Wine & Dine: Korean Feast

This month's Wine & Dine event is all about Korean cuisine and drink! Tonight we had a Korean dinner where friends brought some delicious Korean dishes to the table and I provided a presentation on Korean cuisine and hosted a soju tasting. To learn more about Korean cuisine, check out THIS SITE for details!


Here's what we our Korean feast entailed - which was wonderfully paired with the Korean soju I served (and don't be afraid to click the links for recipes!)...

Various Korean Soju
for our tasting with a Korean Rice wine to compare
Assorted Banchan
(small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine)

Tongbaechu Kimchi
whole cabbage kimchi

Cucumber & Radish Salad

Shigeumchi namul
Spinach dressed with sesame oil, garlic, and soy sauce.
Kongnamul
Cold boiled bean sprouts with sesame oil.
Gaji namul
Boiled eggplant

Ohe Kimchi

Cucumber Kimchi

Pa kimchi
hot and salty scallion kimchi
Green Bean Kim Chi
Korean Cucumber Salad

Hae-Mul Pa-Jeon
Seafood & Vegetable Pancake

Sogogi-jeongol
Beef and Vegetable Stew
Gaeran Mari
Rolled Korean Omelette
Bokkeum Bap
Kim Chee Fried Rice

Nakji bokum
hot octopus salad

Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce
Yakshik Sweet Spiced Rice
Fresh fruit platter

And what Korean dinner would it be without Karaoke?! After dinner, we had a round or two of karaoke which was a lot of fun!

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Nakji bokum (Hot octopus salad)

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Linda prepared this dish. When she told me she would be preparing octopus, I immediately thought of her working with a large octopus that would require a long cooking time. I was so wrong... and Linda used baby octopus for this dish. The result was a super tender octopus and I'm anxious to try making this myself soon!

Nakji bokum
hot octopus salad

1 lb baby octopus (squid can be used as a substitute)
1/2 onion, sliced to make o-rings
2 chilies or jalapenos, sliced on the bias
2 green onions, sliced on the bias
1/4 carrot, slice thinly
1 red or green peppers, sliced in long strips

Sauce:
4 shiitake mushrooms, quartered (optional)
2 1/2 tbsp kochujang (chili paste)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp minced garlic


Wash and rinse octopus, cut the legs into 2”-3" lengths, open head and take out inside, quarter the head. Drain well.
Prepare and mix all ingredients for sauce
Combine final sauce with octopus and marinate for 10 minutes.
Heat pan on a medium high heat, cook for 8-10 minutes or until done.

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Bokkeum Bap (Kim Chee Fried Rice)

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Yumi prepared this dish. This was such a great and flavorful way to prepare fried rice... and I think I prefer this over the traditional Bibimbap, which is a traditional Korean rice bowl with sauteed and seasoned vegetables!

Bokkeum Bap
Kim Chee Fried Rice
recipe adapted from Aol Food

6 tablespoon canola oil, divided
3 1/2 cup cooked white rice
1 1/2 cup kim chee, drained and chopped
4 ounce firm tofu, cut into 1/3-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped scallions, green parts only
2 beaten eggs, plus 4 whole eggs
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili paste

Heat 4 Tablespoons canola oil in a wok or large non-stick pan over moderately high heat until almost smoking. Add cooked rice and toss to coat all the grains with a little oil. Fry rice for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add kim chee, tofu and scallions and cook for another 5 minutes.

Make a well in the center of the rice and add the beaten egg. Let egg cook until firm, breaking up the curds as the egg sets. Stir the scrambled egg back into the rice. Add soy sauce and chile paste. Keep warm.

In a medium non-stick pan, fry the 4 remaining eggs, sunny-side up in remaining 2 Tablespoons canola oil.

To serve, top fried rice with fried eggs.

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Gaeran Mari (Rolled Korean Omelette)

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Kim prepared this dish. This is a great vegetarian dish that you can easily adapt by adding meat or seafood too. Aside from how beautifully colorful this is, it's a fun way to serve up an omelette with a Korean twist!

Gaeran Mari
Rolled Korean Omelette
recipe from About.com

3 eggs
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 small carrot, finely chopped
1 sheet Korean roasted seaweed (Gim)
1 tsp salt, dash of pepper


Mix eggs with whisk or fork and add onions and carrots until well combined.

In a lightly greased saute pan, pour egg mixture and heat slowly over low heat.

Heat slowly for a few minutes until almost cooked through, then place seaweed sheet on top of omelette.

Roll omelette into a tight roll by lifting side with spoon or baking spatula.

Let omelette rest for a few minutes to cool.

Slice into 1 inch pieces and serve with cross-sections showing.

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Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Howard prepared this dish. It's an excellent way to prepare steak with additional flavor. The cilantro sauce definitely puts it over the top but if you don't like cilantro, the steak alone is amazing...

Grilled Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce
adapted from Gourmet

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
6 (1-inch-thick) boneless beef top loin (strip) steaks, about 3/4 pound each
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including roots and stems)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced seeded fresh habanero or serrano chile (optional)
1 (4-inch-long) fresh hot red chile, chopped (optional)

Stir together 3/4 cup soy sauce, sherry, sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish until sugar is dissolved, then add steaks, turning to coat. Marinate steaks, turning once, for 1 hour.

While the steaks marinate, mix together cilantro, vegetable oil, lime juice, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, and chile if using. Set aside.

Heat grill to high heat, and when ready, grill steaks 3 to 4 minutes per each side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices and then top with some sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

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Korean Cucumber Salad

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Tom helped prepare this dish! It's a wonderfully refreshing salad, perfect in warm weather with a nice subtle hint of heat.

Korean Cucumber Salad
recipe from AllRecipes

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 green onion, sliced
1/2 carrot, julienned


In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in sesame seeds, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until seeds are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove seeds with a slotted spoon, and stir into vinegar mixture. Mix in cucumber, green onions, and carrot. Cover, and refrigerate at least 5 minutes.

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Yakshik Sweet Spiced Rice

For our Korean Wine & Dine event, my friend Gabby prepared this dish. This is a sweet rice dessert that involves using sesame oil and soy sauce - ingredients I didn't expect in this dessert. What I like about this dish is how comforting it is... and it's a sweet and spicy Korean twist to traditional rice pudding.

Yakshik Sweet Spiced Rice
recipe adapted from Group Recipes

4 cups short grained rice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp sesame oil
ground cinnamon
1/4 cup thick cream
1/3 cup raisins

Wash and drain rice and keep aside. Steam it till cooked and combine it with soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and cinnamon. Add the cream and raisins and simmer until absorbed.

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