Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Saxiif]

Would really like to hear some creative things people have done with some standard koean ingredients. I've got to do some experimenting with daenjang and do some more work with aloewei...

Here's two that've turned out well so far:

Waygook Kimchi:
Get a half of a cabbage and cut it into bits about the same size as they do for kimchi or a bit smaller. Stick it in a wok with a light bit of oil and stir fry it for a little bit until it just barely starts to get cooked. Then throw in four cloves of crushed or diced garlic, a table spoon or two or vinegar, a roughly equal amount of brown sugar, abotu half teaspoon of ginger powerder and a good dousing of soy sauce. Once that starts to soak in, throw in around 2/3 of a cup of OJ and enough gochujang to convince koreans that its not it being hot that makes me not like kimchi its the wonderfull been sitting in the fridge for months taste. Then let it simmer until the flavor sinks into the cabbage and it gets soft. Drain off most of the sauce and eat.

Aloemeon:
Cook up some noodles (I used rice ones). And fry up a good bit of saengyupsal in a frying pan. Saute some veggies (I used carrots and bok choi) just a little bit (I like 'em a bit cripsy) with 4-5 cloves of garlic. Then throw everything in a wok (or a pot if your wok isn't big enough, mine wasn't ) with a good dousing of soy sauce of a big lump of gochu jang. Simmer it and put in enough aloewei (the green stuff with lumps floating in it) to give it a good moistness (somewhat less than a cup in my case) and enough to give it a little sweetness and a hint of aloe-taste.

Some ideas for the future:
-Fried rice with a good bit of daenjang and a bit of soy sauce and gochujang. With maybe a bit of pineapple since its got a good sweet taste and I like the sweeter daenjangs.
-Aloetang. Some kind of light sweet soup made out of aloewei. Maybe some onion, carrots and a little gochujang. Needs some kind of herbs though, I wish I had brought some lemongrass with me Maybe a little tyme? Hmmmmm, gotta think about this one...
-Aloe curry. I'm trying to think of which of my curry pastes would go best with a base of aloetang. I'm leaning towards red curry with a good bit of sea food thrown in, but I'm not sure yet. Yellow could also work...
-Bulgogi chile? Hey it could work...

*goes back to chugging aloewei*

[erlyn]

You can buy dried lemongrass at Haddon House in Seoul. Soak it in a bit of warm water and Bob's your uncle. I made a lovely coconut chicken soup the other day.

I'd try a green curry with the Aloe. The fresh tastes would complement each other.

Better yet - bulgogi fajitas. Kimchi rather than salsa, with some fresh sesame leaf...just might work out. Fusion!

[Saxiif]

oooo the green could definately work, especially with a little basil...

could also try korean jambalaya with lots and lots of squid...

[VanIslander]

Here's one waygook saram's simple but yummy way to make the classic cabbage type of gimchi:

(1) PREP: Cut a head of cabbage in half, then into large bite-sized pieces. Place a layer of cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Continue with layers of cabbage and salt, finishing with a salt layer. Cover with a dinner plate that will fit as snugly as possible over the top of the cabbage.

(2) STORE: Weigh down the plate with cans or other heavy weight and leave the bowl in a cool place for 5 days.

(3) PREPARE: Remove the weights and plate, pour off any liquid, then rinse the cabbage well under cold running water. Squeeze out any excess water and combine the cabbage with cayenne pepper, spring onion, garlic, ginger, chili and sugar. Mix well to combine before spooning the cabbage into a large sterilized jar. Pour the water over the top and seal with a tight-fitting lid.

(4) FINISH: Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days before eating.

It takes very little time to make, and you could experiment with additives like paprika and greens. Give it a try. Cooking is an art, and it's best to experiment.

I'd love to learn how to make a mandu from scratch. Anyone have experience?

[weatherman]

Fresh sliced vegies with dwaejung paste is pretty good too.

[Saxiif]

What's dwaejung? Something beany I presume? I've only seen jjajung (the tasty black stuff they put on the "chinese" noodles here) so far...

[Saxiif]

or maybe dwaejung is what I transliterate as daenjang...

Anyway he's a winner I just thought up (and am currently eating)

Fusion Fried Rice:

-700 mg of saengupsal marinaded in galbi marinate sauce and then pan fried
- couple cups of boiled white rice
-sauteed in aloewei: 1 onion, 2 huge carrots, 10 little hot peppers, chunk of cabbage and 4 cloves of garlic

combine everything (including plenty of pan grease and leftover marinade) and use all the grease to fry the rice and then after a while add a little more aloewei (to give it just a bit of sweetness) and about equal amounts of jjajang and soy sauce and stir fry until its all done enough. Everything just comes together nicely....

[Ya-ta Boy]

Garlic Soup

If you have trouble locating garlic (known locally as ma-nil), just close your eyes and follow your nose.

Get a pack of crushed garlic in the supermarket (or mash up a dozen or so cloves). Saute the paste in a bit of oil.

Boil a couple of potatoes. Drain and mash them. Put in about 1/2 cup of white wine (or soju) and mix in the garlic. Add enough milk to make a soup.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Stand back Sars germs!

[khyber]

oh man...great...i love recipe threads.
I don't have too much to offer b/c i just sort of throw stuff in, but what i have found to rescue "cerealless" breakfasts (damned Atkins!)
(speaking of...later)
cook for two.

3 or 4 eggs, and a teaspoon-tablespoon of soysauce. beat

fry

kimchee, maybe...1/4-1/2 a cup.
eggs are half cooked toss it in and scramble the whole mess.

adding vegies (mushroom are best) and cheese makes it GREAT.

if you can , put it on toast...tastes surprisingly good.


speaking of atkins. Has anyone done that here in korea? do they have any good tips for good riceless, sugarless, honey less, grainless, fruitless meals? and i don't live in seoul so i don't have the luxuries availible

[svenska]

i'm not a huge fan of kimchi, but kimchi chigae is pretty good...especially when you have a ton of kimchi in your fridge given to you by some kind and generous korean, and you don't know how you're going to eat it all.

ingredients:
water
soured kimchi cut up
dried anchovies
chopped vegies of your choice (mushroom, onion, garlic, green onion, potatoes, carrots)
your choice between bean curd, pork, beef or canned tuna

dump all the ingredients in a pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. if you use little anchovies leave them in, but if you use pretty big ones remove them. eat alone or with rice. i've found the combo i like the best is onion and potatoes for vegies and canned tuna for bulk.

i usually eat on this for a few days. not the most creative dish ever, neverthess tasty and filling.

another good side dish i like is breaded fried zuccini

ingredients:
zuccini sliced
flour
scrambled eggs
salt
soybean oil

slice zuccini 1/4" thick. put the slices on a plate, sprinkle salt, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour. once hour is up squeeze excess water out of the zuccini slices. dip a slice in a bowl of flour, covering both sides. then dip into scrambled egg mixture. fry on a preheated pan, with a good amount of oil, turning once until browned on both sides. this is a tad time-consuming but really good.

khyber, maybe these recipes would work for your atkins diet. what exactly CAN you eat on an atkins diet? i've got a good chili con carne recipe...i've managed to get my hands on most of the ingredients here in pohang (except oregano and coriander...had my family send those to me). PM me if you want the recipe.

what i really want to know is how to cook fish. i don't have an oven or a grill just the two-burner gas rangee. i bought some kkongchi today--a skinny, small blue-skinned fish known as saury in english. i heated up the pan, put some oil on it, rinsed the fish, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, dipped it in flour on both sides then fried it on the pan until it was browned. it was alright but not near as good as the kkongchi often served as a side dish in korean restaurants.

any ideas on cooking fish and particularly good fish to cook with only a gas range?

[khyber]

yeah...i guess i wasn't there.

Well basically, Atkins is a LOW carb high protien/fat diet. And, believe it or not, on it 12 days and lost 13lbs (and, assuming i stick to the [rather difficult] diet, i'll keep going. {note: my weightloss was BEFORE i started excercising properly)

Anyways, what's VERY NOT COOL:
Rice (grains of ANY kind, including flour...theretofore <?> bread
fruit (THAT is the killer)
treats of ANY kind
sugar, honey sweeteners (with the exception of Splenda and another i can't remember)

What's cool:
Meat....any (and i mean ANY [save organ meat and oysters] kind of meat. In as big a portion "as you like" (chicken, fish, pork cow, duck, anything)
approx 1cup vegies and 2cups salad.
cheese, sour (and straight) cream
but strangely, not milk.
(later on) nuts in SMALL quantities.
think of things that are HIGH in fat and protein and it's likely their low in carbs...therefore, good to eat (in moderation)
I have great faith in this diet. I plan to lose 40+lbs by xmas and i don't see how that won't happen

i have a decent fish dish...but it's not fancy.
galbis, ohris, and gogis are all great for this diet!
so basically, i need GOOD meat recipes

thanks anyone

[viva]

Great Thread.

Does anyone have a recipe for Dak Galbi??? I'm trying to find out the sauce that is used in it.

Thanks

[Saxiif]

probably mostly gochu jang
what's in dak dori tang besides chicken, veggies and gochu jang, anyone know?