Ambitious Deliciousness - Dont Eat Lazy. » Boon Shik

Ddukbokki redux – Momofuku style

Esther — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:10:16 +0000

I went to Momofuku Noodle Bar a while back and sat at the bar, watching the chefs at work. As dinner went on, I noticed that one of the chefs was grilling three pieces of dduk(rice cake) on the grill. Then I watched, as they added the sauce to make ddukbokki, which looked very similar to my version.

At that point, I really wanted to order it but didn’t want to spend $9 for such a small plate. Plus, I was already full from the other yummy noodles. But my curiosity was aroused. Why did he cook the dduk that way? Then I got my answer in David Chang’s new cookbook. He explained that grilling the dduk was something he learned from his grandfather, who used to live in Japan. Awesome! I now had this great opportunity to recreate one of my favorite recipes of all time with a different technique.

The combination of spices used in this recipe is pretty standard: red pepper paste, sugar, and some kind of meat flavoring for the broth. But the addition of dwenjang (bean paste) added a brand new depth of flavor that I didn’t expect. And the rice cakes become a completely new ingredient when grilled, not boiled. I loved this version and will continue to use this method from now on (sorry mom!). Below is David Chang’s recipe, with minor tweaks on my part.

Recipe: roasted rice cakes (ddukbokki)
From Momofuku cookbook

12 rice cakes
½ cup of Korean Red Dragon Sauce
¼ cup of mirin
¼ cup of bacon dashi (I used kelp and anchovy broth)
¼ cup of roasted onions
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
½ cup sliced green onions

Combine mirin and bacon dashi in a saucepan big enough to hold the rice cakes later. Boil to reduce until lightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Korean Red Dragon Sauce, turn the heat down to medium and reduce the sauce to a glossy consistency, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the roasted onions. Cover and keep warm until rice cakes are ready.

While the sauce is reducing, heat a very clean cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot[my cast iron skillet is not very clean. oh well]. Add the oil to the pan and when it just starts to smoke, add the rice cakes. Sear the rice cakes for about 3 minutes per side until they’re light golden brown. [I think 3 minutes is too long; I would do about 2 minutes on each side]. Slice dduk into smaller pieces.

Bring the sauce back up to a a boil and toss the rice cakes in for a few seconds until they’re evenly coated. Add sesame seeds and toss again. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with green onions.

Korean Red Dragon Sauce

½ cup water
½ cup sugar
¾ cup ssamjang (combined gochujang and dwenjang, about 1:3 ratio)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes, then stir in the ssamjang to dissolve it. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Taste the sauce; no one flavor should stand out, but all should be present and accounted for. Adjust as necessary.

Reinventing bulgogi

Esther — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:07:31 +0000

I find myself making bulgogi -Korean marinated beef - a couple of times a month, mainly because it’s easy to make and is an acceptable item to take to the office for lunch. (Read – not as pungent as some other dishes.)

But every now and then, I get bored of eating the same thing… so I reinvent it a little bit. These are not really “recipes,” but a reinventions. That’s how the best things are created!

So here are a couple of new ways to enjoy bulgogi:

The bowl is messy around the edges but I wanted to show you that it’s perfectly acceptable to get messy as you mix the ingredients together! This is what you could call bulgogi bibimbap, except that it’s not really bibimbap since it’s missing a number of essential ingredients. All you do is mix bulgogi and rice with shredded lettuce, gochujang (red bean chili paste), with a hint of sesame oil. Extra points if you eat share it with someone from a huge bowl .

Bulgogi ddukbokki: a few days ago, I had a craving for my favorite dish ever – ddukbokki. I didn’t have any cylindrical rice cakes on hand so I improvised. I added the bulgogi at the very end, just to bring the temperature up to warm (it was refrigerated) and was careful to make sure the bulgogi wouldn’t alter the flavor of the sauce too much.I have vague memories of my aunt making this for us (am I right, J?) many years ago. The best part thing I did was adding half of a jalapeno I found in my fridge for a deep, spicy punch. It was delicious!

Do you have any suggestions on other ways to reinvent bulgogi?

Rice cakes that don’t taste like cardboard

Esther — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:25:25 +0000

Rice cakes (Dduk) traditionally are a big part of Korean cuisine. Unlike these, the texture is soft and chewy.

There are so many different kinds of Dduk. Some are used in cooking, and others are for snacking on. The cake shape, content, and color vary. Sharing dduk symbolizes sharing of kindred spirits. People eat it during happy and sad times. You will find Dduk in funerals and also at birthday celebrations in Korea.

I’ve always been a fan of Ddukbokki. It’s actually more of a snack than a part of an actual meal. Isn’t it funny how memory helps us love certain foods? Though you can find this dish in Korean restaurants, the best place to get it would be in specialty places that sell kimbap and other “snacks.” This type of Korean food is called Boon Shik.

I remember eating it as a young child in Korea on my way home from school, from the elderly ladies selling it from a street cart. The sweet and spicy combination of this dish made for a perfect after school snack.

Recipe: Dukbokki- chewy rice cakes in spicy and sweet sauce
Makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

1 package of rice cakes (can use small flat ones too)
1 package of fish cakes, cut into triangles
2 tablespoons of gochujang (red pepper paste – depending on your pref. of heat)
1.5 tablespoons of sugar (add more later, if needed)
3.5 cups of water
1 stalk of scallion cut into pieces
1 medium onion, sliced into strips
Basic broth ingredients(kelp and anchovies)
Hint of soy sauce
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a big bowl, put dduk in a cold water bath. This will help the texture of the dduk. Set aside.

2. In a frying pan, add 2 cups of water and bring basic broth to a boil over high heat. Remove anchovy and kelp.

3. Add gochujang, sugar and soy sauce and decrease heat to low. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. (The longer this simmers over low heat, the yummier it will be.)

4. With a spoon, skim off any foam that may appear.

5. Raise heat to medium. Add dduk and fish cake. Stir continuously. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then add onions.

6. Lower to low heat and simmer while stirring. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. The sauce should have thickened at this point and the rice cake should be soft. Add scallions and serve.

Some people add meat to this dish, and Ramen. If you want to add noodles, cook separately and add towards the end of the cooking cycle. It’s also yummy with hard boiled eggs. Enjoy!

Updated photo 9-21-09: