Hungry for the Holidays? Seoul Kitchen

For many, the holidays are about connecting with family traditions, and cooking is one of the most enjoyable ways to connect, no matter where you’re from or which holidays you celebrate. To keep the season merry, we’re presenting a few recipes from Merrimack Valley’s finest chefs and restaurant owners. Perhaps they’ll change the ways you celebrate your holidays with those you care about the most. 

Seoul Kitchen

Born in South Korea before moving to Ghana, Jay Chung grew up in kitchens. His parents owned multiple restaurants before the family moved to the U.S. when he was 11 years old.

“We were chasing after the American Dream,” says Chung, co-owner of Seoul Kitchen in Westford. “My parents worked really hard to put me through college, and I started a career in finance after graduating.”

His time in finance lasted almost four years. Ultimately, he realized he had to sharpen his chef’s knife and return to where he belonged.

“Coming [to America], we didn’t have a large family,” Chung says. “So we made sure to include everyone for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Our bonding came through cooking and growing the restaurant. We were always very celebratory. I feel like you know the people you work with better than the family members you see maybe once a year, and my parents and I wanted to give back.”

KALBI JIM
(Braised beef short ribs, slow-cooker version)

Start to finish: 8 hours
Serves: 8

8 pounds of beef short ribs cut to 2 1/2 inches
1 cup water
2 large onions
3 large carrots
16 garlic cloves
1 large daikon radish
10 thin ginger slices

Sauce:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (cooking rice wine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

After trimming fat, let short ribs sit in cold water for 30 minutes. Then pat dry. Cut all vegetables into large chunks. Place meat, vegetables and water into slow cooker and cook on high for 5 hours. Flip the meat a few times. After 5 hours, add the sauce mixture and cook for additional 2 hours. Serve in large bowl with side of steamed white rice.

KIMCHI JJIGAE
(Kimchi Stew)

Start to finish: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

6 cups kimchi, cut to bite-size pieces
12 ounces pork belly or pork collar meat
1-2 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean chile powder)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup kimchi juice
6 cups water
20 ounces tofu
4 scallions, 4-inch slices

Cut the pork into small cubes. Diagonally cut the scallions into 3/4-inch slices.

In a pot, add the pork, kimchi, kimchi juice and garlic. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the gochugaru, tofu and scallions. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

JAPCHAE

Start to finish: 1 hour
Serves: 6

18 ounces Korean sweet potato starch noodles
1 pound ribeye steak
2 carrots
8 ounces baby spinach
1 large onion
1/2 large red bell pepper
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Beef Seasoning:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Spinach Seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Black pepper to taste

Noodles Mix With Veggies Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
Black pepper to taste

Cut the ribeye into thick strips and mix in the beef seasoning. Cook until brown in a saute pan. Cut the carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms and onion into strips.

Boil water and cook spinach for 5 minutes. Run under cold water and squeeze out the water. Mix the spinach with the spinach seasoning. Stir-fry the carrots, bell pepper, mushrooms and onion separately. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Boil the noodles for 6 minutes. Once done, immediately submerge in cold water and drain the excess water. Mix the noodles, beef and all the veggies with the noodles marinade.

DDUK GUK 

Start to finish: 2 hours
Servings: 6-8

6 quarts water
1 pound beef brisket
64 ounces sliced rice cake
12 cloves whole garlic
6 scallions washed and chopped diagonally, about 4 inches
6 eggs, whisked
6 tablespoons Korean soup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried nori, sliced or crumbled

Place the water, brisket and garlic in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and boil on low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Afterward, skim off the fat floating on top.

While the brisket is boiling, heat a nonstick pan on medium heat. Pour a thick layer of the omelet into the pan and cook each side. Cook this way for half of the mixture. You may need to do this a few times, depending on the size of your pan. Afterward, cut the omelet into thick noodlelike strips. After 1 1/2 hours of boiling, remove the brisket and shred it into thick strips (you may need to cool off the brisket a bit). Also skim the garlic pieces and discard.

Bring the broth back to a boil and cook the rice cake and scallions. Also add the soy sauce, sesame oil and salt at this time. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the rice cake is soft. Cook the rest of the omelet mixture (like egg drop soup). The egg will cook quickly, so turn off immediately as soon as it’s cooked.

Scoop each serving into a bowl and top off with generous amounts of shredded brisket, nori strips, omelet egg strips and black pepper. It’s all about the toppings.

Hint: You can also add store-bought frozen Korean dumplings to the soup at the same time as the rice cake. This is called dduk mandoo guk.

 

Seoul Kitchen
Westford, Mass.
(978) 399-0016
EatSeoulKitchen.com