Gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplants)

Gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplants) (Korean Bapsang)

This easy but flavorful side dish is one of my favorite ways to cook eggplants. Look for slender eggplants with a dark-purple color and shiny skin. Eggplants are stir-fried with simple seasonings, and the gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) adds a nice kick to the tender eggplants. As a variation, add some thinly sliced pork or chicken, adjust the seasoning accordingly, and enjoy it as a main dish.

Ingredients:

● 2 medium-size Asian eggplants (slender and firm)

● 3-4 green chili peppers (or 1/2 green pepper)

● 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

● 1/2 tablespoon gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) 

● 1 tablespoon soy sauce

● 1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirim)

● 1 teaspoon minced garlic

● 1 teaspoon sugar

● 1 tablespoon sesame oil

● 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

● a pinch of pepper

Cut the eggplants lengthwise in halves. Then cut crosswise into about 2-centimeter-thick chunks. Cut the pepper into about 3-centimeter-long pieces.

Heat a pan with the oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the eggplants quickly, about a minute or until the outside starts to soften.

Add all the remaining ingredients.

Continue to stir-fry until the eggplants are well coated with the seasonings and the pepper is slightly wilted.

Kimchi bibim guksu, (spicy noodles with kimchi)

Kimchi bibim guksu (spicy noodles with kimchi) (Korean Bapsang)

When there seems to be nothing in the fridge, bibim guksu made with kimchi comes in handy for a quick meal. Well-fermented kimchi is truly all you need for this humble dish. But, you can add other vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, red cabbage or lettuce, if available. I added some perilla leaves (kkaennip) in this recipe. In no time, these spicy, sweet and tangy noodles will be ready for your table.

2 servings

Ingredients:

● 2 servings somyeon noodles (about 250 grams)

● 1 cup thinly sliced kimchi (fully fermented)

● 1/4 cup juice from kimchi 
(use a little more soy sauce and vinegar if unavailable)

● 1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper paste, gochujang (adjust to taste)

● 1 tablespoon soy sauce

● 1 tablespoon corn syrup 
(use honey or more sugar if unavailable)

● 1 tablespoon sugar

● 2 tablespoons rice or apple vinegar

● 1 tablespoon sesame oil

● 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Optional garnish:

● 4 perilla leaves, kkaennip, thinly sliced


Bring a medium pot of water to a boil while preparing the other ingredients.

Thinly slice the kimchi, and place it in a medium-size bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. 

Add the noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (3―4 minutes). Drain quickly, and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water again. Drain well.

Combine the noodles with the kimchi sauce, and toss everything until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste. Garnish with the optional perilla leaves. 

Wanjajeon (pan fried meatballs in egg batter)

Wanjajeon (pan fried meatballs in egg batter) (Korean Bapsang)

Most Korean homes make several types of jeon dishes (pan-fried battered food) for their holiday feasts. Wanjajeon is among the popular choices. Meatballs are called gogi wanja in Korean and used in many traditional dishes such as soups or hotpots. When they are egg-battered and pan-fried, they are called wanjajeon. They are also commonly called “donggeurangttaeng,” meaning “a round thing.”

To make jeon, the meatballs are gently pressed into minipatties. I prefer to use a mixture of beef and pork, but you can also use all-beef or all-pork. To achieve a smooth texture, take extra time to finely chop the vegetables and mix all the ingredients very well by hand. The meat patties can be prepared ahead of time and pan fried on the day of serving. Enjoy it on your Chuseok table or simply as an appetizer or side dish with any meal.

Ingredients:
450 grams ground beef (or combination of beef and pork)
150 grams tofu, squeezed and crushed
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper to taste
3 eggs, beaten well
1/2 cup flour
Vegetable or canola oil for pan frying

Combine all the prepared ingredients, and mix very well by hand until everything is evenly blended, crushing any remaining big pieces of tofu.

Shape the mixture into 2- to 3-centimeter balls, and then gently press between your palms to flatten. 

Dredge the patties in flour one at a time, coating well. Shake off excess flour.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Coat the pan evenly with 1/2 tablespoon of oil.

Chuseok’s diverse culinary traditions

In kitchens across the nation, families gather together to make traditional Korean dishes for Chuseok, one of South Korea’s largest annual holidays. 

This Sunday, households will be busy crafting songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes, and other delicacies to offer up to ancestors in appreciation of a good harvest this coming Monday morning. 

Those ceremonial tables, loaded to bursting with carefully prepared food, will vary from home to home, serving as edible symbols of the foodways of each family, of their hometowns and provinces of origin. 

The regional diversity of Korean cuisine plays no small role in influencing what food is put on the ceremonial table. 

From Gyeonggi Province and Seoul to Gangwon Province; the Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces; and Jejudo Island, families will be paying tribute to their own regional culinary traditions by offering up the cuisine of their birthplaces to their forefathers. 

In Seoul, according to 9SPICES CEO and Ssalgage owner-chef Hong Shin-ae, meat-based dishes take up a lot of space on the Chuseok table. 

Celebrity food stylist and researcher Hong, who heads her own cooking studio and hansik restaurant, hails from Seoul. 

“Like other households, we knead songpyeon and make taro root soup,” Hong, 38, said in an email interview. “We make fish pancakes, grilled fish and then braised dried pollack, but the majority of the dishes tend to be meat-oriented like bulgogi, galbi jjim and Korean meat patties.” 

On Jejudo Island, abalone, like the braised ones pictured here, are often prepared for Chuseok.

In contrast, tilefish and abalone are staples on Jejudo Island, Hong revealed, a natural outcome, it appears, of the abundance of fresh seafood in the region. 

Seafood, however, is not the only delicacy on Jejudo Island ― myoga ginger, according to “Amusing Story about Korean Traditional Festival Foods” (2009), is another ingredient traditionally used during Chuseok.

In Gangwon Province, rice cakes and other food made from corn, buckwheat, potatoes or yams are put on the ceremonial table, Hong said, while Chungcheong Province is famed for its whole cooked chicken.

Being relatively closer to the ocean, families from both the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces tend to mostly prepare seafood dishes, according to Hong. 

“Our elders have said that in the Jeolla provinces, in particular, fermented skate is a must,” Hong said. 

Le Chamber co-owner-bartender Lim Jae-jin, who was born in North Jeolla Province’s Gochang County, confirmed this, stating, “I believe that a seasoned skate dish is always put on the ceremonial table.” 

The star mixologist recalls the fermented skate stew that his mother would make for Chuseok. 

In the Jeolla provinces, fermented skate, which is pictured here with steamed pork slices and kimchi, is a Chuseok staple.

“It’s very refreshing,” said Lim, 32. 

While serving skate is a tradition of the Jeolla provinces, octopus, according to Shy Bana and Bana 1924 CEO Jay Song, is customary in his native Busan. 

“One whole octopus is blanched, then placed on its head, with its eight legs shaped like the bud of a flower, on a plate,” restaurateur Song, 43, said in a phone interview. 

Whole octopus, like those pictured here at the famed Jagalchi Market, is customarily prepared for Chuseok in Busan. (Korea Tourism Organization)

Song went on to explain how mussels are also customary in his hometown. 

Not all cities and counties in the Gyeongsang provinces, however, prepare a large amount of seafood for Chuseok. 

According to Haap owner-chef and Uigitu Haap executive chef Sin Yong-il, “not a lot of seafood dishes” are prepared in his native Daegu. 

While regional customs influence how each household prepares for Chuseok, family traditions play a key role in the experience, according to Sin, who revealed that his family places tea instead of the customary wine on the ceremonial table. 

“Each household’s individuality is very strong,” Sin, 41, said, recounting his own experiences with a certain fondness, suggesting that Chuseok is a special day that holds a unique place in each person’s heart.