February 2023 Cookbook of the Month: Korean American by Eric Kim

[Saregama]

BRUSSELS SPROUTS [BROCCOLI SLAW] MUCHIM

The all-purpose Muchim dressing recipe is here.

I love these simply dressed salads. The only appropriate crunchy thing I had was broccoli slaw, and I’ve used it to make a Viet slaw before, so went ahead here.

Dressing is distilled white vinegar (I used rice vinegar instead), garlic, sesame oil, gochugaru, fish sauce, and sugar. I haven’t seen fish sauce used in muchim dressing before, but I do use it in the Viet slaw (from Andrea Nguyen’s VFAD), so I used it here. In fact this is pretty much the same dressing except for the gochugaru.

This was a nice accompaniment to a meal which comprised of the japchae, kimchi fried rice, and galbi. Kept well a couple of days as well.

I also used the dressing for arugula salad.

What's For Dinner #89 - the Dawn of a New Year Edition - January 2023

Dinner started with a plan to make Japchae and ended as a Korean spread I cooked and took over to my friends’ place I was halfway through making the Japchae in the afternoon when my friend called and invited me over. But… I still wanted to eat Korean, so I did some quick menu thinking and called her back to ask if they were open to eating Korean. They didn’t have a plan yet, so it worked out well. I finished the Japchae, made rice, then a quick store run to to buy meat and some banchan…

[Saregama]

VINEGARED SCALLIONS

This is one of my favorite banchan at k-bbq: a big bowl of scallion salad! In fact, one of my only single-use tool purchases has been a scallion shredder, which I bought specifically for this dish

Dressing is very simple: rice vinegar, gochugaru, pinch of sugar (he uses dark brown but I prefer white for this), salt, and pepper (which I skipped).

The scallions are better if soaked in cold water first, then drained and held till you’re ready to serve. if you dress them early, they will wilt.

[Saregama]

Came across more recipes on his website, and he has some on the NYT (anyone who doesn’t have a subscription can copy-paste and search the exact title for a re-publication, or one of us can provide a link).

[Saregama]

MICROWAVE GYERANJJIM WITH CHICKEN

I love asian egg custards, whether it’s chawanmushi, chinese steamed eggs, or gyrenjjim.

I saw this microwave version in the NYT but was skeptical, because I like my egg custards just-set, perfectly cooked, no bubbles, no liquid separation, for which timing is critical, and the microwave is not a surgical tool

TLDR: 1/2c water per egg, book uses chicken broth plus fish sauce and 100% power vs NYT dashi and 50% power, book 3-7 mins for 2 eggs vs NYT 5-7 mins

The book version is not a delicate egg custard, but the k-bbq version of gyeranjjim that arrives boiling hot with liquid separated and bubbling eggs. From the NYT comments, it seems a more delicate, silky egg / I separated outcome is possible by adjusting the power level.

My microwave is pretty strong, so I went with 30% power and the low end of the NYT time range (5 mins). My foolishness that I halved the eggs and not the time – the 30% power saved me!

Outcome was a silky not bubbly custard, but the water separated because I was at least 30s over on timing.

BUT given the good egg texture, I will definitely try the microwave method again, just with tweaked timing.

[Saregama]

THREE DINNER TOASTS

Well, I made 2 out of 3 for lunch today (the third is regular soft-scrambled eggs on toast, which I eat pretty often). I

n the introduction, he describes how some of the recipes in the book are from his years feeding himself as a latchkey kid. Some of that definitely comes through here and elsewhere. where nostalgia takes a back seat to adjusting flavor for an adult, Korean food-loving palate.

ROASTED SEAWEED AVOCADO TOAST

Does avocado toast need a recipe? No. But it’s nice to try new flavor combinations, and adding Gim to the avocado was a new one for me. That said, it really didn’t add much for me.

I often top avocado toast with furikake, which to me is a better way to add crunch and flavor. The gim mixed into the avocado doesn’t stay crisp, and it’s messy to crumble or cut it up. I did cut up some, though, in the interest of following the recipe. But I ate the rest on the side, where it kept its crunch.

The flavor here was very flat. After tasting the avocado mixture, I added more of everything, and a generous sprinkle of gochugaru, and sprinkled toasted sesame seeds after topping the toast. Later I had a bit of a Duh moment when I realized I could have added some kimchi and it would have boosted everything perfectly.

.

GOCHUJANG-BUTTERED RADISH TOAST

I didn’t have radishes, but Gochujang butter is fantastic (thank you, Koreatown), so I decided to do this anyway. The flavors go so well over toast – if you are a Bovril or Marmite fan, this is a gimme. So Delicious!

I can see what the crunch and bite of the radishes would bring, or something similar like broccoli slaw (cucumber might wilt too fast) so I’ll have to remember to pick some up.

(NOT in his toast list, oddly, is Kimchi toast, which was my last piece, after the Duh moment of not adding kimchi to the avocado. Recommend, perhaps even over the Gochujang butter.)

[Saregama]

SESAME-SOY DEVILED EGGS

I love my deviled eggs, so any twist is going to pull me in!

This is a simple variation, using soy and sesame oil to flavor the yolks, and a bit of sesame seeds and gim to top. I missed a bit of tang that usually comes from mustard (or wasabi).

Tasty for being so simple. I’d skip the gim fussiness and use furikake next time. (Also I am now thinking: Kimchi Deviled Eggs!)

(I bizarrely had a disastrous boiling of the eggs experience today, that’s why the whites look like I chipped away at them.)

[Rasam]

@Saregama

Also I am now thinking: Kimchi Deviled Eggs!

I could try that! Especially since the HT grocery store has ‘glorious kimchi’ conveniently available.

[Saregama]

TJs kimchi is also vegetarian fyi - and quite ripe each time I’ve bought it. Disappears fast!
ETA: Mother-in-law’s at WF is also really good.

[digga]

As a vegan-vegetarian-now mostly pescatarian, I’ve always been confused how eggs are considered vegetarian. Eggs are one my of my most reviled foods and as a Korean, I’ve always been grossed out by them as my family loves them. My Spring Onion likes them scrambled in the mornings, which makes me want to hurl as I cook them. I was thinking about getting the book but not if there are a lot of egg-loaded recipes (I’ll check the TOC when I can).

We once accidentally got a fertilized egg amongst the dozen that we purchased and B (omnivore) and I were both traumatized.

ETA: I’m cranky. Cold here and getting cabin fever. But still…how are eggs vegetarian?

[Rasam]

@digga

But still…how are eggs vegetarian?

Most South Asian vegetarians will not eat eggs. Others will.

Eggs being seen as vegetarian is the same logic as milk products: it is not the meat of the animal / animal did not die producing eggs or milk (setting aside the brutalities of these industries especially towards male chicks and calves for a moment).

I don’t know about the book, I might find an online recipe to participate.

[Saregama]

Confused about the placement of this.

Did someone here claim they’re vegetarian?

[digga]

Y’all were talking about a vegetarian kimchi for the the deviled eggs so I thought that was a consideration.

[Saregama]

The vegetarian kimchi rec was related to the WFD thread @Rasam linked (but also you then switched over to how eggs gross you out right after I reported on two egg recipes from the COTM we are on a thread for).

[digga]

Alright forget it man. I’m outta here

[Rasam]

Thanks for these suggestions, I will look out for those next time. I was just at TJ today but didn’t realize about their kimchi.

[Rasam]

For me personally, vegetarian kimchi is a consideration because regular kimchi has fish products, and fish is not vegetarian. I do consume eggs and dairy, so I could enjoy kimchi devilled eggs.

Plus I never liked fish/seafood even in my non-veg days, and the fishy tang of traditional kimchi is a barrier.

[LulusMom1 (Kari)]

I like TJs kimchi a lot.

[articshark (Dawn)]

SALT AND PEPPER PORK CHOPS w/ VINEGARED SCALLIONS, pg. 49

These are dead easy and are a flavor punch thanks to the vinegared scallions. Add in a little rice and you have a complete and very satisfying meal that can be made during the week.

You prepare the pork chops by making a little rub from salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Set aside for 30 to 60 minutes.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.

When ready to cook, blot the chops with a paper towel to get it dry. Using a cast- iron skillet with oil sear the the chops on both sides. Stick into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to plates to rest before serving.

In a small bowl, combine shredded scallions, vinegar, gochugaru, and brown sugar. Top the pork chops with the mixture.

To make the pork chop dipping sauce, combine salt, brown sugar, and sesame oil and stir.

Serve the vinegared scallion pork chops with rice and the dipping sauce.

This dish made my mouth happy. I altered the recipe slightly to use no carb sweetener instead of regular brown sugar. But other than that, I pretty much made it as written. And if prep the pork chops with the rub and then make the rice and the dipping sauce and the scallions while the chops are in the oven, you can have this whole complete done in about an hour.

Start making the sauces for the scallions and for the pork chops.

[Saregama]

They run out fast. When.I made the meal pictured above to take over to my friends’, I got the last jar, which has been the case 3 out of 4 times I’ve bought it!

[articshark (Dawn)]

YANGNYEOM ROAST CHICKEN, pg. 210

This is another super easy recipe with a huge flavor pay-off.

Preheat oven to 425.

Oil your bird and then salt and pepper it everywhere- inside and out. Stick it on a sheet pan and roast for 45 minutes to an hour. Or until done, if you have one of those huge franken birds.

While your chicken cooks, in a medium bowl combine together ketchup, maple syrup, gochujang, strawberry jam, brown sugar, and minced garlic together.

Once the chicken is down and has rested for about 10 minutes, slather the chicken with the sauce. Serve with extra sauce.

I changed this up slightly. I took my bird out a little before it was completely done and slathered the sauce on and roasted it a little longer. I wanted the slight caramelization that provides. I also only used strawberry jam. I thought maple syrup AND strawberry jam AND brown sugar was super overkill. But if you like your spicy sauces more on the sweet side, add it all in.

We ate this off the bone the first night and then in lettuce cups the next.