Welcome back to a new edition of your favorite now-and-then blog. What I have for you today is kind of a two-part thing, but I will get to that later. In the meantime, let me introduce to what I consider to be the best instructional cooking show on The Food Network and Cooking Channel combined. Say hello to Korean Food Made Simple.
Without going through Wikipedia, let me give you a short background on the host, Chef Judy Joo. If she looks familiar, that's because it isn't difficult to see her on the cooking channels. She has appeared as a judge on Iron Chef America, Next Iron Chef and a few other shows. More importantly than judging, she is an Iron Chef herself for the UK version of the show. There is much more to this woman, but I think that will give you an idea of who she is.
While the show is about cooking and recipes, it is also has a bit of travel to it as well. In each episode, you get to see a part of South Korea. Sometimes it's a well known tourist spot, sometimes it's a place only the locals know about. Along the way, you might get a small history of the dish she is going to prepare next. It all kind of ties in together.
When it comes time to cook, she knows how to throw down with the best of them. Everything is explained well, along with substitution ideas in case you can't find a certain ingredient.
One thing that caught my eye was the presentation of each dish. She is a chef. Hell, she is a fucking IRON CHEF! So you know everything is gonna have a smooth, clean plate up.
I know some of you might be thinking that Korean or Asian food is difficult to make. Well, first off, the name of the show has SIMPLE in it! Once you can get past the title, you will see that everything she is making is very straight forward. Yes, you may have to purchase a few new ingredients to stock your pantry with, but it will be well worth it.
As for me, I have a new found love for Korean food and cooking techniques. It started a little before Korean Food Made Simple first aired. Once I started watching the show, I was hooked. I've made a few Korean dishes myself, and each one I have enjoyed immensely. One of the dishes I made was actually from the show.
Let me tell you, those pancakes were....well, I don't want to spoil the next blog post for you!
That's it for this one. You can watch Korean Food Made Simple on the Cooking Channel on Saturday mornings. Take my advice and check this show out!
