1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (208 page)

Where:
In New York
, Hanjan, tel 212-206-7226,
hanjan26.com
;
in Chicago
, San Soo Gab San, tel 773-334-1589;
in Los Angeles
, Kogi bulgogi truck schedules,
kogibbq.com
; Sun Ha Jang, tel 323-634-9292; Soowan Galbi, tel 213-365-9292;
in Houston
, Bonga Garden Restaurant, tel 713-461-5265.
Further information and recipes:
One Big Table
by Molly O’Neill (2010);
The Korean Table
by Debra Samuels and Taekyung Chung (2008);
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
epicurious.com
(search beef bulgogi);
foodnetwork.com
(search beef bulgogi).

The fiery fermented condiment is both marinade and hot sauce.

What ketchup is to American burgers and hot dogs,
gochujang
is to the Korean
bulgogi
(see
listing
)—gochujang just has a bit more kick. It does for those coal-cooked, salty, thin strips of beef and for Korean food in general what
harissa
(see
listing
) does for Moroccan cuisine and
berbere
does for Ethiopian, among other national tastes for heat. A fiery condiment consisting of dried chile peppers, rice powder, and soybean paste (
doenjang
) that is slowly fermented in large clay pots, the deep-red sauce lends a pungent bite to a variety of traditional Korean meat, rice, and lettuce-wrapped dishes.

Before
sriracha
(see
listing
) and its brethren penetrated international markets, Korean immigrants spoke of smuggling in their gochujang by boat. Now no longer contraband, the sauce has come to serve as a base for other sauces and dips, combined with garlic, honey, and ginger, or thinned with soy sauce or sesame oil in Americanized brands like Annie Chun’s. At one point, these spurred headlines in the
Korean Herald
such as, “Gochujang, the next big hot sauce?” It isn’t yet, but its time will come—along with a certain future as a stylish substitute for American barbecue sauce.

Retail and mail order:
Whole Foods Market,
wholefoodsmarket.com
(search annie chun’s gochujang).
Mail order:
anniechun.com
(search gochujang);
koamart.com
(search hot pepper paste);
hmart.com
(search hot pepper paste).
Further information and recipes:
For gochujang-spiced chicken wings,
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
The Korean Table
by Debra Samuels and Taekyung Chung (2008);
foodnetwork.com
(search chili paste ming tsai);
seriouseats.com
(search sweet and spicy chili sauce).

Pig’s trotters at Hanjan.

Given its hefty flavors, its crimson chili stings, and its invitingly large menus of barbecues, noodles, and satisfying vegetable dishes, it’s no wonder that Korean cuisine is joining Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food as one of America’s favorites. Popular in its traditional form, Korean food was bound to be updated as its more creative chefs became influenced by contemporary presentations of other Asian cuisines.

One of the most talented practitioners of what might be dubbed nouvelle Korean is Hooni Kim, chef-proprietor of two New York restaurants: Danji, where he first made his name on a menu that is half traditional and half modern, and the welcoming, stylish Hanjan, which he opened in 2013. It was a winner from the start, with its casual but smart woodsy setting that affords a variety of seating possibilities—from barstools to benches to bona fide tables, a combination that appeals especially to the crowd that flows in for a late evening fix.

The real draw for all, however, is the food that reflects influences of Japan along with new and precise plating techniques. Many choices are presented as small plates with huge flavors, a case in point being the rainbow of kimchi (see
listing
) based on cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, bean sprouts, or whatever other seasonal vegetable captures the chef’s fancy. A traditional dish such as the scallion pancake (
haemul pajeon
) is neatly presented with a garnish of local squid, and the radish kimchi with beef-brisket-infused fried rice (
ggak-dugi bokkeum bap
) gets a topping of egg with a runny yolk to act as part of the sauce. The slim fillet of mackerel (
go-deung-uh gui
), done Japanese teriyaki style, gleams under its gently sweet soy glaze, and the skewered meats, such as the Galbi barbecued beef and the pork belly (
ssamjang
), are miniature in the style of Japanese yakitori (see
listing
).

Other modern triumphs are what Kim bills as “freshly killed chicken wings,” succulent after mellowing in a soy-sake marinade before being grilled to become tantalizingly juicy and savory. Crisp, crunchy, and golden are the adjectives that come to mind while nibbling on fried chicken with pickles,
tong-dak
style—boneless dark meat veneered with a thin, crackling coating. Even more modern perhaps are the silky, snowy chunks of fresh tofu in a pungent vinaigrette dressing and the spicy yet balanced tofu and fish stew.

Late-night diners pour in for the lusty, aromatic Korean-Japanese dish
ramyun.
A ramen that is served only after 9 p.m., it is based in a pork-, chicken-, and fish-bones broth that simmers for 12 hours before being ladled out to join thin slivers of pork, silky noodles, and vegetables. Although not billed as such, this may well be the nightcap that really assures sweet dreams.

Where:
In New York
, Hanjan, 36 West 26th St., tel 212-206-7226,
hanjan26.com
; Danji, 346 West 52nd St., tel 212-586-2880,
danjinyc.com
.

Not all noodles are made exclusively of wheat. To Italy’s potato-based gnocchi and China’s mung bean pasta, add the clear and slippery “glass” noodles made from sweet potato starch that lend their unique texture to this classic Korean stir-fry. Tossed with beef, vegetables, and toasted sesame seeds,
dang myun
act as the centerpiece of a soft, welcoming mix that soothes body and mind, the kind of food that seems just right for a cold winter’s night.

Strips of beef, thinly sliced carrots, onions, mushrooms (usually oyster and shiitake), garlic, and bok choy are generally present, but ingredients may vary—the dish provides an excellent way for home cooks to use up leftovers or small amounts of vegetables. Ideally, each ingredient will be julienned to noodlelike dimensions, then stir-fried separately to optimal texture before being tossed with the boiled or soaked noodles in the pan; the simple stir-fry sauce is made with sesame oil and soy sauce, and sometimes with brown sugar.

The result is comfort food at its finest, a great showcase for textures and flavors both delicate and bold. A mainstay at Korean restaurants and a favorite of Korean home cooks—the latter generally serve it at room temperature, in a large platter—
japchae
is also commonly associated with Korean holidays and celebrations. Although the dish is made with sweet-potato noodles, the thinner and less translucent Chinese mung bean noodles are sometimes substituted.

Where:
In New York
, New Wonjo, tel 212-695-5815,
newwonjo.com
;
in Houston
, Grandma Noodle, tel 713-973-0044;
in San Diego
, Friend’s House, tel 858-292-0499.
Further information and recipes:
Dok Suni: Recipes from My Mother’s Korean Kitchen
by Jenny Kwak (1998);
Cooking Korean Food with Maangchi
by Maangchi (2012);
saveur.com
(search chap chae);
gourmet.com
(search chap chae).
Mail order:
For the noodles,
koamart.com
(search nang-myun).

A chef prepares kimchi with napa cabbage.

Whatever other adjectives may be used to describe pickles,
incendiary
or
titillating
are rarely among them. Yet those are perfect descriptions of kimchi, the spicy-hot, salty, sweet-and-sour fermented vegetables that are the standard starters to any Korean meal.

The most basic preparation is
tong kimchi
, made with
baechu
, or napa cabbage, but that is only the beginning. Also represented in the standard assortment of kimchi placed on dining tables are diced white radishes (
kkakdugi
), scallions (
pa kimchi
), and cucumbers (
oi-kimchi
), among many others. (Seoul’s Kimchi Museum has documented 187 varieties.) To make kimchi, the sliced vegetables are tied in bundles and marinated in brine, usually along with hot red peppers, in a paste or in threads, plus salty, pungent fish or shrimp paste, leeks, garlic, ginger, and sugar. The time for fermentation—which can range from days to weeks—depends on the vegetables, the season, and whether the kimchi is being prepared in barrels or crocks, indoors or out. Outdoors and buried is the traditional approach, as the cure is anything but odorless.

Kimchi doesn’t look like much when it arrives in its little dishes—wet-looking vegetables with a fiery red patina. But once tasted, the contrast of the silky crunch of the vegetables with the spicy marinade, vinegary bite, and fermented ripeness delights all but the most timid palates. Although served as an appetizer, kimchi usually stays on the table throughout the meal to complement other classic Korean dishes, such as sliced meats grilled over hotplates at the table—typically beef (
bulgogi
, see
listing
), short ribs (
kalbi
), beef tongue (
hyeomit gui
), and chicken (
dak gui
)—or ultra-crispy fried chicken (
yangnyeom dak
) or dumpling soup (
mandu guk
), to name just a few. Cabbage kimchi is also fried into pancakes (
kimchijeon
) and simmered in various soups and stews, none more popular than the thick, brick-red
kimchi jjigae
, enriched with tender chunks of pork and ivory cubes of tofu.