Goong Asian Restaurant, East Hartford, CT

It was Presidents' Day, or Washington's Birthday, or whatever we are supposed to be calling it these days. And that means no school! It was also only about 30 degrees out, so the two of us took advantage of the opportunity to warm up with a fantastic lunch of Korean food at Goong Asian Restaurant in East Hartford, CT. It is easy to drive by and miss it, as it is (somewhat depressingly) located in a mostly abandoned strip mall on Silver Lane. However, there are plenty of upsides to that: it is located just minutes off I-84; there is ample free parking; there is an Asian market nearby in case you want to recreate a dish or two; and, most importantly, there is no other authentic, Korean-specific restaurant in the Greater Hartford area. 

And did we mention, it's fantastic. Truly good food, and plenty of it. Two cordial and attentive servers shared the task of waiting on the whole floor, about eight tables (not including the private dining rooms), most of which were occupied during our time there. The table was neatly set (Amy loved the long spoons with the fancy covers!) and we were immediately given a teapot filled with a steaming, light brown brew that had beautiful notes of toasted rice. The cups were a welcome handful for two winter-weary people such as ourselves.

We were pretty hungry and ordered a large plate of steamed pork and beef dumplings (Mool Mandoo) to start. Before they arrived, we were served our complimentary kimchi, or traditional variety of pickled and marinated vegetables. Ours included (clockwise, starting at top left): black beans, cucumbers, bean sprouts, lettuce, cabbage,and potatoes, as well as a bowl of miso soup for each of us. Then our dumplings arrived, presented on a plate lined with a ladle-full of the steam water and accompanied by a side of dipping sauce. The dumplings were large, perfectly steamed, and very much filled with a wonderful mingling of meat, garlic, ginger and scallions. And they were gone in minutes.

The dumplings and the kimchi alone could have sufficed for lunch, but we soldiered on, wanting to taste more of what Goong had to offer. We stuck with the more well-known, traditional Korean dishes, ordering from the lunch special menu which offered items at a lower price but seemed to be lacking nothing else. Amy got the BulGoGhi Dup-Bab, sweetly marinated strips of Korean barbecued beef served with steamed rice. Although she wished for more of a char on the meat, the tenderloin strips were exceptionally tender and the flavor was outstanding. We're sure she'll be ordering that again. Chris wanted to see if our own version of Bibimbap was as good as we thought it was and ordered Goong's DolSoht version. It arrived in a sizzling stone hot pot filled to the brim with beef, vegetables, and rice, all seasoned with hot pepper paste and topped with a sunny-side up egg. Ours was good, but now that we've discovered Goong, we probably won't be making it again any time soon (if ever!). The hot pot crisped the rice nicely, creating a wonderful textural balance to the creamy egg yolk, cooked veggies and spicy beef. Talk about comfort food - hearty, soulful and so very satisfying.

As we finished, the server brought us orange slices and  to-go boxes and we were happy to get to nosh on the dishes later on that evening. We were also so happy to have finally visited Goong, which has been on our to-do list for a while. It was worth the wait but we won't wait long until next time. Goong is located at 798 Silver Lane in East Hartford, is open for lunch and dinner every day except Tuesday. 

Mmm(bibim)bap!!!!

It may be that you don't remember Hanson, of MMMBop fame. Without trying to insult anyone who loved that boy band from the late 90s, we would probably count them in the category of One Hit Wonders. Yet we just couldn't help ourselves in naming this post after their hit song. Corniness has its place in the world, doesn't it?

Okay, all corniness aside, in case you're wondering what exactly this post is about (if not Hanson), it's about the Korean smorgasbord-in-a-dish that is known as bibimbap. The name alone is so fun to say, we think you should say it out loud right now. Come on, have a little fun. Bibimbap!

The basics of bibimbap involve a bowl with some rice and vegetables, and perhaps some meat or fish, all topped with a fried egg. It's everything in a bowl. It's healthy and delicious. It's fun. It's amazing. Say it again - Bibimbap!

Asian Pear (above), grated (below)

Making bibimbap at home is somewhat of a chore, as you can probably tell, because each component must be made separately and then assembled into the bowl. Frankly, it's a pain in the arse. But if you have the time, a bunch of frying pans, and the inclination, you should try it at least once.

We used, as our guide, this recipe from this month's Bon Appetit via Epicurious. Since we took the time to pickle a pound of daikon radish we got from the farmers' market Sunday, we allowed ourselves to cheat a little by buying a pint of sushi rice from our favorite sushi joint. Cooking is about flexibility, after all!

Mix-in One: As we just mentioned, we started the night before by making pickled daikon for one of our bibimbap "mix-ins" using Tyler Florence's recipe exactly. They came out looking like this (great color, eh?):

Pickled Daikon Radish

On the night of bibimbap, Amy stopped at the store for the final ingredients - scallions and an Asian pear. She forgot the scallions, so we used dried chives. Although the checkout person didn't know what the Asian pear was, the store did have it, and it did make a huge difference in the flavor of the meat, so definitely look for it if, like us, you live in the frozen tundra known as New England where such things are so alien.

Marinating the beef

Amy got home and marinated the meat (thinly sliced ribeye also from the farmers' market) right away before setting about making the other mix-ins, again using the Epicurious recipe as a guide.

For the marinade:

1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup finely grated Asian pear with juices

2 scallions, thinly sliced (we used 1 tablespoon dried chives)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar

2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger

1 pound thinly sliced (1/8") boneless beef rib-eye steak or short ribs

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef; toss to coat. Cover; chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

One unifying component

Mix-in Two: Sesame Carrots:

2 carrots

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon black sesame seeds

Peel and cut thecarrots into long matchstick-size pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add carrots, salt, pepper and sesame seeds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3-4 minutes.

Sesame Carrots

Mix-in Three: Garlicky Spinach:

1 pound fresh spinach

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 chopped garlic cloves

2 tablespoons Ponzu sauce

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Cook spinach  in a large pot of boiling salted water just until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Drain, then transfer to a bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Heat sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add spinach, ponzu, and  vinegar. Stir to combine; season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garlicky Spinach

What's next? Our meat was marinated, and the mix-ins were set up in small bowls, and Amy was waiting for Chris to arrive home with the sushi rice. When he did, Chris crisped the rice and made two fried eggs while Amy sauteed the beef. It's nice having four hands in the kitchen. Finally, it was time to assemble our bowls.

Crisping the rice:

Heat one tablespoon toasted sesame oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add rice; pat out in an even layer. Cook, rotating skillet for even browning (do not stir), until rice is golden and crisp on bottom, 5-7 minutes.

Crisping the rice

Sauteing the beef:

Heat one tablespoon toasted sesame oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook, turning once, until cooked through and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Sauteing the beef

Don't forget to make a fried egg to top each bowl (and try not to break the yolk like Amy did...)!

Assembling the Bibimbap Bowl:

Divide crisped rice among bowls. Top with sauteed beef, your favorite mix-ins, and a fried egg. Yell "MMM...Bibimbap" and dig in with gusto, tasting exactly how worth it all that work was!