[Food]

[Food] Maesaengi (매생이, Seaweed Fulvescens)

Maesaengi (매생이, Seaweed Fulvescens) is not a very well-known seafood/

ingredient in Korea, it's usually eaten in China and Korea as soup and porridge. The reason why it's not well known to most  people is that it can only be grown in the crystal-clear clean sea in winter. Fishermen of the south-western coast (Jeonnam province) of the Korean peninsula usually plant and cultivate it.

It gives a savory, mild and refreshing taste with a very silky texture. It doesn't puff any steam out even when boiled or very hot, so you have to be very careful when you eat any porridge or soup made of maesaengi. There's an idiom in Korean that says. 'Give maesaengi soup to the annoying son-in-law' (the son-in-law will burn his tongue if he doesn't know his mom-in-law is giving him maesaengi).

You'd better be careful if you've been a naughty boy (or son-in-law)

Maesaengi is one of my favorite ingredients because it gives a refreshing sea flavor and also goes very well with any kind of hot soup or porridge (even in ramen and cup noodle). Moreover, it's very easy to cook. You can make pancake with it too.

Oyster is perfect partner to maesaengi

It's maesaengi pancake, not green tea flavored one.

You can buy maesaengi in any winter market. It looks like a ball of thin green string. Wash it with salt water, then it's ready to be put into pancake dough or soup :)

These days, with the help of food science and technology, people can buy quick-frozen dry maesaengi which becomes fresh when it goes into hot water or soup :)

A package of quick-frozen maesaengi from Wando (Wan Island in south-west region of Korea)

This one bag contains maesaengi for one person

Maesaengi is full of minerals, folic acid, zinc, fiber and proteins - very nutritious :) If you are thinking of hot soup or porridge in the winter, how about maesaengi soup today? I hope you don't burn your tongue :)

Bon Appétit!