'The Way Home' Korean Recipes & Photos

This Korean menu designed to accompany the film 'The Way Home' includes:

Kujolp'an Appetizer Platter with Pancake Wraps
Spicy Kimchi Tofu Soup
Ginger Beef Salad
Bulgogi Mixed Grill
Asian Stir-Fry Vegetable Medley
Jasmine Rice
Fresh Fruit Marinated in Rice Wine

Serves Six

Korean Kuljop'an Appetizer Platter with Pancake Wraps

This fresh and delightful Korean appetizer is served with all its components arranged separately on a platter. Any combination of fillings may be wrapped inside the pancake and dipped in the mild or spicy sauces.

Fillings (recipes follow)

Grilled Beef
Grilled Shrimp
Stir-fry Mushrooms
Cucumber, seeds removed & julienned
Snow peas, cut into bite-sized pieces
Radishes or daikon, thinly sliced or shredded
Kimchi
Grilled Scallions
Sweet & Salty Pickles
Lettuce leaves
Pancakes
Dipping Sauce

Pancakes:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg lightly beaten
1/2 to 3/4 cup cup water
Non-stick cooking spray or vegetable oil
Parchment paper or waxed paper, cut into 4" squares

Mix the egg and flour together, stirring to blend. Add water a little at a time, stirring until the batter is thin and runny.

The making of pancakes is an intuitive process in which the batter must be adjusted until it is just the right consistency, not too thick, not too thin; the pan must be just the right temperature and coated with just the right amount of oil, the puddle of batter must be just the right size, and from there, it's all in the wrist.

As soon as the batter hits the pan, begin rotating the wrist in a swirling motion to distribute the batter in a thin, perfect 4" circle. In a matter of only a few seconds, once the batter is set, gently agitate the pan with a circular motion to dislodge the pancake from the surface. Keeping the pan over the flame at a height of about 6 to 8 inches, continue to agitate the pan until the pancake is ever so slightly browned on one side. And in one swift motion, pull the pan toward you, which will cause inertia to send the pancake flipping into the air and catch it with the pan, uncooked side down. Or you can just flip it with a spatula. But the mid-air method is much more impressive.

Once the pancake is done on both sides but still soft and pliable, slide it from the pan onto a circle of parchment paper. When flattened out, those little pleated cupcake liners are the perfect size to place between pancakes to keep them from sticking together. Repeat the process until all the batter is used up, about 18 to 20 small pancakes, stacking each one on the plate with a paper liner in between. Cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature until serving time, or overnight in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, allow pancakes to come to room temperature before serving.

Grilled Beef Marinade

1 pound beef sirloin or tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Place the beef in a shallow bowl and toss with marinade. Allow to stand for one hour or overnight.

Grilled Beef and Shrimp

1 pound marinated beef sirloin or tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound medium shrimp, deveined

Using a tabletop electric grill, a stovetop grill pan, or an outdoor grill, place beef and shrimp on the grill and cook to desired doneness, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Shrimp is very delicate and cooks very quickly, so it should be removed from the grill as soon as it turns pink on both sides and is still tender. Small pieces of beef also cook very quickly and should be removed from the grill while still slightly pink inside to avoid overcooking.

Stir-fry Mushrooms

2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine

Heat the sesame oil in a wok. Add garlic, scallions and mushrooms and stir-fry until just tender. Add soy sauce and rice wine and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.

Grilled Scallions

1 bunch fresh scallions, trimmed and cut into 3" pieces
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Place scallions in a bowl and lightly toss with sesame oil. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender. You can use a tabletop electric grill, a stovetop grill pan, or an outdoor charcoal grill. Scallions may also be lightly cooked in a wok or skillet.

Dipping Sauces

Mild:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tsp ginger root, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp chili paste (optional)

Sweet & Spicy:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili garlic paste

Quick and Easy Kimchi

1 head Napa cabbage
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons hot chili paste
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely sliced

Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Cut cabbage in quarters lengthwise and trim away the tough ends. Cut each quarter into 1 inch slices. Put into a colander and toss with salt. Cover and place over a bowl to drain for 2 hours, until wilted.

In a large bowl disolve the sugar in the vinegar. Add the chili paste, ginger, garlic, and scallions. Rinse the salt from the cabbage, drain well and add to the vinegar mixture. Pack tightly in a glass jar, and if needed, add enough water to cover. Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Sweet & Salty Pickles

3 tbsp coarse salt
2 carrots
1 cucumber
1 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Wash and trim carrots and cucumber. Halve cucumber lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut vegetables into 1/4" slices and place in a colander over a shallow bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand for about 1 hour, until tender. Rinse away all salt, drain thoroughly and place in a container with tight-fitting lid. Add rice vinegar, fish sauce and sugar. Shake to coat and blend. Allow vegetables to marinate overnight, shaking the container occasionally to ensure that all vegetables are uniformly marinated. When ready to serve, strain off the liquid and place in an attractive serving dish.

Spicy Kimchi Tofu Soup

6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup kimchi, coarsely chopped
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ginger root, finely grated
4 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes

Place chicken stock and soy sauce in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add kimchi, mushrooms, scallions and ginger. Simmer for 20 minutes. Divide tofu cubes into four equal portions and place in the bottom of soup bowls. Ladle the soup over tofu and serve immediately.

Ginger Beef Salad

1 pound beef sirloin or tenderloin, cut into 2" pieces
4 cups spring lettuce
1 carrot, trimmed & finely shredded
1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced

Beef Marinade & Salad Dressing

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tsp ginger root, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/8 tsp chili paste (optional)

Mix all marinade ingredients and allow to stand for 1 hour or overnight to marry flavors. Divide marinade in two parts, reserving half for the meat marinade and the rest for the salad dressing. Do not use the beef marinade for salad dressing. Keep half of the marinade separate for salad dressing.

Place beef in a shallow bowl and mix thoroughly with marinade. Allow to stand for 1 hour, or overnight. Discard marinade liquid and grill beef for 3 to 5 minute, using a tabletop electric grill, a stovetop grill pan or outdoor grill. Remove from the grill while still slightly pink inside. Allow beef to cool and cut into thin slices. Arrange spring greens, carrot, cucumber and beef slices on serving dishes and drizzle with salad dressing.

Korean Mixed Bulgogi Grill

Marinade #1 (mild)

1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 cup rice wine or mirin
1 cup water
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Marinade #2 (spicy)

2 tablespoons hot chili paste
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 scallions, sliced thin

Meats:

1/2 pound beef tenderloin, sliced into 1" pieces 12 large shrimp, cleaned and peeled, tails intact 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into 1" pieces 1/2 pound boneless pork loin, sliced into 1" pieces

Serving Accompaniments:

Mixed lettuce leaves
Quick and Easy Kimchi
Homemade Salt Pickles
Dipping Sauce

To Prepare and Serve:

Divide each of the sliced meats into two portions. Marinate half in the spicy marinade, and the other half in the mild marinade, for at least 20 minutes. For convenience, meats may also be marinated overnight. When ready to cook, place the meats on a plate and discard all leftover marinade. Using an electric grill or a stovetop grill pan coated with non-stick cooking spray, grill on both sides, making sure that all meats are thoroughly done in the center, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the grilled meat with a platter of mixed lettuce leaves, dipping sauce, and side dishes of kimchi,and salt pickles. To eat, wrap meat in a lettuce leaf and dip in dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger root
1 clove minced garlic
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together and let stand for at least one hour before serving.

Asian Stir-Fry Medly

3 baby bok choy, root end removed and separated into individual leaves
1 carrot, julienne
½ cup snow peas, veins removed
½ cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil

Place the prepared vegetables in a steamer kettle and steam for 3-5 minutes until almost done, but still slightly crisp. Uncover and transfer to a cool wok and toss with sesame oil. Just before serving, finish cooking the vegetables over high heat until just tender.

Jasmine Rice

2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
4 cups cooked jasmine rice, cooled or leftover
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

In a hot wok coated with sesame oil, add garlic, ginger and scallions. Cook until soft then add rice and soy sauce. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and stir-fry until rice is hot.

Fresh Fruit Marinated in Sake

3 cups fresh fruit, thinly sliced (peaches, melon, berries, etc.)
1 cup Japanese sake
1 tablespoon sugar
2 sprigs fresh mint

Dissolve the sugar in the sake. Slice the fruit and place in a shallow plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Pour the sweetened sake over the fruit, cover and marinate overnight. Serve in attractive bowls garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.