[Food]

[Food] Geonppang (건빵, Hardtack)

I'm so sure that anyone who has done military service for their country can not forget this little, hard buddy. Even though you get sick of this little thing, you're not exempt because this buddy is the food most frequently eaten during the time of military service.

Geonppang (건빵, hardtack) is very hard, super dry but sweet and savory. It's usually made of flour but can be cooked with barley, brown rice and sesame for better taste and texture.

It is believed that hardtack originates from ancient Egypt, and was eaten by many soldiers in ancient history. The modern form, 'geonppang', that is usually eaten in Korea today was actually invented in Japan in 1904. The Japanese army invented 'ganpan (hardtack in Japanese)' to supply food to their soldiers.

When you first join the army, geonppang is the first friend that you become familiar with. This light, dry snack in a small plastic bag fits easily into your pocket and is easy to take out from your pocket to eat too, no matter the time or place. I remember eating 2-3 bags of geonppang daily during outdoor strategic training.

When I did my military service near DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) near the boundary with North Korea, I remember one very cold and snowy day. On the evening that day, my soldiers and I realized that it was the birthday of our army surgeon, who was our superior (I served as an emergency medic in the Korean army). Again, it was a very cold and snowy day. We couldn't drive any car down to the market in the nearby village because it would take too much time (more than 2 hours) and the mountainous supply road was already frozen, which was very risky.

So we put our heads together to arrange a birthday party with a cake to our dear surgeon. We brought out 6-7 bags of geonppang (hardtack) and ran to the kitchen of the mess hall. We explained our birthday party plan for the surgeon to army cooks, and they were happy to join our plan. We ground (crushed) geonppang with our bombproof helmet to make grain powder out of geonppang, and whipped egg yolk in the snow to make sweet and white cream. We made cake dough with geonppang powder and baked a small cake with a microwave (there was no oven, sadly). Then we topped the cake with white cream from the egg yolk. Everything was complete.

My soldiers and I went to the surgeon's office, knocked on the door and said "Sir, we've got some problems. You need to see this, sir."

The surgeon came out of his office with a cranky face which turned surprised and happy when we shouted "Happy Birthday, Sir!" We sang him a birthday song. He was a usually taciturn and brusque man, but he responded, "I'm very touched", blushing at his surprise birthday party.

Yeah, he must've been surprised because he couldn't think we could make a cake out of dry, tasteless and hard geonppang...but you know, you can do anything with a few ingredients and a strong soldier-like spirit.

Some years later, the surgeon moved to an army hospital in metropolitan city. Before I was discharged from the army, I met him by chance at the army hospital he was working in, and he said, "That was the one of the most touching moments in my life".

Geonppang is a very simple snack (it tastes better when it's deep fried and sugar-coated) but it's a very special friend to many people in Korea :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Dakhanmari (닭한마리, One Whole Chicken)

Many people may misunderstand Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea, to be a state-of-the-art city alone with global culture, but if you visit its narrow alleys behind its skyline and high-rise buildings, you will meet Seoul's particular traditional and modern culture :)

Dakhanmari (닭한마리 which means one whole chicken) is Seoul's indigenous food culture which originated in Dongdaemun alleys. There have been many chicken noodle soup restaurants in the alleyways of Dongdaemun since the 1970's with customers shouing 'Give me one whole chicken!' as they enter the restaurant to order chicken noodle soup. So 'one whole chicken' became the name of this menu :) Originally customers came to this alley to eat 'noodle soup with chicken', but gradually the menu was changed to 'whole chicken soup with noodle' because all customers shouted 'Give me one whole chicken!':)

The recipe is simple but every restaurant has a different know-how with its secrets for their dakhanmari recipe. They all put one whole chicken, leeks, water and spicy red pepper powder, but differ with the rest of the ingredients. Some put ginseng or kalopanax (thorn tree) or oriental herbs, and so on. So you can taste unique dakhanmari at each dakhanmari restaurant :)

One big whole chicken is served in a huge stainless bowl on a gas stove which customers chop with scissors (scissors are a typical utensil on the Korean meal table) when it's boiled. Then you eat pieces of chicken with the restaurant's unique spicy sauce and chopped chives. When you are finished with the chicken, you can order chopped noodle to eat with chicken soup :)

Similarly, the whole chicken is boiled in water for Samgyetang and Baeksuk but it's different from dakhanmari as that has a different recipe for soup and uses a spicy sauce :)

So, if you are visiting or living in Seoul...then how about tasting healthy dakhanmari at a Dongdaemun alleyway today? :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Full Recipe of Budaejjigae (부대찌개, Korean Army Stew)

Story of Budaejjigae - http://www.peacebreeze.net/2018/09/food-budae-jjigae-general-infantry-stew.html

Today I'm introducing a recipe of Budaejjigae (부대찌개, Korean Army Stew) for you :) It's straightforward, step by step so it won't be hard to follow :) Let's start.

Ingredients: 

Zucchini, sliced bacon, sausage, baked beans, some kimchi, salt (I've used salted shrimp instead for more flavor), ham (can of spam is the best), minced pork, tofu and onion

Stock: Dried anchovy and kelp

Seasoning: Soy sauce, sesame oil, red chili powder, honey, pepper, salt, minced garlic, soju (Korean rice wine), minced ginger or ginger powder and scallion.

1. Prepare all ingredients

2. Parboil ham and bacon to remove chemicals in it for 5~10 minutes :) If they are handmade, it's not necessary.

3. Meanwhile, boil stock for budaejjigae with dried anchovy and kelp :) for 10 minutes.

4. Marinate minced pork with ginger powder, soju, pepper, little salt (I've used mixed herb too for more flavor) in a freezer.

5. Chop all the ingredients :) as small as you want

6. Roast parboiled bacon on a pan with some oil (bean, corn or canola oil) to increase its flavor and scent :)

7. Make spicy seasoning for the stew :)

8. Put all the ingredients into a big pot, and pour the stock :)

9. Please boil it on medium-high heat once, then you can season it with salt to suit its flavor :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food]

[Food] Yukgaejang (육개장, Spicy Meat Stew)

Yukgaejang (육개장, Spicy Meat Stew)

Ancient Koreans were not very fond of meat diets; they usually gained energy and protein from abundant bean and seafoods instead of meat. The meat diet flowed into Korea in the 13th century through the Mongol Invasion but it still remained uncommon because Korea's major religion at that time was Buddhism. Even the 16th century's Chosun Dynasty prohibited the butchering of cows because cows were a very precious tool and resource for farming.

So Koreans cooked stew with dog or an old cow for a party or a patient. They added strong and bitter spices and seasonings to remove the pungent smell of meat, and thick green onions, mung-bean sprouts, bracken, taro branch, red chili and more. This traditional recipe has passed down to today, except for dog meat :)

Yukgaejang is also famous as the dish eaten by King Soonjong who was the last king of the Chosun dynasty. The Master chef of Chosun palace served King Soonjong a bowl of yukgaejang when King Soonjong was in deep sorrow and pain after losing the kingdom to Japan. The anecdote tells of King Soonjong eating yukgaejang with tears running down his cheeks.

These days, Koreans enjoy eating yukgaejang in all seasons regardless of the weather. In contrast with traditional recipes, chicken or beef is used for today's yukgaejang and is still very spicy and hot. Koreans usually eat yukgaejang in summer because its spicy taste builds an appetite and the meat gives energy and stamina to those who are exhausted from the heat.

However, yukgaejang is not an easy dish to cook. Every vegetable has to be chopped and seasoned with spices, and the meat has to be fully steamed and torn into small pieces. Then every prepared vegetable, seasoning and meat is boiled for several hours in beef stock. To cook a delicious yukgaejang quickly, your hands must be very busy. More than 10 years ago, I cooked it with one of my friends. I remember deeply thanking my grandmother who cooked yukgaejang by herself for me every time I visited her after finishing cooking yukgaejang.

Nevertheless, yukgaejang is a very popular traditional Korean dish :) Its spicy, savory and meaty flavors are more than enough to awaken one's spirit and body :)

Kalguksu (Hand-made chopped noodles) in yukgaejang, it's as good as eating yukgaejang with steamed rice :)

Korean home-made yukgaejang

Do you love spicy and meaty soup? Try yukgaejang, it will fill your tummy :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food]

[Food] Soondubu-Jjigae (순두부찌개, Soft Beancurd Stew)

Soondubu-Jjigae (순두부찌개, Soft Beancurd Stew)

When you go to any Asian restaurant and Asian market to look for beancurd you might see somewhat like the following :)

Typical beancurd one would think of when hearing the word 'beancurd' or 'tofu'. It often looks like a white cube of soap

How many of you know of other types of beancurd? It's not a surprise that there are more types of beancurd as there are a lot of types of cheese or chocolate. Beancurd is called 'Dubu' in Korean, and there are 2 more types called 'Soondubu (Soft beancurd)' and 'Yeondubu (Silken beancurd)'. They are made in the same way as common beancurd, but the difference lies in its firmness and coagulation.

Dubu is the hardest, soondubu is softer and yeondubu is the softest as its English name 'Silken' attests :)

Freshly-made Soondubu (Soft beancurd)

Yeondubu (Silken beancurd)

Soondubu is usually used for stew (which is the topic of this article) and ice cream (a famous dessert in Gangneung province, Korea) or eaten alone with soy sauce. Yeondubu is eaten with soy sauce or used in salads and deep-fry (a typical Japanese food is deep-fried yeondubu, called 'Karaage Tofu')

Soondubu ice cream (Soft beancurd ice cream) in Gangneung

Yeondubu (Silken beancurd) with soy sauce

Yeondubu (Silken beancurd) salad

Today, I want to introduce you to Soondubu-Jjigae (순두부찌개, Soft Beancurd Stew) one of the typical dishes in Korea which is lesser well-known to non-Koreans. Koreans who love hot, spicy and savory (or salty) food with hot soup invented hot and spicy stew with soondubu. Fresh prawns, shells, red chili and minced pork with hot and spicy soup is more than enough to quench a Korean's appetite and let them sit in front of the dinner table with a bowl of rice and kimchi

Freshly-made soondubu (Soft beancurd)

Spicy soondubu-jjigae with pork

Koreans usually prefer soondubu-jjigae with seafood in it including shells, shirimps and squid because seafood gives a refreshing and deep flavor. To cook soondubu-jjigae, we need to make a spicy chili sauce in ttukbaegi (뚝배기, Korean earthen pot) with oil, red chili powder, chopped spring onion and minced pork, soy sauce and salt :) Then pour seafood stock into the sauce with the seafood and boil it until it is completely cooked. Garnish it with minced garlic and black pepper powder :)

It sounds very simple but the spicy chili sauce and seafood stock is the key to a delicious soondubu-jjigae :) Every Korean restaurant has its own secret soondubu-jjigae recipe.

Soondubu-jjigae doesn't always need to be spicy :) there is non-spicy soondubu-jjigae too

Soondubu-jjigae is always a typical lunch or supper dish though it's usually more popular in winter when good-quality seafood is in the market and people want a hot and warm stew. I'd also rather eat soondubu-jjigae in autumn or winter, because I don't want to sweat like a pig whilst eating soondubu-jjigae in the hot summer.

Soondubu-jjigae with doenjang (Korean bean paste) stew

The funny thing is that it's very hot summer in Korea but I cooked soondubu-jjigae yesterday because I missed this spicy and hot stew with soondubu (LOL). I don't sweat thanks to an excellent air conditioner :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food]

[Food] Daseulgitang (다슬기탕, Marsh Snail Soup)

Daseulgitang (다슬기탕, Marsh Snail Soup)

It was some years ago in Busan when I first ate daseulgitang for the first time. At that time I didn't know what daseulgi was, and many young people still don't know about daseulgi (marsh snail in Korean) today. If you don't know much about freshwater animals, let me show you what daseulgi is before we talk about today's menu :)

Korean fishermen are catching daseulgi

Daseulgi (다슬기, Marsh Snail)

They live in most streams and creeks in Korea which provide as clean water as there is, but they cannot live in extremely clean water because they need to feed on algae. Daseulgi has been eaten in Korea for a long time, and it is classified as an important and medicinal food. In traditional Korean medical textbooks such as 'Donguibogam: Principles and Practices of Eastern Medicine', it is said that daseulgi is very effective for recovery of liver and stomach diseases, and also cures indigestion. So Koreans had been cooking daseulgi for soup, and made juice out of it for good health. However, its habitat is becoming considerably worse because of environmental pollution, so local governments have recently been carrying out work for restoration of the habitat and the population of daseulgi.

Today I will show you a very simple Korean recipe using daseulgi, daseulgitang (다슬기탕, Marsh Snail Soup). We need eolgali cabbage (Korean winter-grown cabbage), chives, daseulgi, doenjang (Korean bean paste), dried anchovy, dried kelp, minced garlic and perilla powder.

Eolgali (Korean winter-grown cabbage)

Packed daseulgi (Made in China)

First of all, we need to make a soup stock with kelp, anchovy and doenjang :)

When the stock boils, put doenjang into it :) Use an iron net so doenjang can quickly dissolve in the stock. Meanwhile, we have to chop vegetables :) and blanch chopped eolgali in salt water.

Blanched chopped eolgali :)

Chives are ready

When vegetables are all ready, put in blanched eolgali first and boil it so that eolgali can absorb the stock sufficiently :) You can add some salt for extra flavor.

When it seems like eolgali has absorbed enough stock, add chives and daseulgi, then re-boil it. Then add black pepper, perilla powder and minced garlic :) If you want a spicy taste, add some spicy chili into it :)

Daseulgitang is done! Fresh, green and hot :)

Daseulgitang is very good for people who usually feel chronic fatigue or have a weak liver or stomach, and frequent drinkers :) Daseulgitang is a good friend for those with a morning hangover. So daseulgitang is usually eaten as 'hangover food' for breakfast in Korea :)

If you experience late night fatigue at work, an after-party hangover, weak liver function or indigestion, how about taking a cup of daseulgi soup today? :) I'm sure it will help.

Bon appétit!