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About Korean Food
Korean food is some of the healthiest on earth, with an emphasis on vegetables, meats cooked simply and without much oil and a near obsession with the fermented vegetable kimchi.
Much of the food that exists today and the customs surrounding it have come from royal cuisine and the complex customs of the ancient court. The food is a study in balance with consideration given to temperature, spiciness, colour and texture along with careful presentation.
Starting with ritual bowls of rice and soup, the meal is built around numerous shared side dishes, each carefully selected to complement the other. A banquet consists of many dishes cooked in various ways -being steamed and simmered, pan-fried and stewed, fermented and raw. One constant is the presence of the beloved kimchi which is adored for its sour tangy crunch as well as being a digestive aid. Many Koreans say they just don't feel right without kimchi and feel weak and unwell without it.
Traditional restaurants often feature charcoal grills in the middle of the table - a type of indoor bbq. Paper-thin slices of marinated meat -bulgogi- or beef ribs - kalbi - are grilled, cut into pieces and wrapped in lettuce leaves with garlic, chilli and soybean paste. They're eaten in one bite as it's considered the height of rudeness to bite into a lettuce parcel.
Koreans also place importance on food as medicine, using exotic ingredients such as dried persimmon, red dates (jujube), pine seeds, chestnut, gingko, tangerine and ginseng in their cooking and also in specially brewed teas.
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Choosing and prepping asparagus
Choose asparagus with tight, well-formed heads and avoid any with thin woody, dry and dirty stems. Snap off the woody end of the asparagus by holding the spear in the middle and bend the bottom until it finds its natural snapping point. Discard the woody ends, or use in a stock.
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Tahini
A paste or butter obtained from grinding sesame seeds. Used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, often to thicken hommos or other dips but also as a sweet filling in cakes and pastries.
