[Food]

[Food] Jjinppang (Steamed Bun with Red Bean Paste, 찐빵)

Jjinppang (Steamed bun with red bean paste, 찐빵) is a popular cuisine that you can easily find with the street vendor or at a steamed bun house or convenience store these days. It's a very familiar food for Koreans in the winter but actually its origin is not from Korea.

It originates from Japan during the Japanese colonial period, but we don't know who brought it to Korea. It was invented in Japan by the Chinese 'Lin Jjung In' who came to Japan with his monk friend Venerable Ryojan in 1341 A.D. Residing at Venerable Ryojan's temple without much to do, he wanted to sell pork buns as he did in China. However, at that time, Japan prohibited meat consumption so Lin stuffed his steamed bun with red bean paste, which the Japanese love.

Jjinppang became very popular in Korea after the Korean War, thanks to the US who supplied a tremendous amount of wheat flour to Korea to solve the country's poverty and hunger. The Korean government encouraged their people to cook and eat flour-based foods, so Koreans started to cook noodle and bread-based foods with wheat flour from the US.

Jjinppang restaurant in Anheung, the most well-known town for jjinppang in Korea

Jjinppang is hot, soft, spongy and sweet! That's why jjinppang is considered one of the best winter snacks in Korea. When you hold jjinppang in your palm and take your first bite, you'll momentarily forget the cold seeping through your bones. Its soft and silky red bean paste goes really well with hot steamed flour dough. Today, there are so many kinds of jjinppang filled with minced pork, chicken, pizza sauce, milk cream, custard, sweet potato paste, and more.

Steamed bread may vary slightly from house to house, but all of them are delicious, cheap, and hot. My favorite jjinppang house cooks very flat jjinppang with various kinds of colorful dough with mugwort, old pumpkin, pink cactus and black sesame :)

If you visit Korea in the winter and find a house full of steam and stainless pots, don't forget to buy jjinppang. The sweetness of red bean paste and dough will welcome you warmly :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Saeu-ganjeong (Sweet and Spicy Deep Fried Shrimp, 새우강정)

Any dak-ganjeong (Sweet and Spicy Deep Fried Chicken, 닭강정) restaurant in cities near the East Sea of the Korean peninsula cooks Saeu-gangjeong (Sweet and Spicy Deep Fried Shrimp, 새우강정). Fishermen by the East Sea catch lot of shrimp, and that's why deep fried chicken restaurants in cities by the East Sea sell deep-fried shrimp too.

No one knows who invented saeu-ganjeong but everyone knows that deep-fried shrimp covered with sweet and spicy sauce tastes greater than common deep-fried shrimp :)

A few days ago, I visited Sokcho (one of the cities by the East Sea coast) and visited the Deep Fried Food block of Daepo Port in Sokcho. Daepo Port is famous for its seafood and it also sells many deep fried seafoods. There's one deep fried shrimp place that I love to frequent :)

Daepo Port in Sokcho

Deep Fried Seafood Place

Saeu-ganjeong (Sweet and Spicy Deep Fried Shrimp, 새우강정)

They don't peel shrimp shell, they deep fry the whole shrimp including its head, legs and tail. The deep fried shrimp shell  gives an even crispier texture, which goes well with a sweet and spicy sauce.

If you ever visit cities in the East Sea coast, go to a seafood market and try saeu-ganjeong please. I'm so sure that saeu-ganjeong can be one of your best deep fried foods :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food]

[Food] Yeolmu Kimchi (Young radish kimchi, 열무김치)

Yeolmu (Young radish, 열무) originates from Palestine. We don't know when it came to the Korean peninsula, though I personally think it may have come via the Middle East and China by silk-road traders. Yeolmu means 'young radish' in Korean. It has grown bigger with a wider stem and leaf for a tastier tender and crispy texture.

It's harvested from June to August when Korea endures its hot summer. Naturally, yeolmu provides its best taste in summer. Koreans make spicy, sweet and refreshing yeolmu kimchi with spicy chili seasoning and fermentation. Yeolmu is usually made with plentiful juice and seasoning, and people love to eat cold noodles and barley rice with it.

The uniquely tangy, spicy, sweet and refreshing flavor of yeolmu kimchi is distinctive from other types of kimchi that are made in autumn and winter. Yeolmu kimchi is known as kimchi for the hot summer, I have hardly met any Korean who dislikes yeolmu kimchi in the summer hot days. It goes well with barley rice, though my personal favorite is yeolmu kimchi cold noodle :) Its taste harmonises well with any kind of cold soup noodle with its juice.

Yeolmu is full of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, saponin and dietary fiber, and also has collagen and anti-oxidant stimulants. I can confidently say that yeolmu is one of the most flavorsome weight loss recipes :)

How about making some yeolmu kimchi if you are going through an arduous summer? I'm sure that yeolmu kimchi will soothe your body and soul :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Dorumook (Sailfin sandfish, 도루묵)

One day, after a battle with enemies at the border, Yi Sung-gye (1335~1408 A.D.), who was a well-known politician and general in the Goryeo dynasty, was exhausted and famished. He and his army visited a village on the way home, and asked the people of the village to give them some food. As the village was located near the East Sea, the people brought them some fish. Yi Sung-gye found the fish so delicious that he asked them its name, to which the villagers replied, "Mook". Yi Sung-gye thought the fish deserved a better name, so he told the villagers, "From now on, call this fish 'Eun-eo (Silver fish)'".

Decades later, Yi Sung-gye destroyed the Goryeo dynasty and became the founder and first king of the Chosun dynasty. Again, one day, as he sat on his throne, he reminisced about the fish he had eaten on his way home after the fierce battle. He ordered his vassals to bring 'Eun-eo' from the village. However, when he took a bite of well-roasted 'Eun-eo', he was very disappointed with its taste and he said, "Doru 'mook' ira haera (Return it to 'mook')".

Therefore, today, sailfin sandfish is called 'Dorumook' in Korean, meaning 'Returned to mook'. Today 'dorumook' also means 'futile effort', 'back to nothing' or 'useless', which is very obvious when we think of the story of dorumook, which was once-called 'Eun-eo'.

Dorumook is usually eaten in the north-eastern coastal area and Akita prefecture of Japan, and is caught from November to December during Dorumook's spawning season. It tastes very plain and dry, so one can understand why it is called 'sandfish'. Despite the taste of dorumook, some cities in Gangwon province (north-eastern region of South Korea) host a Dorumook festival to attract tourists during the winter. Some people love eating dorumook, though personally I do not like its taste.

Dorumook is usually cooked as a spicy stew or is charcoal-grilled to enjoy its flesh and egg, but it can be fishy and smelly so there are vocal love-hate opinions about dorumook. It's a very cheap and common fish in the Korean winter so it's typical local seafood produce in markets in Gangwon province. If you are a seafood lover, how about sampling charcoal-grilled dorumook? You may just call it 'Eun-eo' as soon as you taste it :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Maneul Chicken (Deep Fried Chicken with Garlic Sauce, 마늘치킨)

Chicken has formed part of the human diet since ancient times, and it has been deep fried since the medieval age in many regions around the world. Today's deep fried chicken cuisine originates from the United States and flowed into South Korea in the 1980s. The first deep fried chicken restaurant in Korea opened in Seoul. Since then, deep fried chicken restaurants have sprung up like mushrooms.

Koreans have now created their own style of deep fried chicken with one of them called Maneul (Deep fried chicken with garlic sauce, 마늘치킨). Koreans love garlic (which itself forms part of Korea's creation myth), putting garlic into most Korean cuisine. As such, it's clear that Koreans invented maneul chicken in 1980s Seoul.

One of the oldest deep fried chicken eateries in South Korea, located in Banpo-dong, Seoul.

Deep fried garlic, vegetable and chicken

Garlic sauce tastes sweet, savory (umami) and piquant, and when deep fried chicken is smothered in garlic sauce, it removes its oily taste and the smell of deep fried chicken, giving it a fabulous taste with crispy chicken :)

Even if you are not a fan of garlic, you might just change your mind after tasting this garlic sauce. The balanced and harmonized sweet and piquant taste of garlic goes so well with deep fried chicken. Deep fried garlic makes for unique gourmet, too :)

If you have a Korean eatery nearby, how about savoring some deep fried chicken tonight? It will never fail you :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food] Gamgyul (Seedless Mandarine, 감귤)

 [Food]

[Food] Gamgyul (Mandarine, 감귤)

Gamgyul (Seedless mandarin, 감귤) is one of the most typical and popular fruits in Korea with a sour and sweet taste and as large as the size of half a fist :)

Korea's Jeju Island is the biggest production site of gamgyul because the temperature in Jeju Island does not fall under freezing, even in winter, providing the best climate for gamgyul to thrive in a warm climate. Jeju Island has produced gamgyul for the last 1000 years, but today's gamgyul crop originates from Japan and has been farmed for 1000 years.

Doctors say that gamgyul's vitamin P content enhances vascular health, which also gives beautiful skin. Gamgyul is also helpful for the maintenance of one's memory and cognition, and for the prevention of constipation :)

However, too much gamgyul can turn one's skin color yellow and also increase blood sugar levels. You have been warned :) Its sweetness is addictive. 

In any case, owing to the mass production of gamgyul on Jeju Island, it is a very cheap fruit that can be found in any market in Korea :) It's usually harvested in the autumn, so people usually eat gamgyul in the winter as a snack or a dessert. There is one special feature about Korean mandarin, compared to mandarins anywhere else - the Korean mandarin does not have a hard seed :) This makes it very convenient to eat.

The popularity of gamgyul in Korea has ignited the invention of many gamgyul products such as tart, chocolate, jelly, juice, makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and even whisky :)

Visit any Korean friend in the winter and I'm certain you'll both be eating gamgyul with them as you chatter away :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Dweji Doenjangjjigae - Korean Home Cooked Recipe (Korean Bean Paste Stew with Pork, 돼지된장찌개)

It's been really cold and windy in Korea these days, so I thought of having a hot, stodgy and nostalgic dish for dinner with my wife :) I decided to cook a variation of Korean traditional doenjangjjigae, which is dweji doenjangjjigae (Korean bean paste stew with pork) :) So, let's begin!

Ingredients: Pork (neck or leg or belly), tofu, zucchini, onion, minced garlic, perilla (or sesame) oil, salt, black pepper, doenjang (Korean bean paste, you can buy it at any Korean grocers), water, Chinese cabbage 

1. Grab a big pot (I use a large stainless pot), pour some perilla (or sesame) oil and turn the heat on. When the pot is hot enough, put chopped pork (neck or leg or belly fillet) and a little salt to stir fry till it's half-cooked.

2. Pour some rice wine (soju or cheongju) and keep stir frying to remove the smell of pork.

3. Put chopped Chinese cabbage and onion into the pot, and stir fry till vegetables are cooked. Season it with a little salt.

4. Pour water into the pot until the ingredients are soaked. You can put in a little more than this if you want more soup stew :), Then boil it.

5. When boiled, add doenjang into the pot, break and mix it thoroughly. Then toss minced garlic into it. Don't forget to pour some soy sauce for seasoning :)

6. Put in chopped zucchini and tofu, heat it up again :)

7. Lastly, put in a spoonful of perilla powder, and heat it up again :) It's now done. Enjoy it with hot steamed rice and kimchi if you want to have a typical Korean home cooked meal :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Hotteok (Sugar-filled Korean pancake, 호떡)

Hotteok is very popular and common street snack in Korea, chewy and sweet pan-fried bread can be seen any Korean downtown. It's origin is very old as much as Silk Road, China exchanged many culture (including gourmet) through merchants of Silk Road with Arabia and Central Asia, and hotteok which means 'gentile's cake' was one of them. Even there's a historical record which proves the first king of Tang Dynasty enjoyed it too. Then how this Chinese pancake came into the Korean peninsula and changed to hotteok, sugar-filled Korean pancake?

In 1882, the Im-O Military Revolt occurred in Korea so the Qing Dynasty dispatched its army with merchants for supply. On that time, the merchants of the Qing Dynasty brought hotteok and many Chinese gourmet (including jajangmyeon) with them, and the merchants didn't return to China. After the fall of Qing Dynasty, many of them opened Chinese-style restaurant and snack shop in Korea, and that's how Chinese-style gourmet became Korean food. In 1920s, Chinese laborers came into Korea for large construction business, and it ignited boom of hotteok in Korea.

Originally, hotteok was baked in oven but it was changed to pan-frying on huge iron pan since production of cooking oil in Korea. Since then, hotteok sellers used cooking oil or margarine to deep or pan-fry hotteok for better taste, and cheaper and convenient recipe :)

Today there are many variation of hotteok recipe, people stuffs nuts, seeds, vegetables, sweet potato noodle, brown sugar, cheese, ice cream and more into hotteok. Moreover they also changed recipe of hotteok mix which are using or adding stick rice powder, rice powder, green tea powder, mixed grains and more. I guess people of the world always find better, easier and tastier way of any food.

Hotteok is more popular in the winter because it's 'hot' cake with 'hotter' stuffing, it needs sizzling iron pan or pot to cook too. You never want to cook hotteok under blazing sun, do you?

Hotteok with vegetable and sweet potato noodle

Hotteok with ice cream and cheese

Instant green tea flavor hotteok mix

You may find instant hotteok mix at nearby Korean grocery shop, how about trying hotteok today? :)

Bon Appétit!