If you’re thinking about cooking up something new that’s a little spicy, a little hip and flavor-packed, here’s a fun thing to do … Google the words, “Korean food near me” and you’ll be surprised to learn how many Korean restaurants that are close to you.
That’s the suggestion co-authors, Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard, wrote in the introduction of their new book…. Koreatown: A Cookbook, which is listed on the New York Times Food and Fitness Best Seller list.
The two authors visited with WGBH’s Henry Santoro recently to talk about all things Korean including the more than 100 delicious Korean cuisine recipes in their book and the stories and interviews they did during the two years of traveling the country to write it.
“You think Korean food is only going to be in New York and L.A. and maybe somewhere in the middle of the country, but Korean Food is everywhere, it’s wherever there are universities…in West Michigan where I grew up, there are three Korean restaurants in my hometown of Kalamazoo," says Rodbard, who encourages readers to “Google it.”
Rodbard says you’ll find not only a barbecue Korean restaurant, you’ll find restaurants that specialize in soups and stews, which the Koreans are so well known for. You’ll also find markets where you can buy the products to cook with.
Hong says one secret that is revealed within the book that’s used while cooking Korean Fried Chicken, is the double fry of some of the food, as well as the temperature, in which to cook the food.
Rodbard says he summarizes the journey of writing the book as somewhat of an “Ethnography” …. covering Korean food and culture, not just by recipes but through the people and by telling their stories, and highlighting the spirit of Korean food and why the culture is so strong.
To listen to the entire interview of Henry Santoro and authors Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard of Koreatown: A Cookbook, click on the audio file above.
