KOREAN FARE THAT SAVOR YOUR TASTE BUDS

Korean restaurants are well known for an array of complimentary small dishes called “banchan,” laid out with your entrée.  They are said to be impressive showcasing a quality of care, service and economic stability.   According to a bit of research, it is served in odd numbers as even numbers are considered to be “bad luck.” 

The best way to understand banchan is by general categories of ingredients and preparation. An infinite variety of banchan can be grouped into the following culinary techniques: namul muchim (lightly seasoned ingredients, in particular, vegetables, roots, sprouts); jjim (steamed); jorim (braised in seasoned broth or sauce), bokkeum (lightly sautéed or stir fried); kimchi and jangajji (fermentation and pickling).

There is also a variety of jun (thinly pan-fried savory pancakes and small meat patties) that are associated with larger feasts rather than an everyday casual meal. Three in particular will always appear, no matter how great or humble the table setting: kimchi, namul muchim and jorim.

What better way to sample these dishes and the menu than dining at KumGangSan BBQ located at 138-28 Northern Blvd, in Flushing.  Assist Manager Greg Kang provided some information for me saying that one set of side dishes would be something like 6-7small dishes of different foods plus a plate of kimchi. “So, typically one set of that will be served to minimum of 1 to 4 persons.For a group of 12 you will see 3 sets of those.”

 “There is basically a large spoonful on a small dish and we serve different kinds everyday with the exception kimchi, which is like a staple of the Korean food,” said Kang. The preparation of the side dishes are a big operation of which they have a separate department specializing in just the creation of these delights.

KumGanSan is open 24 hours, which is also part of the reason why they do so and having a crew of 10 that are working around the clock. “The side dishes we create not only get served at the restaurant but there is also a big demand for catering for large parties.”

Wanting to sample a good amount of the bill of fare, I dined with Yeou-Cheng Ma and her husband Michael Dadap, who are the owners of the Children’s Orchestra Society. Yeou-Cheng’s parents were born in China and then moved to France prior to her birth.  She is also an accomplished violinist, a pediatrician and the sister of Yo-Yo. Michael, originally from the Philippines, is the Musical Director and Conductor of the COS.  He has a great collection of stringed instruments.  Okay, they also have a daughter, Laura, who is both a cellist and actor. Loved her performance in The Voca People. They had eaten here prior and recommended it to me.  

I first must admit that I have not sampled Korean food for at least 30 years due to the thought of it being too spicy for me. Kimchi is the kicker made from fermented cabbage and usually with ginger, garlic and/or chili paste and hot pepper flakes. The chef here actually prepares a second kimchi that has much less of the red stuff, but still maintains a bit of a kick. Perfect for me.

Small dishes came out: Kkadugi (cubed radish kimchi) using radish instead of cabbage; pickled cucumbers; bean sprouts with scallions (that seemed to have marinated with garlic); julienned radish; water cress; fish cake and more. I will have to find out if one can do a “to go” of small dishes. 

Appetizers began to make its way to the table.  Sushi and Sashimi combination. 3 pieces of sushi, 9 pieces of sashimi.  Korean Steamed Eggs whisked in salted water and steamed in a pot with scallions.  There was no lack of flavor.  Seafood Pajun. Crispy rice flour pancake with shrimp (not the tiny ilk) and scallions.  I enjoyed these pancakes more than the Chinese version made with wheat flour.

  

Duk Guk - traditional Korean soup with oval shaped rice cakes.  The white oval shape symbolizes a bright and prosperous new year. The Korean holiday coincides with the Chinese New Year. 

Most popular entrée is the barbecue cooked at your table.  We ordered Kal Bi, thinly cross cut beef short ribs with bone marinated in a special sauce.  It comes with onions, garlic cloves, mushrooms, and peppers of which you can either eat raw or add to the cooking.  A second sauce is provided along with lettuce for you to wrap and enjoy.   Yeou-Cheng informed me that the BBQ would not begin until the sushi was completed.  Not a problem. 

As if it wasn’t enough food (That’s why they invent “doggy bags”) we sampled a second entrée called Bibimbap, a large bowl of rice topped with a variety of individually prepared vegetables and beef and then topped with an over easy fried egg. Although it is served with a seasoned red chili pepper paste, here again there was no need to add it unless you wanted to partake it in a spicier manner. 

Bibim means mixing, and bap means rice. This dish, served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, is mixed at the table right before eating. The hot stone bowl gives the bottom layer of rice a nice golden crust, and the rest of the food sizzles while being mixed.  Yeou-Cheng said that she loves to scrape out the crust and later use to mix with their meal.  I don’t believe she’s the only one that does this. 

Tea, made of barley and corn is automatically served in a glass.  Dessert is a soy based vanilla flavored yogurt. 

The décor of KumGangSan is spacious, decorative and calming.  Lots of wood.  There is an outdoor area in the back complete with a water falls.  I will wait for the “thaw.” 

www.kumgangsan.net/flushing.php

GET A LOT OF HOT POT AT SPRING SHABU- SHABU

“Unique” would be the word to describe Spring Shabu-Shabu, a “hot pot” restaurant in downtown Flushing.  “Hot pot” is a style of food preparation at many Asian eateries where you sit at a table and cook your meal in a broth.  Let me just share my experience.

Spring Shabu-Shabu is located at 136-20 38^th Avenue and Manager Jay Lang is skillfully in charge.  It is on the second floor of the building known as Queens Crossing.  Quite large but I hear that it can get quite crowed at peak hours being wonderfully popular, particularly with the Asian population.   There are several eateries in this building, so you have to follow the signs.

I went with a friend as it may be difficult to dine alone.  First step…we chose a broth. Soup bases are: dashi, dried fish and vegetable stock; spicy dashi (spicy radish strips added); pork bone; spicy pork bone – chili oil, red chilies, and Chinese herbs; vegetarian- mushrooms and vegetables.   I opted for the pork bone while Nancy chose the vegetarian. 

Your proteins are ordered off the menu (if you so desire). Here are the prices.  Chicken – 7 oz.  $4.  Other meats - fatty beef, non-fatty beef, prime beef are $4 for 5 oz.  $6 for 4oz. ribeye beef, $6 for 4 oz. pork, tripe, 4oz- $4, lamb 5oz.-$4.   Seafood options include shrimp - 8 pieces for lunch for $5 or 12 pieces for dinner at $7.   A 14 oz seafood combo of shrimp, clams, squid, baby octopus, whitefish and crab is $5 for lunch. Shrimp is more like prawn with the heads on…which we placed on our list.  All meats are thinly sliced and meant to be cooked a short time.  We ordered chicken and prime beef.  Crabs were another item that I couldn’t resist.  But wait!

Off to what was the longest buffet of vegetables, noodle products, tofu and dumplings.  I have not even experienced seeing this amount of a variety of vegetables at any Asian grocery.  Just to get an idea…white sweet potatoes, lotus root, Kabocha squash, various cabbages and a variety of mushrooms.  Thank goodness they are labeled and more importantly, fresh.  Nothing wilted, etc.  I grabbed a plate walked around and filled it up for the first run.   There is another area just for sauces both mild and spicy.  You grab a bowl and can mix up a few if you want.  

Back at the table to cook and enjoy sharing a small bottle of sake.  You are given a large spoon and slotted spoon along with chop sticks or fork and knife if you wish.  Placed some of the cooked food on my curved metal plate, dipped into the sauce using my chop sticks and the flavors of the combination of soup that is produced along with obviously fresh meats and fish is beyond ones idea of savory food.   

This is an all you can stuff yourself buffet which means I could not only keep going back but try produce that I don’t usually eat.  We both took advantage of this opportunity to “exercise.” With the buffet having dumplings that contain meat, I realized that it was not necessary to order other meats or seafood but certainly fun and great tasting.  Crabs (heads removed and cleaned) are just about large enough to get a decent amount of meat and easy to crack.  Nancy found them to be messy.  More for me.

 

A Shabu-Shabu experience here was certainly not without service.   Our server brought and replenished the broths (which cannot be changed in midstream).   He saw to it that the used dishes were removed and both tea and water glasses/cups were refilled.  As for leftovers….the restaurant does not use plastic which means that you cannot take the soup home to your “dog.”  They will, however, bring an aluminum container so you can scoop out the solids.   Ate them the next day….cold!  OMG! Soft ice cream is the only dessert….fine with both of us! 

Interesting to have found out that the tea is not made from tea leaves but a combination of barley and corn from Korea (oksusu-bori-cha.)  I guess it would be classified as being “herbal.” Aside from the never ending tea…beer, wine, sake, soju (a Korean alcohol made from rice) and soft drinks are available.  With assistance from our server, I opted for 300ml of cold sake in the category of Junmai, called Kaga Setsubai described as, “pure rice sake that is aromatic and light with a smooth finish.” Sake can be pricey as wine would be.  Here the cold sake prices range from $15 to $31 for 300ml; $31 to $73 for 750 ml.  

Meal prices? Lunch special weekdays - $11.95, 11:30am  to 3pm ; weekends and holidays, $15.95.  Everyday dinner - $16.95.  Lunch on a weekday is a bargain at $13 that includes the tax.  If you are thinking, “Why would I pay $13 for lunch?” Change your habit for the day and think of lunch as “dinner.”   Open until 10pm.  For further information call: 718-395-8076.  No…they do not take reservations. 

PREVIEWING LUNAR NEW YEAR AT GOLDEN PALACE GOURMET

January 28 marks Lunar New Year Day with the Year of the Rooster, a day to share with family, friends and lots of traditional food.  Why wait until then to dine at yet another Chinese restaurant.  This time it was Golden Palace Gourmet that serves “authentic Northern Chinese food, handmade noodle and dumplings”.  Not all Chinese restaurants are of the same cuisine as years ago we had gotten used to the basic Cantonese style or the spicier Szechuan.   I don’t eat alone as I venture into Asian restaurants with Taiwanese-American Luchia Meihua Lee and her husband Ken Howell, who does not either understand or speak Chinese.  

 

Guan Jing is the owner of Golden Palace, located at 140-09 Cherry Avenue in downtown Flushing.  Ms. Jing owns a few other restaurants that are located in Manhattan.  The cuisine represents a city in China, Liaoning, located in the Northeast near North Korea.  That may be the reason that Kimchi and another spicy appetizer of shredded potato in hot sauce was automatically brought to the table.  I requested a small glass of milk just in case.   As it turned out, the potato appetizer seemed spicier than the kimchi.  Now you get that I don’t necessarily enjoy hot spicy foods.   Luchia had no difficulty.   

Ken is a vegetarian.  I am not and it is always interesting being able to taste vegetarian dishes.  Yes, we pigged out as we usually do and then take home the leftovers.   The Crispy Lamb with Chili Pepper sounded pretty good to me now that I gained a bit more tolerance to the “hot”.  I think that seeing the red and green hot peppers should have alerted me but my problem is that I didn’t realize that cumin was a main spice.  I don’t favor the taste of cumin and am a bit allergic to it.  Luchia thought it was delicious.  

One of Ken’s choices was the sautéed Potato, Green Pepper and Eggplant that was in a vegetarian brown sauce.  I was able to taste this one.  Great alternative to other proteins, I truly loved the flavors.  

Although I was skipping beef for a while, I noticed a photo of Fried Beef with Scallions.  The chunks of beef were on bones.  I love eating food on bones…so much juicier.   The brown sauce made the dish even more savory.  

Another vegetable dish. Not sure of the name of this one made with bean curd skins sliced up to look like a semi-wide noodle.  These are just one of many handmade noodles created on the premises.  The dish contained green beans, mung bean noodles and scallions.   I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t eaten the saucy or spicy foods prior as in comparison, it tasted bland.   That’s not to say that Ken didn’t appreciate it.   Personally I think the sauce used for the sautéed potato dish would have added a greater flavor.  

Guan Jing stopped over many times to inquire about our enjoyment of the food.  That is when I heard about the dumplings made on the premises and then looked at the menu.  Ms. Jing does understand and speak English but it was a lot easier to have Luchia speaking with her and translating to me with any questions that I had.  

The choices of dumplings were longer than any other restaurant I’ve been to.  I’ll just list: Seafood dumpling with pork, egg and chives (This is the one that I ordered); Seafood Dumpling with pork; Sour Cabbage Dumpling; Leek Dumpling with pork; Tomato Egg Dumpling (sounded like a good one for breakfast); Fish Celery Dumplings; Radish Beef Dumplings; Fennel Dumplings; Green Dumpling – spinach, scrambled egg and vermicelli ; Lamb Dumpling.  What I mostly treasured about these dumplings was that they were not only packed with the ingredients but were comparatively thin skinned to most that I have eaten.  It allows me to enjoy the steamed dumpling without the heavy amount of flour.  You can buy the dumplings wholesale frozen with a price range from $15 to $22 dollars for 50 pieces depending upon your choice.

 

Since Golden Palace is authentic, you won’t be able to get ice cream for dessert.  There are “Sweet Dishes” one of which is Pumpkin Rice Cakes.  The rice gives glutinous texture vs. the chew of rice and not overly sweet.   I just think we should all have a sweet new year.  Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Golden Palace is open 7 days a week from noon until midnight (718-886-4383).