# Korean food?



## Miles (Feb 8, 2006)

Do you ever get a craving for Korean food?

Is it before or after training, or some other time?

What do you enjoy?

My wife thinks I'm crazy because sometimes I crave kimchi.  But, I also enjoy bibimbap and bulgoki (along with an occasional OB .

Miles


----------



## Martial Tucker (Feb 8, 2006)

I love spicy food and anything with garlic, so Korean food is always OK with me. 
But, if I had to choose one type of ethnic food to live on indefinitely, it would be Thai.


----------



## bluemtn (Feb 8, 2006)

I never really had Korean food, and don't know what to order.  I've had kimchi before, and liked it.  The one time I've been to a korean restaurant, I had NO clue as to what to order, so I got chicken wings :idunno: .  I felt silly ordering it, but I can be a very picky eater, and I couldn't understand the menu.  I wouldn't mind actually trying Korean food, though.


----------



## shesulsa (Feb 8, 2006)

I ordered beef noodle soup and found tendon and marrow in it.  Though when I went to a place in Arizona that was WONDERFUL!!  You could grill your meat right there at the table and all the ingredients were fresh.  Excellent.


----------



## Last Fearner (Feb 8, 2006)

Miles said:
			
		

> My wife thinks I'm crazy because sometimes I crave kimchi.


 
Miles, your wife is right. If you even eat kimchi, you're crazy - lol
:flame: 

I never have been much for Asian food (especially rice), but hanging out with Koreans after tournaments and workouts, I have often partaken in some. I like the bulgogi, but my favorite thing to order at the Korean or Chinese restaurants is sweet and sour shrimp.


Sr. Master Eisenhart


----------



## D Dempsey (Feb 8, 2006)

I got completly hooked on korean food when I lived in korea.  It was just so good.  Even now that I'm back in the states I still eat korean food about 3 times a week.  This also could be due to that fact that my wife is korean, but it's still one of my favorite types of food.
-Dave Dempsey-


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 8, 2006)

I am completely HOOKED on Korean food. I know how to cook it, too. Anyone need recipes?  I fell in love with Kimchi and my honey and me make our own now.

I also love Japanese food (also have a lot of recipes), Some Thai. I can't make anything with fish sause (one main thing Thai's use), tho. It makes me sick. But strong dashi (Japanese fish broth is a good sub tho). I am learning to cook Vietnamese, and Chinese also.

But Korean is my all time fav. And yes, I do crave it, if I don't have it for a few days (I usually have it three times per week, at least).

D Dempsey, I would love to trade recipes with your wife.


----------



## Cujo (Feb 9, 2006)

I never met a Korean food that I didn't like, and I LOVE kimchi! I never tried preparing any Korean recipes myself but would love to give it a try. 

Pax
Cujo


----------



## IcemanSK (Feb 9, 2006)

tkdgirl said:
			
		

> I never really had Korean food, and don't know what to order. I've had kimchi before, and liked it. The one time I've been to a korean restaurant, I had NO clue as to what to order, so I got chicken wings :idunno: . I felt silly ordering it, but I can be a very picky eater, and I couldn't understand the menu. I wouldn't mind actually trying Korean food, though.


 
Bulgogi is probably the one thing most Americans would like. Its Korean spare ribs. Galbi is similiar, but its on the bone (someone correct me if I got them backwards). Its got a lotta garlic in it, but its really good. I'll eat kimchi, but its not a favorite. 

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30552 Se this thread to see how much I enjoy Korean food before promotion testing.:uhyeah:


----------



## Martial Tucker (Feb 9, 2006)

Cujo said:
			
		

> I never met a Korean food that I didn't like, and I LOVE kimchi! I never tried preparing any Korean recipes myself but would love to give it a try.
> 
> Pax
> Cujo


http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_fo/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9964_33039,00.html


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 9, 2006)

Cujo said:
			
		

> I never met a Korean food that I didn't like, and I LOVE kimchi! I never tried preparing any Korean recipes myself but would love to give it a try.
> 
> Pax
> Cujo


 
This is a good place to start http://www.lifeinkorea.com/cgi-bin/menu.cfm you can learn about the different foods and stuff here.

Here's a fairly new site with lots of good recipes and things http://www.trifood.com/food.html

Here's another http://koreanrestaurantguide.com/recipes/recipe_0.htm This one also has cool facts and stuff (including recipes).

But this is my fav cook book to use (eventhough I have several) http://www.koreanfeast.com/


----------



## D Dempsey (Feb 9, 2006)

karatekid1975 said:
			
		

> D Dempsey, I would love to trade recipes with your wife.



She actually gets most of her recipes from her mother who is a chef.  The main thing you need is a good rice cooker.


----------



## Cujo (Feb 9, 2006)

Thanks for the links! I forgot all about so-ju! I had many interesting experiances with so-ju while I was in Korea.
:cheers: 
Pax
Cujo


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 10, 2006)

D Dempsey said:
			
		

> She actually gets most of her recipes from her mother who is a chef. The main thing you need is a good rice cooker.


 
I have one  And steamers, ect. Can't ya tell I love to cook  hehehehehehe.


----------



## Miles (Feb 10, 2006)

Glad to see I am not the only one who likes kimchi!  I like kalbi too.  Never got into the soju though....I'm a lightweight. 

Miles


----------



## AdrenalineJunky (Feb 10, 2006)

In Japan-town, at a Korean BBQ, I made the mistake of ordering something I thought was fish. . .yeah, it was tripe.  It was still good, though. MMM. . .intestines.


----------



## AdrenalineJunky (Feb 10, 2006)

Martial Tucker said:
			
		

> I love spicy food and anything with garlic, so Korean food is always OK with me.
> *But, if I had to choose one type of ethnic food to live on indefinitely, it would be Thai*.


 
Amen, bruddah!


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 10, 2006)

Miles said:
			
		

> Glad to see I am not the only one who likes kimchi! I like kalbi too. Never got into the soju though....I'm a lightweight.
> 
> Miles


 
No Soju?!?!?!?! Wimp LOL. Just kiddin. Korean Beer (OB) is pretty good, too.

Anyways, no. You are not the only one who loves kimchi. I have a jar in the frig at all times. If I get in the mood, I'll pick at it, or have it with my Korean meals with soju and OB hehehehehehe (I sound like such a lush, don't I? LOL).


----------



## Hwoarang_tkd26 (Feb 11, 2006)

I remember seeing on telivision one time, I think it was on the discovery channel, anyways it talking about the foods of different countries and then they talked about Korean food and they were showing people eating live squid.
The people would wrap the squid (tentacles and all) around a pair of chop sticks and dip it in some type of sauce then eat it.
Has anyone here eaten live squid before? What is it like?
I have eaten raw squid before at a sushi bar and it was yummy, along with cooked eel which was absolutely amazing!! (ever since then I have had a craving for cooked eel)
I have never had the chance to try Korean food, how similar is it to Chinese/Japanese food? And what about Thai food I want to try it too.


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 11, 2006)

We can't get squid or eel cheap here (expensive) so I use scallops or something similar. But I use the Korean sauce for it. It turns out yummy. I'd be game to try the real thing tho.


----------



## D Dempsey (Feb 13, 2006)

Hwoarang_tkd26 said:
			
		

> I remember seeing on telivision one time, I think it was on the discovery channel, anyways it talking about the foods of different countries and then they talked about Korean food and they were showing people eating live squid.
> The people would wrap the squid (tentacles and all) around a pair of chop sticks and dip it in some type of sauce then eat it.
> Has anyone here eaten live squid before? What is it like?



What they were eating was actually octopus.  I haven't eaten it this way but I watched a guy do it.  It was like basicly a battle of wills, and took him a good while to actually eat it.


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 14, 2006)

Live squid ... Ok that's a different story. Sushi is one thing, but LIVE squid ... uh I donno.


----------



## Miles (Feb 14, 2006)

karatekid1975 said:
			
		

> Live squid ... Ok that's a different story. Sushi is one thing, but LIVE squid ... uh I donno.


 
I'm with you Laurie.  I have only a few rules about food, one of which is "if it is winking at you, don't eat it."

Miles


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 14, 2006)

I totally agree Miles *quivers*


----------



## Grenadier (Feb 14, 2006)

Since my folks are Korean (and my mom is the best Korean chef in the world, bar none), I believe I can give a bit of insight here.  




			
				Hwoarang_tkd26 said:
			
		

> The people would wrap the squid (tentacles and all) around a pair of chop sticks and dip it in some type of sauce then eat it.


 
The sauce is usually made from fermented red pepper paste, usually goht-chee-jang based.  Most of the family, though, ate the squid after it was steamed.  Very tasty in conjunction with the sauce.  



> I have never had the chance to try Korean food, how similar is it to Chinese/Japanese food?


 
There's a old saying, that you can eat as much Korean food and not gain weight.  While it's not exactly true, it is pretty good for you.  

Koreans tend to use a lot more seasonings in their food, and the wonderful marinade that gives the bul-go-gee and kal-bee (roasted sliced sirloin and roasted ribs, respectively) is actually a very simple marinade:

sesame seed oil
soy sauce
sugar
garlic
black pepper

That's it.  Really.  

Not much of the food is deep fried, and a lot of it is sauteed in a light amount of oil.  

The rice used is a shorter grain rice (a bit sticky), as opposed to the long grain rice that the Chinese prefer.  

The Kim-Chee that many folks here talk about is really not too far away from sauerkraut.  The fermentation process is remarkably similar, and the only real differences between Kim-Chee and sauerkraut is that Kim-Chee uses Chinese cabbages, and tosses in some garlic and hot pepper.  I still get a bit amused when I see people gobbling down sauerkraut, and then when presented with Kim-Chee, they say "Man, I hate that stuff!"

The noodle dishes are usually made from either thicker noodles that have a good bit of texture to them (for soups or noodles with sauces), or mung bean / potato vermicelli (such as the chop-chae).  

The soups are a very interesting concoction.  Some are straightforward, others require many hours to prepare.  Some are even of the type that you boil down the meat, bones, and all, for a long time, and by the time it's served, it's an exceptionally rich soup.  

Stay away from tripes and intestines.   

The vegetables that are served on the table, such as the spinach, sprouts, and other greens, are usually prepared by blanching them in boiling salt water for about 1-2 min, and then removing them, squeezing out the excess water, and then seasoning them with soy sauce, sesame seed oil, black pepper, and a bit of sugar.  Amazing how good spinach can taste this way, yes?  

Anyways, if someone has questions regarding Korean food, feel free to PM me.  I've got a lifetime of experience, having sampled some of the finest cooking (hey, I do have to pay tribute to my mom and grandmother's excellent abilities).


----------



## Martial Tucker (Feb 14, 2006)

I had some co-workers in my previous job that used to go to Southeast Asia frequently on business. They spoke on more than one occasion of a restaurant that would kill a monkey at your table and then immediately serve the brain raw. At this point I would just walk away.....


----------



## Xue Sheng (Feb 14, 2006)

It's not Korean, but the saying in Southern China is that they eat anything with legs except tables and chairs. This was told to me by someone from Guangzhao.

And I have to say I have had some Chinese delicasies I never thougth I would try. Intestine, Lung, Blood Tofu, Something that was basically cow cartilage...cold cow cartilage, but I turned down the fish head. And I use to shy away from Calimari.

But I have to say the Korean food beats them all. They eat a lot of Sea food alive and I'm not too fond of it when it's dead.


----------



## karatekid1975 (Feb 14, 2006)

Grenadier, yes. I found all this stuff out. I would love to trade recipes with your folks. I just wanna find good KOREAN recipes, not this Americanized stuff. Feel free to PM me.


----------

