|
 NAC:
Your website says that you like to reconstruct traditional
Korean dishes while reflecting current trends in
Korean dining. What are some of those trends?
PARK: What I'm seeing on the current scene in Seoul
is interesting. In America, I feel like the dining
experience in the Koren community is a little behind
what's going on in Korea. Korea is being exposed
to the world, to different cuisines. Palates are
changing. The young generation is not how we grew
up; they're more multi-palated, and a lot more sophisticated.
NAC: Moim is in the Brooklyn neighborhood Park
Slope, which has a reputation for being hip and
colorful. Do find yourself at all influenced by
Moim's geography?
PARK: This neighborhood is full of very open minded,
well educated, sophisticated people. I decided to
open Moim here because I feel like there are people
in this community that will appreciate different
kinds of flavors. There are a lot of Italian restaurants
here, a lot of Thai and Chinese food, but [before
Moim opened] there wasn't any Korean cuisine in
this neighborhood. My influence is not just the
neighborhood. I've been here in the U.S. longer
than I lived in Korea. Being in the U.S. is what
influenced me--adopting American culture and combining
it with the foods that I grew up with.
NAC: What would you say are some of the most
unusual dishes on Moim's menu?
PARK: There's a traditional dish called Samgyetang--the
literal translation is "Chicken Ginseng Soup".
I have a dish [Dak Gui] that's based on it. This
chicken is done in Korea by being stuffed with ingredients
and boiled for a long time. The way I changed it
is-- and this is what I mean by deconstructing--I
cook the chicken separately from the rest of the
ingredients. I use exactly the same flavors and
I make a brine, and brine the for 6-8 hours to absorb
the flavor. Then I use a French technique; I pan-fry
the chicken and finish it in the oven. Then, the
sauce is made separately, with the exact same ingredients
as the chicken is boiled with in Korea-- Ginseng,
dates, chestnut, potato, licorice root. The end
result is just as complex, flavor wise, but the
preparation is new. It's the same with my cod dish,
Un Dae Gu. Usually, the cod is simmered with Korean
daikon and red pepper paste. I separate all the
different ingredients, cooking the cod separately.
We also have very traditional dishes. l don' t really
change anything with those. I follow the steps of
exactly executing it right. Honestly, all of the
dishes give me excitement.
NAC: This issue of NAC is all about the winter
holidays. What are your favorite holiday foods?
PARK: Traditionally, for the New Year, we eat rice
cake soup. Regionally, people use different ingredients.
We usually say that if you eat one bowl of this
on the New Year's day, as you get one year older,
you get that much wiser. I'm thinking of serving
it New Year's Eve this year, just for the fun. I
don't' know if people will appreciate it. Certain
foods you grew up with make you comfortable. Food can be a very intimate experience.
Moim
206 Garfield Place
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 499-8092
www.moimrestaurant.com
|
