Korean Steak Kabobs

Hana is five months old. She has been alive for twenty-two weeks. She can sit up with support now, propped in the crook of the nursing pillow or in James's lap, surveying the room with the serious authority of a small empress. She does not yet understand that she cannot sit without support. She believes she is sitting. The belief is enough for now.

I introduced Hana to solid foods this week. Dr. Hernandez said we could start at five months with single-ingredient purees. The first food: rice cereal mixed with breast milk. Hana tasted it. She looked at me. She looked at the spoon. She looked at me again. She opened her mouth. She accepted the rice cereal with the air of someone doing you a favor. She ate three spoonfuls, then pushed the spoon away with her hand — the first definitive food opinion she has ever expressed. I called Jisoo. I said, "She ate rice first." Jisoo said, "Good. This is correct. Rice first. Always rice first." The Korean grandmother food curriculum begins.

Kevin called Sunday and said, "How is the tiny food critic?" I said, "She ate rice cereal and was unimpressed." He said, "Valid. Rice cereal is bland." I said, "Kevin, she is five months old. She doesn't know what bland means." He said, "She knows. She has Park taste buds. She needs kimchi." I said, "She cannot have kimchi at five months." He said, "When can she have kimchi?" I said, "A year, probably." He said, "A year? A year without kimchi? This is inhumane." I love Kevin. I love Kevin's conviction that kimchi is a human right. He may be right.

James and I went on a date night — our first since Hana was born. Grace babysat. (Grace offered. I did not ask. Grace said, "I will watch Hana. You two need to be two people and not just two parents." Grace is wise.) We went to a Korean restaurant in the ID — the same one where I first ate kimchi jjigae in college and cried. We sat at a table. We ordered food. We looked at each other. James said, "I forgot what your face looks like when you're not holding a baby." I said, "I forgot what yours looks like when it's not covered in spit-up." We laughed. We ate. We remembered that we are married, that we are people, that we are a couple who fell in love at a tech meetup and bonded over beef noodle soup and chose each other, and the choosing continues, every day, under the beautiful avalanche of parenthood.

The recipe this week is Hana's first food — rice cereal. I am not going to give you the recipe because there is no recipe. It is rice cereal and breast milk. But I am going to tell you this: the first spoonful of food your child eats is the beginning of their relationship with the kitchen. It is the first page of their food story. Hana's food story began with rice, because Jisoo said rice first, and Jisoo is her grandmother, and the grandmother decides. The story will continue with sweet potato and avocado and eventually kimchi (in a year, Kevin, in a year) and eventually doenjang jjigae and eventually everything. But it started here: a silver spoon from Busan, rice cereal, and a small empress who was unimpressed but willing.

James and I didn’t recreate the kimchi jjigae from our date night — that restaurant’s version belongs to that night, to the table where we looked at each other’s faces for the first time in months without a baby between us. But a week later, with Hana asleep in Grace’s arms for a long Sunday nap, I pulled out the grill pan and made these Korean Steak Kabobs — the same bold soy-sesame flavors, the same warmth, something I could make in our own kitchen while we stood together and remembered, again, that we are a couple who chose each other and keeps choosing.

Prep Time: 20 min (plus 1–4 hrs marinating) | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min active | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1 1/2-inch wedges
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
8–10 metal or soaked wooden skewers
For the Korean Marinade:
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes) or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced (plus more for garnish)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, and gochugaru until the honey is fully dissolved. Stir in the sliced green onions.
Marinate the beef. Place the steak cubes in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour about two-thirds of the marinade over the beef, reserving the remaining third. Seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Refrigerate the reserved marinade separately.
Prep the skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Thread the marinated steak alternating with bell pepper pieces, onion wedges, and zucchini rounds.
Heat your grill or grill pan. Heat an outdoor grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grates or pan. Let it get fully hot before adding the skewers.
Grill the kabobs. Cook kabobs for 10–12 minutes total, turning every 3 minutes, until the steak reaches your desired doneness (145°F for medium) and the vegetables have slight char at the edges.
Glaze and rest. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, brush the kabobs with the reserved marinade. Remove from heat and let rest 3 minutes before serving.
Garnish and serve. Transfer to a platter, scatter with toasted sesame seeds and extra sliced green onions. Serve over steamed white rice or with a simple cucumber salad.

Nutrition (per serving)

Korean Steak Kabobs — The Meal That Reminded Us We Are Still Us