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Recipes from Korea
Food in Korea is similar in
some ways to the food of Japan and China, in that vegetables and small amounts
of meat or fish are cooked with a sauce and served on a grain, usually rice, but
there are differences in seasonings and in the frequent use of uncooked
vegetables to make salads and pickles. The food of North and South Korea is
virtually the same, as the division is a political rather than cultural one,
although South Korea has had more western influences in recent years. Vegetarian
dishes are frequently eaten with soybean and sesame products, although meat,
especially beef, is served for special occasions. Korean food can seem spicy to
someone unaccustomed to the mix of ginger, garlic, onion, and red and black
peppers.
Simple Watermelon Dessert
(Korea)
Hwa Che (hwah cheh) Koreans would
add "ci-da," a beverage similar to ginger ale to the
watermelon. The dessert is a good ending to a spicy meal.
Scoop chilled watermelon into balls or
chop into cubes. Just before serving, sprinkle lightly with sugar and
crushed ice. Pour a little ginger ale over and serve. |
Sesame Grilled Beef (Korea) serves
5 to 6
Pul Goki (bool goh-KEE)
| Thinly
slice: |
1
½ pounds boneless beef (sirloin, top round, chuck) |
| Mix
and add to meat: |
1
tablespoon toasted sesame seed, ¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons
sesame oil,
2 tablespoons sugar, 1 green onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced and dash of black pepper |
Refrigerate meat and marinate for 1 to 2
hours. To cook, barbecue over charcoal (a common Korean cooking method),
broil in the oven, bake in a 375F oven or stir-fry in a wok. Make sure
all sides are browned and the meat is cooked thoroughly to a safe
temperature. Serve over hot rice.
Recipes from Extending the
Table: a world community cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach,
Herald Press, 1991, p. 299 and p. 248. |
Kimch’i (Korea) makes
5 cups
(kim-chee) Korean salads (namul) usually feature fresh or lightly
cooked vegetables such as bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage and cucumbers. Namul
can be very spicy and are usually eaten in small portions with rice. Kimch’i
is considered the Korean national dish, and is offered on the table at
every meal. There are many variations of this pickled salad, ranging from
mild to very spicy. You can make it with just cabbage, or you can
substitute any combination of chopped and sliced turnips, cucumbers or
radishes for all or part of the cabbage. You can also add some salted fish
or small shrimp when serving. The longer the dish sits, the stronger
tasting it will be.
| Cut
into bite-sized pieces: |
5
cups cabbage |
| Mix
with: |
5
tablespoons of salt and let sit for 3 hours |
| Rinse
and drain cabbage thoroughly 3 or 4 times. Gently squeeze out
water with your hands. Place drained cabbage in a large glass
bowl. |
| Add
to cabbage and mix thoroughly: |
1
tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar,
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes to your
taste(!)
¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root (do not use
powdered ginger)
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped, 2 green onions,
chopped |
Cover the mixture tightly with plastic
wrap and let sit a room temperature for 1 day. After this, store in
refrigerator. Serve chilled to accompany a meal.
Recipe and introductory material
from Cooking the Korean Way by Okwha Chong and Judy Monroe, Lerner,
1988, p. 20 |
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