If you like Korean food, if you wanted to try cook Korean food at home, or if you were ever curious about Korean food, this recipe is for all of you.
Kimchi is the single most important ingredient/ side dish/ food regarding any Korean cuisine. We Koreans have been making beloved kimchi for three thousand years. The variety, the method, the history is overwhelming even for me. More than half of the side dishes on the table are in forms of kimchi; even if itās not red ā not every kimchi is red and spicy. If I havenāt made my point clear; yes, kimchi is really important for Koreans.
So, where is this chanting going? Long story short, this is the best resource to make the authentic Korean food. Because itās fermented with various different elements, it already has a handful flavour itself. Thatās why itās a great cooking material. Let me show you the one very easy example.
Pork in the Kimchi
While I charmed people by cooking exotic food, I got to know better about my food and how to make Korean food more authentic in a foreign land. Among several cuisines I made, Pork in the Kimchi was the easiest and the most authentic one so far. Yes, I named it āpork in the kimchiā. Catchy?
The ingredients are easy:
Kimchi (cabbage), pork and vegetables of your choice.
Yes, thatās it. Trust me.
So hereās the simple instructions how to enhance the taste with the simple ingredients.
1. Dice garlics and cook it over the frying pan with oil. It will add richer flavour to kimchi.
2. When the garlic is ready, add kimchi on the pan and stir it. Add more oil if you need.
3. If the cabbage looks brown-ish, itās ready. Remove a half of the kimchi from the pan and cook pork.
4. When the pork is ready, mix the rest of the kimchi we removed earlier. Add your choice of vegetables and cook it together. I usually use onions, green peppers, mushrooms and spring onions.
5. Add a bit of sesame oil on top and serve. Tip: sesame oil makes everything better.
Oh, and serve with rice ā any kind. If you want an authentic experience, try to find āKorean riceā or āSushi riceā.
You might ask ‘where in the world I can find Kimchi?’ In my experience, it isĀ relativelyĀ easier to find it nowadays. I haven’t try it in Europe, at least it was surprisingly common in the United States. Try Asian supermarket (Vietnamese, Thai or Korean. Seems like all three are mixed together) or a big supermarket with a big portion of healthy foodĀ isle. Finding Kimchi would be the most challenging part to make Pork in the Kimchi.
If you tried them, let me know how do you like it!Ā
When I moved to Korea I thought there was no way I would enjoy kimchi, but I love it. The food here is incredible. So much so that when I was home in the States for a few months I went looking for a Korean restaurant because I was having withdrawls.
Glad to hear that! If you like Korean food, it would be much easier to have fun in the country. š Try to make it on your own!
Did someone say pork?!….I tried to get my family to try kimchi on its own last year, but they weren’t having any of it, Juno (they did, however, love makkeolli). I may try and trick them by mixing it with the pork and familiar vegetables next time. Thanks for the idea š