When the hubby and I were still in Guam, there were a few eateries we found that got into our usual meal rotation. Our top three were definitely Katre's Bistro, Pika's Cafe, and surprisingly, Dr. Kabob (a Greek fast food joint). Pika's Cafe, though, would probably be the best "farm-to-table" restaurant the island has. Their moto and menu revolved around the phrase, "Buy local, eat local, support local!".
With that, Pika's Cafe also had a revolving seasonal special and a bunch of unique items on their standard menu. The hubby's favorite was definitely their Korean BBQ Sandwich. In the past month, I've heard the hubby lament several times on the loss of acess to that particular sandwich. Every time we passed the Asian isle on the grocery store, he would comment with "I miss Pika's" . . . which meant the sandwich, of course, lol.
I figured I'd give him a surprise!
Enter, my version of the Korean BBQ Sandwich! Since he was missing the sandwich so much, I thought that I would try and replicate the sandwich as close as I could. I knew that it had bulgogi marinated beef, with kimchi-style pickled vegetables, and cucumbers. It also had a chili mayonnaise.
Knowing was half the battle . . . It's the execution that was the problem. In mine, I decided to sub the beef with chicken. It was lighter than beef (I wanted to get away from heavy foods for the time being) and I thought it would be easier to marinate. Also, I didn't have any beef in the fridge anyway which was another big factor, lol.
For the marinade, I decided to go with this recipe but adapted it slightly to include minced apples and sliced onions. From what I read on the web, one of the traditional ingredients to add was either Korean pears or kiwi. Well, since I had neither, I subbed with Golden Delicious apples instead (since that was what I had in the pantry). After making the chicken, I ended up with quite a bit of marinade left. I decided to cook it down and made it into a sauce for the chicken afterwards.
The kimchi recipe was something that I was pleasantly surprised to find. I thought that I would have to put my ingenuity to the test, but apparently someone had already used theirs. I love that this uses regular cabbage and ingredients I already had on hand ("emergency kimchi" indeed!). In traditional kimchi, a coarse ground red pepper called gochugaru is commonly used. However, I've also seen a few recipes call for a fermented chili paste called gochujang to be used instead of the gochugaru. Well, I decided to go with the flavor notes of the gochujang since this would be quickly pickled to be used the next day. That way, I would have the taste of a long fermented kimchi without actually waiting. :)
During the taste testing, I found that this kimchi had a lot of heat to it. So, I nixed the chili mayo that I was originally going to make. Instead, I decided to use some of the leftover chimichurri, mixed with some ketchup and mayo, to make an aioli out of that (secret sauce, baby!). It has a lot of acidity so I thought it would help imitate the "pickled" part of the sandwich. With the ciabatta, kimchi, chicken bulgogi, aioli, and cucumbers all ready to go, my sandwich was ready to be assembled!
This turned out better than I hoped! It had the same savory, sweet, and spicy flavors the Pika's sandwich had. The only drawback was that the sandwich was messy to eat. The chicken made the whole thing a little bulky and the "take-and-bake" ciabatta bread I bought was a tad bit too chewy. The sauce made from the marinade also made this messy, but I think it wouldn't be the same without it. And the kimchi? Everywhere.
Next time, to reduce the messy factor, I'll get a softer ciabatta and cut the bread so it'll envelope the fillings more. Also, I'll toss the chicken in the sauce first and shake off any excess. That way, I'll still get some of the sauce on the chicken. But man, this was one of my favorite experiments!! Oh, by the way, the hubby LOVED the sandwich. Although it wasn't Pika's Cafe's Korean BBQ Sandwich, he thought it was a damn good substitute. :D Now, back to the drawing board . . .
Korean Chicken Bulgogi
(slightly adapted from Meg's Everyday Indulgence)
2 to 3 pcs boneless chicken thighs
For the Marinade:
1/2 a Korean pear, apple, or kiwi, minced
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine, mirin, or cream sherry
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight in the fridge.
To cook, preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, reserving the marinade. Cook until chicken is cooked through and slightly caramelized, taking care not to burn. If needed, add the reserved marinade by tablespoon when the pan gets dry. Garnish with sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with a side of kimchee.
Quick Emergency Kimchi
(slightly adapted from Maangchi)
2 lbs green cabbage, cut into thin 2-inch strips
1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cold water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup hot pepper flakes
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/3 cup (3 to 4 stalks) chopped green onion
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
Place cabbage in a large bowl and add cold water and kosher salt. Mix well with hands to properly salt cabbage. Set aside for 10 minutes. Make a paste with the remaining ingredients.
After the cabbage has soaked, wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water a couple of times then drain well. Return the cabbage to the bowl and mix the paste into the cabbage thoroughly.
Put the finished kimchi into a container, jar, or plastic bag. Press the top of the kimchi down with your hands to protect from exposure to too much air.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving or eat right away like a salad. Alternately, keep at room temperature a few days to ferment if desired.
