I have been staying with my Korean host family for just over 2 months now and I feel like I have invaded the kitchen with my Western influence.  The toaster and coffee maker have been taken out of storage and are now stationed on the kitchen table.  My Korean host mother, or Omma, has purchased a fork and knife and has been kind enough to adjust her grocery list to include butter, bread and milk.

However, my western influence hasn’t disturbed the cycle of everyday life in the kitchen.  Cherries and ginseng are still steeping in water in a crock-pot on low heat and the rice cooker has been on all day, everyday, since I arrived here.  Today, a stew of doenjang chiggae (rich soybean stew) sits on the stove waiting to be heated and served for lunch.  This, as it appears to be, is the typical setting of a modern-day Korean kitchen.

I enjoy all of the meals that Omma cooks for her family, and, curious about the culinary process, I ask her to teach me how to cook one of her delicious Korean meals. She is delighted that I’ve taken an interest and is excited to teach me.

Omma can’t speak English and I only have a basic understand of the Korean, so we often communicate with a lot of hand gestures and body language.  Tonight we are making bibim-guksu, which literally translates to ‘mixed noodles.’ It is a noodle salad made with fine wheat noodles, cucumber, lettuce, garlic, dried squid, sea snails, sesame seeds, and a sauce made from hot-pepper paste (gochu-jang), sesame oil, sugar and salt. This is Omma’s special recipe, catered for her and her family’s tastes.

We first chop the lettuce, cucumbers, garlic and sea snails and mix them in a red bowl.  We work together to pull apart the dried squid and add it to the bowl.  I help make the sauce by mixing the hot pepper paste, sesame oil, salt and sugar together.

The noodles only take about 3 minutes to cook so they are the last task we tackle.  Omma takes a handful of noodles and places them into a pot of boiling water.  She hands me the spoon and asks me to stir, using her arm to demonstrate.  Even though I cannot understand everything she is saying I can get the gist of it by observing her body language.  Our communication has been in large part a visual process.  She adds some cold water and I continue to stir.

When the noodles have been cooked, Omma strains them into a basket and runs them under cold water, than adds them to the vegetable mixture.  I add the sauce and finish it off by sprinkling sesame seeds on-top.  Umma gives me a plastic glove and I mix the concoction together. I serve it onto a plate by the handful and we sit down for dinner.  The bibim-guksu is not too spicy and I enjoy the taste.

I offer to cook Omma a meal but she tells me that she doesn’t like Western food.  We decide to collaborate on a fusion dish called omarice, made of seasoned rice inside an omelette.  I stir things up by adding onion, green pepper, ham, cheese and herbs to the omelette.  What would it be without a Western touch?

Bibim-guksu Recipe

serves 2

Ingredients:

300g fine wheat noodles  - 소면국수

1 small cucumber, sliced – 오이

3-4 chopped leaves of lettuce – 양상추

1/3 cup pulled dried squid – 진미 오징어

1/3 can sea snails (bai top shell) – 골뱅이

1/2 sliced Korean pear (optional) – 배

1 tbsp sesame seeds – 참깨

Sauce:

2 tbsp hot pepper paste – 고추장

1 tbsp sesame oil – 참기름

1 tbsp brown sugar – 설탕

1 tbs minced fresh garlic – 마늘

Method

Boil hot water and then cook the noodles. When the noodle’s foam covers the water add a cup of cold water. and then cook noodles till done (the cup of  water will make the noodles more al dente). Cool the noodles under cold water. Put a handful of the chilled and drained noodles in two bowls. Slice the cucumbers and pear into 4 cm by .5 cm slivers. Drain Sea Snails and slice. Top noodles with cucumber, pear, lettuce, snails and squid. ­Mix ingredients for sauce and top the noodles with the sauce. Mix thoroughly before eating.