cooking around the world: Korea

Exploring Korea has been a special part of our Eastern Hemisphere journey.  To read about a country first oppressed for a decade by Japan, then divided after 1945 was eye-opening and tugged at my heart for those who were and still are affected.  It is no wonder the good news of the gospel spread quickly in South Korea after WWII among such brokenness.  We certainly didn't want to miss out on Korean food!  Kimchi is a staple, once kept in jars buried in the inner courts of Korean households, and the dumplings just sounded delicious.

Kimchi
5 c. green or Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. to 2 T. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. finely chopped ginger root
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped

In a large colander, mix cabbage with 5 tsp. salt.  Let stand for 3 hours.  Rinse cabbage thoroughly two or three times.  Gently squeeze out excess liquid with your hands.  Place the drained cabbage in a large glass or ceramic bowl.  Add the remaining 1 tsp. slat and the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Cover cabbage mixture tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 or 2 days.  Chill kimchi before serving.  Store tightly covered.  It keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Kimchi is actually a very nutritious food, filled with friendly bacteria that is good for your gut.  Think of it as Korean yogurt!

Korean Dumplings
Filling:
1/4 lb. ground beef, pork, or chicken or 1/2 c. cubed firm tofu
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 c. shredded cabbage (I will admit for our first time through, I left the cabbage, bean sprouts, and green onion out and just used more meat.  It was a good call.)
1/2 c. chopped bean sprouts
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 t. salt
black pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, cook meat about 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.  Wash pan and dry thoroughly.  Heat 1 T. vegetable oil over high heat for 1 min.  Add onions and stir fry 2-3 min., or until crisp-tender.   Add cabbage and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for another 2-3 min, or until cabbage is crisp-tender.  Add bean sprouts and green onion, mix well, and cook 1-2 min. more.  Remove pan from heat and pour vegetable mixture into colander to drain off excess liquid.  Return to pan.  Add meat, salt, and black pepper and mix well.

For dumplings:
dumpling filling
25 wonton skins
1 egg, beaten
1 c. vegetable oil for frying
soy sauce for dipping

Place wonton skin on flat surface.  Cover remaining skins with damp towel so they won't dry out.  Have beaten egg and pastry brush ready.  Place one wonton skin on work surface with one corner pointed upward.  Brush all 4 edges with beaten egg.  Place about 1 T. of filling just above center of skin.  Fold skin in half over filling to form triangle.  Press edges together to seal.  Repeat with remaining skins. 

In a large frying pan or wok, heat oil over medium heat for 2 min.  Carefully place 6 dumplings into oil with tongs.  Fry 3-4 min., or until golden brown.  Turn and fry other side for 2-3 min.  Keep dumplings warm in 200 degree oven while frying rest.  Serve with soy sauce.

Both recipes are from Cooking the Korean Way, by Okwha Chung and Judy Monroe

The verdict: We all loved this meal!  It is so fun to see the sense of adventure on the kids' faces as they explore new foods. The dumplings were delicious.  There was a lot of hooting going on over the kimchi, which was much more spicy than we'd expected.  (I would suggest starting with 1 t. of red pepper unless you know you like hot food; we misread the directions and started with 1 T.)  But, kimchi on top of dumplings was delightful.  We will definitely be making this recipe again and again.