Daeji Bulgogi (Korean pork BBQ)

Before you start preparing the meat you need to cook your rice. I prefer a medium grain rice. Jasmine rice is also good for this. Rinse the rice a couple times till the water runs clear, then add water till it is almost twice as far up as the rice. We added some dried grains and beans to the rice before cooking this time. If you do, be sure to let them soak for a while before cooking. If you use a rice cooker it will take care of all your timing for you. If you cook it on the stove, bring the rice and water to a boil, cover and turn the heat down, and let cook for 30 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn the heat off and fluff with a rice spatula or large spoon.

I used a commercially prepared marinade because it tastes as good as you can make at home and is a lot easier than mixing it from scratch. It is available in oriental stores and in the oriental section of your local megamart. Be sure the marinade you buy has Korean pear and apple.

1 pork tenderloin or boneless center cut pork loin

Minced ginger and garlic (We put fresh garlic and ginger together in a food processor, then keep it in a jar in the refrigerator.)

Green onions cut into 1" lengths and split lenthwise

1 medium onion sliced lengthwise into strips

1 jar pork and chicken bulgogi marinade

Cut pork into thin slices across the grain. Your butcher may do this for you.

Add minced ginger and garlic.

Add green onions.

Cut onion lengthwise, then separate pieces.

Add onion to meat.

Shake jar of marinade to mix, then add to meat. And no, they're not kidding on the label when they say it's hot and spicy. After pouring marinade into the bowl with the meat, run a little water into the jar and cover tightly, then sha

ke jar and pour into the bowl with the meat. You don't want to waste any of this delicious liquid.

This is what it looks like before mixing.

There is no better way to mix this than to just get in there with your hand, breaking the onion ribs apart and making sure the marinade gets well mixed with the meat.

If you're going to take this with you camping, at this point put it into a freezer bag and freeze it. Then you can thaw it out at the campsi

te when you're ready to cook your pork bulgogi.

If you cook this on the stove, use a well seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle. Heat on high. You can also cook this on a grill, covering the grill with foil to keep it from falling through and to keep from losing the juices. In this case, I cooked it on the stove in a cast iron skillet.

Cook in batches so your skillet stays hot. Use one set of tongs to handle the raw meat and another set for turning the meat while cooking. Cook till pork is well done.

This is how it looks when it's done. The top bowl has the rice with grains and beans.

This is a serving suggestion. The yellow circles are tamogi, also called daikon. You can also add kimchi or any other side dishes you want.

My wife says I passed the test. She's a good teacher, and it has to be good to pass her test.

Kaya Korean & Japanese Restaurant, Carbondale, IL

Yesterday we tried Kaya, a Korean/Japanese restaurant in Carbondale. Most of the Japanese food they have is sushi and sashimi. While we love them, it was a cool evening and we wanted some good hot soup. We went there at 8:30, an hour before closing. That's usually a bad time to go to a restaurant because they're usually trying to wind things down so they don't have to work too late. That didn't seem to be a problem at Kaya though.

I ordered their yuke jang (yoo' kay jang) which is a spicy beef soup. Un Hui ordered their cham pong, a seafood noodle dish. Our waiter asked if I like they yuke jang spicy, and I assured him I did. They didn't disappoint. I've had yuke jang in some restaurants where they only put a little beef in, but at Kaya they put in an ample amount of sliced beef brisket. The taste was excellent, and serving was huge. Un Hui's cham pong was chock full of assorted seafood: squid, mussels, shrimp, etc. A little exotic for some people, but for those who like this type of seafood it's great.

A word of caution: if you go there be sure to bring your appetite. My soup came in a very large bowl. Un Hui's seafood soup came in the size of bowl I use to serve mashed potatoes to the whole family at Thanksgiving. In other words, huge! We brought leftovers home for another meal.

For those less adventuresome they do offer foods that are not so spicy or exotic. Parking is behind the restaurant. The restaurant us just south of the Y where 51 splits on the south side of Carbondale on the east side of the street.

Kaya Korean & Japanese Restaurant
817 S Illinois Ave
Carbondale, IL 62901
(618) 457-0968