Kimchi Chronicles

An introduction to the basics of Korean cooking starting with, of course, kimchi. Jean-Georges and Marja are joined in the kitchen by their real-life neighbors, actors Hugh and Deb Jackman. Together they prepare two iconic Korean dishes—bibimbap and beef bulgogi and check out barbeque that can rival Texas. The Chronicles Begin will also take a look ahead at the remaining twelve episodes of Kimchi Chronicles. Tune in to see if Wolverine can handle the heat of the Korean kitchen.

Rice, the bread and butter of the Korean table is explored from Busan, Korea's second largest city, all the way to Seoul. Along the way, Marja and her dear friend, the actress Heather Graham, learn about instant rice, tteok (a pasta-like ingredient made of ground rice) and visit Bibigo, a new chain of contemporary restaurants serving fresh variations of bibimbap. Back in New York, Marja and Jean-Georges create their own version of bibimbap, along with sushi-like kimbap, kimchi fried rice and JG's famous ginger fried rice. Not merely a staple, rice is the staple of Korean food.

Jean-Georges teams of with the Julia Child of Jeju Island—the Hawaii of Korea and a veritable garden of Eden. They shop for ingredients at the sprawling 5-Day Market and bring it all back to an authentic folk village where they cook over open fires and speak through the universal language of good food. Later Jean-Georges and Marja spend an afternoon in the green rolling hills of the Amore Pacific Tea Gardens with their daughter Chloe. Back at home, the Vongerichten family whips up a spicy kimchi jjigae soup and a hearty, healthy seaweed soup topped with crisp slices of pork belly.

Diving into one of the most amazing Korean traditions, Jean-Georges visits with the haenyos of Jeju Island, true mermaids who free-dive for seafood off the rocky coast. Jean-Georges feasts on fresher-than-fresh sea urchin, a dream breakfast for a world-renowned chef. Then he enjoys a fortifying seafood stew at Baekrok Haegwon restaurant, a veritable Korean bouillabase abundant with clams and crab. Marja explores gyejang, another famous crab preparation. Sampling a version at Gwangjang Market in Seoul, Marja gets the best version at Pro-Gan-Jang-Ge-Jang with her friend Diana. Marja takes the experience home and prepare homemade gyejang and together Marja and JG make Jeju Island-inspired dishes including steamed mussels with seaweed and sea urchin and also a Korean seafood stew. Lastly, Jean-Georges prepares his iconic crab fritters with a Korean spin.

The variety of bean-based dishes in Korean cuisine is a testament to Korea's ingenuity and resourcefulness. On The Bean Chronicles, Marja travels to Chodang to see artisinal tofu get made the old-fashioned way with fresh soybeans and ocean water and then enjoys a four course tofu meal with fresh tofu, each preparation completely distinct and delicious enough to convince any tofu nay-sayer. Marja then learns about what goes into one of her favorite Korean foods, bindaddeok, a pancake made of freshly ground mung beans. At Yongsusan, in Seoul, the hands-down best North Korean restaurant, Jean-Georges is so inspired by the mung bean noodles in a dish called tangpyungchae that he makes a version at home in New York and also recreates a tofu-stuffed citrus dish inspired by Seoul's phenomenal Doorei restaurant. Marja contributes her bindaddeok recipe and makes a simple, flavorful spicy tofu stew.

Tracing the history of beef, The Beef Chronicles tap into Korea's religious, political and economic evolutions. Marja and her friends, food experts Diana and Jennifer, enjoy bulgogi in Seoul and then Marja eats it again in Andong, the spiritual capital of Korea, at a restaurant that produces thousands of ceramic jars of deonjang, a soybean paste that flavors much of Korean cooking. Marja and her dear friend, the actress Heather Graham have beef for breakfast and at home in New York Jean-Georges tops an Australian steak with kimchi butter for his neighbor Hugh Jackman and also grills galbi, sliced short ribs. The episode ends in the air as Marja and Jean-Georges eat bibimbap with bulgogi inside of a Korean Air plane.