A sumptuous and authentic korean feast

A sumptuous and authentic korean feast

The country's pop music and soap operas have become very popular in Thailand, and now it's the turn of K food

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Since Korean TV dramas have become popular in Thailand, and most seem to contain dining scenes, my friends here have started to ask me which is my favourite Korean restaurant in Bangkok.

Without hesitation I reply that it is Nak Won on the ground floor of Sukhumvit Plaza.

Their reaction is often one of a little disappointment, probably because they have not been there or even heard of it.

However, this is the place where, for more than 10 years, I have been treating my non-Korean friends to authentic Korean dishes.

Nak Won is the place where I can enjoy a hearty meal of my favourite dishes _ the ones I grew up with in Seoul. I lived in a historic community right next to Gyeongbok Palace in the heart of the traditional capital of the Hermit Kingdom in the Land of the Morning Calm. After having been the capital of the Joseon Kingdom for more than half a millennium, Seoul still remains the most prominent city in the Korean Peninsula.

The chef at Nak Won also grew up in Seoul, coincidentally, close to where I grew up, and we share similar tastes. Even better, she is willing to prepare dishes for my extended family and close friends according to my recipes, rather than her own.

Though the Korean peninsula is not large, its mountain ranges, valleys, plains, meandering rivers and surrounding seas are all in harmony with one another. Cooking methods and people's tastes vary throughout the regions, dictated by their geographical characteristics, and this means there are distinct regional dishes. However, the reason I believe that dishes from Seoul offer a truly authentic take on Korean cuisine is because that throughout history people from all regions moved to the capital, resulting in a truly cosmopolitan selection of the best the country has to offer.

I have dozens of cherished recipes in my collection, and I am willing to share them with lovers of Korean food, hoping that they will help people have a better understanding of the cuisine.

To prepare these dishes, with their unique flavours and aromas, it is necessary to have certain basic fermented seasonings. Fortunately, almost all of them are available at Food Mart, a mini Korean supermarket near Nak Won, including kimchi made of various vegetables, ganjang (soya sauce), doenjang (soya bean paste) and gochujang (red fermented chili paste), as well as sesame oil and some dried items such as seaweed, kelp, anchovies and so on, all imported from Seoul.

It is true to say that for Koreans it is impossible to imagine a meal without kimchi. Kimchi is now internationally recognised as a health food, with lactic enzymes and beneficial bacteria. It is eaten as a side dish and also used as an ingredient for cooking.

My favorite Korean meal is composed of bibimbap (bowl of harmony), galbijjim (braised beef ribs), doeji bulgogi (spicy stir-fried pork) and godeungeo kimchi jorim (mackerel simmered with kimchi).

Bibimbap is usually served in a bowl, with rice at the bottom and a selection of steamed and seasoned vegetables (and sometimes minced meat) on top. It is garnished with black seaweed and a fried egg. Seasoned gochujang is served separately in a small bowl.

A bowl of bibimbap is a healthy dish, with vegetables as its main ingredient. The taste of bibimbap can be varied simply by adding any available side dishes, such as dried anchovies to create a unique and personal dish to suit one's own individual tastes.

During the Joseon dynasty there was a custom in the royal palace of eating bibimbap that had been made from all the condiments and ingredients left at the end of the year. This was considered a symbolic gesture _ putting all the affairs of the past behind you and celebrating a fresh start in the New Year.

Godeungeo kimchi jorim is simple to make, but great to eat. Many people avoid eating pork or beef for cultural, religious or simply personal reasons, and prefer to eat fish instead. This is a perfect dish for them.

In traditional Korean cuisine, there are a wide variety of fish dishes, and the two best ways of cooking them are grilling (gui) and simmering in a thick sauce (jorim). Anyone can prepare this delicious dish quickly by simply spreading a layer of kimchi in a frying pan, putting a mackerel on top and then simmering them together. Because of kimchi, this is a truly delicious traditional Korean dish that has no unpleasant fishy smell.

Galbijjim is always served on national holidays. By the time the rich, braised beef ribs are fully cooked, the holiday is usually coming to an end. But it can be prepared in advance and reheated just before being served, so it is a very convenient dish to entertain guests. When we make such meat dishes in Korea, we season them with sesame oil. This is because the essential acids in sesame oil lower the level of cholesterol in the meat. Galbijjim is best when other ingredients such as chestnuts, jujubes and ginkgo nuts are added, because they play a similar role as sesame oil and help lower the level of cholesterol in the beef ribs.

Grilled meat in Korean cuisine is usually either beef or pork, and Koreans have also always enjoyed doeji bulgogi _ stir-fried pork. The main difference between beef and pork bulgogi is that the marinade for pork contains gochujang, as it goes very well with pork. The perfect way to eat this dish is to turn it into a ssam _ a dish in which you wrap the meat with fresh lettuce and other edible leaf vegetables, the perfect way to eat this tasty pork dish.

The country's pop music and soap operas have become very popular in Thailand, and now it's the turn of K food. (Photos by Patipat Janthong)

BIBIMBAP

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)

METHOD

Wash soya bean sprouts and spinach and blanche them in separately. Drain the water and place in a frying pan to stir-fry separately adding a little salt and sesame oil. After stir-frying, add soya sauce, sesame oil, finely chopped spring onion and minced garlic, and then cover it with lid and simmer gently for a few minutes.

Cut the carrots into 3cm pieces, slice them into thin strips, sprinkle them with salt for a few minutes and drain. Stir-fry them in a pan with sesame oil and vegetable oil.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, removing the seeds. Slice the halves, sprinkle with salt for a few minutes and then drain. Stir-fry the slices in a pan with sesame oil and vegetable oil.

Remove the mushroom stems, slice and fry gently in a pan with sesame oil and vegetable oil.

For the gochujang seasoning, put the red chilli paste in a pan and fry it with sugar and sesame oil. Add the pear juice and bring to the boil, and then simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes. Once the honey, sesame oil and pine nuts are added it is complete.

To cook the meat, finely slice it along the grain and mix it with all the seasoning ingredients of it. Stir-fry on a medium heat.

Before serving, mix a small amount of sesame oil with the rice to keep the grains separate. Place the rice in the bowl, and then arrange the vegetables on top of it, making it look as colourful and appetising as possible. The meat can be placed on top of the vegetables, and garnished with strips of seaweed and a fried egg.

GODEUNGEO KIMCHI JORIM

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)

METHOD

Cut the mackerel on an angle into three or four pieces. Cut the kimchi cabbages in half lengthways, and spread them out flat in the bottom of a frying pan. Place the fish on top, add sufficient water to cover and simmer on a medium heat.

Once kimchi is cooked, add the soya bean paste, minced garlic, ginger and thickly sliced leak. Bring back to a simmer, and when the leek is cooked serve it with a bowl of rice together with other side dishes.

GALBIJJIM

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)

METHOD

Make two deep incisions in the beef, against the grain of the meat to the bone. Place the ribs in water for two to three hours to remove the blood and then drain.

Place the ribs in a pan, cover with water and boil for a few minutes. Then remove them from the water and thoroughly rinse with clean water.

Clean the pan and put the ribs in with three litres of water, the leeks, the garlic cloves and peppercorns. After boiling for 20 to 30 minutes, remove the ribs and strain the stock through a muslin cloth.

Place the seasoning ingredients in a bowl, mix well and pour over the ribs, reserving about one quarter of the mixture.

Dice the white radish into 3 to 4cm pieces. Peel the chestnuts and wash the jujubes, and leave to one side. After soaking the mushrooms, remove the stems and make cross-shaped incisions on the tops. Wash the leeks and cut them in half.

Place the marinated ribs in a pan and cover with the stock before adding the white radish and leeks. Bring to the boil and simmer gently on a medium heat. Once the ribs have been infused with the stock ingredients, remove the leeks and add the remaining seasoning together with the mushrooms, jujubes and chestnuts, and reduce until only a little of the stock remains. Add the remaining seasoning mix.

After peeling and stir-frying the ginkgo kernels in a frying pan with a little oil, add them to the other ingredients once the ribs have been completely cooked. Serve in a large bowl.

DOEJI BULGOGI

INGREDIENTS
(Serves four)

METHOD

Pork belly can be used on its own or together with shoulder. When buying the pork, ask for it to be sliced finely to a thickness of about 2mm.

After mixing all the ingredients for the seasoning in a bowl, add one piece of pork at a time and coat with the seasoning.

Pour a small amount of vegetable oil into a frying pan and after frying the meat until it becomes slightly crispy, cut it into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl to serve.

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