I’m so glad you’ve written about your love for Korean food. I so love reading your blog and finally I can give something back to you as a “thank you” for all the joy I’ve experienced from your writings. Here are some, dare I say, recipes from my childhood (and adulthood). I hope my directions make sense. Enjoy!
Kimchee Jigae (Kimchee Stew): Lightly rinse kimchee. Sauté in approximately 1 Tbsp sesame oil (I like to sauté with some pancetta or regular thickly sliced bacon). Add water (about 1 part water to 1 kimchee–add more water to taste). Bring to boil and let boil (covered) for approximately 10 minutes (never actually timed it so you may need to monitor it the first time you make so it’s done to your preference). This stew is best when made with over ripe kimchee. It’s like tomato sauce, it gets better each time you heat it.
There are many variations of this stew. I’ve been known to add Korean ribs (California style) and also to top with stew with cheese (Raclette) – I know it sounds really weird but IMO kimchee goes with almost anything and this is a good combination. I also have kimchee as a condiment when serving steak. A favorite snack of mine is kimchee sandwich: bread (I like baguette best, doesn’t taste as good with wheat bread though), butter and ripe kimchee).
Sautéed Kimchee: Dice kimchee. Sauté in sesame oil. Add sesame seeds if desired. I make a batch and keep it in my fridge. There are many quick dishes you can make with this.
- Bin Dae Dduk (see below)
- Noodle soup. This version is one of my childhood comfort foods. This is buckwheat noodles in stock made with dashi (Japanese soup stock), topped with sauteed kimchee, sometimes I add ground beef sauteed with black pepper and finely minced garlic–which is how my mom makes the soup.
- Noodles with sesame oil and kimchee: I prefer using buckwheat noodles but somen noodles work just as well (or any thin noodles like angel hair). Boil noodles, drain. Mix in sesame oil (to taste), sauteed kimchee, and sesame seeds (optional but highly recommended).
Bin Dae Dduk (Bean Pancake): Soak dried mung beans until soft (2-3 hours). Using your blender grind the beans with some water (approximately 2 parts bean to one third part water). The batter should not be runny (should look like oatmeal that’s been sitting out a bit). You can always thin it out with water if batter is too thick. Oil pan (be generous with the oil–you want the outer layer to be as golden and crisp as possible) and cook it the way you would a pancake (but on medium high heat) and add the sautéed kimchee as you would add fruit to the pancake (or you can just mix it all in, which is what I usually do). When done, you can eat it as is or dip it in a dipping sauce of soy sauce and vinegar (yuzu vinegar is best if it’s available).
You mentioned banchan which is the general word for little side dishes that are served along side 1 to 3 main dishes, which in my house was typically stew, meat dish and or broiled or grilled fish). Anyway, from your description, the banchan you are referring to sounds like it’s Moo Chae which is julienned daikon seasoned with chili pepper and vinegar.
Moo Chae: Julienne daikon. Sprinkle it with chili pepper (add the chili pepper first otherwise you won’t get the pinkish tinge). Then add a little sugar, vinegar, finely minced garlic (optional), pinch salt. The amount of the spices is all to taste (I couldn’t get specific measurements from my mom–she kept saying “Taste it.” This should be freshly made each time but it will keep few days. I also like to grill it along side Korean BBQ ribs or beef (I do the same with kimchee).
Bon Appetit!
