Pickles Out The Wazoo September 15, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in In The News, Restaurants.Tags: kimchi, pickle, tomato
2 comments
So, Pickle Fest 2008 in the house.
In some year at some point, the Lower East Side BID started closing one street in LES to host picklers from around the world. Under big tents with big barrels, farmers and hipsters alike are workin it for your pickle pleasure. Most picklin artists are kind enough to offer samples. At least the smart ones do. Those that were giving it away had crowds that led around the block. Damn, I never knew New Yorkers were so gotdamn cheap. Cheap and aggressive, sucking the life out of the crafterman and their pickles. But hey, I shoved with the best of em.
These chicks were offering rice with their kimchi. Thank. You.
Kimchi, but it was too mild for my fire mouth. Next time, ladies.
Are pickles the only thing foodies will eat out of barrel?
I bought some pickled green tomatoes from these billies. We ate them tonight. Yum.
My one criticism of the festival was that it was marketed as “international,” so I was sort of expecting some exotic pickles or something. Gimme some pickled papaya. I wanted to taste lamb chops in a spicy brine. Feed me some pickled tiger toe nails on a freakin cracker. Just one acidic pork nipple for my martini please. But no. Dill, sweet, spicy, blah, blah, blah. At least last year, I heard, they served pickled hot dogs. I should be on the committee next year. Then I’ll put into play my ignorant ass ideas.
Stay tuned for my recipe for homemade kimchi. It’ll knock you on your ass.
FINALLY. Grilling Meat Almost Directly In The Mouth. August 5, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Restaurants.Tags: beef, kimchi, korean bbq, tofu
3 comments
(disclaimer: crap pictures taken with a phone.)
Sunday evening we went with 7 friends to a restaurant in Korea Town called Shilla and had Korean BBQ. The meal was so amazing I thought I would make you drool a bit.
We sat around a large table with 2 grills in the center. This is where the main meat dishes would get cooked. Before the raw meat got to the table, the waiters delivered like, 8 or 22, I don’t know, small bowls of tastiness. I asked my friend who took us there whether they were to be considered apps or condiments (eat now or later, basically) and I think he was being polite when he said to eat them now cause he didn’t eat them to till the main food came. Guess what the rest of us did. View empty bowls here:
After the first round of OB beers were drank and most of the small dishes were consumed, they brought over large platters of raw pork and beef. The pork looked exactly like thick cut bacon. The dude put the slabs on the hot grill and a minute later used large scissors to cut into bite size pieces. Then he took handfuls of kimchi and raw garlic and put on the edges of the grill so when the pork fat was rendering, the golden juices would stroll down and cook the kimchi and garlic.
The beef seemed to be marinated in a sweet sauce which tasted like teriyaki (excuse my ignance) and was grilled also over the garlic. Accompanied by large romaine leaves, the beef was delish rolled in them with a fermented bean paste.
We also ordered Kimchi Stew. This is a steaming hot bowl of pork chunks (I’ve also had it with pulled pork, which I think is better), tofu squares, rice cakes and, as you can guess, kimchi. This. Was. The. Bomb. You can expect to see a recipe for this in the coming weeks cause I must learn how to make this.
And finally, I must give props to the sides dishes because they were each so delish (except for the mayo apples – ew.) They brought dried and salted tiny tiny fishes (cursing myself for not having a picture of those suckers), whose heads kept falling off, but were really cute. Kimchi, spicy daikon, spicy zucchini, pickled zucchini, salt in sesame oil (cleary a condiment), a mayo potato salad with apple chunks, spicy salad greens, broccoli heads in a spicy red sauce, and… what did I forget… anyone?
Now, you know me by now, I love me some pork and spice and oily goodness, but this was, in the end, a bit much for my body. My mind said yes but my stomach said, Oh hell no. I need a Korean remedy for uncloggin my arteries, too. Can anyone suggest one?
(You know I’ll be back in K-Town soon though, right?)
She comes for the Beef, stays for the Yoke: Ramen July 6, 2008
Posted by sicatmeow in Recipes.Tags: beef, egg, kimchi, noodles, ramen, scallion, shitake, sirachi, soup, spicy, zucchini
4 comments
C came over for lunch cause I wanted to show her my Ramen. I promised her beef to trick her into eating kimchi – totally worked. My obsession for spicy noodles was launched about a year ago, and I still want to eat them all day long. This is also my favorite dish to cook because it is damn cheap (see the receipt below), quick, easy, filling, and CAN BE healthIER when adding fresh ingredients.
The fanciest part of this whole recipe is the poached egg, which for me, has become an absolute essential item. I learned this from David Chang, which I guess everyone knew except for me for the longest. Thanks guys.
Check it. Cook it. Eat it.
3 packets of original flavored Ramen, whichever brand
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
10ish dried shitake mushrooms
1/4 lb slices roast beef from the deli
kimchi (mine’s homemade, that’s for the next post, you can buy it at most specialty food shop these days)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 eggs
a dash of vinegar
optional:
snow peas, frozen greens of any kind, bean spouts, cubed uncooked tofu… um, anything you want really.
The longest part is reconstituting the mushrooms. Boil 2 cups of water, add to mushrooms and cover. Let sit for 20 minutes. When done, remove the mushrooms to slice, and reserve the newly created mushroom broth.
Cook the Ramen according to the packet’s directions. For 3 packets, you will need 6 cups of water. Additionally, add the 2 cups of reserved mushroom broth and bring to a boil. Add the Ramen noodles, mushrooms, zuccini and any of the optional ingredients you desire.
Simultaneously, bring a deep frying pan to boil with a dash of vinegar for poaching your eggs. At a soft boil, crack your eggs directly into the water. They should congeal and turn a solid white. After about 2 minutes, the eggs and noodles will be ready.
Add the noodles to a huge bowl for eating lots. With a slatted spoon, grab an egg for each bowl and float on top of the servings. Divide the sliced beef and add to the steaming bowl of noodles. Garnish with kimchi and scallion. For added spice, I recommend using Sirachi, not some vinegar-based hot sauce like Tobasco.
And?.. You’re welcome.
