By Phyllis
Louise Harris
May 2015
If mandoo, bindaeduk, bulgogi, chapchae,
banchan, and dolsot bibimbap with gochujang
make your mouth water then Korean food is no mystery to you. If not, then you
are missing some of the best food on the planet.
My
introduction to Korean cuisine came about twenty-five years ago when a Korean
co-worker and I went to dinner at Shilla on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul.
Created by Korean native Won J. Cho, the restaurant was one of the earliest
places for Minnesotans to try Korean food. Many of the flavors were new and
wonderful while others reminded me of my grandmother’s cooking from her Iowa
farm. Short ribs, cabbage, stew, pancakes and noodles are equally at home in
Korea and Iowa, and all are on my list of favorites regardless of what they are
called or how they are seasoned.
Food
columnist and Korean native Mary Lee Vance reminded me of the wonders of Korean
cuisine in the 2015 spring edition of Korean
Quarterly. While she has lived in northern Wisconsin, Michigan, Montana and
California (among other places), Mary Lee has always found a way to cook the
food of her homeland and share it with others. But, now at Berkeley with its
multitude of Korean restaurants nearby she continues to promote Korean cuisine
by taking friends to some of her favorite haunts. In her current column Mary
Lee takes the mystery out of the Korean menu and we are happy to bring some of
her tips to you. For her complete “short course” see the current Korean Quarterly.
Mandoo are simply wonderful, meat or vegetable filled
dumplings served with a soy sauce dipping sauce. They can be fried or steamed
and are often considered appetizers on Western menus. Add a little vinegar or
chili oil to the sauce and the dumplings take on more startling flavors. I like
to combine them with a bowl of steaming soup for a wonderful, satisfying meal.
Another
starter course could be bindaeduk, a
mung bean pancake fried with a crisp outer crust. “Main courses” can include bulgogi, marinated beef, or the better known
kalbi, seasoned beef ribs.
One of my
favorites is dolsot bibimopab, a
large, hot, sizzling stone bowl of vegetables and rice topped with a fried egg.
It comes to the table absolutely crackling with wonderful sounds and aromas.
Digging down through the layers of flavorful ingredients to the crisp rice at
the bottom of the bowl is the best part of all. Add as much hot sauce or soy
sauce as you like and combine bites with a variety of banchan (side dishes including kimchee)
served in small bowls around the table. In this area, Sole Café on Snelling Avenue
in St. Paul has one of the best bibimopabs
served sizzling hot in its big stone bowl making the rice at the bottom a
wonderful blend of crunchy, charcoaled, tender bites.
And then
there are noodles. Chapchae made with
sweet potato noodles and vegetables is a salad served at room temperature and a
great introduction to Korean cooking. And, while many dishes can be made
vegetarian, favorites include tieokbokki,
rice cakes made with a spicy sauce and pajeon,
green onion pancakes.
There are also seafood
dishes on many Korean menus including squid (ojingo) or fish fillets. And, let’s not forget chicken. Sangyetang is a chicken stew served in a
hot stone bowl with a whole Cornish hen stuffed with sweet rice, ginseng,
jujubes, ginseng root, garlic and green onions.
Mary Lee recommends
ordering a variety of dishes for a group of diners so that everyone can taste a
little of each. What a great way to sample the cuisine of Korea and expand your
culinary horizons. Search the web for a Korean restaurant near you. Or if you
are feeling adventurous, go to Asian
Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesotans since 1875 and turn to the
chapter on Korea to cook a few dishes at home. There are a variety of Korean
food markets in the area that carry everything you will need.
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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, now 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
