International Attempt #1: Korean Barbeque

BitchyBuddha had a great idea, “feature a cultural cuisine from a certain region each month…”

I’m a weird picky eater. I don’t like every day staples like pork chops and cheese, but if it’s from the ocean I’ll eat it. I also have no fear in trying different things from different cultures, even if the dish includes items that I don’t necessarily enjoy. Sometimes I don’t mind these particular items as much if they are cooked in certain spices or if it is just one item in a list of other ingredients that I do enjoy.

A few months back, my boyfriend and I went to this all-you-can-eat Korean Barbecue joint down the street from his house called Sura. I’m a three-year old at heart and love to have fun with my food, so this place was great. There is a grill in the middle of the table. You choose meats and fish from the menu, the waitress comes out with a platter of the raw meats and you get to cook it yourself on the grill. It’s awesome. We had shaved cow tongue (which tastes like beef chips if cooked well enough), octopus and bulgogi, which is a pork and squid combo marinated in pear juice, red chili paste, ginger and garlic and sesame oil. We loved it so much, that we decided that we wanted to try it ourselves at home – along with a few other Asian inspired items.

We made:

octupus

Bulgogi

Peking Duck

Frog’s Legs

Let me tell you, shopping for these things was an adventure in itself. We traveled to an Asian Market that is known for selling a variety of items such as bottled sauces, fish, frozen ducks – heads and all – and tarantulas. No thanks. Luckily for me, there weren’t any spiders in the building when I walked in. If there was, I can’t promise that the store would still be standing.

Octopus
We didn’t eat the whole octopus. I removed the head just below the eyes and made sure to remove the beak from the cavity in the middle of the body. Although my boyfriend was grossed out by them, I had fun with the octopus. They were slimy and when intact, looked like something out of Alien.

The hole is where the beak is…

Using a butcher’s knife, I cut the body in half to make it easier to chew. No matter how long you cook octopus for, unless it’s sliced very thin, it is very chewy.

We then marinated them in a mixture of hoi sin sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. We marinated it for about an hour before grilling on a flat top (which was on as high heat as possible). As soon as the octopus hit the grill, their legs began to curl and it looked as though it was still alive. Very cool.

For having such an issue with texture, I’m surprised I love octopus so much. However, the sauce we marinated them in was a little too bitter for my taste.

Bulgogi
For this dish, we sliced pork rib and squid super thin and marinated together in a jar of bulgogi marinade. Again, bulgogi marinade is pear juice, red chili paste, ginger and garlic and sesame oil. This also sat for about an hour before being cooked on the grill. We cooked the bulgogi and octopus together at the same time…

The bulgogi (front) kind of looks like innards…but I promise you it’s good.

Because I’m such a big fan of spice, I liked the taste of this portion better than the octopus. Maybe next time I’ll do octopus in this marinade. For those who are iffy about the squid, it’s cut so thin you don’t even realize what it is and it pairs nicely with the barbecue flavor of the pork.

Peking Duck
Luckily for us, the duck came already gutted so we didn’t have to go through that horrible task. Because I have a soft spot for Daffy Duck, I let my boyfriend take care of this one…

First he cut hash marks into the flesh of the bird so the fat renders out. If you skip this, then the skin won’t crisp up and you’ll basically be eating a sponge. He then seasoned just the outside of the bird with salt, pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, hoi sin sauce and sesame oil. Are you noticing a trend in the spices, yet?

To cook the duck he placed it on a roasting rack – breast side down – and placed it in a 400-degree oven for two and a half hours. ***Note: in order to make sure the skin crisped evenly, he flipped the duck every thirty minutes.***

!!!!!!!!!For sensitive people, this picture shows the whole cooked duck – head and all!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, Daffy….

I only ate it once the head was removed. Something about my dinner staring back at me freaks me out. But the skin was crispy, the meat was juicy and well seasoned. It was absolutely delicious.

Frog’s Legs
I’ve tried frog’s legs once before and wasn’t thrilled with them. Yes, they do resemble chicken wings, but are a little too game-y. They are a little too sweet for my taste and are a much softer meat than chicken. Not much chewing is involved. My boyfriend, however, loves them.

Making them wasn’t as involved as the other dishes. When you buy the legs, they come with the toenails still attached. So he clipped them before he breaded them. He used regular bread crumbs. Then he deep-fried them and covered them in hoi sin sauce.

Gross, right?

Overall, I feel my first international attempt was a success. It’s definitely a different experience but I would make these again and recommend each of these dishes to anyone.