Kimchi Mamas

Diary of a Foodie in Korea

We were channel-surfing this afternoon when we came across an episode of Diary of a Foodie shot in Korea. The photography is gorgeous, and the segments cover North Korean cooking, oak mushrooms, and traditional royal cuisine. Warning: don't watch this on an empty stomach!

Photo Credit: Gourmet

--Weigook Saram

California Rolls

I thought I'd share my recipe for california rolls with ya'll.

Ingredients:

1 lb of shredded imitation crab meat (or the frozen kind from the Korean store is OK too)

1 large english cucumber

2 avocados (ripe)

1 tsp pepper

1 cut mayo

ghim sheets (nori)

soy sauce

cock sauce (sriracha)

cooked rice

Hungry like a 늑대 . . .

My kids had their first day of school today.  I am sitting in my home office at almost 12 noon, wondering how their first day at their new school is going and if they will like the Americanized doshi-raks I packed them this morning.  (There are no food services at their school so packing lunches is a necessity.)

And since I'm feeling a little nostalgic for Korean comfort food today, too, I think it's Spam and kimchi on my menu for lunch.  ; )

What's in your kids' lunchbox?  What do you like to pack?  What do they eat?

--Angie in Texas is enthusiastic about packing lunches . . . for now.  Ask her how she feels in about 3 weeks.

The Konnecting Power of Korean Komfort Food

It’s official: I am engaged.

Though the engagement wasn’t a total surprise, the proposal was . . . and really it was THE perfect proposal for us.  (A motorcycle ride – two bikes: his and mine, a Texas Hill Country river, grand cypress trees, the most beautiful engagement ring and the most loving, patient, caring, handsome man I know on one knee.)  * Swoon *

Team Do! Boo!

Shortly before I got pregnant with Cadence, I was part of a coterie of Korean American young women led by the inimitable Mia Park.  We called ourselves Team Do!Boo!, which doesn't make sense to most people if they're not fans of Mates of State, but it meant something to us then.  We had grand plans to take over the world, but never quite got around to it.  What we did do, however, was to get together and learn how to make Korean food.

Most of us had grown up in the U.S., either as adoptees or 1.5 or 2nd gens.  I'd say we were 80% pathetic when it came to our knowledge of cooking Korean food.  The first time we got together to make mandoo (Korean dumplings), Mia had an envelope on which she'd scribbled instructions from her mom as well as a bag of packaged frozen mandoo that we used as reference.  Nevertheless, we kept trying our hand at different dishes, and we even managed to make our own jars of kimchi once.

After I had Cadence, it was harder for me to get together with these ladies, but whenever I did, I would realize how much I missed them.  Even though we all had diverse backgrounds, there was a sense of camaraderie and acceptance that we shared with each other that I don't know how to explain.  I never had to worry about how bad my Korean was, as only one of us was fluent.  There was no need to "look good" for each other, whether in physical appearance or jobs, possessions or partners, since most of us had non-mainstream sensibilities.  We were open about our individual ignorance regarding Korean culture, and we tried to learn together.  We explored feelings of identity--as Korean Americans, as women, as Korean American women. 

I had a chance to see a few of the old gang last Saturday when we went out to a Korean restaurant to celebrate someone's adoption anniversary.  The photo above is one of the dol sot (hot clay pot) bibimbaps at our table.  To me, that image symbolizes what the Team Do!Boo! gals mean to me.  They are my comfort food, the ones who can make me feel good and right at home even after months of not seeing them.  And for that, I am grateful.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Edited to add: I just found the old Team Do!Boo! mission statement:

team do!boo!

do boo is the korean word for tofu, an essential ingredient in asian cuisine that is used in a variety of ways...team do!boo! is a collective of young korean american women from different backgrounds who share a rich heritage and a passionate sense of individuality...some were born in the u.s...some were born in korea...others were adopted by nonkorean families...these individuals have come together to collaborate creatively and socially, to spur each other on (team) towards positive action (do!) with spunk and pride (boo!).

Ah, memories...the good old days when I didn't use capital letters...

-Sarah-Ji

Food Fight

When I was a kid, whatever Mom made for meals - we ate.  And because for a significant portion of my childhood we were “financially challenged”, that food wasn’t always something I wanted to eat.  But nonetheless it was eaten.

When given the choice between food or no food, rice and kimchi for the 2,524th day in a row was fine by me! 

When I became a parent to not just one toddler but two, I struggled with the idea of “kid friendly” food versus . . . food.  So many of my friends would make special meals for their little ones in addition to the meals they shared with their SOs or older children.  (One mom would actually make a meal for the family and then heat up chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese for the little one. When I asked her why, she stated it was because “that’s what little kids eat.”  Or another mom who said “my child will only eat foods that are white, yellow or orange-y” but none of the foods she listed were actual oranges . . . WTH?)

Kimchi (making) Virgin

Picture is stolen from http://korean-cuisine.blogspot.com.

So, yesterday, I made kimchi for the first time.  Actually, I made khak-doo-ghi, not kimchi. Khak doo ghi is pickled moo/daikon/radish (whatever you want to call that vegetable).

It was really fun!

I followed the recipe from Korean Cuisine and maangchi . They both seem like DA BEST Korean cooks, don't they?

To be honest, I actually made khak doo ghi before... but I just guessed the recipe.  Needless to say, it turned out disastrously and I ended up throwing the entire batch away.  I am really really hoping that this batch will turn out good.  Currently, it is fermenting in my garage.  I will share the results in the comments.

It was somewhat cathartic to put my plastic gloves on and mix up the ingredients... I don't know... it was like I was getting a kimchi hand massage.  =)  And only a few pieces fell on the floor.  Note to self for next time: use a LARGE container when mixing.

My 2 year old LOVES washed out kimchi so I hope he'll like washed out khak doo ghi too.

Have you ever made your own kimchi? Share your experience with us!  =)

-Mary

A Korean Christmas past

As a kid, I always knew holiday season was underway when boxes of clementine tangerines started to arrive at the house. I'm talking big, big crates. And Fuyu persimmons. And the ubiquitous Korean apple-pears. Big tins of popcorn? Pshaw. Nothing says Christmas like seasonal fruit bought in bulk. (But I'll take the popcorn too, I like to mix the caramel and cheese together, yummy.)

I took it all for granted. Not just the foods, but the scale in which we celebrated with them. Being in a large family (four kids). And being in an all-Korean family. Hell, even if no one else was coming over, I'd be guaranteed to spend the day with five other Korean people and lots of food. It was a party unto itself. How everything was so bountiful, and the Koreanness of it all literally just surrounded you.

These days, our Christmases are fairly un-Korean. I don't even see Koreans at Christmas because my family does not get together anymore.

Talkin' Turkey in Texas

Thanksgiving is almost here!

(I'm using the exclamation point to illustrate my happiness, as in "Yay!  My favorite holiday is here!" and also to express my "Holy-crap Thanksgiving is in a few days!" feelings, too.)

Seriously though, I LOVE Thanksgiving.  I mean what's not to love?   There's food.  It's the beginning of the holiday season.  And it's all about family and friends.  This year it's going to be a "small" affair at my home - we're only calculating 15 people total and several throughout the day for visitors-passing-by to wish good cheer and share a drink . . .

My family has lived in the US for almost 30 years now, so there's turkey (I won't forget to brine the turkey this year, I promise), cornbread stuffing (we're in the South, what can I say?) and homemade cranberry relish (a recipe I learned from my Nath-easteen friends in college - where are the "r"s?).  We're also Korean so there's going to be tons of chapchae, yaki-mandu (my opa would freak if there wasn't) and of course kimchi (lots and lots of kimchi).  And because our family is a hodge-podge of American, Korean AND Mexican, there will also be enchiladas and maybe some fried tacos this year . . .

And like every Thanksgiving, we'll all eat too much, Dad will wrap kimchi around sliced bits of turkey, Mom will wrinkle her nose at my gravy and "tsk, tsk" my country style mashed potatoes with the skin still on (but have 2 helpings) and later there will be lively games of American and Korean style cards (and yes, money will be involved). 

And because there are children/grandchildren running around having a bite of turkey here, a slice of kimchi there and skipping along with yaki-madu in hand, they will get to absorb all of this and for them a plate of turkey and kimchi with a side of enchiladas is and forever will be normal . . . What's not to love?

What's on your Thanksgiving plate?

-Angie in Texas plans to start brining the turkey Wednesday after work . . . and pickling herself later that night.  =)

Why We Need to See More Asian Faces in the Media

One of the things my daughter can’t make her mind up about is her career.  She wants to be a teacher, an artist and a chef. I think it’s great she has passion for so many things.  I’d also like to think that hours spent cooking with her in my kitchen, my mom’s kitchen and emo’s kitchen contributed to some of her passion: by the time she was 3 ½ she was able to properly crack an egg, as an 8 year-old, she has great technique and can do it with one hand.

Recently while working a school project,  she was looking through magazines and came across an investment advertisement with photos of Martin Yan.  In the photos he’s cooking and being . . . well, being Martin Yan.  She cut out the photos of Chef Yan and said “Mommy, this is what I want to do when I grow up . . . “