fatty. Red peppers are absolutely not tradtional. Who's Julia? Are you referring to Julia Childs? I understand she is an important American culinary icon.