Stewed Korean Short Ribs, Kalbi Jjim (갈비찜)

Succulent Stewed Ribs Reminiscent of French Bourguignon

Whenever recent inductees to Korean cuisine describe fond memories of Korean food, the frequently mentioned universally palette-pleasing dish is kalbi, Korean barbeque short ribs. Typically marinated overnight and then fired over a tabletop or backyard grill, kalbi is the Korean equivalent of American barbeque. What people are less familiar with, however, is the kalbi jim*. Kalbi jim essentially uses the same cut of rib meat and similar seasonings as barbeque short ribs, only the bone is longer and meat scored or butterflied. But, the similarities end there. This tasty dish has more in common with the flavorful French bourguignon than its brother barbeque.

Bourguignon is beef braised in red wine and seasoned with garlic, onions, carrots and bouquet of assorted herbs like thyme, sage, tarragon and parsley. Like the French bourguignon, kalbi jim is also slow-cooked with liquor and spices, simmered till it reaches a fall-off-the-bone, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. The reduction, when cooled, congeals and resembles aspic, a savory meat gelatin. The richness of kalbi jim derives from the bone marrow of the ribs, which steadily seeps into the sauce, thickening it as it simmers.

Although many traditional Korean recipes call for par-boiling the ribs, soaking the meat, or adding chicken broth, I have found that the simplest and most efficient way to cook kalbi jim is to just group the ingredients together according to cooking time and throw each of them in at the right time in a heavy-bottomed, copper-coated pot. What is most important in this dish is the cooking time and quality of ingredients. I love simmering raw chestnuts in kalbi jim, but since chestnuts are out of season, I used small Korean sweet potatoes with similar success.

^* Kalbi is also spelt galbi, kalbee or galbee. Jim is also spelt jjim or chim.

Kalbi Jim, Korean Stewed Short Ribs Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Preparing the beef short ribs
3 lbs short beef ribs (English, thick-cut 3”-5” pieces)

1. Rinse the ribs in cold water to clean away any remaining bone bits.
2. Trim and discard excess fat.
3. Score or butterfly the meat (I will post separately for how to properly butterfly short ribs).

Cooking the beef short ribs
The alcohol and fruit juices in this kalbi jim tenderize and naturally sweeten the meat. With enough meat tenderizers, overnight marinating and sugar or honey rendered unnecessary.

6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
6 tbs soy sauce
1 ½ cups pineapple juice
1 cup vermouth or rice wine
¼ cup maesil ju, green plum wine, or Grand Marnier
½ cup water
1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tbs roasted sesame seeds
8 raw chestnuts, peeled or 2 Korean sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 ginkgo nuts, shelled
2 tbs red pepper threads (sil kochu), cut into 1” pieces
1 tsp black pepper, ground

1. Throw all ingredients, including meat but except the chestnuts and ginkgo nuts into heavy-bottomed or thick clay pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
3. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom does not burn.
4. Add in chestnuts and simmer for another 20 minutes.
5. Add in ginkgo nuts and simmer for another 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and turn up heat to medium high.
7. Stirring frequently and scraping the bottom with a wooden paddle, cook for another 20-30 minutes, until the meat becomes shiny and liquids reduce.
8. Optional step: Wait till the whole pot cools, then put it in the freezer for 20 minutes. Scrape away the fat, then reheat and serve with ogokbap, mixed rice.

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Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Pancake (김치전)

East meets Southwest in this sizzling hot dish

This Korean kimchi pancake, Kimchijeon*, adopts the okonomiyaki free spirit of mix-in-whatever-you-like while loosely following a Korean-Mexican fusion theme. Made with organic sweet brown rice flour, tangy sliced kimchi, spicy chicken chorizo sausage, fresh-cut Korean watercress, chopped red onions, hot chili peppers, and chewy Korean corn, the outside of this pancake is crisp while the inside is chewy like mochi. It’s the ultimate savory pancake, bursting with heat and intense flavor. Incarnated, this Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancake might be a Korean cowboy living in New Mexico. Ssssssss hot!

Not only encompassing fried savory pancakes but also other fried dishes, including egg-dipped vegetables and meats, 전 or chŏn/jŏn/jeons are often served as appetizers or side dishes. The batter is generally composed of wheat flour, ice cold water, and egg, although variations include pure or blends of ground skinned-mung beans, soybeans, corn starch, and sometimes, rice flour. I always prefer the non-wheat flour versions of pancakes because they have more character. The flavor and texture of nokdujeon (mung bean pancake), also called bindaetteok or bindaedduk, for instance, is very distinct, and when properly executed, the light golden bits of mung bean melt in your mouth. For today’s recipe, however, I selected a pure sweet brown rice flour base because I have a penchant for that sticky, satiating combo of meat and sweet glutinous rice. At dim sum, for example, one of my favorites is Hahm Sui Gock, a deep-fried, crispy glutinous rice flour dumpling stuffed with ground pork, Chinese chives, Shitaki mushrooms, and dried shrimp that resembles a miniature golden football you just want to punt into your mouth. You can think of my Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancake as being the healthier fusion, pancake version of Hahm Suey Gock. It’s also a delicious solution to the problem of leftover kimchi in your fridge.

Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Pancake Recipe

~ Makes roughly a dozen 6-inch pancakes

Sweet brown rice batter
I bought a whole bag of organic sweet brown rice mochi gome from my local Nijiya market, but you can just purchase regular sweet rice flour at your local store. I recommend using a Pyrex 2-Quart Measuring Cup when measuring the water, mixing up and microwaving the mochi.

1 ¾ cups sweet brown rice, finely ground into flour
2 cups boiling water

1. Sift the sweet brown rice flour into the boiling water.
2. Mix well, breaking up any clumps, and microwave for 1 minute.
3. Mix well, breaking any clumps, and microwave for 40 seconds at a time. Repeat 5 times.

Southwestern Style Korean Kimchi Batter
Make sure to remove the excess liquid from the kimchi and washed watercress. You don’t want the batter to be too runny.

¾ cup ripe kimchi, squeezed to remove excess liquid
1 lb chicken chorizo sausage
1 Korean corn cut from the cob
2 bunches Korean watercress (minari), washed and pat or spun dried
1 small red onion, chopped
2 Korean hot red peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons red pepper threads (sil kochu), cut

1. Mix the ingredients listed above into the sweet brown rice batter.
2. Microwave another minute and mix well. Set aside to cool.
3. Cover and refrigerate the batter. Chilling the batter before frying it will create more crispy pancakes.

Frying the Southwestern Style Kimchi Pancakes
I recommend using either peanut, grape seed, or canola oil, but not olive oil. Olive oil does not have a high burning point, and when raised to a temperature past that burning point, it becomes carcinogenic.

1. On a medium fire, heat up a cast-iron or non-stick skillet with just enough oil to cover the surface of the pan.
2. Pour the pancake batter in and wait about five - seven minutes, watching the bottom of the pancake to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Flip the pancake and cook the other side for about four minutes.
4. Transfer to a plate. Do not stack the pancakes or place them on paper towels or they will stick. Enjoy immediately.

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Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi (보쌈배추김치)

Baechu* Whole Cabbage Kimchi Bursting with Aristocratic Bossam** Flavor



Reconnecting With My Kimchi Korean Roots

When considering East Asian cuisine, there are many similarities and cross-over dishes between cultures, such as dumplings, but kimchi, spicy fermented napa cabbage, is distinctively Korean. There are over 100 varieties of kimchi with ingredients, seasonings, and fermenting techniques varying by region, province, and family. Kimchi tends to get spicier the more south you travel, and closer you get to the coast, the more oysters, squid, beltfish, and other sea creatures are added in kimchi.

There exists a kimchi for every season: clear mul kimchi quenches parched summer throats while spicy baechu kimchi warms winter bellies. The pervasive saying that, "A meal without kimchi is a sad meal" shows how elemental kimchi is to Koreans. Like Westerners who suffer from cabin fever when cooped up, Koreans purportedly suffer from kimchi fever when deprived of their kimchi. Worse yet, some marriages are said to fall apart if a wife's cooking and kimchi cannot match that of her mother-in-law!

Last fall, I visited South Korea for the first time with the intention of visiting my relatives and hope that I would glean some family recipes from my aunt and cousin. Since my grandmother died before passing on her recipes to my mother but not my mother’s sister-in-law, I thought, by virtue of being a member of the Lee family, I was entitled to share the family jewels. But upon arriving to my aunt and uncle’s home, I discovered myself shooed out of the kitchen and prevented from helping with the preparation of meals. By the time I woke up, the food was often already laid upon the table, and if I prodded my aunt and cousin enough, they begrudgingly discussed the main ingredients but not the methods. I understand that part of their treatment toward me was motivated by their perception of me as a guest. In Korean traditional culture, my helping is considered an insult because it insinuates that the hostess cannot handle the work alone. But my aunt and cousin also believe that an American born Korean will never be as familiar with or capable of mastering the art of Korean cuisine. They have not recently visited Los Angeles to realize that it is home to the largest Korean population outside of Korea.

Hence, when asking for my grandmother’s kimchi recipe, I was repeatedly denied a reply, mostly because my aunt and cousin did not believe that I could know anything about Korean food, let alone pull off making kimchi. My aunt was astounded that I was even familiar with doenjang jiggae, a fermented soy bean stew with tofu and scraps of fish, meat, and vegetable—something I ate often as a child.

My journey was drawing to a close and my disappointment mounting when my cousin, sensing my distress, tried to comfort me with an explanation for her refusal to share my grandmother’s kimchi recipe. First, my aunt’s kimchi recipe was not exactly the same as my grandmother’s because each generation tweaks the recipe a bit to improve upon it. Second, with the advent of technology, Koreans drastically reduced the amount of salt in kimchi because they had refrigerators now to prevent spoiling. Third, kimchi recipes change according to taste and what ingredients are on hand. If seafood is not available, it won’t be included in the recipe. And fourth, there really is no point in her explaining since kimchi making is a complex, all-day procedure, which she cannot fathom me following!

Of course, she could have just explained her recipe in the same breath she wasted on why she refused to tell me, but my heart lightened in a moment of epiphany: my grandmother’s kimchi recipe is interesting as a historic artifact but is just that—a relic of old times. I am luckier than my cousin because I, as an American, am free to be even more innovative with my kimchi recipe and fermentation techniques than her. With no preconceived notions of what is proper or not, I can experiment without fear that my Chinese boyfriend will leave me because my kimchi is not like his mother’s (which does not exist since kimchi is not a Chinese dish, although it is now a very hot and highly politicized export which China fights trade war over). And best yet, I can start the tradition of passing down my perfect kimchi recipe for the next generation to completely revamp. Perhaps they will decide to forgo the fresh shucked oysters?

Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi



After researching several kimchi recipes and the ingredients for each, I developed a hybrid kimchi recipe. My Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi recipe combines the best aspects of bossam kimchi, an elite kimchi from Gaeseong, what is now considered a North Korean province, and baechu kimchi, a classic whole cabbage favorite which appears at every meal. Bossam kimchi is renown for its aristocratic heritage: the expensive, rare ingredients combined with its labor-intensive preparation made it available only to the wealthy few. Baechu kimchi is popular for practical reasons: made from whole cabbage, it lasts the longest and is easy to prepare. Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi extracts the ingredients and seasonings of bossam kimchi and combines them with the relatively easy preparation techniques and longevity of baechu kimchi.

What makes this Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi truly unique is the addition of rare, raw, white aloe bee honey in lieu of the oft-called for over-processed sugar. Honey is an unconventional way of enhancing the kimchi fermentation process and reducing the risk of bad bacteria blooms without added salt. As an anti-bacterial agent and one of the only natural fermentable sugars, honey kills off the bad bacteria in the kimchi while encouraging fermentation and the flourishing of lactobacilli.

Two days pass when I detect a heady scent reminiscent of runny French cheeses. Take one bite into bossam-style baechu kimchi and your dormant taste buds will awaken and nasal passages clear. Crunchy like a half-sour pickle and refreshing as wine spritzer, bossam-style baechu kimchi complements any meal with its perfect balance of acidity and complex combination of flavors. Lightly roasted walnuts and pine nuts gently meld with the subtle sweetness of crisp Asian pear and fruity Fuji apple. Bits of brined shrimp, fresh shucked oysters and scallops fill the crevices of each cabbage leaf, leaving the taste of the ocean on the tip of your tongue. Like Willy Wonka’s Amazing Fabulous Sensational Three-Course Gum, Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi will reverberate through your mouth and leave no part of your palette unexplored.

* Baechu kimchi is also called Baechue Tong Kimchi, Baechu Tong Kimchi, Tongbaechu Kimchi, Bechu Kimchi, and Bechu Tong Kimchi.
** Bossam is also spelled Bosam, Possam, and Posam.

Bossam-Style Baechu Kimchi Recipe

~ Makes one gallon or 4-quart jar and one 1/2 gallon 2-quart jar

Salted whole napa cabbage
It is very important not to over-salt the napa cabbage and to be attentive to its changing chemistry during the salting process, in which it will lose over 90 percent of its water. Make sure you have enough sterilized, glass, screw-top jars. You can choose between one gallon jar and one half-gallon jar or three half-gallon jars.

7-8 lbs/2 heads Napa cabbage, cut into quarters or 2-inch wedges, depending on size of cabbage
1 3/4 cup coarse sea salt or kosher salt
Water

1. Rinse the cabbage well once and drain.
2. Trim off any residual root of cabbage, leaving only enough to hold the cabbage together.
3. Slice the cabbage into length-wise quarters.
4. Use water sparingly to rinse the cabbage. Reserve the collected cabbage water.
5. Sprinkle salt between each leaf of the quartered cabbage, and place each in a row in a large, non-reactive bowl or pot and layer them.
6. Pour the reserved cabbage water toward the side of the container so as to not wash off the salt from the cabbage. The salted cabbage should not be entirely submerged in cabbage water.
7. Pour the remaining salt on top of the quartered cabbages.
8. Let the cabbage salt for three hours, shifting the cabbage pieces every hour. After the second hour passes, make sure you tend to it every fifteen minutes and test to see whether it has a crunch to your liking.
9. Rinse the salted cabbage pieces very thoroughly.
10. Wring the liquid from each cabbage piece and set aside. Reserve the juice in a separate bowl, you may require this later.

Spicy Kimchi Paste
I used my very powerful Vita-Mix Blender to finely grind my own organic sweet brown rice flour, but you can use regular sweet rice flour. For oysters, I used Hama Hama, which are famous for their briny flavor, firm meat, mild finish and freshness even during summer months, but if you can get a hold of them, use Olympia oysters because they have a unique smoky flavor and copper finish.

Kimchi Paste Base
3 tbs sweet brown rice flour
3/4 bulb garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 tsp ginger juice, fresh squeezed
1/4 cup Korean brined baby shrimp
1 cup Korean hot pepper powder
½ cup oysters, raw, freshly shucked
¼ cup scallops, raw
1 blood orange, juice + zest
1 shitake mushroom, fresh or rehydrated if previously dehydrated
1/3 cup honey
½ sweet white onion

Kimchi Paste Bits
1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 lb Korean radish or daikon, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
1 large Asian pear, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
1 Fuji apple, peeled and sliced into 2 x 1 x ¼ inch blocks
2 tbs pine nuts, brown tips removed
2 jujubes, pitted and thinly slivered
3 tbs goji berries

1. Boil 1 ½ cups of water in a small non-reactive pot, reduce to a simmer, and gently sift 3 tbs of sweet brown rice flour into the water, stirring frequently. Let cool.
2. Pour the cooled sweet rice paste and the rest of the ingredients listed under Kimchi Paste Base into a blender and blend on high.
3. Mix the Kimchi Paste Base together with the ingredients listed under Kimchi Paste Bits.

Preparing the Kimchi
Make sure you use a plastic drop cloth or newspapers when stuffing the kimchi because the red peppers stain surfaces and clothing easily. Also make sure you wear rubber or powder-free latex gloves in order to prevent chili pepper burns.

1. Smear the kimchi paste between each of the cabbage leaves, depositing some of the radish, apple, and pear in the outer-most layer of the cabbages as well as the inner.
2. Tightly compress the leaves and then start depositing each prepared cabbage quarter into a sterilized glass jar with screw-top lid.
3. Press down on the prepared bundles as you fill each jar to remove any air bubbles.
4. Make sure you leave at least two inches of space on top of each jar.
5. Sparingly pour the reserved cabbage juice from the wrung cabbages into each jar.
6. Pile any remaining kimchi paste and bits into each jar.
7. Double saran wrap over the mouth of the kimchi jars and stretch a rubber band over the necks. Screw the cap on tightly.
8. Bag the kimchi in a plastic bag and make sure the whole jar is covered the bag to prevent odors and the potential release of gases.
9. Set aside in a cool dark place overnight. In the morning, ladle out some of the juice if necessary.
10. Let mature in a cool, dark place for 2-3 days before placing the kimchi in the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process. The kimchi will last up to 3 weeks after which it will gradually increase in sourness.
11. To serve, transfer one whole piece onto the cutting board and slice crosswise into 2 inch sections.

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ACORNucopia Noodles (도토리국수)

Acorn noodles with a cornucopia of protein and crunchy veggies



A Primer on the Delectable Edible Acorn

Way healthier than wheat and tastier too, acorns served as sustenance to us since prehistoric times. During times of destitution in Korea, the poor and forlorn would seek food derived from the acorn. Now, it is not necessity that drives us to squirrel away these oak nuts but its health benefits and delicious nutty flavor.

Google for acorn flour, and few people—save self-sufficient mountain Jacks, Wiccan chefs, and Native Americans—go through the trouble of processing acorn flour because the procedure is notoriously difficult. First, you must collect acorns, being wary of weevil larvae, then, leech out the tannins, and peel away tough husks before grinding the grain-like nuts into flour. Leeching out the tannins alone may take up to ten hours and several water changes.

But, dig a little deeper into the web, varying your search terms, and you will find dotori muk, acorn jelly, and dotori gooksoo, acorn noodles. In Korean cuisine, acorn flour and starches are frequently used in cooking, so much so that the starch and flour are manufactured and sold at many Korean grocery stores. Finished acorn-based products such as the dotori muk and dotori gooksoo are also available at many Korean stores. Be wary of products labeled as acorn noodles, however, because some contain as little as 4% acorn flour. The highest percentage of acorn flour I have seen contained in acorn noodles is 35%, and this was fact was proudly touted in a Well-Being store in Seoul.

The acorn noodles in my recipe are homemade and contain 70 percent fresh ground acorn meal. Due to the freshness and lack of preservatives of the acorn noodles, they should be stored in the freezer. I have decided to make these noodles available for purchase due to a complete absence of quality acorn noodles web and storewide.



All About Acorn Hut's Acorn Soba Noodles

Packed with essential amino acids and antioxidants, Acorn Hut's acorn noodles are a healthy and flavorful alternative to any pick of pasta. This dish teems with ten different vegetables and the parent-child proteins of chicken and egg. The juxtaposition of contrasting textures and tastes create a unique savory experience as the garlic, pan-roasted burdock seasons, and is in turned livened by, a bunch of crisp bean sprouts. Fragrant, fresh-snipped perilla and garland chrysanthemum, tossed in with sliced cabbage, green onions, carrots, cucumbers and two types of hot peppers, complete the spicy cornucopia with a satisfying crunch.

I developed this recipe after tasting Kobawoo restaurant’s version of dotori gooksoo. Their kochujang sauce left much to be desired as it varnished my tongue with a watery wasabi-like resin. Meanwhile, key Korean vegetables seemed M.I.A. while the red onions and bell peppers tasted misplaced.

In Acorn Hut's ACORNucopia Noodle Recipe, only the finest ingredients are used. No corn syrup is added to the organic kochujang sauce—the same cannot be confidently said for Kobawoo’s kochujang sauce. Acorn Hut’s noodles consist of a 70 percent acorn flour base. And the only two oils sparingly used are organic extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame oil. The best part about making this dish at home is that you are the Q.C.M. (Quality Control Manager), and the ingredients are as organic and fresh as you desire.

ACORNucopia Acorn Noodle Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

The Chicken and the Egg
You can use either hard boiled eggs or egg ribbons. Using hard boiled eggs takes less time but otherwise, which you choose is a matter of personal taste. To save time, you may also opt for a pre-made rotisserie chicken.

Hard Boiled Eggs
Boiling an egg is not as straightforward as tossing it in boiling water. Here are a few tips for a fluffier egg.

2-3 eggs

1. Prick the top of the egg with a pin to allow the egg to expand into its whole shell as it cooks.
2. Boiling time may vary depending on the size of the egg, but I don’t think you should boil any sized egg for more than 15 minutes.
3. Rinse the eggs in cold water to make peeling easier.

Egg Ribbons
Use a small non-stick pan when making these egg ribbons. Always keep the heat medium to low to prevent to release of unwanted chemicals. This recipe is similar but less labor intensive than my egg omelet recipe in Kickin’ California Kimbap.

3 eggs
½ tsp olive oil
¼ tsp honey
1 tsp mirin
Pinch sea salt

1. Melt the honey into the mirin.
2. Beat the honeyed mirin and salt into the eggs.
3. Lubricate the heated pan with olive oil.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and wait until the egg solidifies and edges brown a little.
5. Flip the egg, turn off the heat, and let sit.
6. Slice the egg into 1/6 inch strips. Set aside in small bowl.

Chicken
I have used pre-made rotisserie chickens from Costco and Zankou with great success. Be wary of pre-made chickens at grocery stores like Ralphs because they tend to be overly salted. But for a healthier alternative, cook your own chicken breasts.

One tablespoon sesame oil
2 large chicken breasts
2 two-inch pieces of ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
½ cup mirin
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 tbs water

1. Pan roast the chicken with sesame oil, ginger, and sliced garlic. When the chicken is browned, flip, turn off the heat and let the pan cool a bit.
2. Pour soy sauce, mirin, pineapple juice, and water into the pan and cover.
3. Cook on medium low heat for fifteen minutes.
4. Uncover and continue to cook for about 20 minutes until the liquid thickens into a sauce. Set aside to cool.
5. Slice the chicken using your knife or throw it into your food processor for a few pulses in a batch separate from the vegetables.

Kochujang Dressing/Fermented Hot Pepper Sauce
The best kochujang is homemade from scratch with organic ingredients, but if you don't have time, the best MSG-free store-bought brands for kochejang are O'Foods and Pulmone. Due to the nature of the fresh dressing ingredients, you require a powerful blender. One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Vita-Mix Blender because the motor is incredibly powerful, and it pulverizes my smoothies, spices, grains, and of course, dressings in mere seconds.

3 tbs kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste
2 tbs dry vermouth
2 tbs olive oil
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon or kalamanzi juice
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
½ Korean pear, peeled and seeded
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbs sesame oil

1. Place all the kochujang salad dressing ingredients in your blender.
2. Blend on low before increasing to high. The resulting salad dressing should be smooth and resemble cream of tomato soup, or a reddish Thousand Island’s dressing. Let people help themselves.

Vegetable cornucopia
Most of these fresh vegetables may be purchased at your local farmer’s market. Find garland chrysanthemum (ssukgat), perilla (kkenip), and hot peppers (gochu) at your local Korean or Japanese market. You can choose between 4 different types of cucumbers- Japanese, Korean, Persian, and English. Korean oi have a pastel green hue and tend to be a bit less crisp than their forest green Japanese kyuri counterparts. Both are shorter, thinner, and crisper than the English hot house cucumber. Persian cucumbers are shorter than both Korean and Japanese cucumbers and have a thicker seed middle but not as thick as English cucumbers. For your reference, 3 kyuri = 3 oi = 4 Persian = 1 English hot house cucumber

2 cups bean sprouts
¼ purple cabbage
1 bunch garland chrysanthemum
2 bunches perilla leaves, 10-14 leaves
1 stalk green onions
2 Korean green hot peppers
1 red jalapeño pepper
5-6 young carrots
3 Japanese cucumbers

1. Wash and then pat or spin dry all of the vegetables.
2. Place the bean sprouts in a small bowl covered bowl and fridge. As you finish chopping or slicing each vegetable, refrigerate each in a small bowl to preserve freshness.
3. Slice the purple cabbage into ¼ inch thick pieces.
4. Chop the garland chrysanthemum into 1 ½ - 2 inch pieces.
5. Fold the perilla leaves over one another in a deck and snip them into 1/3 inch thick pieces.
6. Slice the green onion into thin disks.
7. Slice the Korean green hot peppers into 1/6 inch thick disks.
8. Slice the red jalapeño pepper into thin disks.
9. Insert the coarse blade into your mandolin slicer and slice your carrots evenly into ¼ inch thick strips.
10. Repeat this procedure for your cucumbers.

Time Saver: If you value time over the aesthetics or if you plan to double this recipe, throw all the vegetables one batch at a time into your food processor and pulse a few times. My Kitche nAid food processor shreds the cabbage perfectly in less than ten seconds.

Pan-Roasted Garlic Burdock
Burdock (uuong/gobo) may be found at your local Korean or Japanese grocer. Some Chinese markets also carry burdock, known as Ngau Pong in Cantonese. To pick a fresh burdock, look for obvious shriveling and then carefully inspect the density of the root at its base. Ideally, the base should be solid and have no splinters of wind tunnels. If you whip the burdock a bit, it should also have a firm resilience and not be limp.

2 whole roots of burdock (uuong/gobo)
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbs sesame oil
Pinch of sea salt

1. Slice the burdock into thin matchsticks using your mandolin slicer, or chop the root into 2 inch pieces and toss into a food processor.
2. Throw the sesame oil and salt in a pan over medium low heat.
3. Add the sliced burdock and 4 crushed cloves of garlic in the pan.
4. Stir fry until the burdock edges and garlic bits are a golden brown. Set aside in a small bowl.

Acorn Hut's Acorn Noodles
Try substituting acorn noodles in any recipe that calls for pasta noodles. Acorn noodles are an especially excellent alternative to soba noodles. You can try purchasing acorn noodles either at your local Korean grocer or for higher quality acorn noodles, here at Acorn Hut.

1 lb Acorn Noodles (dotori gooksoo)

1. Immerse acorn noodles in boiling water and boil for 6 minutes.
2. Rinse noodles in icy cold water and drain well.

Arranging Acorn Noodles
Arrange all of the different prepared toppings on the table and let people choose which toppings they want, or prepare each bowl separately.

Acorn noodles
Vegetables
Chicken
Egg
Kochujang sauce

1. First, place the noodles in each bowl.
2. Pile on the toppings.
3. Allow each person to pour as much sauce as they please.

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Super G-Salad (인삼산채)

A Medley of Ginseng, Garland Chrysanthemum, Gingko Nuts, Goji Berries, Green Peppers & Garlic

This ambrosial assortment is a stimulating health elixir in salad form. The ginseng, garland chrysanthemum, gingko nuts, goji Berries, green Korean hot peppers, and garlic hot pepper dressing create a rare, delicious salad. Composed of numerous nutrition-packed ingredients beginning with the letter “G”, hence the name “Super G Salad”, this salad sings with a robust, distinctively nutty, spicy, slightly bitter, savory, yet subtly sweet, fresh deliciousness.

Dressing this herbaceous bouquet of quintessential Korean ingredients, such as ginseng and gingko, is a distinctly Korean condiment-kochujang, fermented red hot pepper paste. Despite a striking resemblance to cream of tomato soup, the kochujang dressing savors like a garlicky fire gently dancing on your tongue.

And the Super G Salad tastes as good as it is for you. In particular, the ginseng and gingko nuts act synergistically together to improve cognitive function. Ginseng also widens blood vessels by increasing production of nitric oxide, which is also how a certain Little Blue Pick-Me-Up Pill works. This salad is not only an aphrodisiac but also an alleviant for Type 2 diabetes. The ginseng, gingko nuts, garlic, and Korean hot peppers all actively lower blood sugar levels. And, if you believe 5000 years of East Asian medicine, the Super G Salad is essentially a panacea for all existing ills.

Super G Salad Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Salad
Living in Los Angeles, I am blessed with numerous shopping options for Asian groceries. I found the best place to buy organic garland chrysanthemum, however, is at your local farmer’s market or a Japanese grocery store like Nijiya or Marukai. Garland Chrysanthemum is also known as Crown Daisies, Shungiku in Japanese, or Ssukat/Ssukgat in Korean. Fresh ginseng can generally be found at any Korean market. To create the ginseng shreds, I suggest using a vegetable peeler that resembles a personal razor.

1 bunch organic garland chrysanthemum
2 fresh ginseng roots, 5-6 inches long, 1 inch base
4 green Korean hot peppers

1. Wash, spin-dry, and then separate the garland chrysanthemum leaves.
2. Wash, pat dry, and shave the ginseng lengthwise with your vegetable peeler.
3. Slice the green Korean hot peppers into thin disks.
4. Mix the garland chrysanthemum, ginseng, and green Korean hot peppers together.
5. Divide the salad onto plates.

Toppings
I purchase my gingko nuts fresh in Korean markets, but I have also seen them sold shelled and vacuum-packed in plastic. Gingko nuts are small and have a thin, delicate shell, so regular nut crackers are not efficient for shelling them. The best nut cracker for gingko nuts is actually a lime squeezer, and you can usually crack about 5-6 gingko nuts in one go.

½ cup gingko nuts
2 tbs goji berries
2 tbs pine nuts
1 tsp olive oil
pinch salt

1. Lightly roast the shelled gingko nuts over a low fire with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside and let cool.
2. Lightly roast the pine nuts over a low fire. Combine with the cooled gingko nuts.
3. Sprinkle the gingko nuts, pine nuts, and goji berries over each salad.

Kochujang Dressing/Fermented Hot Pepper Sauce
The best kochujang is homemade from scratch with organic ingredients, but if you don't have time, the best MSG-free store-bought brands for kochujang are O'Foods and Pulmone. O'Foods is two-three times more expensive than Pulmone, but it also tastes better and is less salty. Due to the nature of the fresh dressing ingredients, you require a powerful blender. One of my favorite kitchen tools is my Vita-Mix Blender because the motor is incredibly powerful, and it pulverizes my smoothies, spices, grains, and of course, dressings in mere seconds.

3 tbs kochujang, fermented hot pepper paste
2 tbs dry vermouth
2 tbs olive oil
2 large cloves fresh garlic
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon or kalamanzi juice
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
½ Korean pear, peeled and seeded
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tbs sesame oil

1. Place all the kochujang salad dressing ingredients in your blender.
2. Blend on low before increasing to high. The resulting salad dressing should be smooth and resemble cream of tomato soup, or a reddish Thousand Island’s dressing. Let people help themselves.

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Winter Cool Cucumber Salad (오이무침)

A cool salad for keeping yourself HOT in the wintertime

Wintertime is harsh on your skin and body— your body burns more calories than usual trying to keep warm. Of course it doesn’t follow that you lose weight because you crave heartier foods. Meanwhile, your skin gets battered by the wind, cold, and sun. But you can keep that polar pudge off and skin smooth by harnessing the hydrating powers of cucumber in combination with the fat-burning fire of red Korean chili peppers.

What makes this seasoned cucumber or, in Korean, oi muchim work is the Japanese cucumber, kyuri, which are available year-round. You may also choose to use Persian cucumbers or English hothouse cucumbers. The cucumbers, in tandem with ginger, garlic, green onion, and hot chili peppers, produce a powerfully potent salad of Vitamin A, B6, and C, chromium, manganese, silica, selenium, and sulfur—all vital for aiding your skin in its natural repair. The red chili peppers also boost your metabolism as capsaicin continues to burn calories, long after you have already digested it! Omit the honey, and this recipe is a homeopathic alleviant for diabetics.

Winter Cool Cucumber Recipe

~ Serves 3-4 people

Garlicky Vinegar
This garlicky vinegar may be added to soy sauce for dipping dumplings, kochujang, or any other sauce or dish that calls for vinegar.

3 garlic cloves
6 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maesil ju, Korean green plum wine

1. Crush or thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Soak the garlic in 6 tsp of rice vinegar for an hour, or preferably, overnight.

Cucumber Salad
What adds an extra special spicy kick to this salad is the shot of fresh ginger juice.

3 japanese cucumbers – kyuri
2 tsp scallions/green onions, finely chopped
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbs Korean red chili pepper, cut in thin .5 x .1 inch strips
1 tbs seaweed, cut in thin .5 x .1 inch strips
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger juice
¼ tsp salt

3. Stir in honey into the ginger juice, which you have obtained from crushing the bulb of ginger.
4. Use your Japanese Mandolin slicer to evenly slice your cucumbers into thin 1/16 inch disks.
5. Lightly sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers.
6. Mix the garlic vinegar, soy sauce, and honeyed ginger juice together and pour over the cucumbers.
7. Add scallions, cracked pepper, salt, red chili pepper, and if you so desire sesame seeds and oil, and lightly toss.
8. Add the seaweed and additional red pepper on top for garnish and serve.

Variations
For a softer sesame version, add:
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
3 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Continue Reading "Winter Cool Cucumber Salad (오이무침)" Recipe ...