877 recipes. Page 37 of 37
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Burdock root goes into a beef shank broth that has already simmered with soy and garlic, then steams under the lid until the meat juices reach its center. The aromatic, woody note of burdock cuts through the heavy beef flavor and gives the braise a second layer of flavor. The liquid is reduced to less than half, glossy and spoonable over rice, and finished with sesame oil and toasted seeds.
Beef trotters carry far more skin and tendon than meat, so they need a 90-minute low simmer before the skin gives under a chopstick. Soy sauce and sugar go in only after that, and as the liquid reduces for another 25 minutes, gelatin from the skin turns it glossy and thick. The long soak, blanch and scrub at the start clear any off smell from the bone crevices before it reaches the sauce.
A whole rockfish cooks in a broth of soy sauce and gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), and each spoonful takes some of the spicy liquid, the white flesh and a piece of radish that has soaked up both.
Shallow cuts in the thickest part of the rockfish let the sauce reach the center and help it cook at the same pace as the thinner flesh. The radish simmers first until its edges turn translucent, because radish that is still hard when the fish is added stays firm while the fish dries out.
Napa cabbage and paper-thin beef brisket (usamgyeop) are stacked in layers, cut to the height of the pot and stood on end, and when the lid comes off the cross-sections line up in rows. The thick white part of the cabbage, rather than the leafy tops, is what lets the stacks hold that shape. Nothing seasons the broth itself, which is just cabbage water and beef juices, and each piece is dipped in a soy, vinegar and garlic sauce at the table. That puts the saltiness in each person's hands rather than in the pot. Packing the bundles tightly, with cabbage scraps in any gaps, stops them toppling as the pot steams.
Unlike stir-fried bulgogi, this version spreads the marinated beef over a bed of cabbage and onion and steams it under a lid, letting the sweetness of the vegetables run into the soy marinade. The cabbage wilts to translucent and takes on as much seasoning as the meat, and enough broth stays in the pot to spoon over rice. One stir with chopsticks partway through breaks up the thin slices, which tend to clump while steaming, and helps them cook evenly.
Pork ribs braise for 40 minutes in a spicy soy, gochujang and chili sauce, and young radish greens (yeolmu) join only in the last few minutes, bringing a fresh, grassy note and crunchy stems to an otherwise heavy braise. Because stems and leaves cook at different speeds, the leaves are added last and just wilt. Before any of that, the ribs soak in cold water and get a quick blanch to rinse away the foam and impurities caught between the bones. Thick-cut onion joins once the meat starts to slide off the bone and softens without falling apart. Green plum syrup softens the chili heat with a little fruity sweetness, and a spoon of perilla oil gives the finish its gloss.
Searing the salmon pieces for about a minute per side firms the surface before the soy sauce goes in, so the soft flesh holds together while the sauce is spooned over it. Ginger powder and cooking wine keep the soy flavor light, and a spoon of rice syrup gives the sauce a thin sheen. Sliced onion under the fish sweetens the sauce and keeps the fillets off the pan.
A spoon of gochujang (Korean chili paste) in the soy sauce turns the lotus root a reddish brown and adds a low heat under the sweet-salty glaze. Pork shoulder, marinated briefly with ginger juice and browned with onion first, leaves its fat in the pot for the lotus root to soak up, which makes this heartier than a plain lotus root side. The crunch of the root against the tender pork is the whole point.
Thin, even slices of lotus root end up with a thin brown soy glaze outside and a crisp, lacy bite inside. Cutting every slice to the same 0.5 cm is what lets them all cook to the same point in the same time. A quick blanch and a rinse in cold water before braising take off the surface starch and astringency, and skipping it leaves that rough edge under the glaze. A tablespoon of vinegar added with the rice syrup near the end keeps the sweetness light despite all that shine. Cooled completely and refrigerated, the slices keep drawing in seasoning and taste more even the next day.
Slices cut a full 1cm thick and cooked covered over low heat give this lotus root dish a chunkier bite than thin soy-glazed versions, with a core that stays crunchy. A soak in vinegared water right after slicing keeps the cut faces from browning. Jocheong, a Korean grain syrup, sweetens the soy instead of sugar and leaves a mellow malty note along with the gloss.
Lotus root keeps a crisp, almost snappy bite even after braising, which sets it apart from soft soy-braised potatoes or burdock. Once the holes in each round have soaked up the soy sauce and the slices turn a translucent brown, a spoonful of syrup over high heat gives them a quick, glossy finish.
Lotus root braised in soy sauce gets a handful of raw peanuts in the same pot, so the crisp slices come with soft, mealy peanuts in between. It is kept in the fridge and eaten cold, and the jocheong (Korean rice syrup) added at the end keeps it glossy even then.