Korean food and Bobby Flay

[chefzadi]

We did step up to plate, it's been delayed till Fall. We might be dead by then.

the problem with replying as you go along, you miss stuff like this.

anyway, see? i thought right! hehe...

i look forward to what will be some really great stuff!!!

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I'm confused now. I think there's been a change in plan, Colameco is doing it. He has a Korean wife and all. Or maybe John Jones will do it, I hear he met a Korean once.

[melonpan]

He then starts making the merinade (I think).  This is the part where he indicated that korean use a lot of mint and through in a bunch of mint.  He then made a dipping sauce and indicated that korean use fish sauce in the dip and pulled out the three crabs fish sauce.  This is where I got turned off and stopped watching.  It was a whole five minutes.

maybe he mixed koreans up with vietnamese. happens sometimes.

[ellencho]

I think she had a Korean mom, but I'm not sure about her dad, so I'll just say she was probably hapa, but still, you have a Korean mommy and you can't say kalbi? 

i have friends who were born in korea and raised here since a young age. they say karbi.

my younger sister, born here, also has a hard time pronouncing things. she says karbi. cant say 'ddeok' either.

nothing unusual.

yes, their mommies are korean. so are their daddies.

is there something so sad about it? wouldnt break my heart.

hey, im just glad to know that someone is out there promoting korean food.

as for the tumeric...

you know that sickly bright yellow second rate takuan that gets served up with your $5 bowl of jjajangmyeon? that is usually colored yellow with tumeric.

i prefer different kind of takuan (takuan that has spent months in a nukadoko, MMM BABY), but yeah, all that cheap yellow stuff often has tumeric in it. and, if it isnt yellow enough, they will also add dye.

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Eh, it's my own personal pet peeve. Like I said in my original quote, I knew what I was saying was petty, I apologize if it offended you. I just find it interesting, because all of the Korean I know, I learned from my family. Even when I tell a story about something my parents said or did , I unconsciously replicate their Korean accent when they speak English, and I only realized that I did this when my friends pointed that out I do that. But then again, most folks, even non-Koreans can mimic their parents/family's speech patterns/mannerisms/behavior.

And regarding takuan, there's a bit of confusion in my mom's house about whether it's Korean or Japanese. I know a lot of Koreans who refuse to call it takuan and call it norran mu instead.

Edited July 12, 2005 by ellencho (log)

[hzrt8w]

Yes, but that's Japanese though. And it's a commercial product. Turmeric isn't used in Korean homecooking.

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Do Koreans cook curry at all (like the Japanese do)?

[chefzadi]

Yes, but that's Japanese though. And it's a commercial product. Turmeric isn't used in Korean homecooking.

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Do Koreans cook curry at all (like the Japanese do)?

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yes from commercial curry mixes. those blocks of curry like the Japanese.

turmeric is found in a few processed, commercial products.

but turmeric powder itself is not a part of the Korean pantry.

[melonpan]

this will probably clue you into how petty i can be, but i it breaks my heart that people think its sad that koreans (and half koreans for that matter) whove lived outside of korea for a long time or where born outside of korea cant pronounce kalbi. please dont take any offense. its just my own personal pet peeve, and i know i am being petty.

And regarding takuan, there's a bit of confusion in my mom's house about whether it's Korean or Japanese.  I know a lot of Koreans who refuse to call it takuan and call it norran mu instead.

i think that "norran mu" (or danmuji) which i define as that sweet, yellow, wet crunchy quick pickle made from daikon that is typically served with chinese food or found in kimbap is a completely different beast from the other takuan which is made by burying dried daikon (the drying takes several weeks) in salted rice bran (and the burying it in the rice bran can take months). this takuan is crunchy too, but not wet crunchy. also, its usually not sweetened, although it can be (ive seen apple infused takuan for example).

i think those koreans who refuse to call danmuji takuan are right to make the distinction.

still, i call danmuji takuan. its just one of those things that have lots of names. danmuji, norran mu, norang mu, da-gguang...

[jschyun]

Isn't kKaennip actually sesame leaf?  I think Korea shiso leaf (Perilla frutescens var. japonica) is called ilbon kaennip isn't it?

In any case, I've certainly not seen ordinary mint in Korean food.

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Darn, where is gautam? I think gautam can answer this question.

Ive grown korean mint (anise hyssop here) and it is not kkaennip. leaves look and smells pretty similar tho. But plant habit very different, as you can see in the pics. Also taste is actually sort of...not good, kind of bitter and harsh in a way. Hard to say since I haven't had it in a while. Beautiful plants.

For a while, I was so confused as to whether kaetnip was perilla or not. I thought it was the leaf of the sesame plant because that's what everyone says, but you know "dulkkae" basically means "wild sesame", right so this is what they meant by sesame I guess. I think I read that both dulkkae and chamkkae are used for oil so maybe this is why they get so mixed up, because even Korean people say it is the leaf of the chamkkae that you use, but I'm just guessing.

But have you ever seen a sesame plant? The leaves are kind of skinny, at least the ones I could locate on the internet. Looks similar to kkaenip but not similar enough. Then again, I've never grown sesame, so maybe there is a variety I don't know about (gautam?). Anyway, I guess I am in the minority (big surprise) because I think kkaenip is perilla bred to have large flat mildish tasting leaves. I suppose the resident Korean experts can answer this question once in for all.

--maybe a little too off topic but in case someone goes out and tries to get "anise hyssop" for some reason, bear in mind that for some reason anise hyssop is used to denote the korean mint and also another plant whose latin name I forget and too tired to look up. So make sure the latin name is correct or packet says "Korean Mint" somewhere. Not that anyone is crazy enough to do this, I'm sure.

Edited July 14, 2005 by jschyun (log)

[SuzySushi]

Isn't kKaennip actually sesame leaf?  I think Korea shiso leaf (Perilla frutescens var. japonica) is called ilbon kaennip isn't it?

In any case, I've certainly not seen ordinary mint in Korean food.

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Darn, where is gautam? I think gautam can answer this question.

Ive grown korean mint (anise hyssop here) and it is not kkaennip. leaves look and smells pretty similar tho. But plant habit very different, as you can see in the pics. Also taste is actually sort of...not good, kind of bitter and harsh in a way. Hard to say since I haven't had it in a while. Beautiful plants.

For a while, I was so confused as to whether kaetnip was perilla or not. I thought it was the leaf of the sesame plant because that's what everyone says, but you know "dulkkae" basically means "wild sesame", right so this is what they meant by sesame I guess. I think I read that both dulkkae and chamkkae are used for oil so maybe this is why they get so mixed up, because even Korean people say it is the leaf of the chamkkae that you use, but I'm just guessing.

But have you ever seen a sesame plant? The leaves are kind of skinny, at least the ones I could locate on the internet. Looks similar to kkaenip but not similar enough. Then again, I've never grown sesame, so maybe there is a variety I don't know about (gautam?). Anyway, I guess I am in the minority (big surprise) because I think kkaenip is perilla bred to have large flat mildish tasting leaves. I suppose the resident Korean experts can answer this question once in for all.

--maybe a little too off topic but in case someone goes out and tries to get "anise hyssop" for some reason, bear in mind that for some reason anise hyssop is used to denote the korean mint and also another plant whose latin name I forget and too tired to look up. So make sure the latin name is correct or packet says "Korean Mint" somewhere. Not that anyone is crazy enough to do this, I'm sure.

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According to Gernot Katzer's Spice Dictionary, perilla/Japanese shiso/Korean tul-kkae/wild sesame are one and the same. The plant is not closely related to real sesame. Perilla Fruitescens

The Korean sesame leaves I've eaten and seen in stores are much larger than what's sold as Japanese shiso leaves, and also, as you say, mildish tasting. I wonder if they are a different variety of perilla.

I found a picture link to Korean Mint (bot. agastache rugosa). It doesn't look like perilla at all, and has small mint-like leaves. (Never tasted it, though.)

[jschyun]

According to Gernot Katzer's Spice Dictionary, perilla/Japanese shiso/Korean tul-kkae/wild sesame are one and the same. The plant is not closely related to real sesame. Perilla Fruitescens

The Korean sesame leaves I've eaten and seen in stores are much larger than what's sold as Japanese shiso leaves, and also, as you say, mildish tasting. I wonder if they are a different variety of perilla.

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Yeah, that's what I meant to say but screwed up. There are bazillion varieties of perilla and this is one strain.

I found a picture link to Korean Mint (bot. agastache rugosa). It doesn't look like perilla at all, and has small mint-like leaves. (Never tasted it, though.)

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I have to say, though the k. mint leaves were definitely smaller, about half the size of the kaenip one, it did look pretty similar and I was able to fool someone into thinking it was kaenip. Until she tasted it haha. The pics online don't really show the leaves too well. Plant is so gorgeous though, don't you think? Those purple flowers really wowed my neighbors.

[SuzySushi]

I have to say, though the k. mint leaves were definitely smaller, about half the size of the kaenip one, it did look pretty similar and I was able to fool someone into thinking it was kaenip.  Until she tasted it haha.  The pics online don't really show the leaves too well.  Plant is so gorgeous though, don't you think?  Those purple flowers really wowed my neighbors.

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Actually, the purple spikes -- at least seen from afar -- look like a variety of mountain lupine!