Seoultown Kitchen: Korean-American Recipes to Share with Family and Friends

In Chapter 6, Debbie pays “A Tribute to Pork: The Belly Itself”. The Egg-Battered Pork Belly is prepared jeon-style – dredged in flour and then dipped in a pure egg batter. These can be served as ahn-joo (pub grub) or for brunch with some potatoes. You won’t believe how simple this dish is. At a Korean market, you can find the pork belly already sliced to a ¼-inch thickness, as it is a popular cut in Korean cooking. The egg batter and pork belly work really well together making a perfect brunch dish. It’s like eggs and bacon, but better. The Ginger-Soy Vinegar is the perfect sauce for dipping these delectable delights in. It is sweet and sour from the vinegar, salty from the shoyu (soy sauce) and has a refreshing zing from the ginger. Debbie is not alone when she says, “I could eat this salty canned ham every day.” Not only is Spam a popular item in Korean cuisine, it is main staple in Hawaiian cuisine as well. It is the essence of pork to ‘da max’. Her dish, Spam and Eggs, caught my eye since it is built almost like a loco moco in Hawaii, but with a Chile Maple Syrup instead of brown gravy. I can see why this is the perfect “pub grub” – salty pork flavor from the Spam, carbs from the calrose rice (to soak up the alcohol), sweet and spicy flavor from the syrup, and creamy goodness of the yolk from the fried egg on top. This would also be great for brunch, lunch, or dinner too. In Chapter 10, “The Chicken or the Egg: My View of the Bird”, Debbie explains how chicken was once thought of as “poor man’s food” in the Korean culture. Now, fried chicken has become one of the most popular items on a Korean menu. Debbie developed this recipe for the Anh-Joo food truck for it is easy, on-the-go presentation. You’ve never had fried chicken like this before. I guarantee it! With great tasting food, sometimes, comes with a longer cooking time. The chicken is fried twice. Don’t get discouraged, it’s well worth the wait. The recipe calls for drumsticks, but I substituted chicken wings cut into drummettes and forewings. Debbie said that if you’re doing this for a party, do the first fry the day before and do the second fry right before you serve. After the second fry, they take a plunge into a Roasted Garlic-Soy Glaze. This chicken is amazing! You’ll definitely have an OMG moment or two. The skin is super-crispy and the glaze makes it taste like it was marinated overnight. The glaze gets down to the bone with an outstanding sweet, salty and garlicky flavor. It’s insane!