Tag: #banchan
Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato “Quick Kimchi” (Rock-Paper-Scissors)

Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato “Quick Kimchi” (Rock-Paper-Scissors)

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Every Sunday I meet up with friends for coffee then we walk to our local farmer’s market to stock up for the week.  Every year, like clockwork, when summer is upon us, the following conversation takes place between us…

While Walking Back From the Market…

She who shall not be named Person #1 So, who is going to buy the Granny Cart?  I can’t lug any more melons, corn, and peaches.  We need wheels.  I feel like a Sherpa and my shoulder hurts.

She who shall not be named Person #2  Aren’t you the one on Medicare already?  You should get it.

She who shall not be named Person #3 But you’re the one with the watermelon, half flat of strawberries, and 6 ears of corn!

She who shall not be named Person #1 Wait a minute, you’re the one with grandkids, you get it.

She who shall not be named Person #2 I’m the youngest, I’m not getting it.

Needless to say, due to vanity, we are still schlepping our haul in multiple tote bags, occasionally stopping for a breather.  This Sunday may have been the breaking point, none of us could resist, so much amazing fruit right now. We loaded up on berries, peaches (Biscuit Berry Peach Cobbler), cantaloupes, (Melon, Prosciutto & Mozzarella with Basil Oil), and watermelons, (Watermelon and Tomato Salad).  Somebody has to bite the bullet and get that cart!

Tomatoes Are Coming…Update They’re Here!

And I bought my first baskets of cherry tomatoes of the season today.  One of my favorite dishes, especially with the 90-degree weather we are having, is Eric Kim’s Grape Tomato Quick Kimchi.  I’m staying away from the stove as much as possible and this dish fits the bill. It’s the perfect way to enjoy those lovely tomatoes.

Side Dish Today…Lunch Tomorrow

Simple to make, the time-consuming part is salting and allowing the tomatoes to drain.  Use any variety of cherry tomatoes.  The dressing consists of vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and Gochugaru.  Red Boat or Three Crabs, are good choices for fish sauce.   Either can be found in any Asian store.  Gochugaru is Korean chili powder that can also be found in most Asian stores.  Your best bet would be a Korean market or online.  If you can’t find it feel free to substitute with chili flakes (1/4 tsp or to taste) or Aleppo pepper powder (1:1).  Toasted sesame oil provides a nutty, sweet finish to the dressing.

Serve it as a salad or side dish, like Banchan, it goes well with any kind of meal.  I make a big batch so I have extra for an easy lunch the next day. Just cook up some pasta, either ramen noodles or Angel Hair pasta, and toss it with the leftover tomatoes and sauce.  The pasta warms the tomatoes and picks up the flavors of the dressing, it’s delicious.

With tomatoes coming into season now and the weather warming up, this easy-to-make dish is perfect.

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Grape Tomato ‘Quick Kimchi’

Eric Kim's Quick Tomato Kimchi. Refreshing, easy to prepare banchan using fresh cherry tomatoes is the perfect summer dish
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Korean-American
Keyword Banchan, cherry tomatoes, Cold Noodles with Tomatoes, grape tomatoes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

Tomatoes

  • 1 pound grape tomatoes (or any ripe cherry tomato) about 2 to 3 cups, halved lengthwise
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Banchan Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar substitute with rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sesame oil Toasted sesame oil like Kadoya
  • 1 tablespoon gochugaru powder of flakes
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Garnish

  • Thinly sliced scallions chopped chives, or cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes with the salt, transfer to a colander, and let drain about 30 minutes. In the same bowl, add vinegar and garlic and set aside.
  • After 30 minutes, add the sesame oil, gochugaru, fish sauce and sugar to bowl with the vinegar and garlic and whisk to combine. Pat the tomatoes dry, then add the tomatoes to the dressing and toss until well coated.
  • Garnish with the optional herbs before serving. This is best eaten right away, but can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
  • Make this for banchan for dinner and use any remaining as a pasta sauce the next day. It is delicious with somen noodles. Cook as directed. Add tomatoes to hot noods and mix. Serve immediately.
Jangjorim (Soy Braised Beef 장조림)

Jangjorim (Soy Braised Beef 장조림)

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I have a total backlog of recipes I want to share with you and this one is top of the list.  I have made this as many times as I have made Eric Kim’s Quick Grape Tomato Banchan or Ottolenghi’s Charred Tomato and Cold Yogurt (so good) and that is saying a lot.

Do You Banchan?

Jangjorim or Soy Braised Beef can be served as banchan (those yummy little dishes that come with every Korean meal) or as a topping to a rice bowl or in a bento box.

I’m not a salad lover. Well, let me rephrase that, I’m not a salad maker…so much trouble.  But banchan? Worth the trouble, I’ll make a batch of each, keep them in the fridge and pull ’em out for lunch and/or dinner.  They go with everything, rice, noodles, or sammies.  Want a little funkiness in your grill cheese, add kimchi (김치).  Want crunch and spice in your noodles, add spicy cucumbers (오이무침).  Pickled or braised veggies go so well with rice, maybe that’s why I like them.

Koreanbapsang’s recipe for Jangjorim is my starting point.  First step, make the stock to cook the meat.  The stock includes onions, scallions, garlic and Korean radish (mu,무).  The radish gives the dish sweetness, I save the radish to serve with the Jangjorim.  It’s delicious.

Shank-alicious

Next, cut beef into cubes and simmer in the stock.  Use brisket, flank, chuck, or my favorite, shank.  Shank is both flavorful and economical, win-win.  For those not familiar with shank, it comes cut crosswise into pieces with the bone in the center.  Remove the meat from the bone and cut it into pieces. Throw the bones into the cooking broth for extra flavor.  I’ve also used pork shoulder or butt as a substitute with nods of approval from the fam.  After simmering, remove the meat and place it in another pot along with 2.5 cups of the original stock and add the seasonings.  Reserve the radish.  Cook meat on medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.  Then add shishito peppers, boiled, peeled eggs, kelp (optional), and the reserved radish. Cook for another 10 minutes or until meat is tender.

Shishito peppers can be a bit spicy, so if you have little kids or big kids that are spice averse, use bell peppers or Anaheim peppers, and cut into manageable bite-sized pieces.  Cook eggs as you would six-minute ramen eggs.  Chill eggs thoroughly before final braising to avoid overcooking the eggs.  Normally, the eggs are hard-boiled but jammy eggs are my jam.

Jangjorim can be served at room temperature to warm as banchan or over rice.  The meat can be shredded or sliced.  It’s so flavorful, a little bit goes a long way.

I love this dish and hope you will try it!

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Jangjorim (Soy braised Beef)

Jangjorim or Soy braised Beef, adapted from Korean Bapsang, is a delicious Korean side dish that works well in a bento box too!
Course Meat, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword Banchan, Korean, shishito peppers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Da Stars

  • 1.5 pounds shank meat or beef brisket you can sub pork shoulder or butt
  • 10 to 12 Shishito peppers or other fresh green peppers Use less and cut into halves if using large peppers
  • 3 boiled eggs* peeled

Da Stock

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion
  • 2 stalks scallions white part only save green parts for garnish
  • 6 ounces Korean radish (about 1/4-1/3 of one radish) mu, cut into big chunks
  • 7 cloves garlic
  • 3 slices thin ginger about 1-inch round
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppers or ground peppers to taste

Da Sauce

  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce guk ganjang, 국간장 (or use more regular soy sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine or mirin
  • 1 piece 3-inch square dried kelp substitute a bay leaf

Instructions

  • Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks. This recipe is very flexible. You use brisket or flank. I love beef beef shank which is very economical. It has great flavor and texture. You could even use pork shoulder or butt. Delicious!
  • In a medium pot, bring 8 cups of water and Da Stock ingredients to a boil. Cover and continue to boil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
  • Drop the meat into the pot. Bring it to a gentle boil, and remove the scum. Reduce the heat to medium. Boil, covered, for about 30 minutes.
  • Remove the meat. Strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl, and then add 2.5 cups of the liquid back to the pot. (You can save the remaining broth to make a soup or stew later.)
  • Add the meat and sauce ingredients to the pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil, covered, until the meat is tender and the sauce is reduced to about ⅓, about 20 minutes. You can cook longer if the meat is still not tender enough.
  • Add the optional dried kelp, peppers and eggs and continue to boil for about 10 minutes. Discard the kelp, and transfer everything else to an airtight container for storage. Cool before storing in the fridge. Shred the meat and pour some sauce over to serve.
  • Optional: Serve the radish and onions with this dish! Normally, the meat is shredded, and served with shishito peppers and eggs.

Notes

Refrigerate in an airtight container. It will keep for a week. If you want to keep it longer, boil the meat and sauce again after a few days.
The meat will become hard in the fridge. You can soften it by leaving the shredded beef out at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes, or microwave for about 20 seconds to soften.
cucumber banchan
Cool as a Cucumber Banchan (Simple Asian Cucumber Salad)

Cool as a Cucumber Banchan (Simple Asian Cucumber Salad)

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Are you like me? I hate making salads. I love salads, but prepping veggies, not so much. I only have enough bandwidth to prep maybe 1-2 fixings for a salad. Which means my salads are pretty darn boring. Helloooo, Banchan.  Banchan are little appetizers plates that come with every Korean meal.  Banchan can include seafood like fishcake but are generally comprised of vegetables such as soybeans, radishes, potatoes or CUCUMBERS (my favorite). It’s my veggie salvation.  Instead of a salad, I pull out my jar of kimchi or pickled radishes, slice some cucumbers and splash a soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onion dressing on the cucumbers.  So refreshing and delicious.  Yep, rockin’ the banchan.

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the Japanese Behringer mandoline.  I purchased mine when I was in school in  Los Angeles a long time ago, and I mean a LONG time ago.  Thirty years later it’s still going strong, it’s a great option if you don’t have a mandoline.  It is sturdy, inexpensive and apparently very durable (I can vouch for that), find it here.

I love this little salad.  It is stupid easy to make and delicious. I use soy dashi, (a combination of soy sauce and dashi, a fish-based stock) when I want a smokey, slightly briny taste to the cucumbers.  Would be a lovely side dish with the Gochujang-Lime Salmon or the Braised Pork Belly rice bowl.

cucumber banchan
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Cucumber Banchan

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Keyword cucumber salad
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber Japanese, English, Persian about 1 1/2 cup sliced for 1 cucumber

Dressing

  • 1 Tbs soy sauce or Soy Dashi
  • 2 Tbs rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbs sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Korean red chili powder
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

Garnish

  • 1/4 tsp sesame seeds
  • 2 green onions chopped

Instructions

  • Slice cucumbers into thin slices. Around 1/8 inch (3 mm).
  • Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a bowl. Pour soy vinegar into the bowl with cucumbers.
  • Then, add 1/2 tsp chili powder and sesame seeds. Mix and taste. Add more chili powder if you want. Doing it in this order allows you to taste and control the amount of chili powder based on how spicy you want it.
  • Add chopped green onions and mix again.
  • YOU ARE DONE!! Serve immediately for the freshest and crunchiest cucumbers. You can also let it sit for 10-15 minutes for the cucumbers to absorb the dressing before serving.