12.063 Kåldolmar

12.063

9 (Tue) March 2021

Kåldolmar

2.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

Korean-Swedish Culinary Exchange (13) (see also KSCX)

For our latest exchange, Number One Swedish Fan GK and I remade dishes that we had cooked previously: kåldolmar by me, bibimbap by him (see 3.330 Kåldolmar).

I followed my own recipe, which worked okay, although the filling this time seemed underseasoned.  I was again frustrated in finding the wrapping very difficult, perhaps even more than I recalled from before.  I overcooked the rolls a bit, leaving the cabbage kinda mushy.

 

BY GK

GK: This was gamja jeon (감자전) and dipping sauce for it. The jeon was made out of potatoes and onion.

GK: 

1. Zucchini. Sautéed with garlic + soy sauce + sesame oil.
2. Spinach. Parboiled with garlic + soy sauce + sesame oil.
3. Radish. Pickled with gochugaru + garlic + vinegar + salt + sugar.
4. Cucumber. Pickled with gochugaru + sesame oil + soy sauce + sugar.
5. Carrot. Sautéed with garlic + soy sauce + sesame oil.

GK: The whole thing was all right. Might have been a little more fun if it would have been served in a dolsot.

GK: Anyways, the more I think about it, the less excited I am for bibimbab. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid dish, just not that exciting.  I get the impression that bibimbab is more or less a dish that you make out of whatever you have in the fridge…

GK: It is actually kinda similar to how I feel about the Swedish dish “pytt i panna” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyttipanna), essentially a dish that originally just consisted of left over meats, potatoes and vegetables that were minced, pan fried and served with a fried egg plus slices of pickled beetroot. (Nowadays people normally buy it frozen pre-made).

 

CONCLUSIONS

On my end, it was fun making the dish again.

Beyond the specific dish itself, it got me to thinking that many/most of the good dishes that I’ve made in my life, including those documented on GMTD, deserved to be made again, improved upon, mastered, but never were.

A few observations on GK’s dish:

That is quite a thick gamja jeon.  Looks much nicer than the Swedish potato pancake that I once attempted (see 4.007 Raggmunk with Köttbullar).  I like the idea of onions of gamja jeon, which would add volume and sweetness to what is typically made only with ground potato and thus kinda flat, both literally (in shape) and figuratively (in taste).

The vegetables look awesome: diverse and well-balanced in varieties, cooking techniques, and flavors.  With enhanced knife skills, the finely/evenly sliced cucumbers, carrots, and radish appear seamlessly integrated into the mix.

You might consider adding a raw element, like chopped lettuce or shredded white cabbage, to give it a bit more freshness.

The rice appears to be long-grained, like Indian basmati.  Whereas long-grained rice tends to be fluffier and less stickier than the short-grained rice used in Korea, I’d be curious about the textural difference in the final dish.

I love the crispy edges of the egg, compared to the egg from last time.

Ah, the dolsot!  It’s not something that people usually have at home, thus sold only at restaurant supply stores, and I keep forgetting to make time to find one.  The package is already done, fully packed, no room for anything more, so the dolsot will have to wait until the next package.

As for the next exchange, it will have to be pytt i panna for me, now that GK has dropped that bomb.

Separately, I will also make gamja jeon, which I’ve been meaning to do for my Newbery project.

(See also FOODS.)

(See also PLACES.)