I’ve only gotten food poisoning twice in my life.  Both instances just happened to coincide with Vacations.  The first time, I was in New York visiting family for Christmas.  It was eventually revealed that undercooked Brownies were to blame.
The second time was in Korea.  We had gotten Ddukbokki from a Street Vendor (it’s an extremely popular Street Food there).

Needless to say, I quickly developed a great dislike for both.  It took me a really long time to sink my teeth into a fudgy Brownie or even muster up a smile for a bubbling, screaming Red bowl of this Spicy and Sticky goodness.  I’m happy to say that I’ve since gotten over it so cue the delicious Ddukbokki!!

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You will need:

• 4 c Rice Cake Sticks, found in the refrigerated/frozen section or near the Rice shelves (unrefrigerated)
  • You must soak these for 30 min

For the Stock:

• 5 c Water + 5 large Anchovies

• 1/2 Onion
• 1 Garlic
• 3 Crab Sticks or 1-2 sheets of Fish Cake
• 5 tb Red Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
• 1 tb Fish Sauce
• 2 tb Sugar
• 1 tb Honey (or Corn Syrup, Agave, or Rice Syrup–whatever you have on hand)
• 2 tb Sesame Oil
• 1 tb Sesame Seed (more if you’d like)

—>Optional:: Green Onions, Cabbage, Carrots, etc.

You can definitely sub a portion of the aforementioned ingredients for whatever you’d like.
Anchovy Stock = Veggie/Chicken Stock
Crab Sticks/Fish Cake = (Hot Dogs, Beef, Chicken, etc)
Fish Sauce = Soy Sauce

There are a few things to consider before creating this delicious Noodle Soup.  Don’t bother making it if you can’t obtain quality Seafood and you can’t commit just 15-20 minutes into making a nice Stock.  Additionally, you don’t want to over cook it and just bubble right before ladling over your fat strands of Udon (can sub with pasta if you can’t find Udon).

Now, I get questions about the variations on a single Korean Dish.  Your Mama probably has her own way of baking a cake than Tommy’s Mom down the street, similarly, this is also true for Korean Food.  How a dish is created can also be impacted by what region the Dish is made.  I like to think that my resourcefulness is derivative from a Country where the people had to make do with what they had (I know that growing up, Mom and Dad could make something out of nothing like MAGIC)!  Ingredients can always be recycled into a new outfit to look brand spankin’ new and lent in an array of new and innovative ways.

Here’s how to make Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup:

Broth:

• 6 c cold, filtered Water
• 1/3 c dried Anchovies + 2 pieces of Kelp
• 1 c Mushrooms (I used equal parts Enoki & Button but you can use whatever)
• 2 tb good quality Fish Sauce

Soup:

• 1 large Onion
• 5-8 cloves of Garlic
• 2 ts fresh, finely minced/grated Ginger
• 5 strips Bacon
• 1/4 c Red Pepper Flakes + 1 tb Sesame Oil –can sub with Veggie but not the same
  • You need Korean Red Pepper Flakes here aka Gochugaru

• 1 large Carrot
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers (can omit)
• 2 c Spinach (or Cabbage or Leeks)
• 1/2 c ea of Shrimp, Mussels, Squid
  • Feel free to use whatever Seafood you like or is on sale)

• 4-5 Green Onions

Directions:

1. Bring your Broth (Water, Anchovies, Kelp, Mushrooms, Fish Sauce) to a rolling boil for 15-20 min  (later, discard your Anchovies and Kelp but keep everything else)
2. In a separate pot, fry your Bacon, add your Onions, Garlic, Ginger, Jalapenos, Pepper Flakes + Sesame Oil then, add your Carrots, and Spinach
3. Introduce your Broth into you second pot of goodies, bring to a gentle bubble (this is a good time to cook off your Noodles)
4. Slide in your Seafood, remember not to overcook and only bring to a great boil right before serving
5. Lastly, sprinkle with your Green Onions, stir, and ladle over Noodles and enjoy!!

I’ve had this at some restaurants with Pork Neck Bones, Zucchini, Napa Cabbage, Oysters, and sometimes even Fish (one time, canned Tuna).

This big ole’ bubblin’ cauldron should serve 5 (maybe even more because of the Noodles) so don’t forget to share bc sharing is caring =D

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Bulgogi, Seoul Style

I have tasted Bulgogi in many places around Korea and most of the restaurants are the same. The only difference between some restaurants is that there’s either a well furnished restaurant (the food are a bit expensive) or just a plain old looking restaurant along the streets. If I am in Seoul, I would have my Bulgogi around Hongdae (홍대) near the Bebop Guesthouse. While if you are in Daegu, I think everywhere are the same.

While waiting for Bulgogi, lets have the side dishes first?

Korean beef Bulgogi and Imported beef Bulgogi

Usually, Korean restaurant serving Bulgogi will offer 2 types of the same dish. It’s still beef but the selections are – Korean beef (한우고기) or the imported ones (Usually from Australia, America, etc). To be honest, I have no qualms eating either the Korean beef or the imported ones but according to my Korean friends, Korean beef tastes better and it’s safer too (That’s another story).

This is it

When I was learning Korean, I tried making Bulgogi. Sadly to say, in my first try, I accidentally added too much vinegar while marinating the beef. Well, it was edible but a bit sourish. In nearly every Bulgogi recipe blogs on the internet, they do not include vinegar as one of the key ingredients. So I think this might be one of the secret recipe of some Korean Bulgogi restaurants.

The best Korean recipe guide I am recommending is still Maangchi in this link here. Bulgogi is first marinated, usually with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and sugar. Then various ingredients were added (such as scallions, onions, etc) to make a delicious bowl of Bulgogi.

Bulgogi pizza (불고기 피자)

In Korea, Bulgogi is so well known that you can simply order Bulgogi pizza if you craved for it late at night. And there’s Bulgogi hamburger too.

PS. There are many posts that you see here are not yet posted on my personal cum travel blog. Briefly, I am currently “working” for Daegu City Hall under Daegu Social Media Group and was a member of World Student in Korea (WSK) 4th batch organized by Korea Presidential Council on National Branding (대통령직속 국가브랜드위원회). I actively maintain a blog and I am also a student in Korea.

付け合せの大根甘酢がダイスキです

今調べて知りましたが、赤坂にもあるんですね(￣□￣;)!）

韓国でないと食べれないんだと思ってました～

お夜食はノグリ

そしてバナナウユとヨーグルト☆

バナナウユ飲むの初めてだったよ～(ﾉﾟοﾟ)ﾉ

あまーい！！！横のヨーグルはト、

開けたらこんな感じ、

半分はチョコシリアルでまぜまぜして食べます

めっちゃ美味しいのでおすすめです

Though internationally renowned fish such as salmon and perch is rare and expensive,  average koreans still eat plenty of fish and other seafood like octopus and squid. Of all, mackeral, sardines and anchovies are the most common fish you would encounter along with dried or frozen cod. Mackeral is one of the most ignored fish although it’s the healthiest with its high omega-3 content. It’s off-putting to a lot of people because of its strong smell and oily taste.

<Grilled Mackerel with Creamy eggplant and mushroom>

It’s usually eaten, if salted, pan- fried or grilled and with light soy dipping sauce, or if fresh, as spicy stew. As I’m not a big fan of Korean stew, I prefer the pan fried version.

I sometimes cook it in a western style with lemon and capers and a sprinkly of paprika and dill like I would with salmon. It’s a really refreshing touch to conventional ways of cooking the fish.

It would accompany white wine beautifully, with the creamy sauce rounding off the possibly undesirable fishy flavour, and give this undervalued fish the grace it deserves.

With this success, I should try another recipe which involves paprika and a touch of chilli. If anyone’s interested in trying this scrumptious and healthy mackeral recipe, please do let me know. I will post it exclusively here.

Just to give you a glimpse of the recipe, it calls for the perilla seed powder, also known as wild sesame seed power, which will give the dish the creamy and nutty flavour as well as texture. Wild sesame(perilla) leaves are often included in the assortment of green leaves for wrapping Korean BBQ, and are seen sometimes in Tuna kimbab. They have the taste often described as a cross between mint and fennel, and distinctively Korean.

Perilla seeds are supposed to be very rich in minerals and vitamins beneficial to health; even in anti-inflammatory and anti-wrinkle properties! So what you say?

The oil extracted from the seeds is an substitute for sesame oil and widely used in many traditional Korean cooking and temple food, giving it its unique characteristic.  I’m sometimes tempted to make creamy pasta sauce with perilla seed powder instead of cream. I’m sure it will be as tasty. I will let you know the result once I try it out.

We are a family who loves to try out new restaurants every once in a while. The restaurant may be a ‘hole in a wall’ / fast food / mid-range / classy restaurant, it doesn’t matter as long as we have the budget for it.

• Samgyeopsal 400g/2persons for Php 500
  Jabchae for Php 400

Korea has a history in making fine pottery, plate ware, and eating utensils. There are many kilns in Korea that still produce works in the traditional fashion. One the most essential is the Onngi, which are the large brown pots used to ferment sauces and kimchi. In the past, kimchi would be made and then buried in the ground to let it slowly age. The miraculous onngi is microporous- so it breathes. And its shape lets it keep a constant temperature during all seasons.

“Korean food changed our lives”

Desiree and Liam Munroe from Australia have another reason to like Korean food. The couple has lost a combined 35 kilograms in 6 months by eating the Korean way.

“Eating Korean food is more than just healthy. Before, Liam and I would eat separately or we would order our own dishes, but in Korea, we eat together and we share. Sure, the food is healthy, but the culture of eating is just as important.” Desiree Munroe

(excerpts from Share the Pleasure: Korean Cuisine)

The King’s Feast

It’s a feast fit for a king and the tradition has been passed down for 5000 years. A kings setting could have up to 64 different dishes and the large variety of dishes wasn’t because the king was a glutton; it was so the king could see which regions of his country were doing well agriculturally and economically. If a region’s specialty, such as apples from the southern city Daegu were missing, he knew he would have to send help.

Kimjang

Making a Year’s Worth of Kimchi

Did you know that Koreans eat nearly 40 pounds of kimchi a year? Now in order to make all that kimchi, they have an annual event called Kimjang, which is usually held in early November. During this time, families and friends will get together to make kimchi. It is usually a 2-day event where first, all the kimchi needs to be salt brined. Then on the Kimjang day, radish, garlic, ginger, and other vegetables need to be cut. These are then mixed into the kimchi sauce and the sauce is lathered between every layer of cabbage. Each family will need 100-200 heads a cabbage, so it takes a lot of work to prepare it all. In the past, the kimchi would be stored in large clay pots called onggi, but these days most families have kimchi refrigerators.

Ginseng

The Golden Root.

Korea is the leading exporter of ginseng in the world. This miraculous ingredient has been called a cure-all and used to relieve stress, sickness, and to improve memory (The Mayo Clinic Sept. 2009). The root is often displayed in glass vases and, according to folklore; the roots often look like wise men or serene women. A favorite dish in Korea is Samgyetang: chicken and ginseng soup. This dish takes a whole young chicken stuffed with rice, jujubes, chestnuts and garlic and slowly cooks it in broth.

Korean Barbecue

You might have had Korean barbecue before, but not like it is served in Korea. There are over 200,000 barbecue restaurants in Korea and you will get bountiful amounts of meat to grill right at the table. And it’s not just beef or pork. In Korea they grill eel, lamb, and duck and many other kinds of meats and vegetables. Also, each restaurant has a special secret sauce to marinate the meat. In Korea, the meat is the appetizer. Along with the meat, you’ll get an array of side dishes (banchan) and you finish your meal with steaming bowl of soybean stew (tengjang chiggae) and rice or a bowl of cold buckwheat noodles (naengmyeon).

Banchan

A Variety of Shared Dishes

Korean cuisine is famous for the numerous side dishes (banchan) that come with each meal and in Korea, and it’s all “service.” This means that it comes as part of the meal. These banchan are always shared and there are different banchan for different seasons and for different main courses. Although the banchan are often small, they are often refillable.

Drinking Culture

One Shot!

Koreans are very social people and the drinking culture is a big part of that. Drinking is important to develop business relationships and friendships. You’ll often see company employees go out and drink together-Koreans rarely drink alone. Koreans work hard, but they like to play hard as well. A popular drink is called poktanju or the “Soju Bomb.” It’s a glass of beer with a shot of soju. As they drink it, they say, “one shot.”

 Copyright : Korea tourism Organization