At the beginning of the month, I hosted a Korean barbecue at my house for fifteen people. I’d had very little experience with Korean cooking up to that point (not to mention zero experience in cooking for so many people!), so in the weeks leading to the party, I tried to give myself a crash course in Korean meal composition and cooking methods. I read dozens of recipes, scoured cookbooks and blogs, watched YouTube videos, and asked my poor non-cook Korean friend hundreds of questions that he could not answer.
Of course, a few weeks alone in my kitchen with books and an internet connections is not nearly enough to get a comprehensive grasp on a national cuisine, but I nevertheless learned a tremendous amount.
Bapsang (밥상) — The Korean Dining Table
There are three main components to a traditional Korean meal. First, Korean meals are centered around bap (밥), the main source of calories. As is often pointed out, bap means cooked rice, but it is also the word for meal, suggesting the cultural importance of rice on the Korean peninsula. While there is much truth in this linguistic quirk, bap as the centerpieces of bapsang goes far beyond polished white rice, which was, until recently, a food of the higher classes. In pre-modern Korea, most of the population subsisted on more affordable crops, such as barley and millet, and to a lesser extent, sorghum and buckwheat, or by mixing rice with other grains and legumes. This historical reality is reflected in many Korean dishes served to this day as bap.
Bap is usually accompanied by guk (국), a class of soup-like dishes, both hot and cold that are said to aid in the swallowing and digestion of the meal. There are many types of guk, with ingredients ranging from vegetables and seaweed to meat and seafood. Guk is placed to the right of bap on the table, and to the left of the eating utensils: a spoon and a pair of chopsticks, collectively known as sujeo (수저).
The third component of bapsang is to have an array of banchan (반찬), generally translated as “side dishes,” but indispensable to the Korean meal. Meals, historian Michael Pettid tells us, are generally classified by the number of side dishes served. “Typically, there are three-, five-, seven-, nine- or twelve-dish meals. Most of these dishes consist of vegetables, prepared and seasoned in a variety of ways. Korean cuisine makes use of a large diversity of vegetables, some cultivated, but also, thanks in part to the climate and ecology of the peninsula, a lot of wild plants and herbs foraged from the mountainsides.
The most well-known banchan worldwide is undoubtedly kimchi (김치), which we tend to picture as a pungent and spicy mixture of fermented cabbage dyed bright red from an abundance of red pepper. Kimchi, however, refers not to a specific dish, but to a category of banchan that comprise a variety of dishes of salted and fermented vegetables of all kinds. As Michael Pettid notes: “as essential as rice is to a Korean meal, a table without kimchi is almost unimaginable”. There are over 200 different kinds of kimchi, and even in in pre-modern times, most homes “had large stocks of kimchi to ensure year-round availability.” Other categories of banchan include namul (나물), seasoned vegetables (the vegetables can be be raw or lightly cooked); bokkeum (볶음), stir fried dishes, jorim (조림), braised dishes; jeon (전), pan-fried pancake-like dishes and gui (구이), grilled dishes (mostly meat-based).
Braised Lotus root, pictured with purple radish water kimchi (dongchimi)
One of the banchan I was intent on making was a braised lotus root dish called yeongeun jorim (연근조림) . Yeongeun is the Korean word for lotus root and jorim is derived from the verb jorida (조리다), “to boil down”. I love lotus root because it stays crunchy, it seems, no matter how long you cook it. This particularity makes it an ideal candidate for braising, and you can infuse a lot of flavour into those patterned slices as long as you have the patience to let it simmer just a little… longer.
This dish reminds me a lot of kinpira renkon (きんぴら蓮根), Japanese braised lotus root, in its appearance and preparation. Both cuisines make use of vinegar to reduce astringency, saute the lotus root in a bit of oil before braising it in a blend of salty and sweet seasonings, and garnish the dish with toasted sesame seeds. The similarities end there. Whereas Japanese braised lotus root has the delicate complexity characteristic of all Japanese cuisine, with an emphasis on umami, the Korean version is much more intensely flavoured and sweet, thanks to the rice syrup, garlic, and sesame oil. It is also more time-consuming to prepare, but the result is well worth the effort! Glossy and deep brown, the lotus root wheels are not only visually appealing, but also very, very tasty, and the guests at my Korean barbecue wholeheartedly agreed.
Ingredient Notes
Brown Rice Syrup
You can find brown rice syrup in Korean grocery stores, and, nowadays, also in health food stores. If you are concerned about gluten or prefer to avoid it, I would stick to the health food store option, because brown rice syrup in Korea is made by fermenting rice with malted barley, which contains gluten. This is the one I bought, from a California-based company. It is organic and gluten-free.
Mirin
A pantry essential in the Japanese kitchen, mirin is sweet rice wine, used as a seasoning and glazing agent in cooking. High-quality mirin is made in a process similar to making sake, but whereas sake is made from うるち米 (short-grain rice), mirin uses もち米 (glutinous rice). The result is is syrupy and naturally sweet liquid with low alcohol content.
When shopping for mirin, read the labels carefully, as most bottles labelled as such are not 本みりん (true mirin), but 味みりん (mirin-flavoured), and usually contain added sugars (in the form of glucose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and the like) and other preservatives. They are also not naturally fermented, and so do not have the same umami characteristics as true mirin.
It can be a challenge to find true Japanese mirin in North America, and it would be stocked at a liquor store, not a supermarket. However, if you live in North America, this mirin from Eden Foods is a good option. Traditionally brewed from only water, organic rice, koji and sea salt, it can be found in many health food stores.
Joëlle
Serves 6
Crunchy slices of lotus root, braised in a sweet and salty sauce until glossy and tender. A tasty Korean side dish that all your guests will enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 450g fresh lotus root (1 lb.)
- 4 cups water (for soaking)
- 4 cups water (for blanching)
- 1 tbsp vinegar (white or rice)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- 1/8 cup rice wine (I use sake)
- 1 cup water or dashi
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 cup mirin
- 1/8 cup brown rice syrup
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Instructions
- Wash and peel the lotus root and slice it into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Soak slices in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar and bring to a boil.
- Blanch lotus root slices for 5 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water.
- Heat a large pot on medium high, add avocado oil, and saute lotus root slices for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften and become translucent.
- Mix in garlic (if using), then add rice wine, water or broth, mirin, and soy sauce and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Turn the slices over from time to time to make sure that they all absorb the sauce evenly.
- Add rice syrup and mix it in gently. Raise the heat to medium and simmer, stirring gently, until the liquid has evaporated and the slices are glossy with sauce.
- Remove from heat and mix in sesame oil.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, right away, or store in the fridge for up to a week.
- Sprinkle with freshly toasted sesame seeds just before serving.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Guidance and Inspiration
Maangchi — Braised Lotus Roots
Kimchimari — Sweet and Salty Lotus Roots
❤ Thank you Maangchi and JinJoo!
Reference
Kim, S. H., Kim, M. S., Lee, M. S., Park, Y. S., Lee, H. J., Kang, S.-A., … Kwon, D. Y. (2016). Korean diet: Characteristics and historical background. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 3(1), 26–31. doi: 10.1016/j.jef.2016.03.002
Pettid, M. J. (2008). Korean cuisine: an illustrated history. London: Reaktion Books.
