Brother's Kitchen--San Ramon, CA (Korean cuisine)

The many options for Korean food in the Bay Area can be a bit overwhelming. How to choose is up to the individual, but I wanted to try this place because of the small menu. The idea of a small menu must mean they excel at the few things that are offered, or at least that's the hope. In this case, my hopes were met and then exceeded. Even though they do not load your table with banchan, the side dishes they do offer, especially the kim chee, were very good.

This somewhat new establishment, located at 1061 Market Place, Unit D, was the highlight of my weekend. Almost every item tasted like the best home cooking and was very comforting and flavorful. The service was very nice as well and the location, albeit small, was modern, cozy and easy to find inside a strip mall.

Here are some of the things I've enjoyed.



Pot Stickers (4 pcs). Fried until perfectly crisp on the outside and hot and juicy on the inside. These were filled with savory pork and was just the right amount to whet the appetite.

Pickled Daikon and Kim Chee. The pickled daikon was good; consistent with other mass-made packaged pickled daikon. The kim chee, however, had a bit of extra flavor and finesse that I don't normally get from other kim chee. I'm not sure what it was, but it had extra umami and this gave me the assumption that it was homemade and also made me want to buy this by the bucket.

BK Jjajang Myeon. This is a staple dish for Koreans and Chinese alike, and I've eaten my fair share over the years. This was, however, probably one of the best I've tasted from any Korean or Chinese restaurant. The blackbean sauce was slightly thinner than most, not too salty with large chunks of stir-fried pork, zucchini and onions over chewy wheat noodles. The added topping of thin shreds of cucumber gave it a little freshness. I greatly enjoyed this dish and will come back just for this.

BBQ Short Ribs (9 pcs). This dish is usually a hit with anyone trying Korean food for the first time. This particular one, was also a cut above. The cut itself was a millimeter or two thicker than normal, and it was cooked until medium, which made it juicier and easier to bite through and enjoy given the shorter cooking time and tenderness. The marinade had a nice balance of sweet and savory. This is a definite must try for the first timer.

Of the many Korean restaurants I've tried, none have struck me quite the way this place has. It really tasted like home. I hope they continue the good work and I'm sure I'll be paying more visits in the future.

Delicious and Healthy Mixed Rice (Recipe)

One of the basic staples in my kitchen is rice. White rice is delicious, but devoid of most nutrients and fiber. Brown and wild rice might have a bit of a hard texture and takes a while to cook, and a whole bowl of barley or quinoa just doesn't go down that easy for me.

In an effort to add more nutrients into my diet, I have discovered a great way of mixing all of these grains together to cook in the time it takes to cook white rice; just 15 minutes. All you need is a little planning and you can have a tasty and healthy mixed rice/grain for a side or base of any meal.


Here's what you'll need:
1 cup of white rice (I prefer Jasmine)
1/4 cup of brown rice
1/4 cup of wild rice
1/4 cup of whole barley
1/4 cup of quinoa
1 cup water plus
2 1/3 cups water

Here's what you'll do:
- In a two-cup capacity measuring cup (or any other container that holds at least 1 1/2 cups), add the brown rice, wild rice, barley and quinoa.
- Add water until covered by about one inch (about 1 cup) and give it a stir with a spoon.
- Set this aside on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes while you prepare the rest of your meal.
- Then drain in a strainer and add this to your rice cooking pot or rice cooker with the white rice and 2 1/3 cup water.
- Cook as instructed if using a rice cooker, or if using a pot, bring just to a boil, give it a stir and cover to simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.
- Once the 15 minutes is up, uncover to fluff with a fork, re-cover and let sit for another 10 minutes.
- You now have perfectly cooked mixed rice. It may also be a little purple from the wild rice, so that just adds a bit more color to your plate.
- Enjoy!