Kimchi is a unique and traditional fermented ethnic food of Korea. It is made of various vegetables and fermented with a lactic acid bacteria. Mr. McDaniels actually knows how kimchi is made the traditional way, which is by putting it in the ground for as long as you want. This food the representation of Korean cuisine, being included at pretty much every meal and every home. The average Korean eats about 77 pounds of it ever year...
Here is the process of my kimchi fried rice: The first thing that we did was finely chop some scallions and a spicy green pepper. I don't know why, but scallions are literally part of every single Korean dish and it's starting to taste like grass to me. On a low heat, I put the pepper and scallion onto the pan to sit and brown nicely.
After that, it was time to get working with the kimchi. This is the most important part, because the way the kimchi is cut will affect the texture and the flavor. I like having the rice consistent, so having a large piece of kimchi just seems a little off. That's why I like to cut it into ridiculously small pieces, but it really just depends on what you want. After cutting that, I put it in with the vegetables.
The next important part is adding the kimchi juices to the pan. Doing this just adds more flavor in general, and is important to helping bind the rice together. If you don't add enough kimchi juice, the rice becomes bland and comes out in clumps. The next step isn't necessary, and talking to some people about the sample I brought in class it seemed to be a little spicy. Because I've been eating spicy food all my life, adding red pepper paste doesn't really make it spicy at all for me (I even held back just because I didn't want to make it too spicy for you guys).
After that's all done, just stir it around for a couple minutes and you got a quick meal on your hands!
The next thing I would like to talk about is very exciting. I finally got an expert interview! Everything just lined up perfectly for this moment, so let me give some context. My dad invented a pan that takes away the smell of foods while cooking them, mainly meant for things like fish and especially KIMCHI. As delicious as it may be, it's honestly got a nasty smell.
My dad went to go do a sales pitch for his invention in Seoul for a restaurant which translates into "Second Floor House." I got him to ask a couple questions, to the workers, so here it is! (This might not be accurate because my dad translated and he's not too good at English LOL)
Q: Why do you think kimchi has such a significant place in Korean culture?
A: I believe that this is the one thing that makes us unique. For thousands of years, we borrowed from the Chinese and Japanese, leaving us with nothing that we can call our own. My family took pride during the Japanese colonization of Korea in making kimchi, and that was one thing those soldiers didn't have.
(this question was more for my focus of this week, but I found this to be a really meaningful answer)
Q: Why do you think that cooking is a necessary skill?
A: Does anyone on this planet live without eating? I think your son back in America is still lucky to have his mom home, because can you cook yourself? Expert cooking is not required, but home cooking shouldn't just be limited to the women, because women aren't the only people on this world who eat.
Q: Do you have any advice for people that are out there trying to learn to cook?
A: Don't find any pressure trying to live up to anyone's expectations! If you like your own cooking, there is no reason for anyone else to make you change. They can learn to cook for themselves. There are a lot of people out there, and you can't satisfy the details of every single person. I can't even manage my own family's appetites!
Q: What do you think is the biggest benefit of being able to cook on your own?
A: The first thing that it did for me was get my wife. The second thing it did was save money. The third thing it did for me was to not take food for granted and really appreciate what we can do with it.
This interview really opened my eyes to the cooking world. These past few weeks have been fun, but I feel as if I was missing the point. Of course it's great to be able to know how to make your favorite foods, but this interview really helped me understand that it goes further than that.
To be completely honest, I expected some bleak, empty responses from these guys. The amount of pride that goes into their skill and even the ingredients they work with really shocked me when I first read the answers. Maybe we should all try to be like these guys, no matter what we do.
Next week, I will be making another famous Korean dish: BIBIMBAP
(definitely the most fun dish to pronounce)
See ya next week!
Anthony~
I'm Korean and I don't have kimchi next to my rice every dinner. So why am I alive? In all seriousness, your fried rice looks good, bud. Even though scallions are usually incorporated in Korean foods, they aren't mandatory. And since you said they taste like grass, I assume you don't like them much. It's your dish so you should decide based on your taste. Also, if you ever decide to make this dish again, I suggest adding spam to it. Spam and kimchi go together like Vayne and Crit items. They shouldn't be allowed to work together but it's really good.
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