1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (209 page)

Although it is a fairly new discovery in the West, kimchi is ancient fare, having been mentioned in documents dating back about two thousand years. Originally called
chimchae
, meaning “soaked vegetables” in Chinese, at its start kimchi was soaked only in brine or sometimes beef stock, although by the twelfth century other seasonings began to be added. (Chiles, a New World crop, wouldn’t be added until the eighteenth century.) Kimchi in North Korea tends to be less salty and fiery than in the south, and there are other regional and seasonal preferences. In the spring and summer months, for example, you might be more likely to encounter cool, refreshing cucumber kimchi, while wintertime kimchis might include radish and mustard leaves.

Besides the fact that it is a near-obligatory staple at any meal, Koreans shout “kimchi!” when they get their picture taken—the way Americans say “cheese.” At your next dinner
party or barbecue, your guests will smile, too, if treated to a spicy-crisp array of kimchi alongside American classics like hot dogs, burgers, and grilled chicken.

Where:
In New York
, Hanjan, tel 212-206-7226,
hanjan26.com
;
in Houston
, Korean Noodle House, tel 718-225-8870;
in Los Angeles
, Kobawoo House, tel 213-389-7300; Pot, tel 213-368-3030,
eatatpot.com
;
in San Diego
, Friend’s House, tel 858-292-0499.
Mail order:
For kimchi, DIY kimchi kit, and Korean red pepper powder, Mother in Law’s Kimchi, tel 347-746-6161,
milkimchi.com
; for Korean red pepper powder and cellophane noodles,
koamart.com
; for jarred Korean salted shrimp,
hmart.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
Quick and Easy Korean Cooking
by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (2009);
foodandwine.com
(search traditional kimchi);
cookstr.com
(search quick kimchi).
Tip:
To immerse yourself in the world of kimchi—its history, place in Korean culture, and many varieties—pay a visit to the Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul, tel 82/260-026-456,
kimchimuseum.co.kr
.

With its bright colors and flavors, fiery spice, and bold preparation methods, the cuisine of Korea reflects a combination of influences from China, Japan, and Mongolia, adapted over the centuries into new and original forms. To fully understand and appreciate these dishes, still generally represented only in their most casual form outside of their natural habitat, you have two options. One is to spend a year or so touring South Korea (the North being mostly off-limits since the 1950s), traveling to farms, markets, and fishing villages, spending time with cooks and various artisanal food producers, and eating—a lot—as you go. Or you could stay home and order the cookbook and DVD editions of the 2011 PBS series
Kimchi Chronicles.
In thirteen absorbing episodes, the charismatic narrator Marja Vongerichten leads the tour through her native country and then cooks Korean dishes with her husband, the renowned French-Alsatian chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, in their country home kitchen.

With occasional traveling companions such as actor Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deb, and actress Heather Graham, Marja is a gracious, engaging host, whether visiting a tea plantation or an odoriferous kimchi storeroom, or at a harborside café downing a stunningly elaborate traditional breakfast soup, adrift with noodles, fish, and intensely hot chiles. During visits to a series of restaurants, each featuring a different Korean specialty, our guide dines her way through barbecue, grilled right on the table, and all manner of rice, meat, poultry, and fish dishes, augmented always with bountiful vegetables, plenty of garlic, chiles, and, of course, kimchi.

Your appetite thoroughly whetted, the Vongerichtens together provide a detailed and helpful lesson in re-creating these dishes at home. In the end, the lively and engaging
Kimchi Chronicles
is a history lesson, travel guide, and cooking class all rolled into one.

Mail order:
For a DVD of
Kimchi Chronicles
,
hmart.com
, barnesandnoble.com.
Further information and recipes:
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
kimchichronicles.tv
.

Given its ancient tea tradition, so shrouded in custom and ceremony, it’s no surprise to find that many of Korea’s brews are believed to offer both refreshment and folk medicine. The most delicious, warming, and comforting of all may be
saenggang cha
, the ginger tea that is also among the most curative. The rhizome—or thick underground root—of the flowering plant
Zingiber officinale
, ginger has been used medicinally in many cultures for thousands of years, and with good reason: The enzymes it contains counteract the inflammation responsible for a variety of ills. Many Koreans report that at the first sign of a cold, their grandmothers immediately head to the cupboard to brew the gingery concoction, also believed to settle the stomach and prevent motion sickness.

The tea itself is a deceptively simple brew: Slices of fresh ginger are boiled, sweetened with honey, and spiced with cinnamon. Sometimes a garnish of a few pine nuts is floated on top. In the restorative and deeply relaxing drink, the intrinsically peppery flavor of the ginger is tempered by the honey’s sweetness and the cinnamon’s musk. With its heady aroma and strong yet sweet flavor, it might even have the power to cure an oncoming bad mood.

Where:
In New York
, to experience traditional Korean tea house culture, Franchia, tel 212-213-1001,
franchia.com
.
Mail order:
koamart.com
(search ginger tea package); for ginger crystals, amazon.com (search instant ginger honey crystals).
Further information and recipes:
Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen
by Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall (2001);
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
maangchi.com
(search saenggangcha);
food.com
(search korean ginger tea).
Tip:
As a convincing shortcut, dried, sweet ginger crystals can be spooned into a cup of boiling water, or better yet, a cup of a favorite tea.
See also:
Mint Tea
;
Oolong Tea
.

Korea’s spicy and garlicky take on fried chicken.

Chicken has long played a central role in Korean cooking, but it wasn’t until about twenty years ago that the fried preparation,
yangnyeom dak
, became a staple dish in takeout shops all over Seoul. No one is quite certain what precipitated
the rise of the distinctively Southern American food on the Korean table, although the global ubiquity of Kentucky Fried Chicken might be one indicator. In any case, Koreans have certainly found a way to make it their own.

The key to the Korean style is to fry the chicken whole (generally), and to fry the chicken twice (always). The small birds are lightly rolled in a flour batter, deep-fried at a low temperature for ten minutes, drained, and then refried for an additional ten minutes. Sparingly coated with a hot pepper and garlic sauce, they are cut up into parts and served with accompaniments of pickled radishes and cold beer. The result is addictive spicy, crunchy fare somewhat in the manner of America’s buffalo chicken wings. No wonder, then, that Korean fried chicken shops have proliferated from New York to Los Angeles.

Where:
In multiple locations in the U.S. and Asia
, Bonchon,
bonchon.com
;
in New York and Los Angeles
, Kyochon,
kyochonus.com
;
in Tucker, GA
, Matthews Cafeteria, tel 770-939-2357,
matthewscafeteria.com
;
in Johns Creek, GA
, Joy Pizza and Chicken, tel 770-813-8882,
johnscreekchicken.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Kimchi Chronicles
by Marja Vongerichten (2011);
Quick and Easy Korean Cooking
by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (2009);
saveur.com
(search korean fried chicken);
nytimes.com
(search koreans share their secret for chicken);
seriouseats.com
(search best korean fried chicken).
See also:
Southern Fried Chicken
.

Deceptively humble, this ubiquitous Thai chicken dish is said to have originated in Laos (where it is called
ping gai
) and ranks among the world’s great chicken creations when it is carefully prepared and grilled to order. Its defining flavor comes from a marinade that combines
nam pla
, the salty, pungent fish sauce, with crushed coriander seeds, woody stalks of lemongrass, grated ginger, slivers of hot green and red chiles, rice wine vinegar, palm sugar, garlic, and oyster and soy sauces; sometimes it also includes the dark, jamlike Chinese hoisin sauce (see
listing
) for an added savory dimension. But the dish may be even more notable for the technique it employs in treating the small, tender chickens. Split along the backbone and then opened flat and pounded in a process known as butterflying, they are set to absorb the marinade before being grilled whole.

After a twenty-four-hour soak in the refrigerator, the chicken is patted dry and grilled over hot charcoal or roasted in a very hot oven. Wedges of lemon, sprigs of cilantro, and a variety of sweet and hot dipping sauces are the standard garnishes for the moistly tender, crisp, and pungent bird, which is chopped into large, manageable chunks and eaten out of hand.
Gai yang
is typically served alongside steamed sticky rice, pad thai noodles, green papaya salad, and crisp saltwater pickles—and, as with any barbecue, Thai beer completes the experience.

Where:
In New York
, Jaiya at two locations,
jaiya.com
;
in Brookline, MA
, Dok Bua Thai Kitchen, tel 617-232-2955,
dokbua-thai.com
.
Mail order:
For oyster sauce and lemongrass, Thai Supermarket Online, tel 888-618-8424,
importfood.com
, Grocery Thai, tel 818-469-9407,
grocerythai.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Southeast Asian Food
by Rosemary Brissenden (2012);
Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes from the Heart
by Supatra Johnson (2004);
templeofthai.com
(click Thai Recipes, search gai yang);
epicurious.com
(search gai yang);
rasamalaysia.com
(search gai yang).