Dried Anchovies and Nuts (Janmyeolchi ttangkong bokkeum)
Koreans use large dried anchovies to make delicious stocks and use the small ones in all kinds of snacks and side dishes. In this recipe, tiny dried anchovies are toasted in a skillet until crisp and then combined with peanuts, rice syrup, and sesame oil for an addictive snack or side dish. I often make […]
Panfried Tofu with Spicy Seasoning Sauce (Dububuchim yangnyeomjang)
This side dish is very common on Korean dining tables and in lunch boxes. The seasoning sauce, a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions, garlic, sugar, and hot pepper flakes, is finished with sesame seeds. It’s versatile: I use it in bibimbap, on fish, and in many other ways. You need medium-firm tofu for […]
Braised Black Beans (Geomeunkong jorim)
Black beans are nutritious and full of protein, but they’re usually not visually appealing. These beans, though, look like shiny black jewels. I eat them by the spoonful because I’m just too impatient to pick them up with chopsticks. The beans keep well in the refrigerator, so it makes sense to make a large batch. […]
Steamed Cabbage (Yangbaechu jjim)
This is how to prepare cabbage leaves to be used as a wrapping for rice with Thick Soybean Paste Stew or Soybean Paste Dipping Sauce. Serves 2 to 4 INGREDIENTS 1 medium head green cabbage (about 1 pound) INSTRUCTIONS Remove the tough outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half through […]
Thick Soybean Paste Stew Gang doenjang
Gang-doenjang is usually brought to the table sizzling in an earthenware pot. The salty, earthy, beefy stew is thickened with some potatoes and made a little sweet with onions. I like to serve it in the classic Korean style—with some steamed cabbage that you use to wrap some rice and stew into little packages and […]
Braised Burdock Root Ueong jorim
If you enjoy something herbal and a little sweet, you will love braised burdock root. When you first see this root, you’ll probably be a little surprised: It looks like a long gray branch, not something you would eat. When it’s fully grown, it can be more than two feet long. Look for it in […]
Stir Fried Bellflower Root (Doraji namul bokkeum)
Bellflower grows wild in the mountains and fields of Korea, although these days it’s also cultivated on farms. Its roots are used extensively in Korean cuisine. The fresh roots look a little like ginseng roots and are bitter like ginseng. Sliced and dried, the roots are used medicinally in the form of tea, boiled in […]
Vegetable Leaf Wraps with Rice and Apple Dipping Sauce (Sagwa ssamjang ssam)
Composed of crisp lettuce and herb leaves, fresh rice, and a savorysweet apple dipping sauce of my own invention, this dish is eaten traditional ssam style: Spoon some rice and dipping sauce onto a couple of leafy greens, wrap them up into a manageable bite, and eat the whole package in one shot. Ssamjang, the […]
Fernbrake with Garlic and Soy (Gosari namul)
Similar to fiddleheads in taste and texture, fernbrake is foraged in the mountains of Korea in the spring. My grandmother picked it every year with her friends. She would dry it in the sun and it would keep for a full year, until she went again the next spring. These days most people buy fernbrake […]
Braised Lotus Root (Yeon geun jorim)
Lacy white lotus root attracts attention on any party table. All Koreans love its texture, which is crisp-tender, like a cross between a radish and a cooked potato. Cooked in soy sauce and rice syrup, the slices become shiny, sticky, salty, and sweet. It is a popular addition to Korean lunch boxes, because it retains […]