There is whole other part of Korean cuisine that I have yet to explore. It’s the royal cuisine. Food that was served on king’s table during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (1392 – 1910). It’s mindful, it’s delicate, it’s beautiful and of course, delicious. Joseon dynasty is one of very few, possibly the only era that was documented down to every detail through each king’s reign. All 27 monarchs ruled over 500 years of time. You can imagine the type of food that made it to king’s table and the royal family was exquisite and exceptional. A lot of what you see in modern Korean food is developed over the years based on region but heavily roots back to Joseon era. I’m happy to re-introduce this recipe again from what we made few workshops ago. You can see the previous recipe HERE and compare how it is prepared differently. Hope you get to try it. It’s a really good one to entertain the guests with.

Photography by Selina S. Lee

KOREAN BEEF SKEWERS (산적꼬치) – 3-4 servings (12 skewers)

INGREDIENT
8 asparagus stalks (medium thickness for easier threading)
1/4 lb thin sliced lean beef (sirloin or rib eye)
4 king mushrooms
12 rice cakes (thin round tube kind)
3 green onions
2 eggs
¼ cup flour

SAUCE
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin or cooking sake

PREPARATION & COOKING
Cut all ingredients preferably in same length. 2 to 2.5 inches. All ingredients will be par-cooked and seasoned separately before threading into the skewers. Prepare the sauce first by combining the ingredients.

BEEF or KING MUSHROOM – Cut the beef or mushroom into strips then marinate in sauce for about 30 min. Use about ⅓ of the prepare sauce and save the rest for later. After meat or mushroom is marinated, sautéed them on a skillet for few minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.

RICE CAKE – Soak the rice cakes in cold water for few minutes then blanch in boiling water for 1-2 min. Season it with little bit of the sauce and sesame oil after draining to make sure it doesn’t stick together. There is no need to blanch the rice cake if you are using freshly made rice cakes.

ASPARAGUS, CARROT and GREEN ONION – Remove the tough ends of the asparagus and cut both asparagus and carrots into same size strips then blanch in boiling water for 2-3 min. Make sure vegetables are not overcooked and season with salt after it’s drained. Cut green onion, including the white part and set it aside.

Once all ingredients are par-cooked and seasoned, thread the meat/mushroom, vegetables and rice cakes onto the skewer. I like to thread them in this order: Asparagus – Mushroom/Beef – Carrot – Rice Cake – Green Onion. It looks pretty!

Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Coat each skewer with flour then with whisked egg (season with salt) and place the skewers in the pan. Add more egg on top of the skewer to fill in the gap. It’s okay if egg overflows, we can cut off the excessive to keep the shape after it’s been cooked. Cook it for 2-3 min then flip it over and cook for another 2-3 min in lower heat.

Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.

TIP: Soak or rinse the wooden skewers in cold water before threading. This will prevent the wood from burning.