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Korean Food

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Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:04 pm

I haven't eaten a lot of Korean food, though I've enjoyed the little I've had at Korean restaurants

While I was ill late 2016 I watched pretty much the whole of Judy Joo's Korean Food made Simple, and it looked like there was some nice food in her recipes, and indeed, reasonably simple

http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipe/judy-joo-keyword.html?search=judy-joo&section=recipes

So it's been at the back of my mind
Last week I found a box of the essential gochujang (Korean chilli paste) in Morrison's so I bought it; I have and can easily get mirin and I actually have some Korean soy (it's much cheaper than Japanese so I bought it to see if it was a good sub, not specially, but apparently it's not essential to have the Korean stuff

The third thing most recipes require is gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes), I looked in Morrison's and they don't have it, so first question - are they anything special? Can I use one lf the many kinds of chilli flake & powder that seem to have settled in my cupboards? I have kimchi

The recipes I was thinking of making were this simplified pork bulgogi rice bowl (not Judy's)
https://mykoreankitchen.com/spicy-pork-bulgogi/

And possibly Judy's Bibimbap
http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/biggest-and-best-bibimbap.html

What experience do you have with Korean food?

Link corrected
Last edited by Stokey Sue on Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Luca » Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:20 pm

Hi Sue,

I have no real knowledge of it apart from that gleaned from a few cooking programmes and also food writing about Korean dishes. I am very tempted. There is a large Korean supermarket not too far away which I aim to visit for the second time having gone once years ago.

http://www.koreafoods.co.uk/en/retail_01.php

I'm going to follow this with interest.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:06 pm

I've had a couple of brief flirtations with it, notably in this thread. The Korean places from the famed Yoahin Plaza moved to Harrow and Wembley, but have both since closed, however I still have their menus, which gives a good starting point for the streetfoody bits and pieces I think. That chilli paste lasts, as I still have mine from back then in the fridge! And a can of kimchi.

I never managed to get hold of the proper chilli flakes, but I seem to remember the answer was that Morden is full of Korean shops if I really wanted to get hold of it. Or Malden. CHECKED: It's New Malden. Should have remembered that as my Granddad used to live there :-(

Koreana Cuisine menu inside
Koreana Cuisine menu cover
Hot Korean menu

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Badger's Mate » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:19 pm

My one experience of Korean food is best retold over a pint; one day, if I ever make it to a food board meeting it might be revealed. :D

Consequently I don't really know what I'm talking about, so feel free to ignore the following! That said however, I'd be surprised if Korean chilli flakes were hugely different from other ones; differences between chillies (apart from different concentrations of capsaicin) usually involve some sort of fruity notes; those are relatively subtle and most obvious in fresh fruits. Some dried chillies are smoked of course and some recipes call for a mixture of varieties, but I'll bet you'll get an approximation to the original using whatever you've got handy.

Chilli pastes are a different matter of course because of the wide variety of other possible ingredients.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:04 pm

So the Korean supermarket is in New Malden (the lilac web page is rather hard to read)

Hmm.. not that easy to reach, but apparently my nearest Korean grocer is on Denmand St in Soho, which is easy enough

https://www.yelp.co.uk/search?find_desc=korean+grocery&find_loc=London

Yes, Badger's Mate, I think the chilli flakes are described as relatively mild to medium and fruity, so the plan is to use Aleppo pepper (pul biber) perhaps pepped up with a pinch of something else, I think the gochujang is the important part as it contains quite a lot of other things, and it is fermented

In my experience there's not a lot of difference between the much feted Kashmiri chilli and the much cheaper Chinese Facing Heaven chill, or between Piment d'Esplette (pricey) and Aleppo pepper (dirt cheap in Turkish shops)

I see efcliz on the previous thread described the gochugaru as like hot paprika, which is what I thought

Sakkarin that second, shorter, menu is more like the Korean food I've had

I might venture out to eat some more cooked by Koreans soon, it's getting easier to find in London, A local Korean (head waiter at a Japanese restaurant) assured me most Japanese food in London is cooked by Koreans

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Re: Korean Food

Postby sunflower » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:36 pm

Korean food is one of my favourites. Kimchi and gochujang is my staple in my fridge. Have been making kimochi for years. Gochuang is very versatile I use it in most cooking that needs a bit of chilli spice. Marinades, sweet and sour sauce, stew, spagbog sauce, oriental noodle sauce and many more. A spoonful mixed with bibimbap is essential. Gochujang has a mellow spicy kick that is thick, sweet and savoury.

Korean chilli powder is much milder and less harsh than any oriental or indian chilli powder. The course type mainly for making kimchi. The fine one usually to spice up stew, making korean cooking or dipping sauce or add to salad.

Here is a few simple recipes if you are interested

Salad dressing: soy sauce, sugar or corn syrup or honey, korean chilli powder or Gochuang, chopped garlic, sesame oil, cider vinegar, chopped spring onion. Mix all these together. Mix with any salad leaves, cucumber, lighty sauté courgette, spinach raw or lightly blanched. Finally Spinkle with toasted sesame seeds

Bibimbap: cook some sushi rice or korean rice. Then make the topping with different vegetable like carrot, spinach, courgette, bean sprout etc.. All lightly sauté individually and lightly seasoned with soy and sesame oil. Then stir fry some sliced beef or lean minced beef with some garlic, soy, pinch of sugar and ground pepper. Put pipping hot rice in a large noodle size bowl, arrange the topping on top. Top with a raw egg yolk or fried egg. Finally add a dollop of Gochujang and or some soy sauce. Mixed and enjoy. If you have a korean stone bowl specially for bibimbap the bowl is first heated till hot, brush inside of bowl with sesame oil then scoop rice in. With a heated bowl the bottom rice can get toasted and crisp also keeping the rice warmer longer.

Kimchi stew (jigae): slice some skinless belly pork put this into a large saucepan. Take a handful of kimchi stir fried in another pan till hot and fragrant. Transfer kimchi on top of the pork. Then add thick sliced tofu, sliced mushroom (any fresh mushroom or soaked shitake), and one onion cut into small pieces. Then add enough seaweed stock or just water. Cover and turn the heat on, simmer at medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes till pork is cooked and tender. Add a mixture of sauce made with soy, korean chilli flakes, gochujang, chopped garlic, sugar and sesame oil. If you don't like too spicy omit the chilli flakes and/or gochujang. One the stew is seasoned with enough of the sauce, then sprinkle with some chopped spring onion. Enjoy with plain rice.

Another of my favourite use of Gochujang is for korean style crispy deep fried chicken coated with a sauce which is spicy, sweet and savoury, yum!

People living in London area, korean supermarkets are in Golders Green. In China town, New Loon Moon has a good selection upstairs.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:42 am

Thanks sunflower
I need to check the date on my kimchi, see if I need more

My local Vietnamese - Chinese shop has a small Japanese and Korean section, but oddly I've never spotted any gochujang there

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:39 pm

Went to Soho today
The Korean grocer on Denman St seems to have either morphed into a restaurant or moved to Centre Point, depending on which bit of t'internet you believe
Got some mirin and Chinese bits from New Loon Moon, but no gochujara ground chilli, as the smallest pack was 500 g and £6 :o

Spent a happy half hour reading mirin labels, most of it turns out to be "mirin style seasoning sauce", i.e. corn syrup and vinegar. Real mirin, made from rice fermented with sugar is far more expensive

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Re: Korean Food

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:41 am

There is a Korean restaurant in Caracas, and I ate there once. The food, I have to say, was delicious, and spicy. The only thing I remember is the kimchee which, incidentally, I need to make this week. I promised someone I`d give it a go, so any t & t recipe methods would be very welcome!

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Apr 13, 2017 10:09 am

Thanks for the recipe suggestions Sunflower, some ideas there I'll have to try.

reading mirin labels, most of it turns out to be "mirin style seasoning sauce", i.e. corn syrup and vinegar


Hmm, went to read my bottle, it says "Glucose syrup, water, fermented rice extract, molasses, vinegar". Is it proper mirin, "fermented rice extract" sounds a bit industrial...?

I took a look at my bottle of sake too, same manufacturer (Yutaka), it says "Rice, water, yeast extract, alcohol". I wonder if that added "alcohol" means it's just a mix of flavourings with alcohol.

I seem to remember the same is true of cheap oyster sauce - no actual oyster. Bit of a swizz really.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:20 pm

I've not been overly impressed with Yukata in the past.

Mine is, oddly for a "premium" brand in a plastic bottle, Takara Hon-Mirin
The label is in Japanese but it is flashed 100%, wonder if that is 100% natural?

The English stick on says
Ingredients Water, Sugar, Glutinous Rice, Rice Koji. Brewed Alcohol. Alcohol 13.5%

Which sounds reasonably healthy

Might have been easier to stick with Clearspring from the deli, theirs is made without added sugar
https://www.clearspring.co.uk/collections/authentic-japanese-seasonings/products/japanese-rice-mirin-150ml

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Re: Korean Food

Postby kavey » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:42 pm

I had some exposure to Korean food over the last few years but a lot more from March 2015 to March 2016 when I worked in New Malden for a year. Loved eating lunch at the Korean restaurants closest to my office. Am now back working for that same company but only in New Malden one day a week most weeks, and that's usually Monday, when the Korean restaurants are all closed. SAD FACE.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Apr 21, 2017 5:28 pm

I haven't done any Korean cooking yet, as I over catered a bit, but have just discovered that my local highly recommended Korean has reopened after a long break, so that's part of the plan.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby jeral » Fri May 05, 2017 2:07 pm

Koran Food Made Simple has been on Food Network (Freeview 41) for a couple of weeks around lunchtime daily.

The food seems that lovely very fresh sort of cooking, although the hot spices which make it especially flavoursome are too hot for me sadly. The cook was highlighting Gochujang, which is a hot chilli according to this website:
https://mykoreankitchen.com/essential-k ... gredients/

A salmon piece was made today and I noticed that she'd almost cooked it first, then put on a complex glaze just before a minute or two under a hot grill to caramelise. A handy tip since glaze or marinade run off burns in a normal pan, assuming not a super hot 2-second wok or griddle.

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Sakkarin » Mon May 08, 2017 11:52 am

Sadly telly guide says "Korean Food Made Simple is not on TV this week". Hope I haven't completely missed it...

http://tvguide.co.uk/search.asp?title=K ... submit.y=9

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Re: Korean Food

Postby jeral » Mon May 08, 2017 7:44 pm

The prog isn't on my guide now either. Unfortunately I tend to delete programmes after I've watched them.

You could have a ferret around the info and recipes on here:
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/k ... ade-simple

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun May 14, 2017 1:33 am

The recipes I was thinking of making were this simplified pork bulgogi rice bowl (not Judy's)
https://mykoreankitchen.com/spicy-pork-bulgogi/s I was thinking of making were this simplified pork bulgogi rice bowl (not Judy's)
https://mykoreankitchen.com/spicy-pork-bulgogi/

Finally made it tonight
Few subs
Underripe Rocha pear for Nash pear
A small pork loin steak / chop for the shoukder
Aleppo pepper for gochugara
Mint for perilla
Added sliced radish to the garnish

None I think deal breakers

The gochujang smelled surprisingly familiar when I fought my way in, I use a lot of chilli bean paste, and I think fermented chilli has a distinct aroma. Not actually very hot.

I made the full amount of marinade and froze 3/4
It's a bit like a dark red smoothie, and goes a bit toffee apple when cooked, which as far as I remember is right, very nice.

I had (Taiwanese!) Kimchi with it, I'd forgotten how much I like it

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Sakkarin » Mon May 15, 2017 10:27 am

I'm scared to get my gochujang out, it's been at the back of the cupboard so long! Interesting you mentioned chili bean paste, as I've run out and did a couble of subs with other bits and pieces, not thinking of the gochujang.

I have some broad bean paste which is chilli bean paste without the chilli, the main sub was a mix of that and the fermented chilli paste I bought the other day.

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR ... cid=978307

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Badger's Mate » Mon May 15, 2017 11:23 am

There are a couple of 'back of the cupboard' items I avoid confronting.

There's a block of belacan paste wrapped up in several plastic bags that might run away if I leave the cupboard door open, and some pig's liver I salted for a nose to tail recipe 'a while ago' in a Tupperware box in the bottom of the fridge :shock:

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Re: Korean Food

Postby Sakkarin » Mon May 15, 2017 11:37 am

Badger's Mate wrote:some pig's liver I salted ... in a Tupperware box in the bottom of the fridge
I think the simplest solution is to get a new fridge - the "recycling" option ensures they'll take the old one away no questions asked...

In a clearout a while back I discovered TWO blocks of balachan in different dark recesses. Must check them out... :-(

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