Bite and Booze: Kimch'i

Showing posts with label Kimch'i. Show all posts

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Remarkable Root

Amuse at Root

Few restaurants in south Louisiana have gotten the buzz that Root in New Orleans mustered in 2012. With a plethora of dining options in the Big Easy, it can be difficult for a rookie eatery to burst onto the scene, but Chef Phillip Lopez managed to do just that and more. Root brings to life modern cuisine in Nola, rooted in traditional flavors and techniques. But then they are twisted, mangled, and stretched. They expand culinary palates and challenge even the most sophisticated taste buds. Every dish plays with textures, flavors, and art.

I had the chance to dine at Root recently, unannounced, and somewhat incognito. I didn't get any special Bite and Booze treatment, nor did I ask for any. I wanted the real experience. I wanted to see if it lived up to the hype. Unequivocally, it did. Joined by Lindsay and Kimmie, a couple friends from New Orleans, we drank, we dined, and we enjoyed. Now for some food porn: admire this, and know that you can eat it yourself at Root!

Charcuterie selection featuring "Face" Bacon, Chocolate Espresso Cured Lamb Bresaola, and Cochon de Lait Porchetta

Louisiana Pickled Shrimp: Shrimp Stuffed Deviled Eggs, Truffled Egg Yolk Mousse

Palate Cleansing Sorbet made with Liquid Nitrogen

"KFC" Korean Fried Chicken Wings, Pepper Jelly Glaze, House-made Kimchi

Moroccan Goat Boxes, Winter Tabouil, Bergamot Goat Cheese, Compressed Cucumber Salad

Pumpkin Schumpkin: Indian Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream, Roasted Sesame Praline, Colombian Coffee Cake, Smoked Hay Peanut Butter Panna Cotta

Sweet Corn Caramel Flan: Salted Corn & Caramel Ice Cream, Vanilla Milk Foam, "Cracker Jacks"

I'm happy that I avoided the scallops in the cigar box. Not because they aren't appetizing... I'm sure they are! But rather because it is the dish that everyone had told me about. The dish that I got 6 or 7 glimpses of while sitting in the dining room. I could pretty much see it and taste it without having to order it. But the dishes that I did order were sensational. I'd gladly go back. I'm also excited for Chef Lopez's next venture, Square Root, which will feature small seatings and outrageous tasting menus on Magazine Street. Be on the look out for that in 2013!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Project Food Blog Round 2: Classic Korean BBQ

The second round of Project Food Blog asks bloggers to step out of their comfort zone and cook a classic dish from another culture. Having never traveled there or attempted to cook any of their cuisine, I felt a desire to take my talents to Asia where Jeremy Wells, author of the blog Faire Les Courses, helped me narrow that down to Korean Barbecue. I've never eaten Korean BBQ before despite writing about the food and drinks of both North Korea and South Korea in my World Cup series, so I knew this would most certainly be a challenge. Still, I figured that with my love and talents for American barbeque, I'd be up to this task!

Oriental Food on Lee Drive in Baton Rouge, La

I started by doing a little research on Korean BBQ by browsing other food blogs and doing some Internet searches. I quickly decided that I'd try to make some galbi, or beef short ribs. In Korean, galbi literally translates into "rib". Most Korean ribs are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and sometimes fruit like Korean pear. To make my galbi, I first had to do a little grocery shopping around Baton Rouge, Louisiana to find the right ingredients.

Stop number one took me to a store that is aptly named Oriental Food. One great thing about exploring the underbelly of Baton Rouge is that this city really offers an outstanding collection of specialty stores from various ethnic and national cuisines. Oriental Food is actually owned by a Korean family so their selection of sauces and authentic spices was pretty impressive. After a few recommendations from the owner, I left Oriental Food with some Korean soy sauce, sesame oil, a couple Asian pears, and some kimchi. More on that later.

Oriental Food's Selection of Sauces

After buying the essential Asian ingredients the time had come to procure some beef. I took off to Hi-Nabor, a local grocery store with an above average selection of freshly butchered meats. I wound up buying some beef spare ribs and a few pounds of boneless beef short ribs. Since I've never cooked Korean-style ribs before I thought it might be good to try a couple different cuts to play around with on the grill.

Ingredients used in the Korean BBQ Marinade

When I got home I created my marinade. After reading several different galbi recipes I took a stab at making my own sauce in which to soak the meat. I first collected all the ingredients that I needed. I used the soy sauce, sesame oil, and Korean pear that I got at Oriental Food. Added to those items were some garlic, brown sugar, onion, and black pepper. I finely chopped up most of the onion, the whole pear, and about 2/3 of the garlic bulb and added that mixture to a blend of the other ingredients. After combining everything together, I poured the marinade over the beef.

Boneless beef short ribs and spare ribs in Korean-style marinade

Jay Ducote places the meat on the Monstrosity

Fresh beef on the hot grill

I let the beef marinate overnight and then lit up the grill for an afternoon barbeque on Sunday. The preferred Korean method is to grill galbi over charcoal, so that's exactly what I did. Using the wonderful Third Row Monstrosity barbeque pit, I prepared the grill and placed the meat over the hot coals. Knowing that beef doesn't take long to cook, and being a fan of medium-rare temperatures, I knew it wouldn't take too long to cook the galbi over the sizzling coals.

Korean-style beef spare ribs

The spare ribs turned out to be ridiculously flavorful. The combination of soy and pear came through the most and was followed by the tastes of the sesame oil and garlic. I'm definitely going to play around with this idea a little more and try to get some bolder flavors by perhaps making a barbeque sauce that would complement the marinade. Even still, I deemed this first attempt at Korean ribs to be a great success.

Korean Kimchi

I also took the liberty of picking up some kimchi while at Oriental Food. Kimchi is a Korean staple that is basically fermented cabbage with a red pepper sauce. There are a bunch of different variations on kimchi throughout South Korea, and this one tasted pretty darn good. It is typically served as a side dish with almost any meal, so naturally I used it to help dress my galbi. I sliced up the boneless short ribs in order to make lettuce wraps. With some thinly sliced beef cooked to an ideal temperature and the addition of a little kimchi in the lettuce wrap, this Korean BBQ ended up satisfying quite a few hungry appetites! I really enjoyed playing around with some new flavors and exotic ingredients. Hopefully this Project Food Blog journey will continue so I can try a few more new recipes!

Korean galbi and kimchi on a leaf of lettuce

VOTE FOR ME IN ROUND 2 OF PROJECT FOOD BLOG!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

South Korea - The 2010 FIFA World Cup Bites and Boozes

South Korea

This is final Asian post on Bite and Booze's World Cup tour so I thought I'd make sure to do it right. South Koreans feel strongly that food should be harmonized with natural spices and that balanced meals during the day are good for the health. Because of their agricultural background and Confucian tradition, Koreans place great importance on proper table settings and table etiquette, and they have special foods for different seasons and for seasonal festivals. A typical Korean meal called "pekpan" consists of rice, the staple of every Korean meal, soup and a great many side dishes, one of which is kimch'i. The sweet sticky rice accompanies every meal and may be plain or seasoned. Soup is also served a lot. Other dishes include seafood, meat or poultry,vegetables, herbs and roots. The food is arranged beautifully on the table, each person getting individual servings of all of the dishes, sometimes as many as 15-20. All of the dishes are served together and you help yourself from each dish using chopsticks or a spoon.

Because Korea has four distinct seasons, fresh vegetables are not always readily available, especially during the winter months. It is this reason that led to the development of kimch'i, which is without a doubt, the most famous of Korean cuisines. Kimch'i is a condiment that is served with every meal. It consists of a uniquely pungent mixture of fermented vegetables and its variations amount to roughly 80 kinds of dishes during any particular season. The fermentation of the different vegetables used, complemented by salted fish and other seasonings, gives it a unique flavor. Kimch'i can be preserved for a long time and was originally put in a clay pot and buried in the fall to allow it to ferment for use throughout the winter months. Its hot and spicy taste is said to stimulate the appetite. It is a nutritious dish, providing vitamins, lactic acid and minerals, otherwise lacking in the winter diet.

Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Most brands of modern soju are made in South Korea. Though traditionally made from rice, most major brands supplement or even replace the rice with other starches such as potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca. Soju is clear in color and typically varies in alcohol content from about 20% to about 45% alcohol by volume (ABV), with 20% ABV being most common. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter because of the sugars added in the manufacturing process. It is widely consumed, in part, because of its relatively low price. A typical 300mL bottle of soju costs the consumer 1,000 to 3,000 South Korean Won (roughly $1 to $3 United States Dollars). Soju is usually drunk in group gatherings while eating, unmixed and portioned into individual shot glasses. It is against traditional custom in Korea to fill one's own glass. Instead, it must be filled by someone else at the table. This promotes a spirit of thoughtfulness and camaraderie.