Category: Top Posts – Winter

Promoting Korean Food, Intro: I’m Your Market
[box] A few years ago I was asked to write a small book on promoting Korean food. I finished the manuscript, but it never got published. The publisher ended up going out of business. Here is the old manuscript for your enjoyment, posted in segments. Keep in mind that this was written in late 2011, but some parts are still relevant today.
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Promoting Korean Food
Introduction
I’m Your Market
Journalists sometimes call me an expert on Korean food. It’s embarrassing because I’m not an expert. Before I moved to Korea in 2004, I barely knew anything about Korean food. That was one of the main reasons I moved to Korea. I started my blog ZenKimchi as soon as I arrived, and I blogged about the food I was eating because no one else was doing it. There were no Korean food blogs back then.
When the American media and foodies started to get interested in Korean food, ZenKimchi was still the only blog talking about it. This was long before the big hansik campaigns were started. We were alone in promoting Korean food abroad, and we have been doing it for almost a decade.
Yet again, I’m not an expert. You may say, “Why should I read what you’re writing, Joe?”
I’m your market.
I’m the person you want to reach. I did not grow up with Korean food, so I have no childhood programming and am not eating Korean food out of sentiment. I studied Korean history in university and came to Korea because I love the history and because out of all the cuisines I’ve eaten and cooked, Korean cuisine was a big black hole. I knew nothing beyond kimchi, and the kimchi I ate in America was awful. Because of this, my impressions of Korean food are similar to what your average American’s impressions will be.
I have been blogging about Korean food since 2004. As part of what I do, I keep in touch with all the news and opinions people have of Korean food all over the world. I have Internet “bots” tracking down every news story and blog post talking about Korean food, and I read them. I keep track of what average people say about Korean food on social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Because of my constant research I have a general understanding of what foreigners think about Korean food, what they like and don’t like, what campaigns work and which don’t.
The first and hardest concept to understand when promoting Korean food to westerners is that it’s not a user-friendly cuisine. Many people don’t instantly like Korean food. It’s an acquired taste. People have to try it a few times and get a taste for it before they like it. It’s not instantly enjoyable like, say, pizza. Yet that is also one of Korean cuisine’s strengths. That’s because acquired tastes become the most cherished tastes. Think of a food that you like that you didn’t like at first. Chances are that once you learned to like it, it became one of your favorite foods.
In my research on foreigners’ impressions of Korean food, that has been a definite pattern. Rarely do foreigners instantly like kimchi. It takes them a while. When they learn to like it, it becomes one of their favorite foods.
Personally, I was disappointed with Korean food when I first arrived. But that was because I didn’t understand it. I had no one to guide me through it. I ate samgyeopsal straight from the grill without salt or ssamjang and was disappointed at how bland it was. I ate dried anchovies without rice and was turned off by how sweet and fishy they were. I ate kimchi directly from the jar as a snack with nothing else, cringing at the sourness.
I found that others were having similar bad experiences. In fact, you’d go on popular expat Internet cafes and hear people passionately talk about how they hate Korean food. I started to become one of those people.
Then something changed.
During my third month in Korea, after struggling with downing Korean food every day, I showed up at work one morning. My stomach rumbled for some breakfast. But my tongue had a strange new feeling. My friend Brant suggested we go pick up some breakfast. He said, “What do you want?”
“Brant, you won’t believe it. I’m craving kimchi.”
Gradually, the foods I could barely stand became foods I badly wanted. It took me a couple of years to like doenjang jjigae. When I tried a bowl of it that came from very old doenjang, it started to grow on me. I had the epiphany that doenjang was very similar to cheese in that it was fermented protein, and it tasted better and more complex with age. When I discovered this, I savored doenjang in all forms and even became a fan of cheonggukjang.
These days I like Korean foods that even some Koreans don’t like—samhap, gobchang gwi. I’ve even gotten my Korean wife to try Korean dishes that even she had never eaten or enjoyed before. There are still a few foods I have a hard time enjoying, particularly the blander foods like nureungjitang and juk. I’m not a big fan of haemultang because I feel the spices cover up the delicate flavors of the shellfish and boiling them makes their soft textures too rubbery. Yet I still eat them when they’re put in front of me because I know that if I learn to like it I will learn to love it.
I find that since Korean cuisine is not user friendly, it speaks to foreigners differently. Everyone has a different taste. Each foreigner has a different dish she absolutely loves. I have known foreigners who were obsessed over individual foods like mu-ssam, naengmyeon, and tteok. Yet one of them hated seafood. Another hated eating communally (she was disgusted that people put their spoons in the same soup). Another was a vegetarian. Another had a gluten allergy. Everyone is different, so that makes it more of a challenge to market Korean food to foreigners. There’s no magic dish that everyone is going to like.
I may sound harsh in my writings, but that is because I love Korea, and I love Korean food. I want Korean food to become popular, and I don’t want Korea to become embarrassed by making awkward mistakes in marketing. I’m going to sound harsh because the methods the big players have been using have been humiliating Korea and have been wasting its hard-earned wealth. My little website, which only costs a couple hundred dollars a year to maintain, has had about as much success—actually, it’s had more success—in promoting Korean food than the other organizations spending millions of dollars a year. When The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet, and other media outlets want to produce something about Korean food, they tend to consult ZenKimchi first, not the official hansik promoters. That’s because we have marketed Korean food efficiently. We don’t have a big budget, so we don’t throw money at solutions.
We think. We research. We listen.
머리말: 바로 내가 여러분의 시장이다
간혹 언론에서 나를 한식 전문가라고 부르곤 한다. 전문가가 아닌 사람더러 전문가라니 민망한 노릇이다. 2004년에 한국에 오기 전까지 내가 한식에 대해 아는 건 거의 없었다. 내가 한국에 온 주된 이유 중 하나가 바로 한식을 알고 싶어서였다. 이곳에 온 지 얼마 안 되어 젠김치(ZenKimchi)라는 블로그를 열고 내가 먹는 음식에 관해 블로깅을 시작했고, 이유는 그저 남들이 먼저 그 일을 하고 있지 않아서였다. 그 당시에는 한식에 관한 블로그가 하나도 없었다.
미국 미디어와 식도락가들이 한식에 관심을 갖기 시작했을 무렵에도 젠김치는 여전히 한식을 이야기하는 유일한 블로그였다. 때는 대규모 한식 캠페인이 미처 시작되기 전이었다. 해외에서 한식을 홍보하는 것은 우리가 유일했고, 그 일을 시작한 지도 거의 10년이나 된 참이었다.
또 한번 말하지만 나는 전문가가 아니다. 여러분은 이렇게 말할지도 모르겠다. “그렇다면 당신 글을 내가 왜 읽어야 하지?”
왜냐하면 내가 여러분의 시장이니까.
여러분이 한식을 홍보하고 싶은 사람이 바로 나다. 나는 한국 음식을 먹고 자라지 않아서 어렸을 적부터 자동으로 익숙해지지도 않았고 어떤 정서 때문에 한국 음식을 먹지도 않는다. 나는 대학에서 한국사를 공부했고, 한국사가 내 마음에 들어서, 그리고 온갖 요리를 먹고 직접 만들어 본 내게 한국 요리가 커다란 블랙홀이었기 때문에 한국에 왔다. 내가 아는 한국 음식이라고는 오로지 김치뿐이었는데, 미국에서 먹은 김치는 끔찍했다. 그러니 한식에 관한 내 인상은 평균 미국인이 한식에 갖는 인상과 비슷할 것이다.
나는 2004년부터 한국 음식 블로깅을 해오고 있다. 그리고 내 일의 일환으로 전 세계의 사람들이 갖고 있는 한국 음식에 관한 소식과 의견들을 수집한다. 그리고 인터넷 ‘봇’으로 한식에 관해 이야기하는 모든 뉴스와 블로그 포스팅을 추적해서 그 글들을 읽는다. 또한 일반인들이 페이스북이나 트위터 같은 SNS에서 나누는 한국 음식에 관한 이야기들도 챙겨 읽는다. 이처럼 끊임없이 연구를 하다 보니 외국인들이 전반적으로 한국 음식에 관해 어떤 생각을 하는가를, 그리고 그들이 무엇을 좋아하고 좋아하지 않는가, 어떤 캠페인이 통하고 통하지 않는가를 이해하게 되었다.
한식을 홍보할 때 서구인들이 처음 접하는 가장 이해하기 어려운 개념은, 한식이 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 요리가 아니라는 것이다. 한식을 서양인들에게 홍보할 때 (우리가) 가장 먼저 알아야 할 개념인 동시에 가장 어려운 개념은, 한식이 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 요리가 아니라는 것이다? 많은 사람들은 즉각 한국 음식에 빠지지 않는다. 한식을 좋아하려면 취향을 발전시켜야 한다. 한식을 좋아하게 되려면 몇 번은 먹어 보아야 하고, 한식에 대한 취향을 발달시켜야 한다. 한식은, 말하자면, 피자처럼 즉각 즐길 수 있는 음식이 아니다. 그렇지만 그것은 또한 한국 요리의 힘이기도 하다. 습득된 취향이 결국은 가장 귀중한 취향이 되기 때문이다. 여러분이 처음에 좋아하지 않았다가 좋아하게 된 음식 한 가지를 떠올려 보자. 좋아하지 않던 음식을 좋아하는 법을 배우면, 그게 여러분이 가장 좋아하는 음식이 될 가능성이 높다.
내가 연구한 바에 따르면 한식에 대한 외국인의 인상에서는 확실히 그런 패턴이 나타났다. 외국인들은 김치를 즉각적으로 좋아하게 되는 일이 거의 없다. 어느 정도 시간이 필요하다. 일단 김치를 좋아하는 법을 배우게 되면, 그들은 김치를 가장 좋아하는 음식의 하나로 꼽는다.
한국에 처음 와서 개인적으로는 한식에 실망했다. 그렇지만 그건 내가 한국 음식을 이해하지 못했기 때문이었다. 한식을 안내해 줄 사람이 아무도 없었으니까. 소금이나 쌈장 없이 그냥 불판에서 바로 가져다 먹은 삼겹살은 너무 밍밍해서 실망스러웠다. 밥 없이 그냥 먹은 멸치는 너무 달고 비려서 역겨웠다. 그리고 항아리에서 바로 꺼내 간식으로 먹은 김치는 신 맛으로 얼굴을 찌푸리게 했다.
알고 보니 이런 비슷한 경험을 한 사람들이 나 말고도 많았다. 사실 유명한 재외국인 인터넷 카페에 가면 자기들이 얼마나 한국 음식을 싫어하는지를 열성적으로 이야기하는 사람들을 볼 수 있다. 나도 그런 사람들 중 하나가 될 뻔했다.
그러다가 뭔가가 변했다.
한국에서 세 달째, 안 넘어가는 한국 음식을 억지로 넘기려고 애쓰며 하루하루를 보내던 어느 날, 아침에 출근했을 때였다. 위장이 아침밥을 갈구하고 있었다. 그렇지만 내 혀에는, 이상한 새로운 느낌이 있었다. 내 친구 브랜트가 아침을 먹으러 가자면서 “뭐 먹고 싶어?” 하고 물었다.
“브랜트, 못 믿겠지. 나는 김치가 너무 먹고 싶어.”
내가 간신히 견디고 있던 음식들이 점차로 내가 지독히 원하는 음식이 되었다. 된장찌개를 좋아하게 되는 데는 2년쯤 걸렸다. 제대로 묵은 된장으로 만든 된장찌개 한 사발을 먹은 게 그 계기였다. 된장이 치즈와 무척 비슷하다는 깨달음이 갑자기 찾아왔다. 둘 다 발효된 단백질이지만 된장이 더 맛이 낫고, 시간이 지날수록 더 오묘한 맛을 낸다. 이 사실을 깨닫고 나서 나는 모든 형태의 된장을 음미했고 심지어 청국장 팬이 되었다.
요즘에는 일부 한국인조차 좋아하지 않는 음식들까지 좋아졌다. 삼합, 곱창구이 같은 것들이다. 심지어 한국인인 내 아내가 전에는 먹거나 좋아하지 않았던 요리들을 나 때문에 먹어 보고 있을 정도다. 그래도 여전히 좋아하기 힘든 음식들이 있긴 하다. 특히 끓인 누룽지나 죽 같은 비교적 심심한 음식들이다. 나는 해물탕을 그다지 좋아하지 않는데, 향신료가 조개의 섬세한 맛을 덮어버리고, 조개의 부드러운 질감이 끓이면 너무 질겨지는 탓이다. 그래도 일단 차려놓으면 먹는다. 내가 일단 그것을 좋아하는 법을 배우고 나면 그 다음에는 그것을 사랑하게 되리라는 사실을 알기 때문이다.
내가 알게 된 바로, 한국 요리는 접근하기 쉽지 않기 때문에 외국인들에게 각자 다르게 다가간다. 모든 이가 저마다 입맛이 다르다. 외국인이 어떤 요리를 사랑하느냐는 사람에 따라 다르다. 나는 무쌈, 냉면, 떡 같은 음식들 각각에 집착하는 외국인들을 알고 있다. 그렇지만 그 중 어떤 사람은 해물을 싫어했다. 다른 이는 같이 먹는 것을 싫어했다(사람들이 같은 국그릇에 숟가락을 넣는 것을 역겨워했다.) 또다른 사람은 채식주의자였다. 글루텐 알러지가 있는 사람도 있었다. 이처럼 모두가 다르다 보니 한국 음식을 외국인에게 마케팅하는 것이 그만큼 더 어려울 수밖에 없다. 모두가 좋아하게 될 마법의 요리란 존재하지 않는다.
내 글이 좀 가혹하게 들릴지도 모르지만 그건 내가 한국을 사랑하고 한국 음식을 사랑하기 때문이다. 나는 한국 음식이 인기를 얻기를 바라고, 한국이 마케팅에서 서투른 실수를 저질러 국제적 망신을 당하는 것을 바라지 않는다. 대형 조직들이 그간 사용해 온 방식들이 한국에 망신을 주고 힘들게 얻은 국부를 허비해 왔으니, 나는 가혹하게 말할 수밖에 없다. 내 조그만 웹사이트, 연간 유지비가 겨우 200달러밖에 들지 않는 내 웹사이트가 거둔 성공은 한국 음식을 홍보하느라 1년에 수백 만 달러를 쓰는 다른 조직들 못지않다. 아니, 사실 내 쪽이 더 성공적이었다. 《뉴욕타임스》, 《월스트리트저널》, 《론리플래닛》 같은 미디어들이 한국 음식에 관한 내용을 제작하고 싶어할 때, 그쪽에서는 보통 공식적인 한식 홍보기관보다 젠김치에 먼저 연락을 해온다. 그것은 우리가 한국 음식을 효율적으로 마케팅해 왔기 때문이다. 우리는 대규모 예산이 없기 때문에, 돈을 물쓰듯하는 해법을 내놓지 않는다.
우리는 생각한다. 우리는 연구한다. 우리는 귀기울인다.
January 29, 2015
Three kinds of bulgogi
Over at Sorae Bulgogi in Soraemaul we tried three types of VERY traditional bulgogi.
The Eonyang Bulgogi comes from the southeast near Ulsan. It’s thin slices of been mixed with garlic and sesame oil and pounded like hell. It’s squeezed and massaged and eventually pressed by hand into a ball. At the grill it’s basically shredded with tongs and comes out tender and beefy.
The Gwangyang Bulgogi is mixed with onions and apples. The thin strips of ribeye are grilled over charcoal very quickly, flipping constantly. It’s kinda like chadolbagi brisket at other Korean restaurants. With this kind you can get some crispy edges and great textures.
The final kind is Seoul style cooked on a domed grill with broth around the edges. I’ve been told by a historian that the grill is fashioned after a Mongolian helmet. The top part gets that lovely kiss of charcoal. The broth is mild.
Unlike the bulgogi in modern Seoul and overseas, this isn’t that sweet. The Seoul style isn’t sweet at all. Even after ten years I’m still getting an education.
November 27, 2014
The Secret to Great Kimbap
Put tasty grilled sausage in there. EJ threw some li’l smokies in these. Ni-i-i-ice.
July 14, 2014
What if U.S. Cities were in South Korea?
On a whim, I broke out ye olde Wikipedia and took down the population numbers for U.S. and South Korean cities. I matched them as closely as I could and plotted them out on a map. This is the result. I don’t know if it means anything to anyone, but it was a fun little exercise.
May 22, 2014
The Donkaseu of Depression
I don’t have a pic of this. Didn’t expect it to be picture worthy. I thought I’d try this place near my office in Insa-dong advertising “Wang Donkaseu,” which is a king-sized pork cutlet. It had been on my list of things to try for lunch.
The first sign of bad things to come was that this was on the fourth floor with no elevator. The trek doesn’t bother me, personally. Yet restaurant customers usually don’t go that far up stairs. Bars and hair salons usually go above the third floor.
I entered and sat down by the window at a place with only two tables taken during peak lunch hour in a place that takes up two stories. I waited for the server, but she ignored me. When I caught her eye, she told me I had to pay for everything at the register upfront. So, it was one of those kinds of places. They make their food cheaper by making everything self service. There were hotel pans of kimchi, nuclear pickled radish, and sweet pickles, along with a pot of soup that obviously came from a powder.
Nonetheless the menu looked intriguing. A cheese covered chicken cutlet with Indian curry sauce sounded promising. I ordered that and ventured up to the bathroom. The state of a bathroom echoes the state of a kitchen. It was nasty. There was toilet paper stuck and crusted to the lip, meaning that no one even tried to clean it.
I got a bowl of imported kimchi, making sure to reach for the stuff closest to the bottom. That way I avoided any chance of having saliva or whatever riddled kimchi from the top of the exposed pan. I also got a bowl of the powdered soup, which was really salt, starch, and water.
The food came out. Two cutlets covered in sauce, a scoop of rice covered in dried seaweed shavings, and shredded cabbage with a cream dressing I knew I would not touch. I tried the rice first, and immediately something hard busted my teeth.
This rice has bones in it?
I picked it out, and it was a hard kernel of rice. This rice was refrigerated with poor covering overnight and reheated. That’s the only way it could get that dried out and bone hard. I tried the meat. I understand that a restaurant that advertises a cheap large portioned dish will have to cut corners somewhere. I didn’t know that they were cutting corners on salt. The sauce was curry mixed with water. I started dreaming of the KFC Zinger Burger that I could get downstairs. I plodded through the rest of my lunch, hoping against hope that this bland astronaut food would get better. Thankfully a phone call interrupted this masochistic exercise.
I truly wonder what the mental process is for people who open places like this. Why go through the trouble when you don’t care at all about your food? And it really wasn’t THAT much cheaper than really good donkaseu. I could tell that this place had been for a while or never cleaned in all its existence. Probably both. It’s places like this that make me scared to try new restaurants. There’s so much lazy mediocrity in the Seoul restaurant scene. What’s sad is that I see lines form outside the door for some of these places while some of the really good places sit there empty and go out of business.
This Wang Donkaseu place didn’t have that line out the door. How could it when it was on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator? I’m not even angry at this food. I’m depressed. Why do the good ones die and the bad ones survive?
April 28, 2014
12 Myths About Korean Food
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As Korean food has gotten more popular, I read articles and recipes from international and even Korean outlets that perpetuate myths that need to be punched out of existence. Here are a few.
Koreans eat a lot of meat
(cc) Beau Lebens
I’ve seen this a lot in Korean restaurant reviews in America. This is because American Korean restaurants have a lot of meat, or rather, Americans order the dishes that are heavy on meat. In most Korean households, it’s a meat-lite lifestyle. Meat’s not the center of the meal, rice is.
Koreans eat a lot of beef
(cc) Lars Pistasj
Again, this comes from American reviews of Korean restaurants. American Korean restaurants have a lot of beef because beef is cheap in America. It’s considered a special occasion food here. We have some of the highest beef prices in the world. Or we used to, at least. So, eating beef is not something we do every day. More like once a month in our household.
Korean food is too spicy
(cc) Dukas Ju
There are some spicy dishes, but compared to other cuisines, it ain’t all that spicy. Kimchi can be hot when it’s young, but it mellows with age. I’ve had Thai, Indian, Mexican, and even American dishes that were spicier than most Korean foods I’ve eaten. The chilies used in Korean dishes, though, have a delayed heat. Do be careful. It may be fine now, but a few bites later all that heat will catch up with you. Nonetheless, American introductions that talk about the “spicy cabbage” and Korean assumptions that non-Koreans can’t eat their food because it’s too spicy–let’s put those to rest.
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Koreans eat dog meat
(cc) Emily Orpin
Correction–dog meat does exist here, but other cultures eat far more dog than Korea does. You’re more likely to see it for sale in Chinese markets than Korean markets around Seoul. It’s considered a medicinal dish consumed by horny old men with flaccid members in the summer. I myself have had it three times, and I’m done with it. It’s not that special. It’s becoming less and less eaten in Korea. There are definitely some issues with the dog meat industry itself. Yet the old associations of Koreans and dog meat are so outdated that it’s starting to sound racist, like associating African-Americans with eating watermelon. It’s a means to look down on a culture. And that’s rotten.
Kimchi is rotten cabbage
Credit: Elaine Tin Yo
Speaking of rotten, this one has been around for a while. There is a fine line but a significant line between rot and fermentation. Fermented foods, like kimchi, actually help us digest them better. Many have beneficial bacteria. And guess what? You likely already eat foods that have been fermented–cheese, wine, beer, sauerkraut, breads with actual flavor, yogurt. To newcomers, the smell is off putting, but so is cheese to cheese virgins. It’s one of those tastes that go from repulsive to addictive after a few tries.
Korean food is healthy/”well-being”
Hmmm… double edged sword there. I think Andrew Salmon recently put it best. More foreigners should eat Korean food, and more Koreans should eat less of it. It’s a low-meat, low-fat (mostly) diet. But it’s also high in sodium. Korea also has one of the highest stomach cancer rates in the world. My guess is that stomach cancer has something to do with what gets put in the stomach. Korean food promoters love this trope to the point of smugness. It’s a means for them to look down on western diets as inferior. What a douchey way to promote your cuisine!
Don’t stick your chopsticks in rice
(cc) Paul Hocksenar
Sort of true, but not really. Travel guides say that you shouldn’t do this, but in my ten years here, no one has gotten upset when someone’s done it. I’ve seen Koreans do it. I’ve been told that the older generations are uptight about it, but it’s pretty relaxed here.
Don’t eat rice with your chopsticks
(cc) Sarah Gilbert
There are a lot of table manners that are either myths or just hyped up. In Korea, the spoon is not just for soup and toddlers. It’s also used to eat rice. Yet there is no big problem with eating your food with chopsticks.
Bo Ssam is roasted pork
(cc) KOREA.NET
Thank David Chang for that one. At his Momofuku Ssam Bar, he made Bo Ssam popular by serving it as a roasted pork dish with fresh oysters and lettuce wraps. Sounds delicious, actually! Sam Sifton then published Chang’s recipe for this roasted Bo Ssam in The New York Times. This had us in Korea scratching our heads. Bo Ssam is boiled pork. Ovens aren’t part of the Korean food toolbox. So, all those New York hipsters are in for a big surprise when they go to Weon Halmeoni Bossam.
Korean food has [cilantro, coconut, lime]
Food Network’s interpretation of Korean food
Regularly, I see “Korean” recipes in American newspapers and on the Food Network that likely were written by people who had maybe stopped for gas in Koreatown. I remember on Top Chef contestants were challenged to make Korean dishes, and one chef made a coconut panna cotta. Other recipes have cilantro in them–something that still invokes repulsion in all but the most adventurous Korean eaters. Westerners still have this tendency to lump all Asian cultures together. Korea is in northeast Asia. There aren’t any coconut trees, pineapple bushes, or lychee plantations. We have lemons, but for some reason limes are scarce. Stop confusing Korea with your muddled orientalist fantasies of southeast Asian cuisines. Believe me, the opposite is true in Korea–lumping western cuisines into one mass. But that’s for another post.
Korean food increases sperm count
(cc) Martino’s doodles
Um… I have no more to say about that. Other than–that must suck if you’re a woman. But it looks like the Korean Food Foundation has since removed that claim from their website.
This Korean food can [miracle health property]
Unless there are peer-reviewed blind studies that prove anything, I’ll withhold my beliefs. Kimchi has been claimed to cure SARS, bird flu, cancer… You can’t have a Korean food promoter talk about a dish or ingredient without tossing around some unproven health properties. It’s like those health aids they advertise on late night TV. Unless the scientific process has been applied, I’ll take those health claims as seriously as Jogging in a Jug.
So, what myths have you heard? What are you not sure about?
March 5, 2014
Recipe: Beef Soondubu Jjigae (순두부 찌개)
I’ve been fortunate enough that this current winter has thankfully been the mildest I’ve had in Korea yet. But we’re still talking negative double digit temps here on some nights so it’s no surprise I’ve been craving a lot of hearty and warm dishes for dinner lately.
Soondubu jjigae, or soft tofu stew, is a fine example of Korean comfort food and perfect for winter nights. Of course, even if there isn’t an arctic blast in your air outside currently, soondubu can be enjoyed in all weathers and climates.
This recipe is for a basic beef-based soondubu jjigae but it’s adaptable to your preferences and your addition/subtraction of ingredients. You can substitute the beef for shiitake mushrooms, add in some kimchi, etc.
Whatever taste you like, this is a good, basic soondubu jjigae template you can use to keep yourself warmed up as you wait out the winter!
Beef Soondubu Jjigae (소고기 순두부 찌개)
Makes approximately 2 servings
You’ll need:
– 1 package of Soondubu (extra soft tofu)
(it usually comes in the mart in a tube shape like this:
– 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
– 2 tbsp of Red Pepper Flakes
– 1/4 cup of Onion, chopped into small pieces
– 1/2 tbsp of minced Garlic
– 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
– 1 tbsp of Salt
– 1 Egg
– Handful of chopped green onions
For beef and marinade:
– 1 cup of cubed Beef (usually Korean marts will sell cubed ‘stew beef’ but you can use cuts like beef skirt cut into cubes. You can also use pork)
– 1/2 tbsp of minced Garlic
– 1 tbsp of Soju
– 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
– Pinch of Salt and Pepper
For the broth:
– 1 Green Onion, roughly cut into 2 inch pieces
– 1/4 Onion, chopped into small pieces
– 1/4 cup of chopped Daikon Radish, cut into squares
– 5 small pieces of Dashima
– 10 Dried Anchovies, heads and guts removed if you wish
– 5 cups of Water
1. Begin by combining all the marinade ingredients with the beef cuts, mixing and setting aside
2. Broth is the secret to any good stew and soondubu is no exception. In a pot, add in the water and all the ingredients for the broth except the dried anchovies. Bring to a boil on high heat then bring down heat to medium for the next ten minutes.
During this step, you can also add in a handful of Manila Clams or baby shrimp for added flavor and taste.
3. After ten minutes, add in your dried anchovies and continue cooking for 15-20 more minutes on medium to medium-low until you get a nice pale golden broth.
Tip: Adding in the anchovies towards the end will help bring out a cleaner tasting broth, resulting in a cleaner tasting soondubu jjigae.
Discard all the broth making ingredients and set aside the broth. You should be left with roughly 2 big cups of broth.
4. Now let’s make the seasoning for the soondubu which will be done in the pot. Begin by making the chili oil. On medium heat, add the sesame oil and red pepper flakes to make the chili oil. Stir and cook for a minute.
Note: Making the soondubu jjigae from this point in an earthenware pot will help keep the jjigae nice and bubbling from stove to table, much like it comes in restaurants. I, unfortunately, don’t have an earthenware pot anymore so if you’re like me, don’t worry about using a regular, sturdy pot.
5. Raise the heat to medium high and add in your marinated beef and onions to the same pot and mix around for another minute or two. Then add in two tbsp of the broth you just made, the minced garlic, the salt and the soy sauce. Stir and cook for another minute. Your seasoning is now ready in the pot.
6. Add in the rest of the broth, stir, and bring it to a boil on high heat. During this time, taste and adjust the broth taste to your liking.
7. Cut your soondubu in half and scoop out big spoonfuls of the soft tofu and add to the broth. Crack in your egg and lower the heat to medium.
Try and adjust the egg to let it be submerged to cook faster but resist the urge to break up the tofu. After about 3-5 minutes the soup should start to boil again. At that point, turn off the heat, add your chopped green onions, and serve immediately.
Tip: Don’t worry about feeling you have to over cook the tofu. The longer you cook the tofu, the more it will draw out the water from inside the tofu resulting in a blander soondubu jjigae. Keeping the cooking time short once you add in the soondubu will allow you to simultaneously enjoy the spicy and savory flavors of the broth as well as the mellow and creamy taste and texture of the soondubu.
Enjoy with hot rice and plenty of side dishes!
February 27, 2014
Salade a la dorade crue sauce coreenne
Cela fait un moment que l’Occident a découvert les mets de poisson cru. Depuis, nous avons vu tant de restaurants de sushi et cela proposant tous à peu près les mêmes choses. N’est-ce pas maintenant qu’il est temps de changer et varier le plaisir de cet ingrédients ?

Le pays voisin du Japon, en Corée aussi, le poisson cru, appelé “hoe“, est un mets très recherché, mais, différemment. Dans la péninsule, on préfère relever la sauce avec le piment au lieu du wasabi. C’est la pâte de piment fermenté, gochujang qui assume le travail.
Si la sauce de soja donne un ton caramel, réglisse, accompagné d’un gout relevé boisé du wasabi, la sauce gochujang habille la chair de poisson un peu plus chaud, au rouge de piment, d’une note fruitée de l’acidulé et le sucré. Un peu comme le citron pour les produits de la mers, le vinaigre intervient ici judicieusement pour allonger l’écho iodé.

La recette présentée ici est une salade que l’on peut manger avec du pain, mais, elle sera également bonne de confectionner un bibimbap en servant sur un bol de riz cuit tiède, sans oublier la sauce gochujang.
Vous pouvez bien sûr utiliser tous les poissons se mangeant en sashimi ou en sushi, par exemple, dorade, bar, calmar, saumon etc. Coté légumes aussi, ils seront variables selon vos inspirations de couleurs et de textures. Les fruits aussi peuvent y avoir une place sans gêner les autres.
Ingrédients pour 4 entrées
250g de filet de dorade royale
50g de carotte râpée
80g de brocolis
2 oeufs
150g de radis blanc découpé en allumette de 4mm d’epaisseur
marinade pour radis : 1 c à café de vinaigre + un tiers de c à café de sel de mer +moitié de c à café de sucre
2 c à café de ciboule émincée
Huile végétale
Pour la sauce au gochujang
50-60g de gochujang (pâte de piment fermenté, moyennement fort, type 3*)
3,5 c à soupe de vinaigre de riz
1,5 c à soupe de sucre
2 c à soupe d’huile de sésame grillé
2 c à café de graine de sésame grillé
-Mêlez tous les ingrédients de la sauce gochujang
-Laissez mariner le radis minimum 30min dans sa marinade
-Blanchir le brocolis « en grosse fleur » dans l’eau bouillante salé pendant 3min
-Rincez-les avec l’eau froide et taillez en petites fleurettes
-Séparez les blancs et les jaunes d’oeuf et battez brièvement chacun, salez
-Sur une poêle bien chaude, mettez un peu d’huile végétale et faites l’omelette plate blanche et jaune
-Taillez les en lanières de 50x3mm

-Demandez à votre poissonnier de préparer la dorade en filet sans peau. Si vous faites vous-même, regardez ce vidéo ci-dessous
-Pour enlevez la peau de filets : voir ce vidéo ci-dessous
-Avec un couteau bien affilé, tranchez, légèrement en biais, les filets d’une épaisseur de 5-7mm
-Egouttez le radis et mettez avec les autres légumes dans de grands bols
-Dressez dessus le poisson et saupoudrez un peu de ciboule émincée
-Servez à la table avec la sauce à côté
* Il existe plusieurs dégrées (1-5) de force pimenté dans la gamme de gochujang. Au commerce, on trouve en générale n° 3 (moyen) et 4 (assez fort).

November 18, 2013
Salat hat roh Goldbrasse Koreanisch-Soße
Es ist schon eine Weile entdeckte Westen setzen roher Fisch. Seither haben wir so viele Sushi-Restaurants und dieses Angebot alle ziemlich genau die gleichen Dinge gesehen. Ist nicht das jetzt, es Zeit ist zu ändern und das Vergnügen, diese Zutaten variieren?

Das Nachbarland Japan in Korea, der Fisch roh, genannt "hacken", ist auch eine begehrte Delikatesse, aber, anders. Auf der Halbinsel bevorzugen wir Abholung statt Wasabi-Sauce mit Chili. Es ist fermentierte Chilli paste, Gochujang, die Arbeit übernimmt.
Wenn Sojasauce einen Ton Karamell, Lakritze gibt, begleitet von einer bewaldeten Wasabi, Geschmack, Kleider Gochujang Soße Fleisch heißeren Fischchen, rote Paprika, eine fruchtige Note die Süßigkeiten und Bonbons. Ein bisschen wie die Zitrone für die Meere, Essigprodukte greift hier mit Bedacht um die jodiertes Echo zu erweitern.

Das hier vorgestellte Rezept ist ein Salat, der mit Brot essen kann wird, aber es auch ein Bibimbap, verwenden eine Schale mit warmen, gekochten Reis nicht zu vergessen die Gochujang-Sauce.
Natürlich können Sie alle Fische isst Sashimi oder Sushi, z. B. Meerbrassen, Bar, Tintenfisch, Lachs etc.. Gemüse zu Seite, werden sie je nach Ihrer Inspirationen von Farben und Texturen. Obst kann auch ein Ort ohne die anderen zu stören.
Zutaten für 4 Einträge
250g Filet von der Goldbrasse Goldbrasse
50g geriebene Karotten
80g Brokkoli
2 Eier
150g weißer Rettich schneiden in Übereinstimmung der Stärke 4mm
Rettich-Marinade: 1 Teelöffel Essig C + ein Drittel der c von salzhaltigen + die Hälfte c Zucker
2 c Teelöffel gehackte Schalotten
Pflanzenöl
Für die Sauce gochujang
50-60g Gochujang (Chili fermentiert, mäßig starken einfügen, geben Sie 3 *)
3,5 Esslöffel Reisessig
1,5 c Zucker
2 El geröstetes Sesamöl
2 c Teelöffel gerösteten Sesamsamen
-Mischen Sie alle Zutaten für die Gochujang Soße
-Marinieren Sie Rettich mindestens 30 min in der marinade
-Blanch den Brokkoli in grosse Blume ' in kochendem Wasser Salz für 3 min
-Spülen Sie mit kaltem Wasser und schneiden Sie in kleine Blütchen
-Trennen Sie die weißen und die Eigelbe und schlagen Sie kurz, Salz
-Auf einem heißen Ofen zu setzen, ein wenig Pflanzenöl und weiße und gelbe flache Omelett
-Prune sie in Streifen zu 50x3mm

-Fragen Sie zu Ihrem Fischhändler die Brassen in Filets ohne Haut vorbereiten. Wenn Sie es selbst tun, sehen Sie dieses Video unten
-Auf die Haut der Netze zu entfernen: in diesem Video unten
-Mit einem gut geschärften Messer Industrienetze Scheibe, leicht geneigt, von 5-7 mm dick
-Entwässern die Radieschen und legte mit anderen Gemüse in großen Schüsseln
-Anordnung über Fische und einige gehackte Frühlingszwiebeln bestreuen
-Verwenden Sie die Tabelle mit der Soße neben
* Es gibt verschiedene Grade (1-5) gezwungen, sich im Bereich von Gochujang gewürzt. Handel, ist im Allgemeinen keine 3 (Mittel) und 4 (stark genug).

November 18, 2013
Assiette Palette: Noeuds d’oignon nouveau au gochujang & roulés d’omelette
Epicé et doux, croquant et fondant, froid et chaud, ce plat plein de relief stimule les papilles. Idéale comme entrée ou comme amuse-gueule pour annoncer le bal gourmande qui aura lieu tout au long de votre repas.
Mais ce que je trouve particulièrement intéressant ici, c’est son rapport effort-effet. Les couleurs vives et les formes ludiques, l’ensemble produit une apparence assez sophistiquée, alors que la préparation est plutôt simple avec des ingrédients banales (sauf la sauce Gochujang que vous pouvez, à défaut, remplacer par une sauce moutarde). On blanchit les oignons, roule les omelettes et mêle la sauce, et voilà, c’est tout. Les pancakes aussi, c’est simple, il suffit de soustraire le sucre de la recette de pancake classique.
Les nœuds d’oignon nouveau ont beaucoup de qualités; légères, jolis, riches en fibres et facile à réaliser. La douceur caractéristique de l’oignon marie bien avec la sauce relevée au gochujang.
Dans le plat d’origine, les coréens utilisent les ciboulettes chinois (Allium tuberosum), vous pouvez les trouver aux epiceries chinoises. Sinon, voilà les oignons nouveaux (Allium cepa) y font bien. Si la tête est trop grande, divisez-les en deux.

Source de l’image, cliquez ici
J’ai déjà fait avec le poireau (Allium porrum) en fendant en quatre et ça marche bien et délicieux. L’avantage du poireau, c’est il donne un joli dégradé de couleur vert clair et pistache.
Selon votre choix parmi la famille d’Allium, le temps de cuisson se varie entre 3-4min. Testez une ou deux à l’avance.

Filet de poisson crouté de carapace de crevette & noeuds de poireau
Compte tenu de la texture fine de ce plat, je recommande de le servir avec du pain type blanc tendre comme le pain de mie légèrement toasté, la brioche ou le blini. Pourquoi pas du pancake salé ?
Organisation : Sauf les omelettes, tout se prépare à l’avance. Les oignons et la sauce se garde au frais.
Ingrédients pour 4 entrées
Omelette roulée
4 blancs d’œuf + 2 c à café de vin blanc + poivre blanc
4 jaunes d’œuf + 30ml de bouillon de bœuf ou de légumes
2 feuilles d’algue kim (nori) + 1,5 c à café de sauce de soja foncée + 2,5 c à café d’eau
Huile végétale
– La recette est publiée sur le post précédent : voir la recette
Nœuds d’oignon nouveau
12-16 oignons nouveaux (180-250g)
1litre de bouillon de légume
2 c à soupe de huile végétale
sel

-Taillez (ou divisez) les oignons pour que l’unité soit entre 15-20g et lavez-les

-Portez à l’ebullition le mélange de bouillon et huile
-Plongez le côté têtes et restez 1min 30 sec ainsi
-Puis, faites plonger jusqu’au bout, laissez cuire 3-4minutes
-Egouttez et rincez à l’eau froide
-Laissez égoutter une dizaine minute, puis essorez légèrement sans écraser (surtout la tête et le cou sont fragiles)
-Etalez et salez TRÈS légèrement (la sauce aussi apportera du sel)
-Nouez un par un en roulant sur lui-même et en passant le bout dans le cercle (voir les images)
Sauce au gochujang (ou la moutarde)
2 c à soupe de gochujang (ou la moutarde + un peu de poivre)
1,5 c à soupe de miel
1,5 c à soupe d’huile de sésame (ou de noix ou germe de blé)
1 c à soupe d’huile végétale neutre
2 c à café de vinaigre de riz ou de cidre (seulement 1 c à café pour sauce moutarde)
2-3 c à café de sésame grillé
-Mêlez tous les ingrédients sauf les sésames
Pancake salé
110g de farine de blé T55
110 ml d’eau
1 œufs
2 c à soupe d’huile
1/3 c à café du sel
2/3 sachet de levure chimique

-Mêlez tous les ingrédients et laissez reposer la pâte 1h sous la température ambiante
-Chauffez à sec la poêle, feu moyen
-Faites tomber (la pâte s’étale toute seule) environ 2/3 c à soupe de la pâte
-Laissez les cuire 2 min de chaque côté
-Si vous les préparez à l’avance : Enfermez-les dans un grand bol couvert d’une assiette, au fur à mesure la cuisson fini, on garde ainsi la tendresse (pour la boite plastique ils sont trop chauds). Possible de toaster au moment de servir.

September 10, 2013