A Night in Seoul

Probably the most well-known Korean restaurant chain is Woo Lae Oak, which has a branch here. I've eaten in the smaller Korean places, the mom and pop spots, but WLO is Korean fine dining. The kitchen has gone through various manifestations and waxed and waned in quality, but the menu is classic Korean. With grilling weather on tap, here are a couple of Korean dishes you can easily make at home and amaze family and friends with your ethnic range. Interesting side notes: there is some anecdotal evidence that pickled cabbage, like kim chee and sauerkraut, may ward off avian influenza. You might want to bury a pickling jar in your side garden (the way it is traditionally prepared in Korea.)

Bul Go Gi is a traditional Korean beef barbecue, cooked on teppan grills at the table in Korean restaurants, rather the same way sukiyaki is prepared at the Japanese table. You can do it on the grill.

Ingredients:
1 lb. beef (sirloin or top round)
2 T. cold water
3 T. sugar
2 1/2 T. soy sauce
1 T. fresh minced garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 T. sesame seed (toasted)
1 T. mirin (Asian rice wine)
2 stalks spring onions (cut into thin slices)
2 T. sesame oil

Directions:
Cut meat across the grain in very thin slices (this is easier if the meat is partially frozen). Place in a glass or plastic bowl. Mix in water, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, sesame seed and sherry with your hands till well blended. Press the meat down and cover. Refrigerate overnight and stir it two or 3 times while marinating.

Just before cooking, add spring onions and sesame oil & mix it.

Takes only a few minutes to cook either over barbecue grill or in a grill pan. If barbecuing, use a very narrow grill rack or a cake cooling rack on the grill so the meat won't fall through. If in a grill pan, cook over high heat for 2 minutes until browned on both sides.

Serve it with rice noodles and the Korean national condiment, kim chee. This takes about a week to make, so plan ahead. I've tried the same-day recipes and they just don't hold a candle. I've always got a pot of kim chee "cooking" in the fridge. I like it with scrambled eggs in the morning, but I'm one of those lunatics who eats hot sauce on their eggs and hash browns in the morning. Kim chi is a lot like sourdough starter, you can keep adding to it as you consume it, it just keeps going.

KIM CHI SLOW RECIPE

2 heads napa cabbage, quartered
1 c coarse salt
1/2 tsp cayenne

Layer the cabbage in a bowl, sprinkling with the salt and cayenne between each layer. Cover with a plate that fits inside the bowl and weight down with cans or jars. Refrigerate 1-2 days. Drain accumulated liquids from the cabbage, rinse well, pat dry and cut into 1-1/2" pieces.

Mix together:
1 head bok choy, cut into 1-1/2" pieces
6 minced cloves of garlic
8 scallions cut into 1-1/2" lengths and slivered
2 tbsp minced ginger root
3 fresh minced chiles
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce

Place a layer of cabbage at the bottom of a glass jar or casserole. Spread a layer of the above mixture over the cabbage and continue to layer until all ingredients are used. Cover with a lid and refrigerate for 5 days. Kim chi keeps well for at least 3 weeks becoming spicier each day.

Don't touch this for a week in the fridge, just keep it well covered and turn it over with a spoon once a day. Then it is ready to be served in a condiment ramekin on the side with your bul go gi or Korean ribs. If you like heat and savory, you'll like this.