Korean food... Whats good?

[Ohio Joe]

OK, I am going to a Korean restaurant tonight and have never tried any korean food. I do not really have any dietary restrictions and there is very little I don't eat. I like spicy but not super hot food... oh, and while I love nuts, I don't care for them in my dinner.

Any suggestions?

[Lyric]

1. Kim chi!

If you like sauerkraut.

:9

[Ohio Joe]

2. I do like sauerkraut

What else in in the dish?

[Lyric]

3. It depends--it can vary, depending on regional influence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi

It's usually napa cabbage fermented in a brine with garlic, ginger, and spicy chili peppers--but not TOO spicy, usually. Koreans eat it with almost anything. It's like their version of mashed potatoes, side-dish wise.

If you're looking for something simple and VERY good, try kimchi fried rice with shrimp or pork.

:hi:

[Ohio Joe]

7. Wow, cool stuff

Thanks! :hi:

[Flaxbee]

9. hey Lyric, have you ever made your own kimchi? My husband is a

kimchi fanatic - was introduced to it during a trip to SKorea about 15 years ago and has been a fan ever since.

I occasionally make some for him, if we're too lazy to drive the 2.5 hours to the closest Asian grocery. Bok choy, napa cabbage, turnips and/or carrots, scallions... all very good.

[surrealAmerican]

15. You will likely find this on the table even if you don't order it.

Most restaurants provide kim chi as a side dish with everything.

[Roon]

18. I first learned about kim chi from watching MASH

then I got a jar of it from the food bank and was able to try it for the first time. That jar of kim chi didn't have a chance!!

[datasuspect]

4. if it's americanized, you'll be okay

if it isn't there's some kind of eggy pancake dish that's good. i ordered a beef dish and it was bone marrow and tripe or something like that.

an acquired taste, and somewhat interesting cuisine.

kim chi is an appetizer (i think) and there are several different varieties.

[Ohio Joe]

10. I expect it is Americanized

I am in Ohio.

Thanks!

[Flaxbee]

5. kimchi is great, so is bibimbap...

Bibimbap (Korean pronunciation: <1>) is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed rice" or "mixed meal."

Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.

Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Dubu (tofu), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted for beef. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.

[Ohio Joe]

8. That sounds really good,

I have that one written down (heh, so I don't forget). Thanks for the description!

[Flaxbee]

11. my best friend in grad school was Korean - whenever she'd

go home for the weekends, I'd try to wrangle a visit b/c her mom's bibimbap was incredible. First place I had it.

[Tripper11]

6. Bulgogi, Bibimbap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgogi

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/food/food.cfm?subject=rice#Bibimbap

[Ohio Joe]

12. The Bulgogi sounds real good too

Any dish with mushrooms almost always gets more attention from me :D

Thanks!

[Flaxbee]

13. You're probably going to have a great dinner if the restaurant is

good and not too Americanized. Let us know what you think when you get back! :hi:

[Ohio Joe]

14. OK

I'm going to go get ready now, leaving in about an hour. I'll update when I get back.

[surrealAmerican]

16. Take some chances too.

Most places will have some sort of English description on the menu. There's a lot of good food to be found when you have no dietary restrictions and an open mind.

[Ohio Joe]

17. I went with the Bibimbap

Which, is not pronounced "bimbo - Map" but thats besides the point :D

We had an appetizer that looked a lot like a spring roll but... something was different, not sure as I did not order but ate what I was given, hahahahaha. It was really good, these was a sauce to dip it in that I thought was duck sauce but it wasn't... still kind of a fruit taste but really subtle, I didn't ask, to busy eating. We also had these things that were about the size of an egg roll but they were completely different otherwise. The core was some type of sausage (or sausage looking meat) and around it were raw veggies (very crunchy and fresh), carrots, cucumbers, big bean sprouts, and something else... I think what ever it was, was some kind of veggie that was deep fried and let to cool, all this was wrapped in some kind of wicked thin dough that seemed uncooked. This had some kind of thick brown sauce to dip it in but I did not like the sauce and thought they were quite good without it.

The Bibimbap came in a big bowl and had the rice on the bottom, a bunch of different veggies, some cooked, some not, some I knew and some I have no idea what they were. It also had thinly sliced beef in it.

To drink we had some kind of tea, not sure what it was but it was very strong, just like I like it.

All of the veggies for the appetizer as well as the meal were fresh and it always makes a big difference in the meal. Really very good. I'll have to try a different dish the next time I go.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

[NightWatcher]

19. my SIL is S Korean, so I cant even begin to tell you what it is that we've had

some good, some bad, some horrible.

Defer to someone in your party who is more familiar with the food and let them take care of you.