13 best random house korean cookbooks

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Eggplant with Spicy Bean Paste

Houston Pulled Pork and Grits

Crispy Ham Ribs with Sweet Sriracha Glaze

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Honey Soy Flank Steak

This is one amazing steak. It’s simple to prepare and you get maximum flavor in a short period of time. Flank steak is a lean cut, so be careful you don’t overcook it; medium-rare is ideal. Piercing the steak with a fork before marinating it is key to getting all of the rich, tangy, sweet flavors of the marinade throughout the meat.

Prep time 15 minutes.

Marinate time 1 hour.

Cook time 8 minutes.

Feeds 6 people.

Honey Soy Flank Steak Recipe

Combine the Soy Balsamic Sauce, oil, honey, vinegar, salt, and chili powder in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Place the flank steak in a large, shallow dish and pierce it all over with a fork. Pour the marinade over the steak and turn the steak to coat evenly. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat the grill for direct heat cooking to medium (350° to 375°F).

Place the steak on the grill grate and cook, turning it once, for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. You can cook it a minute or two longer if you prefer your steak cooked medium, but flank steak should not be cooked past medium or it will be chewy.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak against the grain, arrange the slices on a serving platter, and serve.

Soy Balsamic Sauce

This recipe is very dear to my heart, as it was my first attempt to use ingredients that didn’t normally go together, but made sense to me. In Asian cooking, vinegar is often used to cut saltiness from soy sauce or other ingredients. For me, balsamic vinegar has the perfect mix of sweetness, acidity, and body to combine with the brown sugar and soy sauce here.

Prep time 10 minutes.

Cook time 10 minutes.

Makes 1 cup.

Soy Balsamic Sauce Recipe

In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water until the cornstarch dissolves and the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream, adding more cornstarch if the mixture is too thin.

Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir the cornstarch mixture briefly to recombine, then stir it into the soy-vinegar mixture and simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from the heat, let cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container. This sauce will last for months without going bad.

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Crock-Pot Kalbijjim

Our Mildly Insane Kimchi Bokkeumbap

This Is Not a Bibimbap Recipe

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Quick Chicken Pho

Great for pho beginners, this recipe is also terrific for cooks in a hurry. It involves less than 45 minutes, during which you’ll doctor up store-bought broth so it says, 'I’m pho-ish'.

The keys to this streamlined approach include toasting spices and dry sauteing the ginger and green onion, which help to extract flavor fast. Poaching the chicken in the broth adds savory depth. You’ll practice some fundamental pho techniques that you can apply elsewhere, too. Choose a broth that tastes like chicken, such as Swanson brand, which is less fussed up and easy to manipulate. You need two 14.5-ounce (411 g) cans or one 32-ounce (907 ml) carton.

Recipe

Peel then slice the ginger into 4 or 5 coins. Smack with the flat side of a knife or meat mallet; set aside. Thinly slice the green parts of the green onion to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Cut the leftover sections into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, then add to the ginger.

Coarsely chop the leafy tops of the cilantro to yield 2 tablespoons; set aside for garnish. Set the remaining cilantro sprigs aside.

In a 3- to 4-quart (3 to 4 l) pot, toast the coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ginger and green onion sections. Stir for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Slide the pot off heat, wait 15 seconds or so to briefly cool, then pour in the broth.

Return the pot to the burner, then add the water, cilantro sprigs, chicken, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to gently simmer for 30 minutes.

While the broth simmers, soak the rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, the chicken should be firm and cooked through (press on it and it should slightly yield). Transfer the chicken to a bowl, flush with cold water to arrest the cooking, then drain. Let cool, then cut or shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.

When the broth is done, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer positioned over a 2-quart (2 l) pot; line the strainer with muslin for superclear broth. Discard the solids. You should have about 4 cups (1 l). Season with fish sauce and sugar (or maple syrup), if needed, to create a strong savory-sweet note.

Bring the strained broth to a boil over high heat. Put the noodles in a noodle strainer or mesh sieve and dunk in the hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Lift the noodles from the pot and divide between the 2 bowls.

Lower the heat to keep the broth hot while you arrange the chicken on top of the noodles and garnish with the chopped green onion, cilantro, and a sprinkling of pepper. Taste and adjust the broth’s saltiness one last time. Return the broth to a boil and ladle into the bowls. Enjoy with any extras, if you like.