Korean Home Cooking

[Marco_Polo]

Changjorim - Korean hot meat

After the excesses of the holidays - far too much eating and drinking - I awake this New Year's day with a hangover not just from the considerable consumption of Prosecco, Rioja, Champagne and grappa di Barolo enjoyed last night, but also, I sense, from simply too much food, rich food, fatty food, delicious food, just too damn much of it.

I crave something simple and comforting today. After a bracing walk on Dartmoor (and a china mug of lapsang souchong with a dash of rum, a slab of homemade fruitcake enjoyed standing up outside from the best tea van in the world - the aptly named "Hound of the Basket Meals"), we return home, make a fire and begin taking down the Christmas decorations...

And I start the preparation for one of my all time favourite foods: changjorim - soy braised beef - or what we always called in my house simply 'Korean hot meat'.

Supremely simple, supremely satisfying, supremely comforting: right now the smells of bubbling soy sauce, chillies and beef are wafting from the kitchen and filling our Devon cottage with the faraway smell of home (even though I live half a world and half a century from where I grew up).

Here's the way I make Korean hot meat:

Take a couple of kilograms of shin of beef (no other cut is quite as good - for the connective tissue in shin is essential so that the savoury liquid, once cooled, turns to a firm gelatine). Place the meat in a large pot. Add 6-8 tablespoons of soy sauce (Kikkoman, of course), about 4 tablespoons sesame oil, a bunch of spring onions, cut into 2-3 inch pieces, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, and about 20 fresh whole chillies (depending on how hot you like your 'hot meat' - in my opinion, 'hot meat' should be just that: bloody hot!). Top up with water just to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a bare simmer for 3-4 hours or until the meat is falling apart.

Korean hot meat can be enjoyed just so, with no more than a huge pot of steamed white rice. However, it's even better the next day. Allow to cool, then fork shred the meat into the savoury, chilli-hot liquid. Place in the fridge overnight so that the meat sets in the jelly. Eat this delicious fridge-cold meat on a mound of steaming hot rice - a bite of one, then a bite of the other: the contrast of the chilli-hot meat to the bland white rice, the fridge-cold to the steaming-hot, is simply sensational, the spice of life!

Happy New Year!

Marc

[melonpan]

jangjorim, a nice way to start the new year...

happy new year!

[SheenaGreena]

yesterday was new year's day, so of course I had rice cake soup. I am at my parent's for the holidays and my mom made some rice cake soup for the family with some homemade kimchi mandoo thrown in. very delicious

other homemade dishes/foods I have had here are:

yuk gae jang (this is great for hangovers)

bibimbap with leftover namul and kalbi

korean sashimi

homemade daeng jang chigae

[Gastro888]

Hi all, I'm new to Korean cooking and had some questions:

1) What type of kimchee do I purchase @ the Korean market to make kimchee jjigae? Also, any tips on making it rich and "creamy"? I learned how to make it from my Korean-Brazilian friend. She told me to:

-Take an amount of "aged" kimchee

-Put it in a pot w/ about an equal amount of water

-Add chopped bacon and pork belly

-Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes

My jjigae isn't as "creamy" as hers; her jjigae had an awesome mouthfeel and it was very uncutous.

2) I'd like to make pajun at home. Is this hard? Do I need the special mix?

3) How do you work with rice cakes - dried ones? Do they need to be reconstituted?

Thanks for your help.

[melonpan]

Hi all, I'm new to Korean cooking and had some questions:

1) What type of kimchee do I purchase @ the Korean market to make kimchee jjigae?  Also, any tips on making it rich and "creamy"?  I learned how to make it from my Korean-Brazilian friend.  She told me to:

-Take an amount of "aged" kimchee

-Put it in a pot w/ about an equal amount of water

-Add chopped bacon and pork belly

-Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes

My jjigae isn't as "creamy" as hers; her jjigae had an awesome mouthfeel and it was very uncutous.

buy cabbaged based kimchis for making jjigae. as for this creaminess problem, maybe it is a matter of not having enough fat in the pork that youre using, although with pork belly, there should be enough. you could also try 1) beginning with canned chicken or beef stock instead of using water or by 2) adding powdered stock or bullion cubes (or dashida). im not sure why its not "creamy" but maybe your soup is just too watery.

2) I'd like to make pajun at home.  Is this hard?  Do I need the special mix?

you dont need special mix. you can find a recipe for buchu jeon here: <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=28041&view=findpost&p=742872">http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=28041&view=findpost&p=742872</a>. simply substitute the chives for scallions and youre good to go.

3) How do you work with rice cakes - dried ones?  Do they need to be reconstituted?

easy. you rinse under water until the pieces are separate and cook the way you desire. after rinsing, you can boil or stir fry. if you stir fry, youll need to cook with a bit of water to, as you suspected, reconstitute.

[Gastro888]

Thank you, melonpan!

I think maybe I added too much water to my jjigae plus it was the homemade cabbage AND bamboo kimchee that might've made the difference in the "creaminess" of the stew. (Maybe the bamboo made a difference?)By "creaminess" I mean that rich, luxurious, smooth taste of a thick jjiage - almost like a bisque. It was still yummy but I want to recreate that type of jjiage.

As for the rice cakes, how long do I reconstitute them for?

Thank you!

[nakji]

By "creaminess" I mean that rich, luxurious, smooth taste of a thick jjiage - almost like a bisque. It was still yummy but I want to recreate that type of jjiage.

Have you tried adding MSG - like Mi-Won? That was added to most jigaes in Korea. When my Canadian friend in Korea was teaching me to make it, he took a bag of Mi-Won and added a big dose and said,

"And then you add a big sprinkle of this stuff to make it taste better."

And I said,

"You mean MSG?"

And he looked at it and gasped - "MSG?! This is MSG?!"

Edited January 5, 2007 by nakji (log)

[Soup]

Thank you, melonpan!

I think maybe I added too much water to my jjigae plus it was the homemade cabbage AND bamboo kimchee that might've made the difference in the "creaminess" of the stew.  (Maybe the bamboo made a difference?)By "creaminess" I mean that rich, luxurious, smooth taste of a thick jjiage - almost like a bisque.  It was still yummy but I want to recreate that type of jjiage.

As for the rice cakes, how long do I reconstitute them for? 

Thank you!

←

Rice cakes can be reconstituted from the freezer in 30 minutes in cold water. I do rince it a few times. I've left it in water as long as 12 hours and the result is the same. Shorter than 30 minutes if coming from the refridgerator.

As for the silky thick texture of the jigae, 3 things seem to work for me. Fry the base in a lot of oil (base meaning like the kimchi and dwenjang). Use the right kind of dwenjang. I don't use the refined japanese stuff for most jigae. I go for the korean dwenjang with big pieces of soybeans in it. Then a soft silky tofu seems to add to thicken as peices break up and "melt" into jigae. I do not a lot of stock/water and keep tasting to make sure that it is not to strong or weak.

[Gastro888]

By "creaminess" I mean that rich, luxurious, smooth taste of a thick jjiage - almost like a bisque. It was still yummy but I want to recreate that type of jjiage.

Have you tried adding MSG - like Mi-Won? That was added to most jigaes in Korea. When my Canadian friend in Korea was teaching me to make it, he took a bag of Mi-Won and added a big dose and said,

"And then you add a big sprinkle of this stuff to make it taste better."

And I said,

"You mean MSG?"

And he looked at it and gasped - "MSG?! This is MSG?!"

←

That's funny! I don't think my friend used Mi-Won in her jjigae but she did make it from the cabbage only kimchee (what is the proper name for that type of kimchee?)

Soup - what is dwenjang? I just used water, is that ok? Thanks for the rice cake tip!

[Dasha]

I make a quick and easy version of kimchi jigae at home.

(snipped for space)

It's not necessarily the most authentic way to make it (the pork I use is fairly lean, and the aji-mirin is my own secret ingredient), but it's good enough for my kimchi jigae cravings. Enjoy!

I made your version of kimchi jigae and it was soooo easy and delicious! I should have taken a picture but that would have involved getting the camera out of the desk drawer and I'm lazy... Thanks for a great dinner idea, jeanki!

[ChryZ]

So I've made Jajang Myeon for the very first time:

"A popular Korean dish consisting of wheat noodles topped with a thick sauce made of black bean paste." (1)

ingredients

100 G pork (3.5 oz, diced)

180 G wheat noodles (6.3 oz)

1 X onion (diced)

1 X chili pepper (minced)

1 X potatoes (diced)

1 X carrot (diced)

1 X small zucchini (diced)

2 X garlic clove (mashed)

1/2 CUP cabbage (red, diced)

2-3 TBSP cucumber (sliced into matchsticks)

2-3 TBSP jajang paste

2-3 TBSP veg oil

1 TBSP starch

4-8 TBSP water or stock

1 TSP salt (to taste)

1 TSP sugar (to taste)

the black-bean-based jajang paste on the left and the myun (noodles) on the right

saute the diced onion and chile, then add the pork and stir-fry at medium to high heat

add the diced carrot and potato when the pork starts to brown, continue to stir-fry

bring water to boil, add some salt and noodles to it, set timer to recommended cooking time

add cabbage to pan, continue to stir-fry for a moment

park veggies and pork in a bowl, lower heat, saute garlic and jajang in 2-3 tablespoons oil

rinse off the noodles with cold water when they are done and transfer them to the serving bowl

add pork/veggies back to the sauted jajang, stir well,

mix starch and water/stock and thicken the sauce with it,

season to taste with salt and sugar

serve the hot black bean sauce on top of the noodles and garnish with cucumber

mix sauce and noodles before shovel time, watch your cloth

I liked it a lot

next time I'm going for ground pork, shrimp, leek/scallion and ginger

[Akiko]

Chryz,

I love Jajang Myeon! I've never even thought of trying to make it myself. I'm inspired, I'm going to have to try your recipe.

[Soup]

JaJang Myeon look awesome. I love really fat juicy sweet onions with a bit of vinegar with the jajang myeon. Yum.

[ChryZ]

Thanks for the kind feedback!

[melonpan]

chryz,

looks proper!

looks delicious!

[SheenaGreena]

oh my god that looks so good. I guess I should've asked this, but christian are you part korean? If not I think you are an unofficial korean by now with all of your delicious korean meals.

I just had a great home made ja jang myeon at a restaurant in the balt/dc area a few weeks ago. They used hand pulled noodles and home made sauce and it was excellent. I had it with seafood though and it was called something else...I forget. It had squid, octopus, and some sea cucumbers. Very very delicious

I like your garnish by the way, reminds me of ja jang myeon delivery style in korea. Now if only it came in that green bowl with the white spots on it.

also, what are you making next?

[ChryZ]

Thanks for your nice comment, melonpan.

oh my god that looks so good.  I guess I should've asked this, but christian are you part korean?  If not I think you are an unofficial korean by now with all of your delicious korean meals. 

I just had a great home made ja jang myeon at a restaurant in the balt/dc area a few weeks ago.  They used hand pulled noodles and home made sauce and it was excellent.  I had it with seafood though and it was called something else...I forget.  It had squid, octopus, and some sea cucumbers.  Very very delicious

I like your garnish by the way, reminds me of ja jang myeon delivery style in korea.  Now if only it came in that green bowl with the white spots on it.

also, what are you making next?

←

I'm 100% Caucasian, hehe ... but your comment made my day, even though I'm in the game for the delicous food and not to gain a Korean passport

The seafood jajang myeon sounds great. I have to try that some day!

No idea what's next.

I still want to make seolleongtang, but it's pretty time consuming and I'd like to do it the proper way.

I already bought the sweet-potato-starch noodles for japchae so that's an option.

Marcs' Changjorim sounds very nice too.

What Korean dishes are you guys cooking?

[SheenaGreena]

seollangtang sounds like a great idea. I always make the soup with the oxtails, but I forget what thats called. I think its about time to make another batch of that.

[melonpan]

seollangtang sounds like a great idea.  I always make the soup with the oxtails, but I forget what thats called.  I think its about time to make another batch of that.

(ggori) gamtang

yum-o

[Chufi]

Thanks to this thread, and I have to say especially because of ChryZ's wonderful pictorials, I've been trying my hand at Korean food lately. Bibimbap was already on my repertoire since the cook-off, but now I've been trying other things. Tonight I made mandu, Dak Gochujang Bokum (used ChryZ's recipe from upthread) and a cold buckwheat noodle salad from a little Korean Cookbook I bought. I posted pics here on the Dinner thread. Everything was wonderful.

I've also searched every Asian store in Amsterdam for jajangpaste.. I need to make that noodle dish! It's the most delicious looking food I've seen in a loooong tme. So far, no luck. Maybe I should order from Korea ?

[Live It Up]

Korean food is one of my all time favorites, but I'm just discovering this thread. I attempt to cook Korean at home often, but my results are never quite what I want. I have 2 Korean cookbooks, but neither of them is great. It seems like most of you who post to this thread find your recipes on line--what are your favorite/most reliable sources?

Last night I made seafood pa jeon and kimchi jeon for dinner. The recipe for the kimchi jeon that I made only called for flour and water for the batter and it came out really, really thick and pasty. The recipe I use for the seafood pancake calls for rice flour and eggs, and I much prefer the texture. Should I just sub kimchi for the seafood next time and use the same batter?

Next thing I want to try is dol sot bibimbap...just need to get some stone bowls. Yum.

[SheenaGreena]

Korean food is one of my all time favorites, but I'm just discovering this thread. I attempt to cook Korean at home often, but my results are never quite what I want. I have 2 Korean cookbooks, but neither of them is great. It seems like most of you who post to this thread find your recipes on line--what are your favorite/most reliable sources?

Last night I made seafood pa jeon and kimchi jeon for dinner. The recipe for the kimchi jeon that I made only called for flour and water for the batter and it came out really, really thick and pasty. The recipe I use for the seafood pancake calls for rice flour and eggs, and I much prefer the texture. Should I just sub kimchi for the seafood next time and use the same batter?

Next thing I want to try is dol sot bibimbap...just need to get some stone bowls. Yum.

←

I never have a problem when I am making kimchi jeon and I use the same recipe as you: equal parts water to equal parts flour. Then again I use a premade mix and I am not sure if it has rice flour or ap flour in it...I think its regular flour. Also when you are making kimchi jeon, be sure to throw in some kimchi juice. That will loosen it up and maybe make it a little to your liking. Also make sure you are using ice water, because it helps to crisp up the batter

[ChryZ]

Thanks to this thread, and I have to say especially because of ChryZ's wonderful pictorials, I've been trying my hand at Korean food lately. Bibimbap was already on my repertoire since the cook-off, but now I've been trying other things. Tonight I made mandu, Dak Gochujang Bokum (used ChryZ's recipe from upthread) and a cold buckwheat noodle salad from a little Korean Cookbook I bought. I posted pics here on the Dinner thread. Everything was wonderful.

←

Excellent, very nice!

I've also searched every Asian store in Amsterdam for jajangpaste.. I need to make that noodle dish! It's the most delicious looking food I've seen in a loooong tme. So far, no luck. Maybe I should order from Korea ?

←

Jajang was also hard to find for me, I managed to get mine at a Japanese (!) supermarket.

[Chufi]

BTW, I've bought jajang the other day and they had something called chunjang, also black bean based. It wasn't expensive, so I took a 500g jar home. Are jajang and chunjang the same, if not what is chunjang good for?

←

I don't think this question was answered. I also bought chunjang yesterday, and the guy at the oriental store told me it is the same as jajang. Googling seems to confirm it...

[Joon]

By "creaminess" I mean that rich, luxurious, smooth taste of a thick jjiage - almost like a bisque. It was still yummy but I want to recreate that type of jjiage.

Have you tried adding MSG - like Mi-Won? That was added to most jigaes in Korea. When my Canadian friend in Korea was teaching me to make it, he took a bag of Mi-Won and added a big dose and said,

"And then you add a big sprinkle of this stuff to make it taste better."

And I said,

"You mean MSG?"

And he looked at it and gasped - "MSG?! This is MSG?!"

←

That's hilarious! From what I understand the negative effects of MSG are way overstated anyway. It's not supposed to be that bad...