Monday, October 27, 2008

seoul food

Our friend Tim occassionally comes to visit us during his work travels. It's his chance to unwind and participate in some mild debauchery; to remember what life was like as a single minded single. I try to come up with a menu that is diverse and completely different from any I have prepared for him. This time around I opted for a Korean menu of Pork and Rib eye Bulgogi, Chicken and Beef Short Rib Kalbi, Korean pancakes, steamed Miso spinach, Kimchi, seasoned tofu, plenty of spice and a disturbing amount of wine...

The meat is grilled and served with lettuce leaves, steamed rice, kimchi and Kochujang (red pepper paste; aka-Korean Ketchup). The Kochujang is sweet and very spicy...we use it on everything. I love a menu that includes plenty of spice and allows me to indulge in Kimchi. Fermented spicy cabbage is not for the faint of heart and now I can add fermented spicy tofu to my list of loves.

The preparation of the meat is a very simple process. I am lucky to have a Korean market in town and they sell the meat already sliced for my purpose. The pork and rib eye are just barely frozen then sliced thin. The short ribs are a HUGE bargin and are sliced thin with the bone in. In most Asian markets you can find the Korean BBQ Bulgogi Marinade already prepared in the jar. For the short ribs and the chicken (boneless, skinless thighs), I place them in a Ziploc bag, pour the marinade over, toss and refrigerate overnight.

For the rib eye and t
he pork, I went spicy. To the marinade, I added a couple of tablespoons of the Kochujang, mixed well and made a Ziploc bag for each. I prepared this about 3 hours before I planned to cook it and left it at room temperature until I was ready to proceed. I cooked all the meat out on my grill. For the rib eye and pork, I laid down two disposable foil trays directly on the grill and stir fried. And in my usual fashion, I served a HUGE platter loaded with meat...convenient for loading directly to my guests' plates.



18 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Your favorite, (jealous) Cousin

Christo Gonzales said...

this touches my inner korean...all the way

Marc said...

Hmm...so you'll eat pickled cabbage, but not pickled ginger...

It all looks fabulous! Kochujang...mmmm.

buffalodick said...

I love the flavoring of Korean style meats, always a bottle of sesame oil in this house! Kim Chee is as varied as chili recipes- haven't found one I didn't like yet...

Sornie said...

A tasty way to unwind. Lucky guy.

tavolini said...

oh wow, Michelle! Looks pretty fantastic. I looooooooooooooove kimchi, the spicier, the better!

Kitt said...

Mmmmm. Bulgogi's yummy. The H-Mart here sells the marinated meat and veg already prepped for grilling, which takes the guesswork and effort out of it if you want an easy indulgence.

Tanya Kristine said...

i'm going back to veggieism

Joe said...

My God that looks delicious. I assume you saved some and will be shipping it out to me?

Angel said...

DAY-UM GIRL!!!!! this looks GOOOOOOD!!!! I wanna be a guest!!!

Michelle Ann said...

Cousin-we can definitely make this together soon!

Doggy-you have inner Korean too???

Marc-it's not the pickle thing that I am obsessed with, it's a cabbage thing. I also love brussel sprouts. Kochujang rocks!

Buff-I am with you...haven't met a Kimchi I don't like.

Sornie-Tim says that I run the best bed and breakfast he has been to...and the cheapest.

Tavo-I could have had the kimchi be spicer...but it varies. I just added more Kochujang to it.

Kitt-our Korean mart sells it all ready marinated etc... But I make so much food, I have to do the prep myself; much cheaper. But, I have been known to buy it on the fly

Tanya-oh you little fickle one. I am sure that if I waved a Jamie's Garlic Steak sandwich under your nose, you would cave.

Joe-considering the financial environment we are in, maybe I should start a mail order Korean BBQ side business. Not a bad idea. So can I sign you up for 20 pounds?

Michelle Ann said...

Beth-When can I pencil you in for a visit? It would be a blast to have a dinner with our fellow bloggers...it would be a night to remember.

Jessy and her dog Winnie said...

Yummmmm!

The Peanut Butter Boy said...

I want a plate of meat....I'm jealous.

Tanya Kristine said...

this post is boring...no mention of me.

Ed & Jeanne said...

Hey, I've been in Seoul! I also wrote about a trip there on Monday. Looks good though.

Brian Gardes said...

Ok. I am a vegetarian and that looks good!

Sully Sullivan said...

Well you pretty much just got me to go down and get lunch right now.

BTW, "Kochujang (red pepper paste; aka-Korean Ketchup)" is a way better idea than regular ketchup!