Last Sunday I visited NYC’s Koreatown to celebrate Korean Restaurant Week and had a feast of Korean-style barbeque.  Much lesser known than many other Asian cuisines—Japanese, Chinese and Thai, respectively—Korean food is amazing!

In a traditional Korean restaurant, upon ordering, the table is presented with an assortment of small bowls containing different kimchee (pickled vegetables). In my case—napa cabbage, Chinese broccoli, daikon, scallions, black beans and bean sprouts—each with a different blend of spices. These different side dishes are great to eat alone while waiting for your entrée, or even to adorn your entrée.

For dinner I ordered bibimbap and bulgoki, which are my two favorite Korean dishes. Bibimbap is a rice dish that is baked in a stone bowl and covered with sautéed vegetables and a fried egg. Bibimbap means “stirred meal” which is exactly what one does with it—stir it up and eat it. It’s very similar to fried rice, but a bit lighter because it is not actually fried. Bulgoki is the dish that would be considered barbeque-style. It is a comprised of thinly sliced beef that is marinated and brought to the table raw. It is then grilled on a tabletop habachi grill with onions and spices and served with a variety of sauces and lettuce leaves. It is with these leaves, the sauces, the kimchee and the warm beef that you make hand-held wraps. They, too, are on the lighter side, as the meat is grilled and eaten with very few starches.

The traditional way to end the meal is with a sweet and spicy tea. It is usually a red tea, served warm in colder months and cold in the summer, which is spiced with ginger or cinnamon. A perfect way to soothe a full belly filled with fiery foods…

Filed Under: Food Talk