Taste Of Korean Food By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialani- Celebrity Master Chef.
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Korea, a place worth visiting for a complete pleasure in terms of tourism and culinary repertoire, whether you are planning to eat in a Korean restaurant, visit Korea, or cook your own Korean food at home, this quick introduction to Korean cuisine will give you all the basics you need. Korean food stands out from other cuisines with the many side dishes (banchan) that are served during meals. The number of side dishes can range anywhere from 2 to 12, but everyday meals feature at least a few. When you eat at a Korean restaurant, your various side dishes will come to you before your meal in small bowls and can be anything from vegetables to meat to seafood prepared in any number of ways. Korean dishes are all served at the same time, so there are no separate courses like in Western cuisines.
Much of Korean food is intensely flavoured, Savory & bold. Korean cuisine has been affected by its geography (peninsula), climate (hot, humid summers and very cold winters), proximity to neighbours China and Japan, and the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945. European traders also had an impact on the cuisine with the Portuguese introduction of chili peppers to Korea in the 17th century. By the 18th century, chili peppers were already being widely used in the preparation of Korean cuisine.
Basic of Korean Cooking:
Rice is the backbone of almost every Korean meal. On rare occasions, noodles will replace the rice, but the vast majority of the time, every person eats a bowl of rice with their meal. There are some low-carb substitutes too. Typically, each person will also have their own bowl of soup or stew. The side dishes and main dish or dishes–which can be meat, seafood, or tofu–are all be served family-style in the middle of the table. Sometimes a large stew will replace the main dish and will be served family-style at the table.
Koreans have perfected the art of preserving food over thousands of years, so many of the side dishes are pickled, salted, or fermented and many are spicy. Kimchi, Korea's famous spicy cabbage, has over a hundred varieties of different vegetables, including some non-spicy types. Even though Korean stews and soups are served hot (almost boiling), many of the side dishes are served cold or at room temperature. Korea is a peninsula, so Koreans eat a lot of seafood although meat has become very popular in the last 50 or so years.
The most common spice and sauce ingredients used in Korean cuisine are scallions or onions, chili pepper paste, soybean paste, soy sauce, garlic- ginger. Everything, including meat and poultry, is cut into bite-sized pieces so there is no need for a knife. Koreans are also adept at using chopsticks so if the meat is too large or a whole grilled fish is served, it can be split with chopsticks.
Many Korean meat dishes are braised or marinated for a long time for tender flesh. Korean food is traditionally eaten with stainless steel chopsticks and a long stainless steel spoon and is traditionally served at a low table with people sitting on the floor. To the uninitiated this cuisine can appear intimidatingly complex. With bold flavours, innumerable side dishes, and detailed table etiquette, exploring Korean cuisine is surely a cultural adventure. Korean dishes balance fresh flavours of meat and vegetables, along with the sweet spice of chilli paste. However, there is more to Korean cuisine than meat, veggies, rice, and spice.
Here are a few of my favourite easy to make and popular recipes from Korean Cuisine:
Recipe-1] Korean Kimchi
Ingredients:
Chinese cabbage/white cabbage- 2 cups cut into large dices
Garlic- 4-6 cloves
Ginger- 2 tbsp. shredded
Fish sauce- 2 tsp optional
Siracha chili sauce/ schezuan/ chili paste- 2 tsp
Sugar- 2 tsp – white/ brown
Sea salt- 1 tsp
Rice vinegar/ white vinegar- 2-3 tbsp.
White radishes- 1-2 thinly sliced
Carrots- ½ cup cut into matchstick size
Spring onions- 2-3 no sliced
Method:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the kimchi recipe.
2. Cut the cabbage pieces and toss them with a little sea salt, keep aside for 30 mins. Meantime prepare the kimchi paste by mixing all other ingredients together and blending them well.
3. Rinse the cabbage under running water, pat dry and then combine with all other ingredients and mix it into the prepared kimchi paste mix, place it all into a jar, cover and keep refrigerated for 2-3 days. Serve it with Korean meals.
Recipe-2] KOREAN FRIED RICE
Ingredients:
Oil-2 tsp
Sesame oil-2 tsp
Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
Ginger-1 tsp chopped
Mushrooms- 1 cup quartered
Capsicums-1/2 cup diced
Spring onion-1 small sliced
Beansprouts- ½ cup
Soy sauce- 2-3 tsp
Chili sauce/ chili paste-2 tsp
Cooked/boiled white rice- 2 -3 cups
Eggs- 2-3 no
Salt and pepper to taste
Spring onion greens- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
Method:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the fried rice recipe.
2. If using red meat like lamb/ mutton fillet etc cut them thinly and apply a marination of oil, chili paste, salt and pepper, mix well and keep aside for 10 mins.
3. Heat oil and add in the garlic, ginger, spring onions and saute for a few seconds, add in the eggs and scramble them.
4. Now add in the non-veg if being used, add assorted veggies like corn, capsicums, mushrooms etc for veg options, add seasonings, soy sauce, Korean chili paste and little water and mix well.
5. Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes, add in the cooked white rice, toss well and cook for 2 mins. Add spring onion greens for garnish and serve it hot.
Recipe-3] KOREAN STYLE FRIED CHICKEN WINGS
Ingredients:
Chicken wings- 18-20 no
For the marination:
Oil-2 tsp
Sesame oil-2 tsp
Soy sauce- 2-3 tsp
Tomato ketchup-2 tsp
Garlic-1 tsp chopped
Ginger-1 tsp chopped
Honey-2-3 tbsp.
Korean chili paste-2-3 tsp
White vinegar-2 tsp
For dipping-coating-frying
Egg-1 no
Maida-1/4 cup
Oil to deep fry
Method:
1. Clean, wash and pat dry the chicken wings to be used for the recipe.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine together the ingredients for the marination and steep the chicken wings in it for couple of hours.
3. Add maida/cornflour and beaten egg into the same bowl, mix well and drop the wings into medium hot oil and cook the chicken wings for 3-4 mins, remove onto a kitchen paper and soak up excess oil. As an option we can place the wings on a roasting tray as well and cook in the oven and skip the dip and coat process.
4. Serve the wings as a starter with a variety of dipping sauces to go along.
Recipe-4] KOREAN BIBIMBAP BOWL
Ingredients:
Thin fillets of beef/ lamb/chicken- 200 gms
For the marination:
Oil- 2 tsp
Sesame oil- 2 tsp
Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
Onion- 1 small chopped
Soy sauce- 2-3 tbsp.
Red chili paste- 1-2 tsp
For the other ingredients:
White rice- 2 cup boiled
Spinach-2 cups blanched
Salt and pepper to taste
Sesame seeds- 2-3 tsp
Soy sauce-2-3 tsp
Korean chili sauce- 2-3 tsp
Eggs- 2-3 no
Ginger juliennes- 2-3 tsp
White vinegar-2 tsp
Assorted veggies- zucchini, carrots, beans, mushrooms etc can also be added as per choice.
Method:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the bibimbap recipe as listed.
2. Cook the rice and keep it hot and ready for service.
3. Cut the meat pieces into thin slices, apply marination on the meat and keep aside for 12-15 mins, heat oil in a pan and saute it, cook for 4-6 mins or until just done and keep aside.
4. In the same pan saute the spinach and all other veggies as well one by one and add a dash of the chili sauce and seasonings/soy sauce, vinegar, ginger juliennes and a little sesame seeds along the way.
5. Place heaps of cooked hot boiled rice in the center of the bibimbap serving bowl, surround it on the sides with the veggies and on one side with the cooked meat pieces, place a half fried egg on the top and serve.
Recipe-5] KOREAN FISH CAKES WITH SPICY SALSA
Ingredients:
For the fish cake mixture:
Boneless fish- 400 gms, Bassa/ghol fish etc
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic paste-1 tsp
Red chili paste- 1 tsp
Ginger-1 tsp minced
Shallots/ onion- 2 tsp chopped
Soy sauce- 2 tsp
Egg- 1 no
Cornflour-2-3 tsp
Maida- 2-3 tsp
Coriander leaves- 2 tsp chopped
To serve with: spicy salsa sauce
Korean chili sauce- 2-3 tbsp.
Honey-2 tsp
White vinegar- 2 tsp
Finely diced ginger-1 tsp
Spring onion greens-2 tsp chopped
Method:
1. To start with, prepare the fish cake mixture, combine all the ingredients into a food processor and convert it into a nice coarsely smooth mix.
2. Remove into a bowl, adjust texture by adding maida/ cornflour/ egg and using a non-stick pan with a little oil using a tablespoon drop small portions of the fish cake mixture and allow to set and cook on both sides for 3-4 mins, add oil as needed.
3. Meantime prepare the dipping sauce to go along by combining all the ingredients together, mix well and chill for 20 mins.
4. Arrange the prepared fish cakes on a serving platter and serve the dipping sauce alongside and relish this delicacy.
Recipe- 6] KOREAN RAMEN NOODLE SOUP
Ingredients:
Ramen noodles – 2 packets
Water- as needed to cook the noodles
Oil-1 tsp
sesame oil- 1 tsp
garlic- 1 tsp chopped
ginger-1 tsp chopped
onion-1 small chopped
carrot- 2-3 tbsp. chopped
mushrooms- 2-3 sliced
capsicum-1/4 shredded
salt and pepper to taste
soy sauce- 2 tsp
Korean chili sauce- 2 tsp
White vinegar-1 tsp
Boiled/cooked chicken/meat- 1 cup
Spring onion greens- 2 tbsp. chopped
Method:
1. Prepare all the ingredients for the ramen noodles as listed.
2. Heat oil and saute the garlic, ginger, onions for a few seconds, add in the ramen noodles and all veggies as per choice and stir fry for a minute, add in water/stock to cook the noodles.
3. Simmer the ramen noodles to cook for 10-12 mins, adjust the texture of the recipe as desired, add in the sauces and get the desired color and taste. Cook for 2-3 mins more.
4. Turn off the flame, add in the boiled chicken cubes etc into the serving bowls and pour/spoon over the hot ramen into the bowls, garnish with spring onion greens, add vinegar/ chili sauce to taste.
Recipe-7] KOREAN TWISTED DOUGHNUTS
Ingredients:
For the doughnut dough
Maida- 3 cups
Milk-1 cup
Butter- 3 tbsp. melted
Egg-1 no
Sugar-1/2 cup
Fresh yeast- 2 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
For the cinnamon sugar dusting:
Castor sugar-1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp
Mix and use for garnish.
Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine together the warm milk, sugar, melted butter and add in the yeast and cover, keep aside for 5 mins, allow the yeast to start activating.
2. Add in the egg and lightly mix it in with a fork. Now add in the sieved flour and salt and mix it in, prepare a nice medium hard textured dough. Cover and keep aside for 45 mins for fermentation.
3. Once the dough is double in size, divide into 16- 18 portions using a dough cutter, shape them into strips and then twist them. Heat oil in a frying pan on a medium flame and fry these prepared twisted doughnuts to a nice golden brown color, turning them occasionally in the oil, remove onto a kitchen paper and drain off excess oil.
4. Dust and coat the doughnuts with the cinnamon sugar mixture and if desired serve with a dipping sauce like white chocolate or dark chocolate, peanut butter and caramel sauce etc.
ON A CONCLUDING NOTE: Korean cooking is best explained as a burst of flavors, tastes, aromas and a balance of ecstasy which impresses any food lover. The cooking styles here are not only easy and healthy but also offer a varied choice and options to the foodies to pick between veg and non-veg ingredients in every category of the menu. Many people feel that this cuisine is not to our taste buds and commands a lot of out of the box concepts but in order to explore more about Korean cooking it is important to do so with an open mind and a thought process which makes it acceptable and creates a liking towards it as well.
My personal experience with Korean dishes and their adaptations has been very pleasant and for the fact innovating with this cooking is fun and can make it even more interesting and tasty when it comes to fusing it with home style ingredients and methods of cooking. The people of Korea are not only great when it comes to hospitality and food culture but they are also open to accepting ideas and thoughts welcoming tourists and foodies to reach out and make the experience all the more memorable!
