By Request

BETTY SHIMABUKURO

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Korean chef
shares recipes for
simple side dishes

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This week's celebration of the centennial of Korean immigration is the perfect opportunity to consider a couple of requests for recipes of Korean origin.

Valerie Chang and Evelyn Pang both e-mailed in search of the potato side dish offered at most Korean take-out places. You know the one, set alongside the kim chees and salads in the glass case. Choose four to go with your kalbi plate ...

Chang is also a major fan of cabbage namul.

Chang Bong Choi, owner and chef at Enchanted Lake's Kim Chee Restaurant, offered his formulas for both dishes (another of his recipes accompanies our kim chee story on D5). Choi will be among 13 food vendors at Saturday's Korean Festival (see Page D1).

Both are very simple dishes that would add to a variety of menus -- not just Korean food. I'm thinking meaty meals, such as grilled steak. The potatoes will stand up to the beefiness, and the cabbage will offer a light, refreshing counterweight.

The cabbage namul is made with just salt, pepper and garlic. If you're used to a more pumped-up version, try a bit of hon dashi or sesame oil. Just don't overdo. A half-teaspoon may be enough.

Korean Potato

2 pounds potatoes, peeled, in bite-sized pieces
3 cups water
1 tablespoon rock salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Soak potato pieces in 2 cups of water with rock salt for 10 minutes; drain.

Combine remaining 1 cup of water with the rest of the ingredients in a shallow pan or skillet; bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Add potatoes and cook over medium-high heat, 10 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat all pieces, until tender.

Remove with a slotted spoon. If desired, drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the leftover sauce from the pan over the potatoes.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 1/2-cup serving: 90 calories, 1.5 g fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, 310 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein.*

Cabbage Namul

1/2 gallon water
1 head cabbage (about 3 pounds), thinly sliced
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks
1/2 to 1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Bring water to a boil; add cabbage and carrot. After 30 seconds, remove vegetables and rinse in cold water. Drain and toss with salt, garlic and pepper (add salt a little at a time and taste as you go).

Approximate nutritional analysis, per 1/4-cup serving: 8 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 75-150 mg sodium, 1.5 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g protein .*

Food Stuffs: Morsels

Send queries along with name and phone number to:
"By Request," Honolulu Star-Bulletin,
500 Ala Moana, No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813.
Or send e-mail to bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses in the Body & Soul section indicates calculations by Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.