The opening of “the next Korean barbecue restaurant” in midtown Manhattan by K-pop star and producer Jin Young Park has generated some controversy. Some think the restaurant’s aesthetic is too antiseptic to provide an authentic Korean experience. The entryway is very unassuming. I was walking down the street with a GPS in my phone and…
Recipe for Grandparent’s Day: Apples with peanut butter and corn flakes
Grandparent’s day is an official US holiday, declared as such by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, but it is not a very well known holiday in the States. It’s officially acknowledged on the first Sunday following Labor Day, which is on Sept. 9 this year. I am quite surprised that South Korea has a Children’s…
Recipe: Dakgalbi tacos
The “Korean taco” is best known as a 불고기 bulgogi or 갈비 galbi/kalbi inspired dish with well seasoned but not particularly spicy grilled beef. In Korea, when people are in a spicy mood, pork, octopus or chicken becomes the protein of choice. The most famous style of 닭갈비 dakgalbi, called 춘천 닭갈비 Chuncheon dakgalbi, is…
Banchan for charity: Would you buy it?
Banchan is as intrinsic to 한식 hansik (Korean food) as pork is to Spanish cuisine. It would be anathema to have one without the other. A Korean restaurant without 반찬 banchan might be called a Chinese or Mongolian restaurant by the culinary illiterate. Even if a Korean restaurant has mediocre banchan, the idea of not…
Recipe: Chamchi Jeon (Korean tuna cakes)
Many keep some cans of tuna in the pantry as an inexpensive source of protein. But for a number of Americans, the only purpose for canned tuna is tuna salad or cat food. Veer from the deep-rutted tuna salad trail with this easy recipe for 참치전 chamchi jeon. These little, two-bite-sized tuna cakes are seasoned simply with…
Recipe: Cho Ganjang (Korean Vinegar Soy Sauce)
Cho ganjang is one of those recipes that is so basic and fundamental, I can almost make the recipe in my sleep. It is a quick, flavorful dipping sauce that complements “dippable” dishes. That includes fried foods such as 감자전 gamja jeon (Korean latke) or 파전 pajeon (Korean scallion pancake) as well as fish and…
Recipe: Adzuki Bean Brownies
Adzuki are small red beans commonly used in Korean, Japanese and Chinese confections. Called 팥 pat in Korean, these beans have a natural sweetness uncommon in legumes. Added sugar or honey during boiling to make the bean paste accentuates the sweetness for use in a number of East Asian desserts. Based on archaeological findings, Asians…
Recipe: Korean Onion Relish
The onion does not have an ancient connection to Korean cuisine. But you wouldn’t know that, based on how popular the root vegetable is now in Korea. That’s in sharp contrast to the milder green onion, which has been a part of Korean cuisine for hundreds, even thousands of years. Onions were introduced to Korea…
Recipe: Gochujang Pasta
Gochujang (고추장) is one of Korea’s most important “mother sauces.” It is the backbone of many popular recipes: 닭갈비 dakgalbi, 김치찌개 kimchi jjigae and 떡볶이 tteokbokki. It’s also used to make 쌈장 ssamjang, the quintessential barbecue condiment. Gochujang‘s fermented yet sweet demeanor can also add some spicy backbone to your favorite marinara meat sauce. Take…
Secret Recipe Club: Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad
Traditional Korean cuisine largely is cooked with fire on a stove or a grill, not an oven. Many small Korean apartments don’t even have an oven and if there is an oven, it’s not much bigger than a washing machine. Many Koreans use their ovens for storage instead. Instead of stretching this blog’s baking acumen…