AlwaysInformed: Yuk Hoe

GutterGourmet — December 08, 2009

Yook Hoe Moo Chim from 8st Kitchen.

It’s the classic school lunchroom situation. One kid sees the contents of another’s lunchbox and can’t hide his obvious disgust: “Yuck!” The admonishment of a teacher in earshot? “Don’t yuck his yum.”

Well my yum actually is yuck, or to be precise Yuk Hoe (alternatively spelled Yook Hwe), a Korean raw beef dish that everyone compares to steak tartare though the French had nothing to do with it. It’s traditionally served with thick-cut strands of raw beef, julienned Asian pear, sesame oil, soy sauce, chili paste (gochujang) and topped with a raw egg yolk—we’re talking Seoul food.

Yuk Hoe is easily found in Koreatown. The traditional version at Kang Suh is massive, featuring thick-cut beef. It’s served with crunchy Asian pear, raw egg and lots of chili paste. The recently opened 8St Kitchen also serves a very good version (above), but it comes sans egg, mixed with a peppery Korean shiso salad and a sweet soy sauce in lieu of the chili paste and pear. The Kobe flank steak was so marbled with fat that the cold beef nevertheless instantly melts on the tongue.

Surprisingly, one of the city’s best is the traditional rendition served at Korea Palace on East 54th Street, which caters to a more American midtown lunch crowd. It’s a good place for the uninitiated to familiarize themselves with “safer” Korean staples like bulgogi or kalbi and a nice variety of banchan with the de rigueur kimchee.

Of course the more courageous can order Yuk Hoe. Just don’t be surprised if the person next to you looks over and instinctively says, “Yuk.”