Tag Archive for 'banchan'

Traditional Korean Food Ingredients

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by
Korean Food Lover
on August 30, 2008
in Traditional Food
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If you’ve ever gone to a Korean restaurant and tried a dish or two, chances are you fell in love with this fantastic cuisine. Korean food is some of the most varied and wonderful food in the world. But many of those that try it (and would love to be able to make it at home) feel a little intimidated by some strange-sounding ingredients and unusual recipes. However, it really is simple. All you need to make great Korean dishes at home is the right Korean food ingredients

Three Important Korean Seasonings

Gan jang: Gan jang is the term for one of the most important (and easy to find) Korean food ingredients: Korean soy sauce. Soy sauce is widely used for salt and flavor throughout Korean cuisine.

Gochujang: If you like your Korean food spicy, that means you love Gochujang. A kind of heavy hot sauce, gochujang is generally made from red chili powder, glutinous rice powder, powdered fermented soybeans, and salt. It’s used as an ingredient in many dishes, as well as a condiment. One of this Korean food ingredient’s most famous uses is as a condiment for bibimbap.

Doenjang (or Dwen jang): This is a fermented soybean paste, and is considered essential to Korean cuisine. It is used in a huge variety of dishes, including on its own as a condiment, mixed to create another condiment (called ssamjang) or to flavor stews, broths, and other dishes.

The Main Korean Food Ingredients

Ssal: Ssal is simply rice… but there’s really nothing simple about it. Unlike in many cultures, Koreans don’t prefer soft and fluffy rice. In Korean cooking, a short-grained, sticky rice is used, instead.

Baechu: Baechu, or Napa cabbage, is one of the most important Korean food ingredients you can find. It is often used in soups, or eaten raw as a wrap. Most importantly, though, baechu is used in baechu kimchi, the most popular type of Korean kimchi (see below).

Kimchi (or Gimchi): Kimchi is a vegetable dish eaten in Korea with just about every meal. Though it can be made differently each time, it is generally made with various vegetables and is fermented and highly spiced. It is both used as a side dish (called a banchan), as well as an ingredient in other Korean dishes.

Biji (or Kongbiji): When soybeans are blended in order to create soy milk, a fibouous pulp is left behind. This is biji, and is used throughout Korea and the rest of Asia as an ingredient in stews and soups, as well as bread products.

Other Korean Seasonings and Sauces

Ggaet nip: Ggaet nip, called sesame leaf, is a member of the mint family, and is used both as a spice for stews and other dishes, and a wrap for meats and seafood.

Ssamjang: When the Korean food ingredients gochujang and doenjang are combined with sesame oil, onion, garlic, and scallions as a condiment, the result is ssamjang. Ssamjang is a spicy sauce used as an addition to grilled dishes such as samgyeopsal.

Red bean paste: Red bean paste is used throughout Asian cooking. In Korea, it is used in snacks and desserts, such as bungeoppang and hotteok. It’s also traditional in Korea to eat red bean paste at the winter solstice in order to warm the body and keep you healthy through the winter.

Korean Food in Santa Monica

Published
by
Korean Food Lover
on August 19, 2008
in Places to Eat
. 0 Comments

Sometimes you simply need your Korean food fix. And, yes, Korea Town is located just a few miles away in Mid-Wilshire and is where you’ll find some of the best Korean food in California. But just because Korea Town is close doesn’t mean you can’t get good Korean food in Santa Monica. Because let’s face it, you don’t always want to brave Los Angeles traffic and over-the-top gas prices just to get a nibble of bulgogi.

Gushi: Great Korean Fast Food

Gushi is the place to go when you want to get some quick Korean food in Santa Monica, or want to pick up something to take home. And eat it for days and days. Because what you get at Gushi above all else is serving size. Most plates here cost from $7.00 to $8.00, and consist of servings that you couldn’t –or at least shouldn’t– eat in one sitting!

Is Gushi the most authentic Korean food in Santa Monica? No, it’s not. The bulgogi, for instance, isn’t grilled but stir-fried. But everything is made fresh, plus it’s cheap and tasty and might just be the best value around. Which is probably why it’s always full to the brim with college kids. Just a note: Gushi is a cash-only joint, so stop by the ATM before you visit.

Gyenari: Korean Fusion Restaurant

If you’re not in the mood for something quick and simple, one of the better Santa Monica Korean restaurants is Gyenari. Now, Gyenari isn’t going to please those who are die-hard fans of authentic Korean cuisine. Because this restaurant is a California-Korean fusion restaurant, where you’ll find things like avocado tossed as a surprise into seemly-traditional dishes.

One of the best things about Gyenari is that it is a grill-at-the-table restaurant where you won’t go home smelling like a barbecue pit. The food is grilled right at your table (by a waiter– you don’t do it yourself), but the smoky air is sucked away by vents before it can permeate your clothes. A bonus if you’re on a date or stopping to eat before a night out.

The prices here aren’t the lowest you’ll find for Korean food in Santa Monica, but the amount of food you get is pretty generous. The “meal for two” menu is a whopping $70 (a good choicer for a special night out), but consists of enough food for two or three people to satisfactorily gorge.

Real Korean in Santa Monica: Koba House BBQ

Koba House is a great combination between what you love in traditional Korea Town restaurants, and what you want from a relaxing night out. When you walk in, you’re struck by the great jazz playing on the speakers and the relaxing, stylish ambiance.

Fortunately, the food is also good. While it doesn’t live up to what you’ll find in K-Town, what you do get is of good quality. Most of the meat dishes run about $9 to $10 a serving, and while serving sizes are a little on the small side, they should be enough to satisfy most. The naeng myung is particularly good, and while you only get four banchan (side dishes), the ones you do get are great.