Korean food for a friend

Dr Food invited his friend over for dinner. Dr Food's friend is Korean. We decided to cook Korean food and see if it tasted authentic.

First off I made sesame leaves. They are beautiful and easy to make. Turns out that this is Dr Food's friends favorite. It is something that his mother makes. Mine were stuffed with a little meat but you can just dredge sesame leaves in flour and dip in egg wash and fry. They are wonderful.





Next off I made Korean radish kimchi and bean sprout salad. Friend brought sashimi.



He bought it at the new Korean market that Dr Food and I had just discovered. It was amazing. It was a grand opening this last weekend and we got to sample lots of stuff. The fish department was fantastic



The selection made me happy






They even had a clown out front. Clowns scare me and this one looked a little like someone they picked up on the freeway offramp and offered a few bucks.



Back to the Korean dinner... No wonder I am not a "famous" blogger, I digress very easily.



Then there was the seafood pancake. Ew. It was awful. The other reason I am not a "famous" blogger is because I admit when what I cooked was crap. This was disgusting and I swear I followed the recipe (which I won't give you because it is bad)



Last but not least there was Kalbi or Galbi. Picture isn't very good but it tasted great. Next time I would make bulgogi because it is easier to eat.



Saw this recipe on a cooking show where mom teaches daughter how to cook. It was called "Mom's Cooking". I am not sure if it is still on.

Lettuce-Wrapped Ginger Pork (Dae-Gee Bul-go-kee)
Serves 6
Marinade
2 & 1/2 tablespoons, prepared chili paste (koh-chu-chang)
2 teaspoons, spicy red pepper flakes
1/3 cup, soy sauce
2 tablespoons, sesame seed oil
2 tablespoons, honey
3/4 cup, brown sugar
salt and pepper
5 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 knobs (thumb-size) of ginger root, grated/ground
1 kiwi, pureed
1/4 pealed Asian pear, pureed
sliced fresh ginger (10-12 pieces)
For marinade:
Peel and chop Asian pear and kiwi. Add soy sauce and place in food processor. Blend until smooth.
Grind garlic and ginger.
In a mixing bowl, add chili paste and fruit mixture and ground garlic and ginger, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, brown sugar, honey and mix.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Pork
3 lbs. thinly-sliced, bite-sized pork, (1/2 lb of meat per person)
10 thin slices of fresh ginger

For pork:
Massage marinade into the meat by hand. Add slices of fresh ginger.
Marinade for a minimum of 30 – 60 minutes. Cover grill with aluminum foil.
Place meat flat on the grill- make sure not to layer meat. Cover and grill on high for 10 minutes. Turn meat over, and cook for 5 more minutes until brown.

Serve with brown rice and lettuce wrap with koh-chu-chang dip.