| [ cooKing ] in KIDS 글 쓴 이(By): Konzert () 날 짜 (Date): 1999년 4월 7일 수요일 오후 11시 27분 45초 제 목(Title): 한국음식 (뉴욕 타임즈) The New York Times April 7, 1999 Korean Food: Just Waiting to Be Discovered Related Article Restaurants to Try in Koreatown and Its Outposts By FLORENCE FABRICANT In a city that emphatically embraces Thai, Japa nese and Indian food as well as Chinese dishes from a dizzying number of regions, there is still one major Asian cuisine so unknown to many New Yorkers that it's as if it were meant to be a secret. And it almost is. Korean food -- bold, healthful, a treasure for the adventurous -- has almost been reserved for Koreans, whose restaurants have made little effort to reach beyond their traditional clientele. Koreans often ask themselves why Americans haven't discovered their cooking, said Namji Steinmann, the vice president for education of the Asia Society. "The main reason is that the food is not marketed to non-Koreans," she said. And the neighborhoods where it can be found are few. Mostly, they are near the garment district and in Flushing, Queens. But that is slowly changing. Some wonderful dishes are emerging from their cloisters: delicious fried dumplings, crisp potato and scallion pancakes, hearty noodle soups and barbecued beef, sweetly charred along the edges. There is kimchi, the fiery condiment made from salted and fermented vegetables, which enlivens so many dishes. And then there's bibimbop, the colorful, satisfying bowl of rice and vegetables topped with meat or fish. One way to discover them is to go directly to one of the traditional enclaves like Koreatown, the bustling West 30's between Fifth Avenue and Broadway, where meats barbecued on tabletop grills are a mainstay. But unlike Chinese restaurants or even Italian restaurants, which have long accommodated American tastes by serving the soup first, or by accepting the notion that pasta can be a main course, these Korean restaurants serve strictly Korean style: no matter what you order, it's all put on the table at once. And often, with little or no explanation. "They expect you'll eat and scoot out, not linger," Ms. Steinmann said. But as a new, more expansive generation of Korean-Americans comes to the forefront, new ways to experience their cuisine are emerging. Jenny Kwak was 19 six years ago, when she opened Dok Suni's with her mother, Myung Ja Kwak. It was the first of the hip little downtown places, and Ms. Kwak stressed setting and service. "For Americans, Koreatown's food is good, but the atmosphere is not there," she said. "I grew up in the Village, so I wanted a place that was cozier and darker and where people might go on a date." At Dok Suni's and at a new Korean restaurant, Clay, also downtown, the menu is fairly limited and organized to be easily understood by Westerners. The food is served course by course. "We've been criticized by Koreans for how we serve," Ms. Kwak said. When Anita Lo started cooking at Mirezi, a Korean-influenced Asian restaurant in Greenwich Village that was well received but that closed last fall, she said she was not afraid to prepare traditional dishes, but the menu had to be simplified and divided into appetizers, main courses and desserts. "The problem is Americans do not know how to navigate the cuisine, how to put a meal together," said Brad Kelley, the owner of Bop, which opened on the Bowery last year. "Korean food seems foreign until you break it down. Koreatown can be pretty intimidating to Americans, and it's often their first association with Korean food." Bop, which started as a tiny experiment in SoHo before moving to its present site, also has a limited selection of classic and updated dishes, including stir-fried glass noodles and clams steamed with ginger, garlic and sake. Some more challenging dishes served in Koreatown, like beef tripe broiled at the table or cold tofu with Spam and cucumber, have been edited out. Even though the dishes on the menus at most of the Koreatown restaurants come with an English translation, and may be put into categories like "starters," "hot pots" and "chef's specialties," Americans often do not know what to expect, especially when there are 50 or more choices. Korean waiters who do not speak English are unable to communicate well, while Westerners do not want to appear foolish about not understanding the food and how it's meant to be eaten. It's an unfortunate standoff. One exception is Hangawi, a serene Buddhist vegetarian restaurant on East 32d Street, where the servers go out of their way to explain the menu, which is offered entirely in English, and to make suggestions about the food, which is served on fine pottery in a succession of courses. The food, including grilled codonopsis (mountain root with ginger soy sauce) and acorn noodles with fresh vegetables, seems more exotic and refined than what is served in the barbecue places down the block. In general, however, Korean is not a subtle cuisine. It is bold, rustic and often vibrantly spiced. There is great variety, but chili and garlic are the dominant flavors. Herbs like cilantro, common in other Asian cuisines, are rare. The pickles and vinegar add a cleansing note. The delicate artistry of the Japanese table or of some Chinese cuisines, especially Cantonese, is not easy to find in Korean restaurants. But if anything, the robust and forthright seasonings should add to its attraction for Americans. Rocco DiSpirito, who serves Asian-influenced food at Union Pacific in the Flatiron district, called it the "Southern Italian cooking of Asia." "It's rich and garlicky," he said. "Peasant fare. When I want to use an Asian treatment for meat, I look to Korea." He prepares Kobe beef marinated Korean style in soy and ginger. He has also served cod seasoned with kimchi, the ubiquitous pickled cabbage. This pickle, the soul of Korean food, may be familiar to New Yorkers from salad bars. But there are hundreds of versions, made with everything from radishes to cucumbers and fermented fish to fresh pears. It is also used as an ingredient, to season soups, pancakes, dumplings, rice, noodle dishes and stir-fries. Koreans even eat it for breakfast. Aside from spicy kimchi, Korean food has other appeals, including crowd pleasers like jap chae (stir-fried noodles with vegetables and beef) and mandoo gui (fried dumplings). Though there is little or no chicken on Korean menus, the cuisine is long on vegetables. Even the ubiquitous beef barbecue is not eaten plain but is piled with scallions and other vegetable condiments and wrapped in frilly lettuce leaves. In most Korean restaurants, dishes like beef grilled in the center of the table are meant to be shared, a concept that Americans have embraced when they dine on Chinese, Indian and Thai food (to say nothing of desserts served at a table for four in a place like Le Cirque 2000). "Koreans like to sample a lot of tastes, not fill up on one thing," Ms. Kwak of Dok Suni's said. In fact, Namhee Kong, the librarian at the Korean Cultural Service in Manhattan, said that what elevates a Korean restaurant meal from an everyday bowl of soup and dish of rice at home is not the number of courses but the array and elaborateness of the kimchi and other spicy, tangy and soothing little side dishes. There might be three or four accompaniments at home, but 20 or 30 could cover the table for a banquet. That's an extreme, but having given some New Yorkers a brief sampling of Korean food, Ms. Kwak and her mother now have a broader menu in mind. Come summer, they plan to open Do Hwa, a larger, more elaborate restaurant than Dok Suni's, on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village. "I don't want to lose the new things I've done, but I also want to show more of the traditions," Ms. Kwak said. "I think Americans might be ready." Here are some of the classic dishes of Korean cuisine. Keep in mind that there are no standard transliterations, so spelling varies from menu to menu. BIBIMBOP The paella of Korea. A casserole of vegetables and seaweed slivers over sticky rice, often with meat or fish and a fried egg on top. Bibim means mixture and bop means rice, and it's meant to be eaten all mixed together. BULGOGI Marinated paper-thin slices of boneless rib-eye steak, which diners barbecue at the table. Forget medium rare; let the meat become darkly seared on the edges for a hint of caramelized sweetness. Then dip it into a soy-based sauce and wrap it in a lettuce leaf with scallion salad. HAE MOOL JUNGOL Seafood hot pot fueled with chili and garlic, which is cooked on a table burner. Jungol means hot pot, and hae mool is seafood. Definitely main-course material. JAP CHAE A stir-fry of vermicelli, usually with carrots, onions, peppers, spinach and beef in a rich soy-based sauce. An excellent introduction to Korean cuisine. It is often listed as a starter but should be shared. Otherwise, consider it a main dish. Rice and kimchi are essential alongside. KALBI Beef short ribs. Thin, cross-cut slices, including the bone, marinated and barbecued at the table. Kalbi tang is a soup with meltingly tender short ribs. KIMCHI The ubiquitous condiment of fermented pickles laced with chilies, which sparks the appetite. Any dish with kimchi as part of its name will be aglow with it. MANDOO Half-circle dumplings, filled with pork and vegetables, or just vegetables. They are fried (mandoo gui), steamed (mandoo jhim) or served in soup (mandoo gook), and they come with a soy and vinegar dipping sauce. NAJ-JI BOK-GUM Octopus stir-fried with vegetables and noodles in a moderately fiery sauce. Bok-gum dishes are stir-fried or saut?d, and served in heaping platters to be eaten with rice. NYENG MYUN A refreshing casserole of cold buckwheat vermicelli in a light beef broth with sliced beef and a hard-cooked egg. It is eaten with rice and can take additional seasoning, like mustard powder. Dishes called myun are noodle-based. PA JUN A crispy rice-flour pancake often made with seafood and scallions. It may be the size of a dinner plate and enough to feed four as an appetizer. PANCHAN Four or more little dishes offered free at the beginning of a meal as nibbles and condiments. In the new-wave places, they are optional, and cost extra. SOON DOO-BOO JI-GAE A casserole with tofu, often spicy. Doo-boo means tofu, and ji-gae is a casserole. SUL LONG TANG A bland, milky looking broth of long-simmered beef and bones, with rice, noodles and pieces of brisket. A meal in itself. Add scallions and salt and pepper. |