Chorim Cravings
I have newfound respect for the patience and dedication it takes to make Korean food (‘What Goes With Rice,” March 7). I had only experienced this cuisine twice before and had no idea how to prepare the stuff. However, inspired by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee’s article, I went shopping yesterday at the local Korean market, and supplemented our main dish with the bean sprouts, tofu and spinach panchan. Ms. Lee’s recipes were clear and accurate. Still, it took an hour and a half of careful prepping and cooking to finally have dinner. I never did get around to making soup. But what a feast the rest of it was! My husband, the creamed spinach maniac, remarked on the sauteed spinach’s richness even without cream, and I am very happy that I can now make this lovely tofu chorim whenever I crave it. I will probably make Korean food again, and it will certainly be easier the second time around. I look forward to further exploring Korean food and havig it become one of my cooking and eating favorites.
VICTORIA LEE-JERREMS Van Nuys
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As a Korean-American who also has experienced what the writer has experienced, the article immediately grabbed my attention, only to disappoint me. After reading the article, I feel compelled to respond. I do not appreciate misinformation, however slight.
The captioning of the picture of the “bean sprout” is wrong. There are two types of bean sprouts Koreans consume. One is from soy bean, the other mung bean. Mung bean is more prevalent in the American market as it is widely used in other Asian cuisines besides Koreans. The side dish made from soy bean sprout is called kong-na-mul. The side dish made from mung bean sprout is called suk-ju-na-mul. What was pictured in the Times was a dish of mung bean sprouts.
I personally would have spelled panchan with a “B”-banchan-as there is a distinct difference between the “B” and “P” sound.
Lastly, as it was featured in the Times, I would have appreciated a more formal tone of writing. Switching back and forth between Korean and English, the informal tone made it even more difficult to follow.
KAREN SHIN Via E-Mail
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Editor’s Note: Cecilia Lee was not responsible for either the photograph or the spelling. The mistaken choice of bean sprout variety was ours. At the Times we spell Korean words according to the widely used McCune-Reischauer romanization, which prefers “panchan.”