Tired of the usual burgers and fries? Why not dine Korean style? Korean cuisine is noted for its bold flavor, unique taste and exotic recipes. If you want to get a taste of Korea, read on for some spicy bites to sizzle up your appetite:

NAKJI BOKEUM

A spicy dish of pan-fried octopus in luscious soy sauce.

1 lb octopus or squid

1/2 onion sliced to make rings

2 chillies or jalapenos, sliced on the bias

2 green onions, sliced on the bias

1/4 carrot, sliced thinly

Sauce

4 shiitake mushrooms, quartered (optional)

1/4 cup kochujang or Korean chilli paste

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 tbsp minced garlic

Wash the octopus well, cut the legs into pieces about 3″ long, open the head and take out the insides then quarter the head. Drain well. Combine all the ingredients for sauce. Mix by hand the finished sauce with the octopus and marinade for 10 minutes. Heat the pan on a medium high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes or until done.

DAK GAL BI
Sweet and spicy grilled chicken with vegetables.

2 small chicken

1 yam, sliced thinly

3 green onions, sliced

1/2 carrot thinly, sliced

1/4 cabbage, chopped into bite size pieces

1/2 carrot, sliced thinly

2 oz ga rae ddeok (plain rice, oval or tubular shape)

Yang nyeom jang (spice mix)

4 tbsp goo choo jang (korean chili paste)

2 tbsp goo choo ga roo (korean chili powder)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp pepper

Wash the chicken then cut into pieces. Mix ingredients of yang nyeo jang and marinate chicken briefly for 5-10 minutes. Place one layer of the chicken on a big shallow pan then add the vegetables. Put on a table top grill on a high heat and cook for about 10 minutes while stirring. reduce the heat to low. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SOLLONGTANG

Rice beef and noodle soup seasoned with sesame seeds, scallions, and sesame oil.

1/2 lb beef rib steak, cut into pieces

1 1/3 lb shank of beef, cut into pieces

1/2 whole Korean radish, divide into two pieces

1/4 lb Chinese noodles

1 large green onion, cut into rings

6 cloves green onion, cut into rings

salt and black pepper

Boil the beef and radish in 30 cups of water in a very large pot with a cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour until the meat is very tender. After that, take the meat and radish out of the broth. Cool the broth and cut off the excess fat. Slice the meat thinly into small sizes. Slice the radish into 1/8 inch thick pieces. Add the meat, radish and crushed garlic to the broth and boil again. Place the noodles. Add the salt, black pepper and green onion. Add more seasoning if you like.

BULGOGI

Stir fried tender beef seasoned in rice wine.

1/2 lb beef tenderloin

1 tbsp rice wine

2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbs cornstarch

3 ounces korean green peppers

3 red peppers

3 cloves garlic

1 tbs oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

Cut the beef into thin strips and season with the rice wine, sugar,soy sauce, salt and cornstarch. let it stand for 10 minutes. Cut the green peppers into thin strips and soak them in water to remove some of the heat. slice the garlic into flat pieces. stir fry the green pepper and red pepper strips lightly with the salt and sugar in an oiled pan. stir fry the garlic and seasoned beef in lightly oiled pan. Add the peppers and stir fry again.

KIMCHI

A favorite Korean side dish.

1 Chinese cabbage (3 cups cut)
2 Cloves Garlic
1t Hot pepper flakes or powder
1t Soy sauce
1t Vinegar
1tb Salt
1tb Sugar

Chop the cabbage into pieces about 1 1/2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide. Crush the garlic and blend with the hot pepper, soy sauce and vinegar. Add the cabbage and mix well then add the salt and sugar, mix and cover until ready to serve.

Posted in Food, Korea

This entry was posted on Friday, May 16th, 2008 at 11:11 am and is filed under Food, Korea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.