
Mission accomplished. Even though our dining room has absolutely zero hipness factor compared to the food trucks.
No wonder these trucks are so popular. Even better, it's pretty easy to do at home. Last night was Make-Your-Own-Bulgogi-Chicken-Wraps.
Sides were purple rice (more on this later), gochu-jang sesame mayo, bean sprouts, lettuce and sliced cucumbers. Kim chee on the side, of course. I started at 5:30. We were eating at 6:30. In between, I was able to Facebook and send a few emails for work.
There is a about 10 minutes of prep the night before, and I also made a trip to the Korean grocery store, also *before* I started this meal (See "Look Before You Cook"). The nice ladies at Hankook Korean Market were happy to recommend the appropriate spice level of gochu-jang and give explicit instructions for purple/black rice.
First, purple rice is brown or white rice with a bit of Korean black rice. Black rice costs about $4 and one package will last a long time. Buying it came with two very stern warnings. 1) It will stain absolutely everything and 2) Add only a little bit to brown or white rice. I used 2 cups of brown rice and half a handful of black rice in the rice cooker. It makes it a pretty color and gives it a little flavor and more texture. All good things.
Second, gochu-jang sauce is Korean chili sauce. It's the consistency of miso paste and has a very slightly sweet undertone. There are levels of gochu-jang hotness, and I was instructed to get the medium hot version. I'm planning on using more of it for spicy tofu and another Korean chicken experiment later this week.
Household was very happy and requested leftovers for lunch. Click here for the complete recipe.
Eat Well. Be Well.