Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup (Samgyetang)

By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook

Following the traditional rule that this dish be made with utmost care, this recipe calls for making one portion at a time. Increase the recipe according to the number of servings.

1 ( 1½ pound) young spring whole chicken (skin removed)
or Cornish game hen
1/3 cup cooked  glutinous sweet rice
2 fresh chestnuts, shelled, skinned and halved
5 pitted jujubes (Korean dates)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and slivered
2 whole 3 year old fresh ginseng roots
6 cups clear chicken stock
2 green onions, sliced into thin rings for garnish

1. Wash the chicken in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Form the rice into a ball and stuff it inside the cavity of the chicken. Add the chestnuts, jujubes, garlic, and ginseng roots to the cavity. Sew up the chicken with kitchen thread.

2.Place the chicken in a stockpot and add the stock. Bring it to a boil, decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1½ hours. Serve immediately with dishes of salt, freshly ground black pepper, hot red pepper powder and green onion rings. Allow each guest to adjust the seasoning.

Korean Rice Cake Soup (Duk Guk)

By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook

Duk Guk is a must have dish for the ancestral ceremonial table on New Year’s Day.

6 cups ( 1/8-inch-thick) rice cake stick rounds (available in the freezer section of Korean markets;

thaw in refrigerator before using)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1/2 pound lean ground beef sirloin
6 green onions, white and pale green part only
8 cups beef stock or chicken stock
1 strip (1 inch wide and 6 inches long) dried kelp (optional; available in Asian markets)
1 tablespoon sil koch’u (hot red pepper threads), for garnish (available at Korean markets)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a bowl, soak rice cake rounds in cold water for 30 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add ground sirloin and saute 5 minutes, until meat is barely cooked through. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

2. Slice a small amount of green onions into thin rings and set aside for garnish. Slice rest of onions diagonally into 1/4-inch pieces. In a stockpot, bring stock to vigorous boil over high heat. Decrease heat to medium-high, add green onion pieces and kelp, and boil 10 minutes. Add rice cake rounds and cook 10 minutes, until rice cakes are soft and chewy, or to desired consistency. Transfer kelp to cutting board and cut into diamonds. Set aside.

3. To serve, ladle soup into individual serving bowls and top with the meat. The dish can be topped with the traditional five color garnish: green onion rings, white and yellow egg diamonds, stone-ear mushroom slivers, and sil koch’u (Korean hot red pepper threads). Serve very hot with a side dish of kimchi, if you like.

Note: Steamed filled dumplings are often added to this soup for New Year’s Day. If you don’t want to make your own, buy prepared frozen ones. Steam or boil them in a pot of water. Then add a few to each bowl of soup just before serving.

Chicken and Vegetable Skewers (Tak Sanjok)

By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook

Serves 4

2 chicken breast halves, about 8 ounces each, boned, skinned
and sliced into 16 thin pieces, about 3 inches long
8 bamboo skewers, 7 inches long, soaked in water for 30 minutes
8 oyster mushrooms, cut into 16 pieces or 16 pine mushrooms(matutake) sliced
8 Korean hot green peppers, halved, seeded,
deribbed, each 2½ inches long
8 Korean hot red peppers, halved, seeded, deribbed,
each 2½ inches long
8 ounces Napa cabbage, firm stem part only, cut into 16 pieces,
each 1 inch by 2½ inches
16 pieces Napa cabbage kimchi stems, stuffing shaken off,
1 by 2½ inches
1 pound extra firm tofu sliced into 16 pieces, ½ by ½ by 2 ½ inches
1 bunch large sweet green onions, halved lengthwise,
cut into 2½ inch pieces, tender white and pale green part only
5 tablespoons olive oil for cooking

Marinade – Kajin Yaknyŏmjang (Allspice Sauce)
3 regular green onions, white and some green part only
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon Korean hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
4 walnut halves
1 ½ teaspoon Korean fine sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 ½ cup Korean rice wine or dry vermouth
1 tablespoon grain syrup
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Garnish
1 tablespoon well packed Korean hot red pepper threads,
snipped into short pieces
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon stone ear mushrooms, reconstituted in
warm water and slivered
20 gingko nuts, pan toasted and skewered on 8 toothpicks

1. On a large tray, arrange ingredients in the following order: bamboo skewers, chicken, mushrooms, green peppers, red peppers, Napa cabbage kimchi, tofu and large sweet green onions. In the same order, skewer the ingredients and repeat once, skipping the chicken. Replace the last green onion with a piece of chicken.

2. In a food processor or a blender, add the green onions, garlic, hot red pepper flakes, sugar, toasted sesame seeds, walnut halves, sea salt and ground black pepper. Give a few pulses and add the remaining ingredients. Blend all well with a few more pulses.

3. On a large cookie sheet, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add all the skewers and spoon over the marinade. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven broiler for 15 minutes. Take pan out from refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the skewers. Broil for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Turn only once. Grilling is another excellent way to cook. Place 2 skewers on individual plates, garnish with Korean hot peppers, pine nuts, stone ear mushroom slivers and toasted ginko nut skewers. Serve with pan toasted ginko nut skewers, leaf lettuce salad and rice.

Chef Quote: Sanjok is an important dish at a traditional Korean ancestral ceremony. The original version usually includes beef and mountain vegetables, such as bellflower roots and fernbracken. It is dusted in flour, egg coated and then pan-fried. My more casual recipe does not observe the strict rules of shape, size and appearance. These skewers are a harmonious gathering of colors, flavors and nutritious ingredients. Chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, kimchi, tofu and hot peppers mingle in a spicy marinade. Easy to prepare, Tak Sanjok makes a handsome entrée or appetizer.

Leaf Lettuce Salad (Sangchu Kotjori)

By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook

Serves 4

12 ounces leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
20 wild sesame leaves, julienned (or shiso leaves)
20 crown daisy leaves, cut into bite size pieces
1 Asian pear, about 12 ounces, cut into matchsticks

Dressing (yaknyŏmjang)
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon salted shrimp
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry vermouth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon Korean hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or if in season, yuja*
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 regular green onion, white and pale green part only, finely minced
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Garnish
1 Korean hot green pepper, halved, cut into mini-dices
1 Korean hot red pepper, cut into mini-dices
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1. Prepare the greens several hours ahead of time. Wash and dry. Cut each according to the directions. Wrap in a paper towel and place in a plastic bag. Chill in the refrigerator.

2. In a large bowl, add garlic, salted shrimp, sesame oil and mix. Let mellow for a few seconds and then add the rest of the ingredients, except olive oil. Mix well. Just before serving, add the pear to the vegetables and toss very lightly. Drizzle the olive oil and toss a few times. Divide into individual bowls and sprinkle the garnish on top. Serve immediately.

* Yuja is similar to Japanese Yuzu, which can be purchased bottled in Asian markets.

Adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s “Growing Up In A Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook,” Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2001

Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi

By Hisoo Shin Hepinstall, Growing up in a Korean Kitchen: A Cookbook

1 pound Korean or Japanese cucumbers or other seedless,
soft-skinned cucumbers
1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt, or additional if needed
2 ounces Korean radishes or daikon, peeled and
shredded into 1½-inch matchsticks
6 ounces Korean chives or Chinese chives, snipped into 1½-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 walnut, finely chopped
½ tablespoon sugar
½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ tablespoon freshly squeezed ginger juice or grated ginger
1 tablespoon sil koch’u (hot red pepper threads), cut into 1-inch pieces

1.Trim the ends off the cucumbers and cut into 2-inch pieces. Carefully slice each piece vertically in half, but do not cut all the way to the bottom. In a large bowl, arrange the cucumbers upright in one layer, sliced side on top. Sprinkle the sea salt evenly over the cucumbers and let stand for about 30 minutes. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel, being careful not to break apart the pieces. Set aside.

2. In another bowl combine all the ingredients for the stuffing, reserving some hot pepper for garnish and toss well. Carefully stuff the mixture into each cucumber slit. Layer the cucumbers vertically, stuffed side up, in a sterilized 3-quart jar with a screw-top lid. Add a little water to the bowl to mix with the remaining bits and pieces of the stuffing, and pour over the kimchi.

3. Close the jar lid tight and double wrap in plastic bags. Let mature at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, then store in the refrigerator. The kimchi will stay fresh for 1 week at most. Serve in small individual dishes, placing 2 cucumbers in each, stuffed side up. Garnish with reserved sil koch’u. Serve as a side dish.

Chef’s Quote: In early days, this kimchi could only be enjoyed in the summer, when cucumbers were at their prime, today it is available year-round. This is an instant kimchi and is usually made in small portions. Seedlings and crunchy cucumbers with soft skins are ideal for this recipe. So-called pickling cucmbers are fine, but avoid the tough-skinned American variety with seeds.