Kim Chee Jigae

I've noticed a sudden and unexpected influx in interest in Korean food over the past year. The Korean taco trucks in LA, the multiple references to gojugang on tastespotting, the [well deserved] popularity of Momofuku, random people I meet at school telling me their favorite food is Korean BBQ (bulgogi/kalbi, post coming soon)... these are things that never would've happened five years ago. To keep you all abreast of the latest food trend, I will try to post as many Korean recipes as possible, especially easy ones because I know you guys aren't about to run out to buy 20 extra ingredients you'll never use again.

However, if you think you're ready to experience the delicious world of Korean food (and out snob people with your foodieness), then here's my list of the 12 must have Korean ingredients. With these you can make just about anything:

1. Sesame oil: The dark kind, not that wimpy light variety, is the base flavor of almost every Korean vegetable. Korean's refer to sesame oil as the "true" or "good" oil. Needless to say, they love the stuff, and so will you. Drizzle it over any vegetable with a little salt and hot pepper and you've got yourself a side dish (banchan, we'll get to that later)
2. Kim chee: if you don't like the sound of fermented, spicy, pickled cabbage, just try it once, you might surprise yourself. Honestly, I am surprised everytime I feed a newbie Kim chee and they love it. It's not what you'd consider a delicate flavor. Actually, it's like a cricket ball to the face in terms of flavor impact. Not for those who don't like salt, garlic or spice. It's not very spicy to me, but I guess I'm used to it? Children often wash their kim chee off in a bowl of water until they grow a taste for spice. If you can't handle the spice, you can also try white kim chee which is typically made with asian pear and no chili pepper (kochu). The spicy cucumber and daikon varieties are also very tasty.
3. Tofu: As my mother would say "it MUST be Korean tofu". I do prefer the Korean brands, but I don't think it would be as ruinous as my mother does to use some other kind of tofu in a pinch. Sliced cold silken tofu drizzled with soy sauce, sesame oil, siracha, and furikake/sesame seeds is a really delicious, light and summery dish - plus, it's a no-brainer preparation wise.
4. Dried Anchovies: (see picture below) I know they look weird and have a pungent smell... but they're really good. Some of the most delicious foods in the world are derived from dried fish. You know that miso soup (future post) you love so much? It's made with konbu and bonito, dried and shaved fish. They last forever, obviously due to the preservation method, and only need to be used sparingly. Buy the larger silver ones (as opposed to the small, blue ones)
5. Gojujang: I'm not really sure if this is how you spell it, but it's a Korean chili paste. It's fermented and quite saltly. It's a must-have condiment in the Korean kitchen.
6. Soy Sauce: if you don't already have this in your pantry then you're a noob. Get out.
7. Rice: the subsistence of the people. Koreans like short grain rices that stick together when cooked. Unlike horrible enriched, boil in a bag rice, this is able to be eaten with chopsticks because it stays in pick-upable clumps (my wordings are excellent). It has come to my attention that many people cower in the face of rice cookery. I've been cooking rice since I was a wee tot so it surprises me that people don't know how to cook it. I'm going to have a post about rice cooking sometime in the future when I figure out how to put my method into words, since I don't use measurements and usually go on instinct.
8. Mirin: sweet cooking wine most associated with Japan. It is very nearly 50% sugar, but does have some flavor beyond sweet. Note, most rice vinegars that are seasoned also face the same diabetic adverse fate.
9. Rice vinegar: I buy mine from the Korean store, which you will obviously be frequenting if you are picking up any number of the above ingredients. Might as well get some of this while you're at it. And in case you're wondering how to distinguish the korean brands, look for the script with "o"'s in the characters.
10. Fresh Ginger: No replacement, don't try to shake that bottle of ground or jarred pre-chopped at me. Get a knob a ginger, scrape the skin of with a spoon so you don't waste half of it trying to peel it with a knife, grate on a micro plane, chop finely, or slice.
11. Scallions/Green Onions: scallions are a pervasive flavoring, like it or get used to picking them out of everything. My mother hates scallions and grew up very very skinny because of it.
12. Garlic: you will smell like garlic after a good Korean meal. You will like it, and so will your date.

Most recipes take a few other fresh ingredients (like zuchinnis or beef, etc) but I wanted to start out with a recipe that requires only these ingredients. If your kim chee is super sour, you may want/need a pinch of sugar, but other than that and water, you're set to make a nice big pot of Kim chee soup.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups kim chee minimum, if you have more, throw it in. It won't hurt it, just adjust the amount of water accordingly. Also, if you bought the whole cabbage kind, chop it up into more manageable pieces.
• Enough water to cover the kim chee
• 1 block medium soft silken tofu, rised and cut into 1 1/2" cubes
• 2-3 dried anchovies, start with one or two and work your way up. They're really strong so it's personal preference kind of thing.
• 1 T sugar (optional)
• 1/2 package enoki mushrooms (optional)
• 1 T sesame seeds (optional)

 

Frankenfish

 
Place the kim chee, anchovies, sesame seeds, and enough water to cover all of the ingredients in a medium pot on high heat. You don't want too much water because the kim chee gives off a lot of liquid when cooked, so just barely cover everything with water. Bring to a boil and then down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the kim chee becomes translucent and soft. Taste for sourness and add sugar as necessary.

 

I have a strange sense of humor.

Add the tofu near the end of the cooking time so it won't disintegrate. If you have it, now's the time to add enoki mushrooms. I know I said I hate mushrooms, and I do, truly I do, but these are different. I like them because they don't have the same texture or taste as mushrooms - essentially I don't think of them as mushrooms. I do find the way they are sold to be a little off putting though:

See that at the bottom? That's it own little clod of dirt/manure/I don't even know what. Obviously cut that part off and wash the 'shrooms off. I know you don't think mushrooms should ever be submerged in water, but dear god it was just trapped in a tight fitting plastic package with animal feces for a prolonged period of time! (Ok, it might not be dung, but it look suspiciously poo like). Anyway, add them if you dare, then cook another 5-10 minutes. The soup may or may not get low on water, if it does, just add a little more. No big.

Garnish with sesame seeds and serve it in the pot with rice on the side. Koreans like to eat things when they're burn your mouth hot and thus often eat things right out of the pot. I always did as a youngin and to this day it feels weird to eat soup out of a proper bowl.

My grade: B+, though I like the enoki mushrooms, I have to be in the mood for them and today I just wasn't

Recipe grade: B-, The amount of water, sugar and anchovies is really a preferential taste thing. As much as I would like to give you all exact amounts, I can't... you just have to try it out and decide what you like.

Diagnosis: If you like kim chee but have never cooked with it, this is the easiest way to acclimate yourself to its unique taste and texture. If you've never had Korean food before, try the Korean BBQ with all the banchan first, then work your way up to this.


Note this is an extremely simplified version. My mom makes it this way often, but you can also make kim chee soup that requires 15 ingredients, an hour of cooking time, and a Korean accent. There are two kinds of kim chee soup, the kind with the fish stock or the kind with pork/meat. I like both, but the fish kind takes less time and forethought.