53
votes
Is it safe to add garlic powder to sesame oil?
The concern with garlic in oil leading to botulism is about long-term storage, usually in the context of garlic oil as a 'shelf-stable' condiment; the botulism needs time to grow in the anaerobic ...
- 2,119
14
votes
Accepted
What to do with insoluble tamarind parts found in a paste pouch, to prevent them appearing in dishes
Remove the amount of tamarind you want to use from package. Place in a bowl. Add some water or other liquid...often hot to better dissolve the tamarind. Let soak a bit. Stir and mash with spoon or ...
- 73.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Giant parsnip from Korean shop
Sounds like Daikon Radish to me. It is commonly found in Korean supermarkets and looks slightly like parsnip. Some can grow longer than 2 feet.
Another possibility is Parsley Root. These look very ...
- 8,843
7
votes
Accepted
What is this white, non-fuzzy, substance on my kimchi?
That's mold, and you should discard it.
Kimchi keeps forever (well, years) if and only if it's not exposed to air, meaning there's always enough liquid in the pot to cover the cabbage. If you have ...
- 1,416
7
votes
What is the correct way to use fermented (and unfermented) soybean paste?
First of all, the Korean middle one is not soybean paste at all, but chunjang (춘장), a black bean paste. This is used as a condiment for stir-fries, in particular the noodle dish jjajangmyeon; it's ...
- 1,416
6
votes
What is considered "mild" vs. "hot" in different countries? (measured empirically)
Nobody has published reports on this kind of empirical evaluation, and there's a few reasons why not (in the below, "heat" refers to spiciness from capsaicin):
Heat tolerance and preference ...
- 58.9k
5
votes
Accepted
What exactly is Korean chili paste, aka 'gochujang'? Is there any way of making it at home?
It is a fermented chili paste made with rice and fermented bean paste.
You could make it at home if you can find all the ingredients. But it looks like a complex recipe and preparation.
For example: ...
- 20.4k
5
votes
Using cheese in noodle dishes
My friend who was in Korea for a few months said that they are obsessed with cheese. It's not a traditional ingredient, but in modern cuisine they try to introduce cheese to some of the dishes - I ...
- 51
5
votes
Can I substitute Dried Anchovies with Fresh Anchovies?
Speaking as someone who has made this broth, it will not work. Fresh anchovies will add too much oil and will break up in the broth, making it cloudy and too fishy. You really want to look at other ...
- 58.9k
4
votes
is Doubanjiang (Szechuan hot bean paste) an acceptable substitute in recipes calling for Doenjang (Korean fermented bean paste)?
The two have almost nothing in common, beyond being fermented and pastes (though doubanjiang is only sort of paste-like). The ingredients (broad beans and chilies versus soybeans) and the taste are ...
- 26.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Is there a difference between mirin (미림) and mijak (미작)?
No. Mirin is a sweet saki for cooking, with a very neutral flavour. Mijak is a ginger flavored wine. If you are cooking a dish that calls for mirin and ginger, you can skate by using mijak. Otherwise, ...
- 196
4
votes
What is this white, non-fuzzy, substance on my kimchi?
Kahm Yeast. Very common on pickled products "above the brine."
Annoying but not actually hazardous.
To avoid, make sure there is no "above the brine."
Wikipedia "yeast" article:
The appearance ...
- 15.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Does kimchi always have live cultures?
At least in the U.S., there is no legal requirement to list "live cultures" or whatever on food labels. Short of contacting the manufacturer, there's no way to know for certain whether or not it may ...
- 32k
4
votes
Accepted
What is the correct way to use fermented (and unfermented) soybean paste?
As regards your hint, the best-by date is a bit of a myth with this stuff, and not, in any case, an expiration date. It has its own set of microbes in residence and rarely actually "spoils." ...
- 15.1k
3
votes
Reproduce Korean BBQ Pork Jerky
Does this product represent a dish in Korean cuisine or is it a fusion variation? If I could find a name I could find a recipe.
It does not appear to be a korean dish, rather a version of the chinese ...
- 915
3
votes
Accepted
What can I substitute for hot Korean chili oil in this pork noodle recipe?
You can always just make your own Korean chili oil. For example, here's The Woks of Life formula for chili oil:
1½ cups oil (ideally a vegetable, peanut, or grapeseed oil…light olive oil is fine, ...
- 2,755
3
votes
How can I make kimchi with everyday ingredients?
I made it without nappa. This is my recipe which turned out pretty good!!
Kimchi cabbage:
Cabbage, salt, water
1. Rinse cabbage
2.Cut into strips
3.Rise again and put salt
4.Store in cool area. Wait ...
- 31
3
votes
What is the correct way to use fermented (and unfermented) soybean paste?
I can’t comment on the Korean pastes (which I use, but I don’t know enough about the cuisine to know if there’s a ‘correct’ way to use it.
For Japanese miso, traditionally you don’t want to boil it. ...
- 79.3k
2
votes
What is this white, non-fuzzy, substance on my kimchi?
I'm a microbiologist in dairy.
Only two things normally grow in such an acidic environment as kimchi. Yeast or fungi (mold).
The two microorganisms are practically the same. Fungus is a mutiple-cell ...
- 29
2
votes
What is this white, non-fuzzy, substance on my kimchi?
It might not be mold, it could very well be bacteria or yeast. Lactic acid bacteria and yeast would be happy to grow in the acetic kimchi environment. Looking at the photo I'd suspect it's not mold. ...
- 1,840
2
votes
What kind of peppers are used in Gochugaru (고추가루)?
Buy dried chilis and blend them into powder
It sounds like this community doesn't know more about the specific peppers used (and their North American subsitutes) than what @janeylicious has proposed. ...
- 203
2
votes
Can I make kimchi from “kimchi base”, or is it just a sauce?
Kimchi is a lactofermented food, meaning that the sour taste is due to lactic acid bacteria being allowed to digest sugars present in the vegetables and seasoning paste.
Kimchi, once fermented, is ...
- 5,204
2
votes
Braising boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Asking if something is worth it is opinion based, so I will address the differences between the results you get braising chicken thighs skin on and off as I've done both many times.
Chicken thigh ...
- 74.2k
2
votes
Gochugaru powder vs paste?
If you are referring to gochujang, gochugaru and gochujang have significantly different flavors (gochugaru is thought to impart a "cleaner" hotness to dishes, while gochujang tends to be a ...
- 206
1
vote
is Doubanjiang (Szechuan hot bean paste) an acceptable substitute in recipes calling for Doenjang (Korean fermented bean paste)?
So, normally ssamjang calls for both doenjang (which is generally, but not always, not spicy), and gochujang (which is spicy). Presumably you'd be substituting your doubanjiang for both of those ...
- 58.9k
1
vote
Braising boneless skinless chicken thighs?
To answer your question about "braising boneless skinless chicken thighs" and relate it to Dak-bokkeum-tang.
General rule, avoid cooking chicken for more that 30 minutes. The cooking heat or ...
- 132
1
vote
Braising boneless skinless chicken thighs?
It depends on exactly what you want out of the chicken. Braising consists of browning food and then boiling.
Browning meat gives it more flavour on the outside. Each piece will develop flavours on ...
- 149
1
vote
What can I substitute for hot Korean chili oil in this pork noodle recipe?
I would use any asian Chili oil. My experience is that they are pretty much the same. I have access to an asian supermarket and all the chili oils are in the same place in the market as well as the ...
- 11
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