Korean Feast

After making a series of Chinese dishes, I thought I'd give Korean food a try. Of course, I don't claim my cooking to be authentic by any means. I prefer the Korean food in bay area over the only meal I had in Seoul. (Sure, it could be that I didn’t order the right dishes, or go to the right restaurant. But still.) It's just that I always thought it would be fun to have lots of banchan all the time, and to me a lot of Korean dishes are comfort food perfect for home cooking. With my goal set, I decided to try my hands on a few banchan and Japchae today.

Bulgogi

1 lb flank steak, VERY thinly sliced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
oil

Marinate the meat in soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and garlic for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a pan, add meat, stir fry till cooked.

I think the restaurants use rib eye for Bulgogi. But I like my flank steak. =) Once reheated, the meat, while still tasty, wouldn't be tender anymore. So don't make too much.

Spinach

1/2 lb of spinach leaves
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
drops of sesame oil

Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 2 seconds. Rinse in cold water and squeeze out all the water.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add garlic, stir fry for a minute. Add spinach, stir for a minute. Add salt, and sesame oil. Mix. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Remove and set aside.

If you use spinach bunches, you can hold the leaves, and blanch the stems in boiling water for a few seconds before dropping the leaves in, so the leaves won't get all mushy by the time the stems are soft.

Mushroom

5 dried shiitake mushroom
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
drops of sesame oil

Soak the mushroom for at least 1 hour. Then slice the mushroom.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add garlic and mushroom, stir for a few minute till the mushroom is cooked. Add salt and sesame oil. Mix. Remove and set aside.

Carrots

2 medium carrots, julienned
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a pan, heat the oil. Add the carrots, stir for a few minutes till tender. Add salt and mix. Remove and set aside.

Onions

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

In a pan, heat the oil. Add the onion, stir till the onion is transparent. Add salt and mix. Remove and set aside.

Japchae

Now, I have loved Japchae since my college days from the Korean place in the little food court. What's better than a plate of sweet potato noodles after coming out the computer lab?! Too bad, it isn't open 24 hours. I have tried to make Japchae a number of times with slightly different recipes. I liked the result every time, so feel free to tweak it.

12 oz sweet potato noodles
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/3 cup of soy sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

Boil a pot of water, add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Cut into sections for easy eating. Toss in sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add the bell pepper, stir for a few minutes till tender. Add salt and green onions, mix and stir for a minute. Remove.

Toss together the noodles, bell pepper, onions, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, and some beef.

Bean Sprouts

1 lb of bean sprouts, washed and trimmed
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
drops of sesame oil

Add the sprouts and 2 cups of water to a pot, bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water and squeeze out all the water.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add garlic, stir fry for a minute. Add the sprouts, stir for a minute. Add salt and sesame oil. Mix. Remove and set aside.

Korean restaurants always serve soy bean sprouts, but I like my green bean sprouts just the same. So choose for yourself.

Unfortunately, I was way too ambitious. I was only able to serve the sprouts and some extra spinach as banchan along with the Japchae and Bulgogi.

Maybe another day.