Korean Home Cooking with Chef Ji Hye Kim of Little Kim Ann Arbor

A jar of Korean barbecue marinade in the fridge can take dinner in a lot of directions: short ribs, chicken, tofu, even mushrooms. Chef Ji Hye Kim joins Catherine to talk about bringing those big flavors into your home kitchen, and why getting started is easier than you might think. Ji Hye is the chef behind Miss Kim and Little Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She shares the pantry staples she keeps on hand, a flexible approach to Korean barbecue, and how learning one vegetable preparation can open up a whole farmers market’s worth of possibilities. We also get into what Korean Buddhist temple cooking has taught her about paying attention without getting hung up on perfection, how her mother’s cooking and centuries-old cookbooks shape her menus, and her path from an office job to restaurant ownership through Zingerman’s. Plus: why good systems make room for creativity, and when the most useful thing anyone in a busy kitchen can say is “take five.” In this episode: The Korean pantry essentials: soy sauce, gochujang, doenjang, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. A mix-and-match barbecue marinade for meat, tofu, and mushrooms. How to turn the vegetables you have into banchan. The difference between thoughtful adaptation and chasing a food trend. Korean temple food, cooking with care, and letting go of the perfect ingredient list. Building a restaurant where feedback, asking for help, and taking time off are part of the culture. Subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter for Ji Hye’s recipe, and share this episode with a busy-brained friend who loves Korean food.