Monthly Korean Food Meet-up

Kimchi Pajeon (김치 파전)

Once a month, Lisa from Let's Cook Tampa, hosts a Korean food meet up group on a Friday night.  The usual venue is Rice Restaurant in Tampa, FL- which is a yummy dining destination at any time, and I'll post a review in the future of just the restaurant.  The night is called "Monthly Korean Barbeque and Karaoke," but I have not witnessed the karaoke portion yet. 

The stars aligned and my friends and I were not only in town, but available to try out one of these amazing meet ups!  Lisa does an excellent job explaining all of the dishes and checking to make sure that everyone is having a blast.  She works hard cooking and taking photos at the same time!  The entire meet up is completely fascinating- the food is explained, placed on the tables, and then you dine and ask questions.

The FEAST of Korean style cooking started with Kimchi Pajeon (김치 파전) pictured above.  I absolutely loved it because the pancake was super crispy and the kimchi inside was cut into just the right size bits.  The pancake was also nice and thick, but not too greasy.  There are not many places that can make a pajeon this good.  If you have never had one before, it is a definite must-try for a savory item.  The flavor profile is completely different from a Chinese style scallion pancake or an Indian style bread.

Bulgogi Jongol just when it started to boil.

The main attraction of the evening was the Bulgogi Jongol (불고기), which is a beef based stew cooked in a pot on the table. As you can see from the photo, the dish has vegetables and glass noodles.  The diner is also encouraged to wrap pieces of the cooked beef in lettuce and add rice and ssamjang to make a lettuce wrap.  You can also eat the tasty soup in a bowl.

Bulgogi Jongol again, being cut up into bite size pieces.

All of my favorite foods need to be cut with scissors sometimes to make smaller pieces.  The host was kind enough to come to each table and assure that your food was cooked properly before you dive in.  The broth has a sweet "dashi" flavor that is slightly sweet, salty, and meaty. 

Kkang Pung Ki (깐풍기)

My favorite dish is Lisa's Famous Kkang Pung Ki (깐풍기), which is almost as much fun to say at it is to eat!  Luckily, she posted her recipe for the dish on her blog.  The dish is crispy sweet and spicy chicken, similar to General Tso's Chicken, but also very different.

Kkang Pung Ki is an addiction of mine... So whenever I dine at a restaurant that serves Korean-Chinese dishes, I have to order it.  Everyone makes it differently, some people put bell pepper, corn, jalapeno, and/or even ketchup.  No matter what, I have never had a disappointing version of this dish (*knock on wood*).  Anyways, the version from Rice freakin' rocks! 

Panchan (반찬) side dishes

Rice is also known for serving up to a dozen panchan (반찬) with their entrees.  That is twelve complimentary and totally refillable house-made side dishes.  There are so many panchan per table that the waitress must bring the dishes out on a cart, since there is absolutely no way to carry them all.

I highly recommend checking out the Lets Cook Tampa meet ups if you live in the Tampa area and are interesting in trying Korean cuisine.  We cannot wait to go back again!

Rice Restaurant and Lounge

7525 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33615

(813) 889-7766

http://www.ricekoreanrest.com

Gainesville, FL: 2012 Korean Food Festival

Very beautiful Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) worn by the Greeters upon entering.

The 2012 Korean Food Bazaar is an annual event held in Gainesville, Florida at the Korean Baptist Church. This year was the most organized yet--- with many people greeting visitors and explaining the menu.  If you look around the room carefully, there are also items available that are not on the main menu.  Just pay close attention, accept and give items with two hands, smile, be patient, open your mind, and bring cash.

The base menu, but you will find other goodies.  The prices are very low compared to most restaurants, and the food has a homemade effect.  This is the closest taste you will get to dining in a Korean-American home. 

The dish I always look forward to is the Ho-ttuk (#10 on the menu), sweet chewy pancake filled with cinnamon and sticky sugar.  I always buy more to take home for later.  This time, my family devoured all of them before I was able to have a second serving.

Originally, I am from Gainesville (moved there when I was six years old).  After High School, my husband and I moved around quite a bit.  When I lived in Gainesville last year, I would come to the Gainesville Korean Baptist Church once a week for Korean language lessons.  Also, I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Tower Road Branch Library's Language Exchange Program, where I was able to learn from and teach many adult Korean students.  If you are interested in this program, please contact Jin Lyons by submitting your resume and completing a formal application at that branch.  

Even though I live in Tampa now, I try to visit at least 1-2 times a month to visit my family (who still live there) and meet with my Korean language teacher/friend at the church. Luckily, I have made a great connection and I am able to learn about the culture and food.  It was so nice to see happy familiar faces at this event. 

One of the many dining areas.  This is the main room where the food stalls were located.

As I have noted before in last year's post on this event:  Gainesville is lucky to have such an open and outgoing Korean-American community that is willing to open their doors to everyone.  The above photo was taken as soon as the event opened around 4:00PM, and you can see how many locals have already started dining.  It was definitely a success!

Spicy Pork Bulgogi (돼지 불고기) with a side of Korean steamed rice and salad.  

Out of all of the meat dishes associated with "Korean Barbeque,"  Dwae-ji Bulgogi (돼지 불고기) is my favorite because of the vibrant taste--- a mix of sweet. spicy, and umami.  I have found this dish easy to make at home, when thin sliced pork is available at the market.  

Perfectly cooked spicy cold squid with radish kimchi, comes with a side of rolled rice (충무김밥). 

Every year there is a new authentic style Korean dish that I have never had before, so it is always an experience.   This year my favorite was the above photo of Chung-mu Kim-bap (충무김밥), originating from the seaside city of Chungmu (충무).  The squid (꼴뚜기 무침) is spicy, sweet, meaty, and tender- and the radish (무김치) is crispy and slightly sour.  It all is served cold and goes perfectly with the soft rice rolls.  I like how the squid and radish are not rolled inside the rice rolls as a regular kimbap, which would be quite messy and soggy.  Instead the squid and radish are served as side dishes.

Korean rice punch,  (식헤) Shik-hye.

Since I have been eating Korean food for a long time now, I have started craving Shik-hye at the end of a meal as well as sliced fruit.  It is a sweet rice punch that is made from starch sugars and ginger, you will find grains of rice in the bottom of the serving and sometimes pine nuts.  I like to try to swirl the drink around in the bottom to get all of the rice without having to use a spoon. 

For the entire photo set, please visit my Flikr Page.

Next Weekend: Asia Fest 2012 in Tampa, FL

Sadly, we missed this event last year.  But, we did make it to the year before and had fun.  The event takes place in the park directly in front of the TBT Forum.  We usually park in the parking garage next door.  There is a large stage set with some food vendor booths around it.  But, don't miss the other vendors that are further down by the water. 

The event can be quite hot, so bring your sunscreen and a hat.  Come early (11:00AM) to grab a bite to eat and a seat in front of the stage to watch the traditional dances and pageantry.  My favorite are the costumes from different countries and the more authentic snacks that are served by the vendors.  The Thai Sticky Rice and homemade Beef Jerky make a delicious snack.  You can also buy some Halo Halo to cool down.  Bring cash and your camera!

You can check out more info on the official website:
Asia Fest 2012

Korean Food Bazaar

One of the many things that I love about Gainesville is the diverse population. Maybe not as much diversity as Queens, NY. But, for Florida it is pretty awesome.

I adore Korean culture, and have been studying the language for almost a year now. These past four months have been very intense because I would like to go to Korea in March to teach English. Every aspect of Korean culture appeals to me. Whether it is Korean movies, TV drama, language, traditional clothing, food, or general way of thinking. The culture is very welcoming, and luckily the KBC of Gainesville is just as welcoming to the entire community, to let the general public into their place of worship and experience authentic homemade food goodness.

The Korean Food Bazaar was held at the Korean Baptist Church of Gainesville on March 26th, 2011. Basically, you enter the building and are directed to the cafeteria area where there is a wall of menu items that you can purchase with tickets.








Delicious kimbap "rolled rice"on display. At Japanese restaurants it is often called Futo Maki. The rolls were still warm from the rolled rice that was freshly made. Fillings include carrot, cucumber, omelet, crab stick, and diakon pickle. To the left is the freshly made tempura vegetables. I never used chopstix to eat kimbap, I like to just pick up each piece and pop it in my mouth.



The Ho Tok pancakes were my absolute favorite dish at this event. It was something I have never had the opportunity to try before, even in my time eating in cities like Los Angeles and New York. So, this was definitely a treat to have in Gainesville! Ho Tok is thin non-leavened pan fried bread filled with sticky sweet melted brown sugar and cinnamon.



Ddokbokki is a rare find in Gainesville as well, since there are no places that serve it. It is considered just a snack to some and not classy enough to be served in a restaurant. Normally, it is eaten out of a paper cup with a toothpick from street vendors in Korea. It is fairly easy to make at home, but it is difficult to make just a small batch and the rice cakes do not reheat well as leftovers. I only enjoy eating it fresh, and while dining with others.

The spicy red sauce is gochujang paste mixed with some water and sugar. The white cylinder shapes are delicious chewy rice cakes. Additions to the dish are often fish cakes, onion, and hard boiled eggs. Sometimes I also want it as a more substantial meal, mixed with ramen noodles and mandoo.

The Bibimbap station was very popular and had many fresh panchan and vegetable toppings mixed with rice and goghujang sauce. This dish is served in a meal or ceramic bowl and eaten with a spoon.
See you next year!

Korean Baptist Church of Gainesville
5200 SW 63rd BLVD
Gainesville, FL 32608
Phone: (352) 380-0691