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The Meat
Beef - Sirloin, Tenderloin, Ribeye, Skirt, Brisket, Tongue OR Ribs - Beef is typically expensive due to quality - but Koreans would rather have Beef less often to have top quality beef when they do. This is one of the reasons why Vegetables often are the star of the show on the Korean table with Banchan, Soups, Broths & Noodles etc - to make the beef go even further and make the most of cuts such as Brisket and Tongue it is often partly frozen & then sliced super thin for incredible tender mouthfuls. Beef Ribs are mostly served in 2 ways the first is Grilled Hot & Fast over the grill where the plate can be cut into thin(ish) slices across the bones or the meat taken off the bone and sliced into mouthful size slices or the Beef Ribs can be braised for fall apart consistency.
Pork - Belly, Jowl, Skirt, Shoulder or Shanks - These cuts are used in different dishes, the Belly, Jowl and Shoulder usually sliced thinly like the Beef above, marinated and grilled whereas the Shanks are braised slowly. As well as being partly frozen and sliced thin as above you sometimes get served the 3 Layered Pork cut a bit thicker for some bite and chew.
Chicken - As a cheaper and more available alternative, Chicken has become a variation of most dishes as an alternative to Beef or Pork. Fried Chicken tossed in the spiciest array of sauces I’ve ever tasted have more recently become a Korean staple and they love it, often Wings & often served with Molten Melted Cheese to coast the Spicy Wings in! (Pretty Epic)
Seafood - Prawns, Octopus & Squid. The Prawns & Squid are chucked straight onto the grills with a little salt but the Octopus gets braised till tender before hitting the grill.
The Flavours
An introduction to the flavours and ingredients used commonly in Korean Food.
Dry: Gochugaru - Chili Powder/Flakes - more of a long continuous heat with a fruity touch Roasted sesame seeds - crushed to release their flavour & sprinkled onto or into a dish as a finisher Ground black pepper - used in Marinades mostly - said to remove the smell & taste of ‘blood’ which Koreans are not a fan of. Salt - obviously used in all cooking, but Koreans tend to use a mild salt as they get their salty flavours from Soy, Fish Sauce and other ingredients.
Sugar - (balance out the strong wet ingredients) Korean food can sometimes be super sweet, it has been at times so sweet that I have asked for no sauce or glazes with my meat, but when used correctly, balances out the dish perfectly. (Malt, Corn or Rice Syrup are sometimes used instead or sugar)
Ssal - Short Grain Rice served sticky
Wet: The Jangs -
Ganjang (soy) - Salty & Sweet (usually dark soy in Korean) Gochujang (chilli paste) - Spicy, Sweet, Salty, Earthy and full of Umami notes. Doenjang (soybean paste) - Salty & Earthy - used in a lot of sauces, soups & stocks. Ssamjang (spicy dipping sauce) - Basically a combination or Doenjang & Gochujang with a little Garlic, Onion & Sesame Oil - Often used to dip the unmarinated/sauced grilled meat into. Chunjang (black bean paste) - Similar to Gochujang but has a deeper Umami flavour - but can be bitter so needs to be cooked out a bit similar to Tomato Puree. Mirin Rice Wine - Used in the marinades to remove the smell & taste of ‘blood’.
Korean Fish Sauce - Fermented Anchovy (quite different to Thai/Vietnamese versions IMO) Korean Malt Syrup - Liquid Sweeteners for Sauces Marinades (Corn & Rice Syrups can be used) Sesame Oil - Similar to the crushed seeds, the oil is used in many dishes as a finisher. Maesil cheong (Plum Syrup) - Flavorful, Fragrant, Fresh, and Complex. Made from covering the plums with sugar & leaving for about 100 days to ferment. Brown Rice Vinegar - Often used alongside any of the Jangs to balance out the flavours with some acidity. Fresh: Garlic (big flavour in Korean), Green Onions, Ginger (lesser than the other 2 but there)
The Condiments
The King of Condiments KIMCHI Kimchi comes in many shapes, colours, sizes and consistency (over a 100 varieties + every variation in every household and region across Korea. But one thing all Koreans have in common is that there is never a time in which there isn’t Kimchi in the house! One thing all Kimchis have in common is the four essential stages of Kimchi: the brine, seasoning/flavouring, fermenting, and storing to develop. The bring helps get rid of the bad microorganisms and creates an environment in which they won't grow but at the same time promotes the growth of good lactobacillus bacteria. The friendly bacteria converts the natural sugars in the veg (usually cabbage) into lactic acid (this gives Kimchi its TANG). This process opens the vegetables up to absorb flavour so this in when we cover them in a seasoning paste or into a highly seasoned solution, before being sealed up and left to ferment. The Kimchi is then left to age like a fine wine! The fermentation is often begun at room temperatures before being stored in the fridge for the remainder of the time. Kimchi is served as a side dish or as part of a main dish (such as Kimchi Soup, Kimchi Stew & Kimchi Rice) that can be found on almost any table across Korea.
Classic Basic Kimchi Recipe: 1kg Napa Cabbage ¼ Cup Koscher Salt Seasoning Paste: 250ml Water
1 tbsp Glutinous Rice Flour 1 tbsp Brown Sugar 1 Large Bulb Garlic, minced 2 tsp Ginger, minced 1 med Onion, minced 125ml Korean Fermented Fish Sauce ¼ cup fermented salted shrimp (saeujeot) with the salty brine, chopped 100g Gochugaru (chili powder) Extra Veg: 200g Daikon Radish, matchsticked 200g Carrot, matchsticked Large Bunch (10ish) Spring Onions, matchsticked
Method: Cut the Napa Cabbage into quarters and carefully separate the leaves from each other keeping them attached to the core (easier to handle) Dunk them into water briefly and then set in large bowl. Cover with salt, rubbing into the cabbage and making sure to get a good coverage in between the leaves. Leave to brine for approx 2 hours. Wash the Cabbage well to remove all salt and make sure the cabbage is completely clean. At this point I like to cut off the core and leave in a colander to drain. Whilst draining add the water and rice flour to a pot and bring to the boil, mixing well as it comes up. Whilst boiling add the brown sugar, stirring to ensure it dissolves and then removing from the heat. Once cool, add in the rest of the Seasoning Paste ingredients and mix well. Add in the matchsticked vegetables and mix well. Cover each Cabbage leaf with the paste and put into a sterilised jar, keep adding until the jar is full and then top up with any remaining left over seasoning paste. Seal the lid and then leave on your kitchen side for a day or so at room temperature. This begins the fermentation off which give the kimchi its sour tang, then put into the fridge where it will keep for yonks, developing in flavour as time goes on.
The Banchan Banchan which translates as "side dishes" are the Korean meal. They aren’t really side dishes, or to look pretty, or appetizers, or pallet cleaners - they ARE the Korean meal. No Korean meal is complete without an array of Banchan dotted all over the table.
The usual suspects: Kimchi (of different varieties) Grilled Bok Choy seasoned with Soybean Paste Braised Lotus Root Braised Potatoes Pickled Vegetables Soy Eggs Fried Seaweed Vegetable Pancakes Crispy Tofu
Soups (such as bone marrow soup) Rolled Pressed Omlette Dried Anchovies or Shrimps And more…..
The Drink SOJU
Soju is to Korea as Sake is to Japan.
A 700 year history of being made but no defining rules apply to Soju, except for the fact that it is a Distilled Liquor. Usually made from distilled rice alcohol. Last year more cases of Soju were sold globally than Vodka - which gives you an idea of how well it’s liked! Soju is literally the only alcohol drank in Korea (& the Koreans love to drink) and it is as cheap as a bottle of water! It’s served chilled and in shot glasses (even better you say!). Soju today is nice and sweet and often sold in fruit flavoured varieties. The sugar hit definitely hides the alcoholic effect and then BAM it hits you! Definitely worth seeking out for an Authentic Korean BBQ night at home.
Popular Dishes
Bulgogi Bulgogi - literally means Fire Meat (usually beef, the thin strips mentioned earlier) and I’m sure we can agree any dish with a name like that is going to rad! The meat is marinated before being grilled. The primary ingredients for the marinade are Soy Sauce, Plum Syrup & Sugar - with minced Garlic, minced Spring Onion, Mirin, Black Pepper, minced Ginger, grated green plum/pear/apple/pineapple (if using pineapple be careful of over tenderise) 4 hour to overnight marinade before hitting the grill, direct, hot and fast.
Samgyeopsal Samgyeopsal is thick slices of 3 Layer Meat (Pork Belly) usually salted right before grilling direct, hot and fast and served with Ssamjang (spicy dipping sauce) - basically a combination or Doenjang & Gochujang with a little Garlic, Onion & Sesame Oil mentioned earlier.
Jokbal Jokbal is braised Pork Shanks, traditionally cooked in Soy, minced Garlic, minced Ginger, Mirin, water & Sugar. I recently soaked some Pork Shanks over night in the above mixture but substituted water with Soju. I then rubbed with Garlic powder, Ginger powder, Brown Sugar, Gochugaru (chili powder) & Citric Acid before smoking to an internal of 165F/75C and
then braising them in the soaking juices to finish. The shanks were taken off at around 203F/95C and they were falling apart.
Galbi Galbi - beef short ribs (are your eyes lighting up now?) - cooked hot and fast (stay with me here). As explained above the Short Ribs can be served on the bone, cut 5mm thick across the bones or individual bones can have the meat stripped off and cut into bite size slices (cut against the grain). The beef is marinated in Soy, minced Garlic, Sugar, Sesame Oil, Mirin, Plum Syrup overnight. The meat is then grilled hot and fast direct over the charcoal for a couple of minutes per side. This can also be done similar to Samgyeopsal without the marinade, just salted before hitting the grill and served with a dipping sauce. Another variation is Dak Galbi - which is the same as above but with Chicken (usually dark meat).
Soondae If you are into your homemade sausage making, Soondae is a blood sausage dish consisting of braised beef or pork intestines stuffed with sweet potato noodles, ssal, and blood. The blood sausage is comparable to our Black Pudding, just its ASIAN Cousin. You soak the noodles to soften before breaking up and you cook the rice, before adding to the Blood, minced Garlic, minced Spring Onions, minced Ginger, Toasted Crushed Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil. You then fill the intestines with the mixture before being cooked in a saltwater solution for around 15-20 minutes and then finished direct on the grill.
When all the Kimchi is finished…
We are left with a cuisine that has taken influence over the years from all its neighbours but always kept things simple, healthy and fun. The flavours are bold but simple and the ingredients always shine through as the stars. The culture of sharing and communal eating, with a table full of different and interesting dishes that come together for a fantastic meal. Gathered around a table with all of your friends, grill in the middle, some great meat, a couple of shots of Soju and some fantastic Banchan. What can be better than that?
Tip: don't use wooden chopsticks! A pair of metal chopsticks each gives everyone around the table the fun of choosing their own food and grilling it to their liking.
Korean BBQ
By Daniel Shahin (Our Man in the East)