Korean Home Cooking

[Dejah]

I have 2 Korean ladies in my university EAP class. I really enjoy the food they cook for our potlucks, other social activities, etc.

However, I have a dilemma, and it may be insensitive of me to post this question.

In the past, my Chinese students have been the big "garlic breaths" in the classroom. Now, I am nearly fainting from my two Korean ladies.

Is copious amounts of garlic in every Korean dish? Is there anything that would prevent second hand garlic before they come to class?

I am hoping they will pass through my class at the end of the term.

[ZenKimchi]

It's not in every dish, but it's heavily in kimchi and most dishes. There's a debate on Wikipedia on statistics of Koreans being the world's largest consumers of garlic. Another factor in the garlic breath is that sliced raw garlic frequently accompanies meals.

Man, I reek of garlic all the time. But no one notices here. They just notice when I have eaten cheese.

[SheenaGreena]

Is copious amounts of garlic in every Korean dish? Is there anything that would prevent second hand garlic before they come to class?

depends on what is being eaten, but overall I would say yes. Its used in : banchan, soups, and in kimchi. and like zenkimchi said it is eaten raw sometimes like when wrapped in ssam. Another favorite way for me to eat it is when it is "braised" in soy sauce with chunks of beef and green chiles. After simmering in the soy sauce the garlic gets really sweet and incredibly soft and it is great. This is eaten cold though.

chryz, great looking kal gook su!!!!!!!!! I can't believe you made your own noodles, how authentic. Of course my mother and I always buy the pre packaged kal gook su noodles in the grocery store. Next time instead of making noodles, you can pluck off pieces of the noodle dough and turn them into dumplings. To do this, you take like an inch of dough and then spread it out with your fingers so it looks flat.

i wonder if salted anchovies taste different then dried anchovies?

I had a leftover rotisserie chicken so I made some simple stock with it. I'm going to use it to make jook and perhaps some kal gook su.

Edited November 20, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)

[SheenaGreena]

apparently my dumpling dish is called sujaebi. I didn't even know it had a formal name. I'll post a picture of it here from the lovely google image search option

couldn't find a good enough one

[ChryZ]

chryz, great looking kal gook su!!!!!!!!!  I can't believe you made your own noodles, how authentic.  Of course my mother and I always buy the pre packaged kal gook su noodles in the grocery store.  Next time instead of making noodles, you can pluck off pieces of the noodle dough and turn them into dumplings.  To do this, you take like an inch of dough and then spread it out with your fingers so it looks flat. 

i wonder if salted anchovies taste different then dried anchovies?

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Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Oh and this was my first take on the dish ... actually there were many firsts: I never made noodles from scratch, gutted/filleted fish nor cooked clams before. I'm really happy with my first attempt, even though there is room for improvement: I wasn't able to get any kombu/dashima for the broth and to be honest the noodles were a bit of a struggle.

Please tell me more about the dumplings. Is there a filling for the flattened dough, like a mandu or would you just add it as it is?

The dried/salted anchovies question is actually pretty good. Drying and salting are methods of preservation since fresh anchovies go bad easily. I guess apart from the saltiness and texture there shouldn't be much of a difference regarding the aroma.

apparently my dumpling dish is called sujaebi.  I didn't even know it had a formal name.  I'll post a picture of it here from the lovely google image search option

couldn't find a good enough one 

←

May I suggest naver.com? Click here for a naver image search for 수제비 (Sujaebi).

[SheenaGreena]

Edited November 21, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)

[melonpan]

chryz,

you already know how to make sujebi. you use the same dough for kalguksu. you wont need the starch though because you wont need the dough to not stick on itself.

i give directions in <a href="http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=57718&view=findpost&p=900976">another eg post</a>:<blockquote><i>sujebi is also something you are more likely to find someone make at home rather than find in a restaurant. its a comfort thing.

first you make a soup and here you have to decide what kind of soup you want. it is usually a clear broth soup. anchovy based, beef based or chicken based.

we usually make it with anchovies and veggies (cabbage, carrots, garlic) or chix and veggies (same ones). i have made this with canned soup too.

you make a dough from just flour and water. no proportions, just mix amounts of both until you get a dough that you like.

i boil the sujebi in water separate from the broth. if you boil them in your broth you will get super pasty soup. sometimes people like it like that, extra thick. so you can boil them up there.

pull off little bits of the dough into the boiling water. make sure the flakes are thin enough to cook through without too much trouble. then when the sujebi and your broth are ready, drain the sujebi and dump into your soup.

thats it.

i have even supplemented canned chunky soup with sujebi. and i have supplemented homemade chicken soup with sujebi. you can add sujebi to many kinds of soups, but it is usually put into simple soups since its a simple dumpling.</i></blockquote>sheena: i disagree about chicken broth being less authentic. sujebi is homestyle. sujebi just means dumplings, so the soup around it isnt necessarily set. mum made it all the time with chicken soup.

[ChryZ]

Thanks to both of you for the explanation. Sujebi sounds great, especially for its more convenient dough-handling. My noodle dough for kalguksu was a bit too sticky and it made the handling tricky. I need more practice, but with a tasty dish like this I can hardly wait to give it another shot, hehe

[melonpan]

just read the dueji bulgogi post. looks delicious!

1 TSP sesame seed oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

just curious. did you press your own sesame seed oil? i know you can do this in korea. can you do this where you are?

banchan #1 ingredients (mini side-dish, steamed bean sprouts)

1 X scallion (1 stalk, sliced lengthwise)

2 CUP bean sprouts

1 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 TSP salt

1 TSP pepper

1 TSP sesame seed oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

this is not a criticism. but i was also wondering if you have tried this without the vinegar. adding other things like sesame seeds is also kosher.

the marinade for the dueji bulgogi can also be used for dak kalbi. i know that most people know the kind of dak kalbi that is cooked with veggies and noodles, but there is another kind that is sweet and spicy. roughly chop up chicken. marinate in the dueji bulgogi sauce and cook over charcoal. spicy delicious!

I'm out of kimchi at the moment, I really need to make another batch soon.

what kinds do you make? youre so fearless...

ssamjang

2 TBSP gochujang

2 TBSP water

1 TBSP minced scallion

1 TBSP rice wine

1 TBSP sesame oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

1 TSP doenjang

1 TSP chili flakes

1 TSP garlic powder

2 TSP roasted sesame

i did a brief survey of chamchi ssamjang recipes on the internet for a friend recently. here are the results...

four chamchi ssamjang recipes

(korean spicy tuna stuffing/topping)

#1 <a href="http://myhome.naver.com/ywkoo/favor/korea/ko41.html">http://myhome.naver.com/ywkoo/favor/korea/ko41.html</a>

from yune's collection of ssamjang recipes

(this recipe appealed to the trashy part of me because of the mayo. ive never had mayo mixed with duenjang or gochuggaru)

1/3 can tuna, drained

3 T duenjang

2 T mayo

1 T gochuggaru

30 g scallions finely chopped

1 T crushed garlic

a little bit of sesame seeds

a little bit of sesame seed oil

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

#2 <a href="http://tinyurl.com/y98fy6">http://tinyurl.com/y98fy6</a>

(<a href="http://www.82cook.com/zb41/zboard.php?id=heinz2&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=7">http://www.82cook.com/zb41/zboard.php?id=heinz2&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=7</a>)

from "PARK jeong hee"

1 can tuna drained of oil

1 T EACH duenjang and gochujang

a bit of EACH: sesame seeds, sugar, sesame seed oil, black

finely chopped onions (no amount given)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

#3 http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/hju0102/1358709.html

"skylight's kimchi chamchi ssamjang

(note: skylight gives no measurements and hes very coy about some of his ingredients)

1. skylight keeps a stash of the following mixture in his freezer: chopped (white or yellow) onions, korean peppers, paprika and blanched mushrooms. prep the kimchi by chopping it to pieces about 2 cm on all sides. drain some canned tuna.

to make the kimchi tuna ssamjang, he heats up some perilla oil (which is similar to sesame seed oil) in a skillet, adds some of the frozen onion mixture, assorted veggies (hes not specific), the sliced kimchi and the drained tuna and fries everything up.

2. add gochujang, gochuggaru, garlic, sugar (you may substitute with corn syrup or honey), black pepper to the skillet and continue to fry. add sliced red peppers (the spicy kind not bell) and sliced scallions. at the very end sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

3. because it is a ssamjang, of course you can eat it with lettuce, but he likes to eat the ssamjang with blanched cabbage and kombu.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

#4 http://cyenharu.skynet.co.kr/tt/414

cyen's chamchi ssamjang

5 parts canned tuna

2 parts gochujang

1 part duenjang

1 part scallions

0.5 part sliced garlic

0.5 part sugar

0.5 part sesame seeds

0.5 part sesame seed oil

[ChryZ]

I once did a naver image search for dak (chicken), while doing research on Dak Gochujang Bokum. Back then I stumbled upon this pic, I was close to licking my PC display and the pic kept haunting me. Later on I learned, that the dish is called Buldak (bul=fire, dak=chicken, fire chicken). Unfortunately I wasn't able to find any english recipes, but I managed to find a few korean ones (1, 2, 3, 4). This is the result:

Buldak

(korean fire chicken)

main ingredients:

2 X chicken breast

1 X mozzarella (optional)

1 X scallions' green

1 CUP cooked short grain ripe

1 TSP sesame seeds

marinade #1 ingredients:

4 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP sugar

marinade #2 ingredients:

1 X red or green chili

1 X ginger (thumb-sized)

4 X galic clove

3/4 X scallions

1/2 X small onion

1/4 X pear (optional)

2 TBSP sugar

2 TBSP chili flakes (or chili powder)

2 TBSP soy sauce

6-8 TBSP rice wine (or chicken stock)

2 TBSP peanut oil

1 TBSP honey

1 TSP dark soy sauce (optional, just for coloring)

1 TSP mustard (optional)

1 TSP sesame oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

banchan #1 ingredients (mini side-dish, steamed bean sprouts)

1/4 X scallion (sliced lengthwise)

1/2 X small onion

2 CUP mung bean sprouts

2 TBSP sliced ginger

1 TSP sesame seed oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

1 TSP black sesame seeds

banchan #2 ingredients (mini side-dish, purple coleslaw)

1 X half red cabbage (shredded)

2 TBSP veg oil

2 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 TSP soy sauce

1/2 TSP honey or sugar

1 TSP salt and pepper (more or less)

no pics of the coleslaw prep, just shred the cabbage and mix with the other banchan #2 ingredients,

best done a couple of hours in advance, the coleslaw needs some time to develop its full flavour

marinate cubed chicken in marinade #1 ingredients, at least for 30 min up to 24h

clean/peel/chop the hard ingredients of marinade #2

combine all ingredients of marinade #2 in a blender

blend until somewhat smooth

slice some of the scallions' green for garnish/topping

combine all veggie ingredients from banchan #1 in a bowl, cover the bowl and

microwave it for 90 sec with 600W, the veggies will steam from their own water

content and soften up, dress them with the remaining banchan #1 ingredients

heat/oil a pan, stir fry the chicken pieces, pick them out of the marinade,

don't pour the whole marinade into the pan, its sugar will burn easily

add half of marinade #2 (the whole marinade is good for 2-3 servings)

stir fry for a few minutes with medium heat

deglaze the pan with some rice wine or chicken stock,

simmer until the liquid is vaporised

arrange chicken in a broiler proof dish (cast iron dish/pan or sturdy porcelain),

shred some mozzarella around the chicken pieces

place the chicken under a broiler/grill at max heat until the mozzarella melted

and the chicken got dark (not black), crusty spots ... charcoal grilling/BBQing

would work too (I would skip the mozzarella though, hehe)

serve garnished with scallion rings and sesame, accompanied by rice and the banchans

some close-up pics for your viewing pleasure:

enjoy, I sure did

[ChryZ]

just read the dueji bulgogi post.  looks delicious!

Thanks. Korean BBQ is great, just thinking about it makes me hungry

this is not a criticism.  but i was also wondering if you have tried this without the vinegar.  adding other things like sesame seeds is also kosher.

My banchan skills are pretty poor, but I love to toy around. I usually work with what's at hand.

Without reading your suggestion, I used sesame oil and black sesame seeds last night ... telepathy?

the marinade for the dueji bulgogi can also be used for dak kalbi.  i know that most people know the kind of dak kalbi that is cooked with veggies and noodles, but there is another kind that is sweet and spicy.  roughly chop up chicken.  marinate in the dueji bulgogi sauce and cook over charcoal.  spicy delicious!

Many recipes for are dak kalbi seem to be gochujang based. I'm a little bit confused here. I'm not nitpicking, I used the marinade with chicken myself and it was very good, I'm just not sure if dak kalbi is the correct name for it. Oh and I'm literally confused about the term dak kalbi. Isn't kalbi korean for rib? I've never seen dak kalbi with chicken ribs

what kinds do you make?  youre so fearless...

Standard kimchi with cabbage or white radish, nothing fancy. Store-bought is fine too, but the stores are a bit away. So sometimes I have to resort to making my own.

i did a brief survey of chamchi ssamjang recipes on the internet for a friend recently.  here are the results...

Woah, brief? That's pretty extensive. Thanks for sharing. While looking for my ssamjang, I found a lot of different ssamjang recipes here.

[Dejah]

Chryz: The buldak looks incredible! I asked my Korean students about this dish and they were so enthused in telling me about its popularity. Monica said she will bring me some special spices for the dish. My students think it's pretty funny because I am always on the trails of some new cuisine. Another Korean student had introduced me to chop chae. Ustina will be bring bulgogi on Wed for our year end potluck.

[ChryZ]

Chryz: The buldak looks incredible! I asked my Korean students about this dish and they were so enthused in telling me about its popularity. Monica said she will bring me some special spices for the dish. My students think it's pretty funny because I am always on the trails of some new cuisine. Another Korean student had introduced me to chop chae. Ustina will be bring bulgogi on Wed for our year end potluck.

←

Thanks! Oh I would love to hear more about those special spices *poke*

[SheenaGreena]

sheena: i disagree about chicken broth being less authentic. sujebi is homestyle. sujebi just means dumplings, so the soup around it isnt necessarily set. mum made it all the time with chicken soup.

Oh, I just heard chicken broth was less authentic so I assumed it was. I have never had sujaebi anywhere else but home and at home it's always made with chicken broth.

I actually like it better with chicken soup than with anchovies, feels more "homemade" because of all the time it take to make a good chicken stock

[Domestic Goddess]

If anyone wants the jap chae recipe, I'll gladly share. My best friend here taught me how to fix it.

[Dejah]

If anyone wants the jap chae recipe, I'll gladly share. My  best friend here taught me how to fix it.

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I would like to see your recipe, Domestic Goddess. My Korean students have made it for me twice, and I attempted the dish myself once. I really enjoy the chewiness of the noodles.

[Domestic Goddess]

For you Dejah:

Jap Chae

1 pack dang myun(Korean starch noodle), soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained

1 medium onion, thin sliced

1/2 carrot, thinly julienne

1 bunch spinach, washed and blanched, cut into 3 inches

10 oz thinly sliced beef

5 green onions, cut in a bias

7 shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated, thin sliced

Beef marinade :

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp minced garlic,

1/4 tsp pepper + 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Shiitake mushroom marinade :

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

Noodle seasoning :

1 and 1/2 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp vegetable oil

*oil to saute (pref. canola or corn oil)

salt and pepper

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1. In two small bowls, marinade the beef (with its marinade ingredients) and in the other bowl softened the dried mushrooms in some warm water.

2. In a non stick pan, add about a tbsp. vegetable oil and saute vegetables seperately. I would suggest onion - green onions - carrot - shiitake mushrooms.

All ingredients have to be cooked separately.

To use the same pan, start with light color vegetable.

The vegetables don't have to get any color, they just need to be softened.

When finished sauteing the veggies they can be moved to a big bowl (all together) to cool a little bit.

3. Add a little more oil in the pan and saute the beef with its marinade until the beef is fully cooked and has absorbed the marinade. When cooked, add to the big bowl of veggies.

4. Turn the heat on medium and add dang myon (noodle) seasoning. Pour in dang myon noodles. Bring to a boil, stir occasionally for a few minutes until dang myon absorbs water. In about 10-15 minutes they start to stick together. From this point, stir constantly until the noodle gets soft and translucent.

5. Take off from the heat, let cool for a while. If needed cut the length.

6. Add the vegetables and beef on top of the noodles and stir to mix everything well into the noodles. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, and salt and pepper to taste.

[Dejah]

Many thanks, Domestic Goddess. I know what I'll be cooking soon!

I have 2 kinds of noodles: one package is Korean noodles and doesn't give the starch used. The other package says sweet potato starch.

Would the Korean package be also made with sweet potato starch?

[GlorifiedRice]

My fave Korean foods are my homemade Bulgogi with doctored up jar kimchi and rice...

Bindae Duk, Kimchi over rice, and now Bibimbap...

Oh and Kimchi Jjigae and Kimbap (my son loves that)

Im eating Bulgogi and kimchi w/ rice right now!

I chop the kimchi up and add a little pickled ginger brine and a little ketchup (it adds some thickness to the liquid) and eat that with bulgogi and rice. It adds a really lovely sweetness that balances it all out.

I also adore Pa Kimchi...

That was waaaayyy too delicious for how simple it was.

Too bad it was gone so soon...

[Domestic Goddess]

Dejah - if the korean noodles package contain brown, stiff noodles, that's made with potato flour. That would be the one to use. I do admit, I have never tried making jap chae with sweet potato flour. Why don't you try it and give us the results?

[GlorifiedRice]

Do any of you think prepared Bulgogi and rice will freeze well?

[melonpan]

dangmyeon can be made from many things (corn for example) but probably the kind that you want to get is made from SWEET POTATO starch (goguma dangmyeon 고구마 당면). in reality, i have found myself at small korean grocery markets and been forced to buy "korean starch noodles" without knowing for sure what they were made from.

it tasted fine. but at $4-6 a pop, i prefer to know it is sweet potato starch noodles.

it will probably turn out authentically delicious. no worries.

[SheenaGreena]

anyone have any good recipes for tang soo yook? I had some the other day at a local korean restaurant and I didn't realize how much I missed it. I love that sickenly sweet gloppy sauce haha.

[ChryZ]

anyone have any good recipes for tang soo yook?  I had some the other day at a local korean restaurant and I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I love that sickenly sweet gloppy sauce haha.

←

Never had that dish. Which of the recipes below would do the trick?

http://www.citytv.com/vancouver/TangSooYoo...ndSourPork.aspx

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1356

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1584

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1047

http://realcook.co.kr/editor/uploads/junk/4428d634b984b.jpg

[SheenaGreena]

anyone have any good recipes for tang soo yook?  I had some the other day at a local korean restaurant and I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I love that sickenly sweet gloppy sauce haha.

←

Never had that dish. Which of the recipes below would do the trick?

http://www.citytv.com/vancouver/TangSooYoo...ndSourPork.aspx

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1356

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1584

http://cook.naver.com/search/recipe.nhn?p_no=1047

http://realcook.co.kr/editor/uploads/junk/4428d634b984b.jpg

←

all of the naver resources look more americanized chinese to me with that reddish pink sauce. The sauce that I like on it is usually more of a clear sauce with a yellow tint to it. I am guessing that the first recipe is more of what I'm used to with all the garnishes.

If you are going to make it, make sure it is extra crispy. Nothing worse than soggy tang soo yook. Oh and you can also make it with chicken or beef if you like.

Edited November 30, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)