The Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church of Baltimore was founded in June of 1979, with a parish made up of seven families. “Everyone was on the same boat, sometimes literally,” pastor Billy Park told the Sun in 2003. By then, more than 1700 people were attending Sunday services at the church.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 removed quotas that had been a barrier for many Asian people looking to immigrate into the United States. In the 1970s, Korea was one of the top countries of origin for immigrants into the U.S.
A 1978 article in the Baltimore Sun estimated that the population of Korean immigrants in the city numbered between 7000 and 14,000. Many members of the Korean community had been in the United States for five years or less. The article chronicled some of the issues Korean-Americans were facing: xenophobia and isolation, struggles with starting businesses in a troubled city, and planning educations for their children’s futures. Many of the issues remain the same today for immigrants from all over the world.
Recently, writer Jaya Saxena offered some important thoughts to reflect on in an Eater article entitled “Americans Just Want Immigrants for the Food.” Saxena urges readers to look past our own gains to the humanity of immigrants, whether their presence benefits us directly or not. Korean food in particular is pretty widely accepted now, but many Korean-Americans have painful memories of being ridiculed about their food. As Americans pick and choose which aspects of immigrating cultures are worthy of commodification, sacred traditions can get trampled on.
There weren’t many Korean restaurants in the town I grew up in, but the importance of Korean culinary heritage was apparent. Our neighbors grew hot peppers in their yard. On sunny days they would dry the peppers and fish on tarps. A classmate’s family had a Korean pear tree. I now know that the pears can be used in marinades such as bulgogi, or offered to guests as a hospitable gift. One Baltimore foraging study observed families from Korea collecting Chinese Chestnuts in city parks.
All of which is to say that culinary heritage has always been cherished in Korean communities, and shared within neighborhoods, family, and churches like Bethel Presbyterian. The Women’s Fellowship compiled a cookbook in 1985, two years before the church moved to a larger facility in Ellicott City. Susan Y. Park, chairperson of the Cookbook Committee, wrote that the (otherwise un-named) compilers of the book “intended to introduce as many Korean recipes as possible to those who are accustomed to Western food.”
Some of the recipes in “Ladies of the Bethel” are a testament to the ways that immigrants make-do and adapt foods to what’s available. One kimchi recipe involves boiling canned anchovies and pressing the liquid through a sieve to make fish sauce.
There are many other favorite recipes – lasagna, baked ham, corned beef and cabbage, chop suey, arroz con pollo, and cheesecake among them. The second half of the book repeats the recipes in Korean.
Ladies of the Bethel cookbook, 1985, Women’s Fellowship of the Bethel Korean Church
Kimchi can be pricy at my local grocer’s and I go through a lot of it, so I made something to suit my onion-loving tastes. The original recipe was for Kutjulee (Instant Kimchi). I altered it slightly based on my on-hand ingredients. I added green garlic, plus some radish slices and their greens.
One dish that has risen in popularity in recent years is Korean-style fried chicken. It’s double fried, incredibly crispy, and served in a sweet, sour, spicy sauce. It’s fame is spreading, largely thanks to a chain called Bonchon. I tried it once and was won over. When I saw a recipe for “Dok Gang Jung (Fried Chicken with Sweet & Sour Sauce)” I knew I had to give it a shot.
Directions were sparse when it came to the crucial frying step so I followed my instinct. I was surprised by how closely the results actually came to what I’d had at Bonchon – the shatteringly crispy coating and the sweet, tangy sauce.
A few years back I tried to dabble in Korean cooking. I quickly learned that Korean foodways are not for dabbling – it is a kitchen commitment. Sauces are derived from other sauces. Leftovers from one dish flow into another, meal after meal. Occasionally this culminates in one of my favorite dishes – jae yuk dol bab (as it’s known at Nam Kang), served in a hot stone bowl called a dolsot. Nowadays I leave it to the experts, with awe and gratitude.
Recipes:
Dok Gang Jung (Fried Chicken with Sweet & Sour Sauce)
- 4 lbs. chicken wings
- 1 T. soy sauce
- .25 tsp. garlic powder
- .25 tsp. pepper
- .125 tsp. Accent
- .125 tsp. minced ginger root
- 1 T. wine
- 6 T. cornstarch
- 2.5 c. oil for deep frying
- 4 T. soy sauce
- 5 T. sugar
- 3 T. vinegar
- 2 dried hot red peppers [I used red pepper powder and also accidentally mixed it into the sauce.]
- 2 tsp. oil
- Pinch of roasted sesame seeds
Cut off the bony part of the chicken wing and divide it into 2 pieces. Peel the skin off. Marinate the chicken wings in the 1 T. soy sauce, garlic powder, pepper, Accent, ginger and wine mixture for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the marinated chicken wings with cornstarch and let them stand for about 10 minutes. Deep fry them twice in hot oil. In a large saucepan, stir-fry the hot red pepper in 2 teaspoons of oil. Mix the remaining soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Boil about 1 minute over low hear. Coat fried chicken with sauce while it boils, until dark brown and shiny. Arrange chicken on a serving fish and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and the shredded, dried, hot red pepper.
Kutjukee (Instant Kimchi)
- .25 head napa cabbage
- 5 T. salt
- 2 red peppers
- 3 young green onions
- .25 c. red pepper powder
- 2 T. minced green onion
- 1 T. minced garlic
- .5 tsp. minced ginger
- 1 T. salted, tiny shrimp
- 1 T. roasted sesame seed
- 1 T. sesame oil
- 2 T. sugar
Soak whole napa in salt water. Wash once; then drain. Shred stems into small pieces or cut into large, bite-sized pieces. Cut green onion into 4-cm lengths. Cut red pepper into small pieces. Combine napa, green onion and red pepper. Add salted, tiny shrimp, red pepper powder and sugar to napa mixture; mix well. Mix all the leftover seasonings together.
Recipes from “Ladies of the Bethel,” Women’s Fellowship of the Bethel Korean Church, 1985
