Amy Learns to Cook: KOREAN

I've got several days off coming up in the next few weeks... more to come on this later. With my free time, aside from running more than I have been lately, "fall cleaning" my house, because I didn't in the spring, cleaning up the poor deserted back yard and reorganizing my pantry, garage & office, I am going to teach myself to cook Korean food.

I learned so much in Culinary school. I learned things I don't even know I know, seriously, I occasionally surprise myself by knowing how to make something I've never made before, like I flipped to that page in my little SCI rolodex of info in my brain. A good feeling, nice to know the $899/second education I received was worth it. The education part only takes you so far though, and after that you have to actually cook to learn. So that's what I do.

Being with Joseph and having the open schedule that we've been fortunate to have together has broadened my cooking knowledge and experience tremendously. He loves food as much as I do and has been my happy kitchen companion for years. I can hardly remember cooking before him. We kind of fell in love in the kitchen. I mean, how girly and loserish does that sound?, but it's the truth. Typically, the first meals together while dating are in restaurants. We live in Horseshoe Bay though, which means there is practically no suitable place to go out to eat. So instead we came up with crazy elaborate dinners, went to the grocery store together and then stayed at my condo every night and cooked whatever our hungry hearts desired. I had been cooking at work and for myself forever, but this was the first time I had been cooking for one other person all the time. I loved getting to know what he liked and disliked, and he loved to taste everything I made. I brought out my big guns a lot, I wanted him to love my food (and me). We even made all the things that were his favorite meals that his mom made. It was fun, amazing and fun. He used to rub my shoulders and kiss my neck while I did the dishes back then.... Now, not so much.

Since being with Joseph I have taught myself to cook Mexican food. He had eaten WAY more of it than I had, there is considerably less Mexican food in Ohio than Texas or California, you see. I had never ever cooked it and didn't really know what it was supposed to taste like. Taco Bell and Don Pablo's aren't a good basis for comparison. With things he knew from his family, a couple lessons from Letty, and tasting a lot of Mexican food, I was able to figure out how to make some fairly authentic tasting food. I'm sure my technique is way off and I won't even try to make tortillas, but Joseph certainly does not complain. My enchiladas need work though.

I have also studied recipes, cooking shows and cook books to learn about Chinese cooking. I did learn some about this in school, but not enough. The sauces in Chinese cuisine always seemed so mysterious to me, because who can tell what makes it so good, thick, salty, sweet, rich... but there are actually not many components and the technique is really simple, just very far from the old-school French methods my training was based on. Our new wok, which rocks and we should have bought long ago, was the last step to my being able to say I can actually cook with (somewhat) proper cooking technique and products. Joseph's favorite is Wonton Shrimp with apricot hoisin sauce and mine is Twice Cooked Pork. I need to master eggrolls still.

I decided to start with something that is a basic Korean staple, barbeque beef or Bulgogi. It's so freaking DELICIOUS at Korea House, which is the only place either of us have had it, and the reason I'm interested in Korean cooking in the first place. It's super-thin sliced beef marinated in soy, sesame, garlic, scallions & sugar that's grilled quickly. Traditionally it's served with white rice and about a dozen little side dishes of salads, beans, noodles, potatoes, kimchi & pickled vegetables. I love all of them, but will just pick a few to make.

I'll let you know how it goes.

:) aem