Korean food questions

[nicklord1]

I tried to get in too korean food a while back but it all seemed to be about pickles . Plz convince me otherwise and send me some recipes and educate me on korean food .

Thanks

[jennyema]

Pickles? Korean food? Not sure what you are referring to, actually.

There are threads on lots of korean dishes, including kimchi, bulgogi and babimbap. Type in "Korean" in the search box.

[Claire]

Korean food is always accompanied by a plethora of small bowls of various salads, pickles, and kimchee (actually I think they're all generically callled Kimchee, but you would always be served with several types). That is where the "pickles" come from. Have patience, I'm sure someone will come in with some good recipes.

I like to take soy sauce, hot peppers, maybe a little vinegar, a dab of sugar, chopped scallions. Marinade beef ribs or thin sliced beef for a few hours, then grill over charcoal. Ribs are kal bi, thin sliced beef is bulgogi. Since I don't use an exact recipe, someone will chime in with one. Some recipes call for rubbing the thin sliced beef with sugar first. Be careful. It makes for a tender peice of meat, but beware. Like with yogurt in Indian foods, pure sugar can literally turn your meat to mush after a few hours.

Another favortie is chop chae. Soak bean thread noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile chop spinach and scallions. Other appropriate vegetables are bean sprouts, grated carrots, or shredded squash. Quite often this is made with leftover bulgogi, but if not, every time I've had it, it had some thin sliced, marinated beef in it. Toss in the skillet or wok and keep tossing until all is coated. Add a little soy/sugar/garlic/hot pepper mixture towards the end. Yummyummm.

Many Korean recipes reflect the turbulent relationship between Japan and Korea.

If you want exact recipes for any of these, respond and I'll go get my trusty Korean cookbook, or better yet, email a friend for it.

[jennyema]

Claire, the small dishes you refer to are collectively called "panchan" not kimchi. Kimchi is often served as panchan. But to me, not many things served as panchan would qualify as "pickles," unless one is using the term very generically.

[BreezyCooking]

Nicklord1 - please elaborate as to what made you feel that Korean food was "all about pickles"? Was it a book, a restaurant?

Korean food is definitely not "all about pickles". You may have gotten that impression due to the Korean table - like the Indian one - having a number of accompanying condiments on the table. While Kimchee is nearly always present, it's only one of a number - many of which are not pickled.

The food itself is very diversified, with quite a number of grilled meat/seafood dishes among them. It stands on its own, in my opinion. Not equated with Chinese/Japanese cuisine very much at all.

[Robo410]

What they all said above...very diversified depending on where a recipe comes from.

[candelbc]

One word...

Bulgoki...............

[nicklord1]

Breezy i have a korean cook book and not alot of seemed nice

[Claire]

Panchan. I will try to remember that. We called them all kimchee, but didn't know the correct word. I have never been to Korea (both husband and father have lived there) and I make these various salads, pickles, and kimchee often for hubby and friends who love them. Being from a military background, and living in Hawaii for many years, I love this food. I have a Korean cookbook, but mostly I go by instinct on it. I agree that most do NOT qualify as pickles, but that was the only explanation I could come up with for what Nicklord read. I would call it more salads? It is hard to explain sometimes what one culture eats to a culture who has never had the pleasure. By the way, a Korean-Hawaiian-American friend just visited, and we cooked together and had a great time.

[nicklord1]

sounds like a blast claire i have had the cooking blast for over a year now and spent alot of my own money on oils , herbs , and spices etc . Much to the dismay of my family and i am prob boring my friends with stories of how to make a perfect lemon chicken or rogan josh but when you got a passion for something you are always a little geeky .