Archive for August, 2011

Korea’s Plan to Take Over the World: Is It Actually Working?

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

We’re not talking about nuclear power here. In 2008, South Korea’s Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries launched a well-funded campaign to make Korean food (including kimchi) one of the top five cuisines in the world by the year 2017. As much as us folks here at Kimchi Headquarters adore Korean food, we scoffed at this “top-down” approach because most people squirm at the idea of a government organization telling us what we should like…

But we spoke recently with an anthropology researcher at Indiana University who informed us that Granny Choe’s Kimchi Co. is part of a small, but growing group of boutique kimchimongers (we would like to go ahead and take credit for coining that term), and she mentioned that the Korean food scene in New York City is booming…

Then we saw this Bon Appetit blog post about Los Angeles that says, “Skip Sushi, Eat Kimchi… Nobu and his sushi Nazi spawn have been relegated to the sidelines in the ‘What’s Your Favorite Ethnic Cuisine?’ game as Korean food takes the city by truck and by cook.”

We don’t believe everything the ministry says, but we do believe Bon Appetit. Could it be that Korea’s master plan to globalize their cuisine is actually working? Or is it just crazy random happenstance?

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Yum! Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Just in case you were looking for another way to use your waffle iron and kimchi, try this quick and divine kimchi grilled cheese sandwich found on TasteSpotting, with a caption that reads “No panini grill? No problem!”. We tried this with what we had on hand- just a bit of dijon instead of oriental mustard, and no cilantro, and it was still SO GOOD. Plus, the prep was easy and it’s nice to not have to turn the oven on to cook during the summer :) Enjoy!

Here’s the full recipe from No Face Plate:

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Kimchi Grilled Cheese

two slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon prepared oriental mustard
1/4 pound sharp cheddar cheese, sli ced thin
1/2 cup homemade kimchi, chopped
cilantro, minced (optional)

oil spray
waffle iron

Easiest recipe ever to appear on NFP, this one: spray your iron and let it warm (mine has a little light that shines “ready!” when it’s hot to trot). Spread mustard over both slices of bread. Layer cheese on one slice, scatter kimchi over the top, scatter cilantro over kimchi, place the other slice of mustarded bread atop. Press down to seal the fillings in place, then put carefully in the middle of the waffle iron. Close it as far as it will go, and use something heavy and non-flammable to keep the pressure on.

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The 3rd Annual Korean BBQ Cookoff

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

We headed out to the 3rd annual Korean BBQ Cookoff this past Saturday, just me (Mama Choe) and Little E, while Granny Choe got some well-deserved R&R at home. The disadvantage of going to this kind of food fest with a party of two fairly small people is that you have to choose your vendors carefully since there won’t be any sampling off of friends’ plates…

The longest line by far was for Park’s BBQ (last year’s Korean BBQ Cookoff winner), and although I know they have a great reputation and I did want to try the best food at the festival, I was not quite motivated enough to stand in their line in the mid-afternoon heat. I knew from last year that Seoul Sausage’s kimchi topped sausages were delicious, but I wanted to try something different and decided K-town newcomer Palsaik after we tasted one of the samples that they were passing out. For a mere $5 we got a little plate of rice, with some just-spicy-enough veggies and richly flavored “herb” marinated pork belly (just one of their eight flavors), of which Little E and I both approved.

Little E’s favorite parts were the free 3-D puzzle from the super nice folks at the Korean Cultural Center booth and paddle fans from BCD Tofu House. She was also a big fan of the Binggrae melon bars (Korean melon-flavored creamsicles)… and the crowds (she does like a good street festival). The Korean American Coalition did a great job on getting the word out and the turnout was great as expected. We’ll be back again next year! And maybe we’ll even wait in line for Park’s BBQ…

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Bibimbap + Waffle Iron = Bibimbaffle

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Our photographer pal, Patrick Taillon, brought our attention to a site called the Korean Food Gallery. It’s a bit like TasteSpotting, but it features Korean cuisine. There’s an entire section devoted to kimchi… and a separate one for kimchi bokkeumbap (fried rice)! One of our favorites is a featured submission called the Bibimbaffle (bibimbap, with the marinated veggies sandwiched between layers of rice, crisped in a waffle iron… with a side of kimchi). Not sure if it’ll catch on, but it sure does have a fun name. Here’s the full bibimbaffle recipe in case you want to try this at home.

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