Uptown barbequing the Korean way

Phyllis Louise Harris

September 2016

The Uptown neighborhood in Minneapolis has changed considerably since my childhood. Gone is Calhoun Grade School, the Rainbow Café, Port Arthur Chinese restaurant, Abdullah’s ice cream parlor and Morris and Christie’s grocery and meat market Today’s collection of shops and restaurants serves an ever growing diversified audience that has kept this area of the city in constant motion.

Newest among the offerings is Hoban Korean Barbecue, an offshoot of the Hoban Korean restaurant opened in 1993 in suburban Eagan by Young Tae Lim and his wife Eun Jin Lim. This version is quite different from the original providing an opportunity for Uptown diners to experience Asia’s centuries old barbequing.

Dating back to the Mongolian Emperor Genghis Khan in the 12th century, barbecuing was a necessity for his hoard of troops who rode on horseback through Asia and Europe conquering countries as they moved. Eating on the run necessitated finding game along the way and grilling it over campfires on their metal shields. It must have worked well since they created the largest land empire in world history.

At Hoban the fires are gas flames heating shiny metal grills on tabletops with exhaust vents overhead to whisk the smoke out of the building. Most civilized! In true Korean fashion the items to be barbequed are served with a variety of pickled vegetables and sauces plus slivers of raw garlic along with lettuce leaves to create wraps. There are also a few other dishes on the menu that do not require cooking but where’s the fun?

A word of caution. The raw meat and chicken is served on a platter with tongs to put it on the grill but the same tongs are used to take the cooked meat off the grill. Request a separate set of tongs so you are not combining raw meat with cooked meat and don’t return the cooked meat to the original platter – cuts down on the possibility of contamination. A variety of grill ingredients is offered including pork marinated in a barbeque sauce with a real kick. Wrap your grilled choices in a lettuce leaf with some kimchee and a choice of sauces to savor a traditional Korean treat.

Start with the “potstickers” even though they really aren’t. They are offered fried or steamed and are actually dumplings that are either deep fried or steamed. Deep-frying adds a crisp texture to the dumpling wrapper and makes for a tasty snack while cooking the barbeque. Bulgogi with vermicelli is beef in a sweet broth with a smattering of noodles but is a change from the grilled meats. There are also a variety of rice dishes. 

The restaurant is all bright and shiny with TV screens and bouncing music for those who like noisy distractions. It is an experience to be sure. Open 4 – 10 pm Tuesday through Saturday and 11 am – 9 pm Sunday, Hoban Korean Barbecue is closed on Mondays. They accept reservations for six or more. Call 612-354-7518. Or just drop in at 2939 Hennepin Avenue South, across from the Uptown Theater.

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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt 

MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               

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Spicy grilled corn . . an Asian twist on an American tradition

Phyllis Louise Harris

July 2016

One summer afternoon when I was a teenager my dad took our family on a car trip in the country west of the Twin Cities. About half way to our destination we started following a Green Giant truck filled with just harvested sweet corn. The huge mound of big, plump ears of corn in their bright green leafy husks jostled as the truck rolled along and every time it hit a bump in the road a cob or two of corn would fall off onto the road in front of us. My dad, being an old Iowa farmer and former restaurant owner, could not pass up free food and would stop to send one of us kids out to pick up the fallen corn. By the time we got to our destination we had several dozen ears and they were the best tasting corn I ever had! Or, so I remember.

Maybe it is that memory that had made it so difficult to find corn as sweet and juicy as those Green Giant castoffs. So when I buy fresh corn at the farmers’ market and it turns out to be less than perfect, it is disappointing. Fortunately, I found a wonderful vendor at the Northeast Farmers’ Market on University Avenue in Minneapolis and have enjoyed sweet, tender homegrown corn for several summers. Usually I just boil the shucked corn in water with a little milk and sugar and eat it with nothing else. Why spoil perfection?! I make sure there are leftovers that I put in a plastic bag and store in the freezer for mid-winter dining.

Since the corn harvest begins this month here’s a corn recipe from “Asian Flavors…Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875.”  Its flavors are from India but the corn is strictly Minnesota.

For four ears of corn, remove the silk and husks from the corn, rinse and soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Remove corn from water and dry off with paper towels. Place the corn directly on a medium hot charcoal-grill about 4 inches above the heat. Cook uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes turning occasionally until the corn is tender and shows browned kernels among the gold. 

Mix together –

 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

½ teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt

½ teaspoon ground red pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves. 

Cut a lime into 4 wedges and dip each wedge into the spice mixture then rub it over each cooked ear of corn. Serve hot.

Check the Minnesota Grown Directory www.minnesotagrown.com for corn growers near you. There is nothing better than freshly picked sweet and tender corn on the cob! Happy summer dining!!!

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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               
 

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Free! And filled with delicious resources…the 2016 Minnesota Grown Directory is yours for the asking!

Phyllis Louise Harris

June 2016

We live in a wonderland filled with so many delicious resources, choosing just a few becomes more and more difficult. The new Minnesota Grown Directory for 2016 does not make the job any easier with more than 1,000 food and product resources in the state. But the directory is free and all you have to do is ask for one sent to your door.

Start with the state’s award-winning wines. Since 1973 when David Bailly established Minnesota’s first vineyard Alexis Bailly Vineyard near Hastings to the more than 600 vineyards and 40 wineries in operation today, there is one near you. Many offer wine tastings, vineyard tours, grape stomping in the fall, picnic areas overlooking scenic valleys and special events. Cannon River Winery in Cannon Falls is a good example. About an hour drive south of the Twin Cities the winery is in an historic building in the middle of town with the vineyard a short distance away. On weekends the wine master may be on hand to explain the wine process and you can taste the results. Light food is also available at reasonable prices and the winery presents a variety of entertainers throughout the year. Go to cannonriverwinery.com . Or for wine and beer lovers, head to Waconia and the Schram Vineyards Winery and Brewery with many weekend events. schramvineyards.com .

On July 30 and 31 plan to attend the Waconia Wine Festival featuring tours and tastings at the Parley Lake Winery, Sovereign Estate and Schram Vineyards and Brewery. The Festival includes outdoor activities plus food and craft vendors. Tickets are $25 and available online at waconiawinecountry.com/event/waconia-wine-festival-weekend .

Then there are the 176 Farmers’ Markets around the state. All are open this month through October with a bounty of freshly grown and picked produce, locally raised meat and fish, baked goods and so much more. One of my favorites is the Mill City Farmers’ Market in Minneapolis on the banks of the Mississippi River between the Guthrie Theater and the Mill City Museum. Every Saturday morning there is musical entertainment, a variety of food vendors, local growers with freshly picked produce and meat and fish farmers along with honey, jam, jelly, pickles, baked goods and so much more. And there is often a cooking demonstration. Gorkha Palace has long had a booth at the market featuring their food from Nepal, India and Tibet including popular momos. On June 4 there will be special features focusing on urban farming and on June 11 the market will highlight immigrant farmers. The second Saturday of each month features the mini farm with live sheep and hens. After the market, visit the Mill City Museum for an unusual look at Minnesota’s important flour history.

Not enough for you? How about pick-your-own farms where you and the family can save money by going into the fields and picking your own strawberries, raspberries, green beans, pumpkins, apples and so much more throughout the season.

But the directory does not stop at every variety of food. It also lists alpaca fiber products, beeswax products, Christmas trees, elk antlers, leather goods, lumber, petting zoos, soap, wreaths and yarn to name a few. Get your free copy at www.minnesotagrown.com or search through their web directory for sources near you. It can add a whole new dimension to your summer.

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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               
 

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Real food from farm to table with “The Birchwood Café Cookbook”… a delicious and informative journey!

Phyllis Louise Harris

May 2016

How “real” is the food you are eating? Owner Tracy Singleton and Chef Marshall Paulsen of the Birchwood Café in Minneapolis are among a growing number of “real food” restaurateurs who believe everything we eat should be what nature intended. No chemicals, no genetic alterations, no flavor substitutes. Just real farm-fresh, organically grown and carefully prepared to bring out all of the natural flavors. It is the basis of their restaurant, their food philosophy and their new cookbook. It has also been the basic food philosophy and practice of Asian cultures for centuries.

Several years ago I conducted a series of classes in Asian cooking for a group of food scientists at a major food company. The purpose of the project was to acquaint them with a variety of Asian flavors that they would go on to replicate chemically. How sad it is when natural flavors have to be created from test tubes so that processed food can be made shelf stable for worldwide distribution.

But, at Birchwood the flavors are from ingredients that are certified organic, mostly from local producers and are farm-fresh. “The Birchwood Café Cookbook” puts as much emphasis on the creation of the ingredients as on their preparation and includes dozens of photos and stories about local farmers. With Farmers’ Markets opening for the season, it is a good time to take a closer look at what you are eating and where it comes from. Many local food producers welcome visitors and some have special events. Check for websites for more information.

One example is DragSmith Farms of Barron, Wisconsin, owned and run by Gail and Maurice Smith. Despite our cold winters, the Smiths grow micro greens and lettuces all year ‘round in their vast hoop houses providing Birchwood with a wide array of fresh greens no matter what the weather. Most surprisingly DragSmith also grows artichokes, a thistle vegetable that normally requires a warmer climate.

Another local supplier mentioned in the book is Bullfrog Fish Farm of Menomonie, Wisconsin, that markets and processes 14,000 pounds of Rainbow Trout every year. In 1987, founder Herby Radmann had a vision of turning a pure water resource hidden just below the surface of a sandy farm field into a thriving business supplying fresh, chemical free fish to local users.

Woods Maple Orchard in Elmwood, Wisconsin, was founded in 1840 and is still family run by Steven and Dawn Wood along with their son Jason and other family members. One of the largest maple syrup producers in the region, Woods has its own sugar shack right in the middle of its beautiful maple woods taking the sap directly from the trees straight to processing. Last year Woods Maple Syrup was named best in show by the North American Maple Syrup Council and International Maple Syrup Institute beating out entries from all over the United States and Canada. The firm also won the award in 2007.

So how does Birchwood use all of these local products? In some very interesting ways. Recipes in the book include Surly Maple Braised Pork Belly Benedict where pork is slowly cooked in maple syrup and beer. Smoked Trout Quiche uses the local fish to brighten an otherwise bland dish. Apple and Alemar Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette combines a number of local ingredients including Bent River cheese. And Indonesian Chicken Stew is a take off on the classic opor ayam with more than a dozen flavors that blend beautifully.

“The Birchwood Café Cookbook” was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2015 and is available through Amazon and local bookstores or at the café, 3311 East 25^th Street, Minneapolis. Local food writer Beth Dooley and photographer Mette Nielsen added their talents to help make this a readable, colorful book. The photos alone will make you want to start cooking and the recipes will give you a new appreciation for Good Real Food. Pick up a copy soon!

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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               
 

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Korean Donuts? You betcha!

Phyllis Louise Harris

April 2016

Mention Korean food and I immediately think of barbecued ribs and kimchi. But, Korean donuts? They are not part of my tasting memory.

There is so much to learn about Asian cooking that researching, testing and tasting have been a big part of my life for more than 40 years. When I was researching Korean food for the book Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, I turned to the co-founder and managing editor of Korean Quarterly Martha Vickery for guidance. While I had eaten Korean food in the Twin Cities and in San Francisco and had interviewed a number of Korean chefs, my knowledge was limited. Martha took me on a culinary tour and introduced me to her food writer, Mary Lee Vance, PhD. What a wonderful journey to take; one that you, too, can experience.

Each issue of Korean Quarterly offers a wide variety of Korean news, views, reviews, entertainment and food information. In the Winter 2016 issue, Mary Lee offered some insight about a food that is found in nearly every cuisine – fried bread. Donuts, crullers, beignets, klejner, sai yong or whatever name they are called appear all over the world. Basically, they are all fried bread. In Korea there are several including kkwabaegi that is like a twisted donut or cruller or hotteok, more like a pancake.

According to her recent column, when Mary Lee gets a craving for donuts, she turns to refrigerated biscuits or frozen bread dough and sometimes makes hotteok, a popular “Korean street food that is a kind of pancake, but thicker and doughier, usually with a filling featuring crushed peanuts. Hotteok mix is sold in Korean stores, but with a little ingenuity one can make a very reasonable facsimile with something like frozen bread dough.” Just shape it into rolls and fill them with brown sugar, crushed peanuts and a touch of cinnamon before frying.

Her article includes a recipe for kkwabaegi from the website of  “ Maangechi, a chef who has been teaching the basics of Korean cooking on the Web for years.” Basically it is yeast dough that is shaped into twists and coated with sugar and cinnamon. The finished kkwabaegi can be frozen and thawed to enjoy later as well.

For more information about Korean Quarterly go to http://www.koreanquarterly.org/Home.html.  KQ has received more than 20 awards of excellence from the MN Newspaper Association, was nominated for a national award for Ethnic Issues in 2002, received several awards from Korean organizations and is a member of the Korean American Journalists Association. For the complete recipe for kkwabaegi go to http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kkwabaegi . And check out her other recipes. They are a great way to start that journey through Korean cuisine. Also visit your local Korean restaurants and markets to taste the wonderful flavors of Korea.



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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               
 

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Thank you Florence Lin!

Phyllis Louise Harris

March 2016

She was born in China during the era of women’s bound feet and male dominated households, but went on to become one of the greatest influences in the understanding and appreciation of Chinese cooking in the United States. She also changed my life.

It was 1974 and I had just moved to New York City where I now had the time and resources to explore whatever peaked my interest. I had long been a fan of Chinese food and looked for classes in cooking this classic cuisine. I found one in the basement of a pasta store in my neighborhood and was soon learning the wonders of stir-frying. The teacher, Millie Chan, was a delight and extremely patient with some of the “students” who used the time to chat with each other in their native language. Turns out they were gathering recipes to give to their cooks at home to replicate. They had no intention of cooking it themselves. But, Millie could see I was serious about learning and after the sessions ended suggested I continue classes at the China Institute in America where her teacher and mentor was teaching.

The first day in class about 20 of us sat on folding chairs at long tables in the Institute’s teaching kitchen and heard Florence Lin say, “When you finish this class, you will be able to make Chinese dishes out of whatever is in your refrigerator.” I thought about the odd variety of things in my refrigerator and very much doubted her promise. Now, 42 years later I know she was right!

For the next 14 years I made Chinese dumplings, noodles, sir-fries, deep-fries, sauces, salads and whatever else she was teaching. Today, I still have my recipes and class notes – about 300 of them. We cooked everything! Even things I did not know were edible. Pigs’ ears, chicken feet, broccoli stems, pig snouts - all were made very tasty and while I may not have liked some of them, they were certainly edible. When my daughter and I travelled through China with Florence, we had the privilege of taking classes with master chefs and to taste hundreds of Chinese dishes that are not served in the U.S. My love of Chinese food and Florence’s training led me to create a company dedicated to Asian food, to becoming food editor of Asian Pages for 20 years writing more than 500 columns, to writing a history of Asian food in Minnesota published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, and to create an EMMY® award-winning television show that tpt produced and still broadcasts today. None of this would have happened without Florence Lin.

Florence is one of those exceptional teachers who really likes what she does and understands the subject completely. Initially she learned to cook by following her family’s chef around the kitchen and then learned more from her aunt and grandmothers. She learned even more when she went with her father on his silk merchant business trips throughout China, something unheard of in the 1930s pre-war China when daughters were never involved in the family business. At each stop she could sample local cuisine and expand her knowledge of Chinese food. Combined with her own creative skills Florence Lin’s Chinese cooking is like none other.

When Florence came to America in 1949 to marry her fiancé K.Y. she did not speak English. While she had a college education, without the language skills she could not get work. While K.Y. pursued his career in finance and she raised their two children, Florence concentrated on her mastery of English and went on to become one of the most influential cookbook authors and food writers in the U.S. Julia Child and James Beard were among her friends and students. Paul Newman was a fan of her cooking. National food companies consulted her on Chinese culinary issues. She taught cooking classes in New York, Washington, D.C., Connecticut, New Jersey, Georgia, and throughout the country. She taught at the China Institute for more than 25 years and in 2014 was given a lifetime achievement award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

But that is only part of Florence’s story. As a teenager she joined Chiang Kai-shek’s Youth Army to fight the Japanese invasion of China where she taught new recruits how to handle their rifles. Later in life she would also fight other wars against cancer and her husband’s Parkinson’s disease. The first book she wrote was turned down by 18 publishers, but she went on to publish five cookbooks and was primary consultant and recipe creator for another. She also wrote dozens of articles for the New York Times and a variety of national publications. Current cookbook authors and celebrity chefs refer to her work as an inspiration for their own efforts.

This month Florence will be 96 years old. She is retired and lives in New York near one of her daughters whose family is delighted to have grandmother nearby to make their favorite dishes, or at least supervise their renditions. I am happy to say she is still my friend and mentor who continues to work with me even long distance on culinary issues. I wish everyone would have had the privilege of attending her classes but everyone can still learn from this great teacher through her cookbooks. While they are out of print, used copies are available on various websites. Pick up one or all and read them from cover to cover. You will begin to understand the flavors and complexity of Chinese cooking and the basics of making it properly.

Start with her first book Florence Lin’s Regional Cooking of China, published in 1975 when it was named Best Cookbook of 1975 and was a Book-of-the-Month selection. Florence Lin’s Chinese Vegetarian Cookbook followed in 1976 and makes every vegetable a treat. That was followed in 1978 with Florence Lin’s Chinese One-Dish Meals, and in 1979 with Florence Lin’s Cooking with Fire Pots. In 1984, William Morrow Publishers convinced her to write Florence Lin’s Complete Book of Chinese Noodles, Dumplings and Breads that was reprinted in several sold out editions including paperback.

By the way, while she was writing each book she tested the recipes in many of her classes and I got to be part of that process as well. Also pick up a copy of Time Life Foods of the World: The Cooking of China (1968) where you will find her first publishing effort and the first book in the U.S. to truly explore in depth the cooking of China. She tells the story of providing the editors with a recipe for Egg Foo Yung at their request. They came back to her with the complaint there was no “gravy” on the Egg Foo Yung. When she explained she created the dish as it is served in China they insisted on adding gravy for the American audience and she did.

Happy birthday Florence and thanks for so many delicious memories!

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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.

Buy online:  Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875 

Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
               
 

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