MARKETS : The Marketplace : Koreatown Plaza: Big, Bright and Modern : <i> The Plaza Market, Koreatown Plaza, 928 S. Western Ave. (213) 385-1100. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.</i>

It wasn’t so long ago that all food markets in Korea were simply collections of outdoor stalls. They bustled with raucous vendors hawking their wares to sharp-eyed cooks who haggled with cabbage merchants or poked through massive piles of silvery fish in search of the freshest ones. Snacking was the best part of shopping there; countless peddlers who cooked up noodles, sausages and tea cakes were always on hand.

Markets like these still thrive, and Koreans who love good food cherish them. But crowded urban living and two-income families have made supermarkets and convenience foods, at least in the major cities, a fact of daily living in Korea. Grocery stores in fashionable malls now sell their dried mushrooms and mounds of salted seaweed ready to use in convenient packaging.

Here in Los Angeles, one of the splashiest new Korean grocery stores, the Plaza Market, is patterned after this new sort of Asian supermarket. The market keeps company with a group of chic Euro-mode boutiques in the posh mauve and green marble Koreatown Plaza. There are no fishmongers, but there is validated parking and a drive-up grocery loading area in Koreatown Plaza’s covered lot.

At the front of the store, servers dish out ready-to-eat foods, sold by the pound, from behind two elegant deli cases. Dozens more prepared foods are sold either frozen or chilled. And many traditional ingredients, from fermented soy flour to ground hot peppers, come in stylish packaging with bar codes and bilingual labels.

About the only thing reminiscent of old-style Korean markets here are the independent food stands in the Plaza’s International Food Court. These ‘90s versions of the snack sellers include a place called Korean Express and Panda Dumpling, a take-out shop that makes some of the best mandu in the neighborhood.

Before opening Plaza Market, co-owner Myung-Kil Yang attended a management training program of Kansi, a supermarket chain based near Osaka, Japan. Plaza Market, he says, adopted quite a few merchandising techniques from the program; this is reflected in the way products are wrapped and displayed. Many foods imported from Korea are packaged by Japanese companies. And scores of products such as kimchis or fresh noodles are produced by Los Angeles concerns. Still, the store’s overall impression is one of a conventional American-style supermarket.

No matter how conventional the place might seem though, most non-Korean cooks will surely wonder how to deal with its unique ingredients. Some products such as the fresh chilled (but not pasteurized) chopped garlic sold in 8-ounce cartons could have wide appeal. And the many convenience items discussed below can help even a novice put together an impressive Korean meal with very little cooking.

SHOPPING LIST:

* Panchan : Those prepared foods that look rather like Italian antipasti are called panchan . Like Spanish tapas or Middle Eastern mezzeh, panchan can range from the simplest items--perhaps a few sweet black soy beans--to more substantial meat stews. Along with rice and a thin soup, panchan are the heart and soul of every Korean meal and they are always served in small portions. Their strong flavors are designed to make those bland foods palatable.

Although some panchan are pickled or salted foods, they are not considered kimchis , which are rather like relishes. I’ve divided the panchan into spicy and not spicy dishes. At the Plaza Market they change daily; you may find many more or fewer than those listed here.

MILD PANCHAN

Seasoned sauteed mushrooms: A multicolored stir fry of Japanese mushrooms along with julienned carrots, onions and bell pepper.

* Chang jorim: Chang means soy sauce and jorim means braised. In this case, beef round has been braised in a slightly sweet soy-flavored broth and then chilled. Chang jorim is served cold in its broth.

* Large marinated crab: These crabs have ben cut up, brine-cured, then seasoned with a soy and sesame oil dressing.

* Pulgogi: Sliced beef in a garlicky, soy-sesame marinade (see Korean barbecue under meats below) that is ready to be barbecued.

* Twaeji gogi: Sliced pork marinated in a very mild pepper-and-garlic sauce ready to be grilled.

* Lotus root: Sliced to reveal its beautiful flower-like pattern, crunchy lotus root is cooked in lightly sweetened soy sauce.

* Udong: Called gobo in Japanese and burdock root in English, this pleasantly earthy-tasting root has a slightly chewy texture. It is cut into thin strips and cooked in the same kind of soy-based sauce as the lotus root.

* Seaweed salad: Two kinds of crunch thumb-sized Asian pickling cucumbers have been lightly salt-cured and dressed in a film of sesame oil.

* Pickled baby cucumbers: These thumb-sized Asian pickling cucumbers have also been lightly salt-cured and dressed in a film of sesame oil.

* Kongjaban: Black soy beans simmered in a thick, very sweet soy sauce.

SPICY PANCHAN

Many spicy panchan are marinated in a chile-based sauce and look as though they might taste alike. But the sauces are flavored differently and, in combination with the various foods they dress, they produce panchan that have a distinct character.

* Whole marinated garlic heads: Although these garlic heads turn slightly sweet in their soy sauce and vinegar marinade, it didn’t seem quite appropriate to list them with the mild panchan .

* Garlic stem salad: Garlic festival contestants might want to take note of this dish. It will likely beat out garlic ice cream as an all-time garlic festival favorite. The aromatic stems come marinated in a red pepper paste that is pure white heat.

* Spiced pollock roe: A spicy caviar of sorts, these fish eggs are cured in salt, then seasoned with a red pepper brine that turns them orange-red. They have that rich crunchy caviar texture with a powerful zing.

* Spicy crab: Baby crabs about the size of a quarter have been marinated, fried and seasoned with a small amount of chili; they are crunchy and briny.

* Jalapenos in sauce: Slices of this scalding green pepper come marinated in a soy sauce dressing. A similar but less incendiary panchan is made with whole hot peppers known as Hanguk (Korean) kochu (peppers); these are quite a bit milder than jalapenos but still have plenty of bite.

* Radish and cucumber salad: In its glow-in-the-dark-red pepper dressing this salad is made with dried giant white radish and sliced Asian cucumber. The dried radishes, a Korean wintertime staple, may be found packaged on the shelves with the dried mushrooms and sea vegetables.

* Oysters: Small shucked oysters in a slightly tart red pepper sauce.

* Dry pollock fish: Another Korean winter staple that somewhat resembles European salt cod. The fish has been soaked then dressed in kochujang , a hot, slightly sweet Korean-style bean paste.

* Spicy perilla leaves: These tangy leaves (which you may know as shiso), a distant cousin of basil and mint, have been salted until they turn limp, then rinsed and mixed with spicy red chili and garlic sauce.

* Squid strips: Cut to the size of linguine, they are marinated in a chili pepper sauce.

* Skate wing: This crunchy and rather unusual fish part comes marinated in scalding-hot chili sauce and sprinkled with pine nuts.

DUMPLINGS

* Mandu: Almost every Korean restaurant serves mandu , a close relative of Chinese meat-filled dumplings and Japanese gyoza . They make a wonderful first course for a Korean barbecue dinner. Like Chinese pot stickers, mandu can be eaten pan-fried, boiled in soup or steamed and dipped in sauce. You’ll find at least half a dozen brands of mandu in the freezer case, each brand with several varieties--some filled with kimchi or vegetables, others with chicken or meat and vegetables.

They’re often individually frozen and packaged in huge bags. Some packages include steaming and boiling instructions and suggest cooking the dumplings in a microwave. (I found you must microwave them in a covered dish of water or they toughen.) The soup recipe below for mandu kuk is one of Korea’s most traditional mandu dishes.

MEATS

The Plaza Market’s huge meat department offers many precut meats, such as sliced pork, that are ideal for all sorts of Asian cooking. And its team of butchers can help you decide which meats to select for Korean recipes. Here is a guide to the store’s popular Korean beef cuts.

* Kalbi: Koreans use several styles of beef for their barbecue. Kalbi or beef ribs are favored for their juiciness. The butchers can prepare them three ways, according to a customer’s preference.

* The most traditional method is to cut the ribs, which have about an inch and a half of meat on them, into two-inch lengths and then cut through the meat zig-zag style, allowing it to unfold like a wide ribbon attached to one side of the bone. The ribbon of meat easily absorbs the marinade and cooks quickly.

* For California-style kalbi , the butchers cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice across three ribs, resulting in a thin piece of meat with three ovals of bone.

* One can also buy boneless kalbi , a two-inch-thick chunk of meat cut from the area above the rib eye, closest to the bone. This meat is then sliced.

* Pulgogi: Another cut used for barbecue, this is thinly sliced rib eye; it comes in regular trim or the superior leaner trim.

* Spencer steak pulgogi: More tender than rib eye and almost as lean, thinly sliced Spencer steak is considered the luxury pulgogi meat.

* Teriyaki gogi: Also from the rib eye but cut slightly thicker than pulgogi.

* Short ribs: These come as three or four meaty ribs together. The butchers cut these pieces into three-inch lengths across the bone. Ribs cut this way are used for stews and Korean beef rib soup kalbi kuk .

VEGETABLES

As in Japan, sea plants are a staple item in Korean cooking.

* Kim: Most Asian food lovers are familiar with the Japanese seaweed nori , eaten in sushi bars. Koreans call their slightly thinner version kim and they use it in many ways. For panchan , kim is toasted in a lightly oiled hot skillet or baked on an oiled baking sheet at 450 degrees until it is crisp. (Think of kim as Asian potato chips to munch along with the meal.) Instead of roasting your own, you could buy ready-to-eat roasted kim in jars labeled “teriyaki nori “ in the dried sea-vegetable section.

* Conserved sea vegetables: Before they had refrigeration, Koreans preserved edible seaweed by either sun-drying it or salting it, and it is still available treated in these ways. For soups, the salted variety must be soaked in several changes of water before using. Dried seaweed, which is used in both soups and cold dishes, must be soaked in water about 20 minutes until it softens. In the dried-seaweed section look for yard-long packages of seaweed labeled wakame (the Japanese name), miyok (the Korean name), or simply “seaweed.” There is also a salted wet form of miyok which you’ll find in packages in the cooler opposite the dried-sea vegetable aisle.

* Fresh-frozen sea vegetables: Several other kinds of sea vegetables may be found in the freezer section next to the frozen dumplings. Look for delicate, wispy parae (another seaweed--labeled “green laver”) and crunchy mojaban (labeled Sargassum fulvellum) ; both vegetables are blanched and need only be thawed. They make a wonderful salad with slivers of Asian cucumber and the following dressing: Sprinkle on seasoned Japanese rice vinegar, a little soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil to taste. Garnish with roasted white or black sesame seeds and a few strands of red pepper threads (found in the dried-ground pepper section). Parae and mojaban are not usually eaten in soup.

* Kongnamul: You’ll see mung bean sprouts and the larger kongnamul or soy bean sprouts side by side here. Soy bean sprouts are used in soup or served as fresh panchan at almost every Korean restaurant in town. For fresh panchan blanch the sprouts in boiling water, drain and mix in some light soy sauce and a few drops each of vegetable oil and sesame oil. Sprinkle on some crushed toasted sesame seeds.

* Muu or giant white radish: This looks like a slightly inflated daikon and is closely related to it. Though white radish is often referred to as an Asian turnip, the two are only distantly related members of the mustard family and their textures are very different. For some reason, though muu is one of Korea’s most popular vegetables, this market labels it lo bok --one of its Chinese names.

* Minari: A green, leafy water plant that looks similar to Italian parsley, tastes vaguely like celery and watercress and belongs to the same family as evening primrose. Koreans discard the root and often the leaves and use minari stems in salads, soups and stews. You can dress minari for a side dish. First scald it, or microwave the wet minari 45 seconds at 700 watts; it should just wilt. Refresh it under cold water and add the following dressing: one tablespoon regular Japanese-style soy sauce, one teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar, 18 teaspoons sesame oil, dash salt and one teaspoon ground roasted sesame seeds.

* Chrysanthemum leaves: With their interesting, slightly musty flavor, these are called ssukkat in Korean. They have long been popular there--and in China and Japan--for soups or as a vegetable. The greens must be thoroughly washed to rid them of sand, and any buds should be picked off and discarded. Try chrysanthemum leaves in sinsullo , the Korean hot pot dinner.

* Hanguk kochu : Fresh Korean peppers are usually available green and red. Don’t confuse them with the similar-looking fresh jalapenos also available in green and red--but clearly labeled.

* Kimchi : Garlicky, fiery cabbage kimchi has become the trademark of Korean food. But not every variety of kimchi fits this image. Cooling, salty white radish kimchi isn’t hot at all. And Northern-style water kimchi is only slightly spicy. The “leek” (actually Chinese chive) kimchi and the hot radish kimchi are two of the most incendiary types. Plaza Market’s kimchi department has all of these and more.

From the kitchen of Grace Kim of Culver City, my adviser for this article.

KOREAN BARBECUE

5 pounds traditional or California-style kalbi with bones or 2 1/2 pounds sliced pulgogi meat

1/3 cup sake

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup soy sauce

7 large cloves garlic, minced

4 green onions (white part and 2 inches of green), minced

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place kalbi or pulgogi in large glass baking dish or enameled roasting pan. Rub meat or ribs on both sides with sake and granulated sugar. Cover and let stand 10 to 15 minutes.

Combine soy sauce, garlic, green onions, brown sugar, sesame seeds and sesame oil in medium bowl. Add 1 1/3 cups water and stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in vegetable oil and pepper. Pour over ribs and turn to coat evenly. Marinate kalbi ribs 4 to 5 hours and pulgogi 1 1/2 hours.

To grill ribs over hot fire: First scar ribs on each side 30 seconds, then adjust rack further from coals and grill until tender. To broil: Place ribs about 3 inches from hot broiler until browned and medium-well done, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve with rice and panchan. Makes 6 servings.

Roasted Sesame Seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

In heavy skillet, toast sesame seeds, shaking pan frequently until seeds are lightly colored, about 2 minutes. Transfer to mortar, or Japanese suribachi and crush seeds. Or crush in plastic bag with rolling pin. (Blender might do grinding, but some blenders won’t crush seeds.) Store airtight up to 3 weeks.

KOREAN DUMPLING SOUP

1/4 pound pulgogi beef

2 green onions, whites chopped and green tops reserved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds, crushed

Dash ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

Light soy sauce (kukanjaing), about 4 tablespoons

1 3/4 cups beef broth

4 cups water

1 cup sliced and halved muu (giant white radish)

24 mandu, thawed

1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts, ends removed

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt

Cut beef into very thin strands. Combine meat, white part of green onions, garlic, Roasted Sesame Seeds and pepper.

Heat thin film oil in large soup pot and saute meat mixture until no longer pink. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Add broth and water to pan. When liquid boils, add radish slices. Cook 20 minutes or until radish is tender and turns translucent. Add mandu and boil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they float and skin is tender. When almost done, cut green onion tops into 2-inch lengths and add to soup. Cook 4 minutes. Add bean sprouts. Drizzle in beaten egg and cook 1/2 minute longer. Season to taste with salt and light soy sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Cook this elegant meal at the table in a Mongolian hot pot or an electric skillet; it inevitably gets the conversation rolling.

KOREAN HOT POT (Sinsullo)

1/4 cup crushed Roasted Sesame Seeds

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Salad oil

1 pound lean boneless beef rib eye (pulgogi), thinly sliced

1 pound lean ground pork

About 2 tablespoons pine nuts or about 1/4 cup walnut pieces

4 dried Japanese or Chinese mushrooms

2 medium-size carrots

White radish, about 1 pound

1 pound spinach, or chrysanthemum leaves, rinsed well

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

Flour

8 cups regular-strength beef broth

3 hard-cooked eggs, halved

Shelled walnuts

3 green onion tops, cut into slivers

Hot cooked rice

Kimchi

Combine sesame seeds, soy sauce, garlic and 2 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Mix well.

Cut beef slices into 2- to 3-inch-wide strips. Place in bowl. Stir in 1/2 sesame-soy mixture. Set aside.

Combine pork with remaining sesame-soy mixture. Form into small balls 1/2- to 3/4-inch in diameter. Insert pine nut in middle of each and set aside. Soak mushrooms in water to cover until they soften. Remove tough stems and slice caps into thin strips.

Cook carrots in boiling water just until tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook radishes same way, about 15 minutes. Score carrots lengthwise, making 4 equally spaced 1/4 inch-deep cuts; then cut into thin slices (will be like small flowers). Cut radishes into 1/4-inch-thick slices then cut slices into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

Remove stems from spinach or chrysanthemum leaves. Blanch leaves in boiling salted water just until limp, about 30 seconds. Drain and let cool slightly, gently pressing out excess liquid. Carefully stack leaves to make piles about 1/2-inch thick.

Lightly beat eggs in small bowl. Dredge spinach stacks in flour. Shake off excess and dip stacks in egg. Pour enough oil into wide skillet to coat bottom. Cook stacks over medium-high heat until lightly browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan to paper towels. Blot and cut crosswise into 1-inch slices. Set aside.

Add more oil to skillet to coat bottom. Dredge pork balls in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in egg. Cook, few at time, until browned on all sides. Set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in small pan over medium-high heat. Add mushroom strips and cook, stirring, until lightly browned.

Place each ingredient in separate mound in hot pot or electric skillet. Arrange garnishes (hard-cooked eggs, walnuts and green onions) on top and set pot in middle of table. Place broth in 4-quart pan and heat over high heat until steaming. Pour into cooking pot. (If using hot pot, half-fill chimney with glowing charcoal at this point.) Cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are heated through. Uncover and let diners serve themselves. After meat and vegetables have been eaten, ladle broth into soup bowls (add spoonful rice to each, if desired). Serve with bowls of hot cooked rice and several kinds of kimchi. Makes 4 to 6 servings.