Several basic Korean ingredients hold a place of honor on my condiment shelves. Kimchi (fermented cabbage or other vegetables), gochujang (fermented red Chile paste), gochugaru (ground red chile flakes) and doenjang (fermented bean paste) have transformed my everyday cooking.
These basic, yet totally distinctive, ingredients remind me of our embrace of the best pantry staples from around the world. Where would we be without Italy's olive oil, Parmesan and balsamic vinegar or France's Dijon mustard, truffles and walnut oil or China's soy sauce, dark sesame oil and Szechuan peppercorns? Or Mexico's chipotle chiles, tomatillos and cilantro and the Middle East's Aleppo pepper, spice blends and pomegranate vinegar? Back to bland I fear.
Like their international counterparts, these Korean staples have migrated beyond their home country into supermarkets and our kitchens around the world. And we are better cooks for it.
My love affair with Korean ingredients begins with kimchi-fermented vegetables with the banchan (side dishes) served at Korean barbecue restaurants. All manner of red chile and garlic fermented vegetables arrive in small bowls for nibbling between bites of grilled meat and white rice. Crunchy-soft cabbage is my favorite, but I also like kimchi-style cucumbers, daikon radishes, turnips, bean sprouts and bok choy.
When I'm in a Korean supermarket, such as H Mart, I love to watch the cooks don plastic gloves to toss mounds of cabbage with a red chile pickling brine before packing the mix into containers. There, I also find jars of radish and cucumber kimchis. The first bites are crisp and mild. A few days in my refrigerator changes the pickles into softer, bolder nibbles. Ditto for cabbage kimchis. I always set the containers on a paper towel in the refrigerator as these active pickles can bubble up a bit as they age.
Luckily, most large supermarkets everywhere stock bottled kimchi in the refrigerated produce section. These are usually made from tender napa cabbage with plenty of garlic and ginger, and are labeled mild or hot, depending on the amount of red chile. When I'm serving kimchi as a side to grilled steak or chicken, I choose the mild pickle. As an ingredient in fried rice or stews, I opt for the hot version for bold final dishes.
A jar of kimchi and a takeout container of cooked rice yield a full-flavored dish even the nonprofessional cooks in my house can easily conjure.
Kimchi packs a punch in soups and stews too. I add a spoonful or two to black bean soup, chicken soup and ordinary beef stew for a surprise blast of umami and spice. I'm convinced there's no better way to ward off a cold or warm up an evening than a quick bowl of the following recipe for pork and kimchi stew. I had my first bowlful at a Korean restaurant in a strip mall in Schaumburg, Ill. At home, I use boxed broth for speed and ease. I also make a vegetarian version filled with silken tofu and greens. An egg poached in the stew adds extra richness and protein.
Serve the stew with plenty of cooked medium-grain white rice to temper the spice. I like to use the Nishiki brand sold in the Asian section of large supermarkets in my rice cooker. Calrose rice works well too.
For slightly more involved kimchi combinations, we dream of pancakes we enjoyed this past fall in Portland, Ore. To fortify ourselves before walking the gardens at The Grotto, we tucked into a funky corner restaurant on Sandy Boulevard called the Cameo Cafe & Steak. Home of the 14-inch "half-acre" pancake, boasts its plastic-coated menu. We opted for a savory Korean pancake made with mung beans, vegetables and kimchi they call Sue Gee's Pindaettok. It arrives larger than the plate, about {-inch thick, and colorful from shredded vegetables and golden crispy edges. Moist and not at all heavy, the mildly spiced and tangy pancake tastes even better with a sweet soy dipping sauce.
I've been tinkering with a recipe ever since. "Koreatown," a cookbook by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard (Clarkson Potter, 2016), says that most Korean restaurants rely on a Korean pancake mix (containing flour, baking powder, cornstarch and seasonings) as the base. I prefer to make my own mix from all-purpose flour, rice flour and salt. I do heed their sage advice to refrigerate the pancake batter before cooking.
Rice flour proves the key to a crispy, light textured batter. Bob's Red Mill makes a delicious stoneground white rice flour; it's available at large supermarkets and online. I use very cold water and an egg yolk for the wet ingredients. Bottled kimchi and vegetables likewise add moisture. Cutting the vegetables into thin shreds, or a julienne cut, allows them to cook very quickly. To save time, I employ those long strands of zucchini and carrot vegetable noodles sold in the produce section of Whole Foods and other markets. Butternut squash "noodles" are delicious here too.
Serve the kimchi pancakes for brunch topped with a pile of baby spinach and a side of sliced tomatoes. Or, serve them cut in wedges as a nibble with beer or iced soju.
Note: Most of the Korean ingredients used in these recipes are sold at large supermarkets, Korean markets and online. They are worth procuring for the best flavor. However, I do give more readily available substitutes that make delicious, albeit somewhat different tasting, dishes.
