[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] Bbyeo Jjim (Braised Back Ribs, 뼈찜)

Last Tuesday was my day-off, so I took the intercity bus to Sokcho to visit my friend who also had a day-off. About 4 years ago, when I lived in Sokcho, there were many of my favorite restaurants there, but today, there is only one favorite place left, which leaves me saddened :(

There is an old Bbyeo Jjim (Braised Back Ribs, 뼈찜) house that uses spicy seasoning and sauce on pork back ribs. It's very joyful to see one's favorite eatery still in business with swarming customers :) When I visited the Bbyeo jjim eatery, there were many people eating bbyeo jjim, even though it was a late lunch.

The owner of the restaurant naturally served us banchan (side dish), soon followed by bbyeo-jjim. Bbyeo-jjim was covered in a mountain of beansprouts with spicy seasoning and sauce.

Bbyeo-jjim is a variation of 'Gamjatang' which is Korean-style pork backbone soup. Both are braised pork back bone but bbyeo-jjim doesn't have as much soup as gamjatang, it has a thicker and more dense sauce and seasoning with bean sprouts :) Moreover, it's often hotter and spicier than gamjatang.

To enjoy bbyeo jjim, you have to scrape the meat off its backbone with a spoon and chopsticks. It's very easy because backbone meat is soft and silky - it just falls off the bone when you touch it :)

For a better taste, dip your meat into a  Japanese horseradish sauce provided. This greenish horseradish sauce stings the mouth and nostrils, but gives a very refreshing flavor which prevents your tongue from being filled with a fatty and oily taste :)

Don't forget to indulge in a spicy sauce with bean sprouts :) Its crunchy texture and spicy taste will give a little 'kick' between the thick meaty flavor :)

I enjoyed a whole meat dish so much, with bone, beansprouts and spicy sauce, and I'm also happy that this restaurant will remain open as long as people visit it :)

If you ever visit Sokcho in Korea, visit this fabulous bbyeo jjim place for meat with a superb taste :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Gogiguksu (고기국수, Meat Noodles)

Koreans served noodles with anchovy stock to guests to celebrate marriage or birthday or any good occasion because long noodle meant 'long live'. Meanwhile in Jeju Island, which is the most famous Korean tourist land in far south of Korea, people served steamed pork instead of noodles. However they served steamed pork with noodles since 1910~1920 A.D. when they started to produce noodles.

As beautiful as the scenery of Jeju Island is, Jeju Island's pork his of very high quality (and even today) without the gamey and foul smell, so they proudly serve noodles with high-quality pork. Today this noodle is called Gogiguksu (고기국수, Meat Noodles) and is a typical Jeju Island gourmet, followed by Jeju Island's half-dried tile fish and tangerine.

Gogiguksu is a very simple yet delicious dish. Put cooked noodles into thick and savory pork stock, and slice thick steamed pork to be topped on noodles. Savory, meaty and stodgy noodle with soft pork.

If you are a meat lover, how about trying gogiguksu when you visit Korea? Although you may not be a big fan of noodle soup, I'm sure that you will like it :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food] Jeyuk-bokkeum, Best Secret Korean Dish (제육볶음, Stir Fried Spicy Pork)

[Food]

[Food]  Jeyuk-bokkeum, Best Secret Korean Dish (제육볶음, Stir Fried Spicy Pork)

When people think of Korean foods, non-Koreans usually think of typical ones such as Bulgogi, Bibimbab, Galbi or Kimchi. However, when Koreans eat lunch or supper, the food that I will introduce you to today is a very typical dish called Jeyuk-bokkeum.

No one knows the Korean origins of Jeyuk-Bokkeum but it's mentioned in the Korean novel 'Lucky Day (운수 좋은날)' written during the Japanese Colonial Era. However, we don't know if Jeyuk-Bokkeum of the Japanese Colonial Era is the same as today's. In the middle of the 1980's, a small restaurant in Seoul started cooking and selling Jeyuk-Bokkeum again. Since then its recipe has started to spread throughout Korea while people also ate it a lot at many restaurants throughout Korea.

Jeyuk-Bokkeum was usually sold in casual, cheap Korean restaurants rarely frequented by non-Koreans, so it is not as well-known to non-Koreans as other typical foods. No wonder most non-Koreans neither know it nor its recipe.

Jeyuk-Bokkeum is made of pork, Korean chili paste, minced garlic, chili powder, onion and more. Its recipe is not hard. Cut pork to size and make a spicy marinade for it. Chili paste, soy sauce, minced garlic, chopped spring onion, chili powder, salt, sugar and pepper are all needed for marinating pork. Then marinate the pork in spicy marinade for more than an hour. Lastly, stir-fry the marinated pork on any pan or wok with some oil.

If you succeed in cooking Jeyuk-Bokkeum, it will taste sweet, salty and spicy. Depending on the cook, it can be salty and spicy or sweet and spicy. Personally, I like Jeyuk-Bokkeum more than Bulgogi because it's spicy and can be cooked with cheap ingredients (pork is much cheaper than beef in South Korea).

Jeyuk-Bokkeum is a typical Korean dish for Koreans. 'Je' means 'pork' and 'yuk' means 'meat'.

Moreover, Jeyuk-Bokkeum can be cooked quickly if it has been marinated before. So it's a very popular dish in Korea. Its spicy and salty/sweet sauce also goes very well with rice when mixed.

If you want to taste a real Korean gourmet that has not been known to non-Koreans, how about tasting Jeyuk-Bokkeum? You may like this friendly and spicy Korean dish :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food] Gopchang & Makchang (곱창 & 막창, Pork & Beef Intestines)

[Food]

[Food] Gopchang & Makchang (곱창 & 막창, Pork & Beef Intestines)

Koreans have been eating meat since ancient times - no one knows exactly when, but it's certain that they loved it. Unlike Japan, the Korean peninsula was influenced by China and Mongolia so Koreans knew of a variety of meat recipes. Royal families - the noble and rich - enjoyed the flesh of beef and pork. Meanwhile, poor people who couldn't afford to buy the flesh of beef or pork found other ways of enjoying gourmet like roasting or braising the intestines. Koreans eventually learned not to waste a single part of the cow or pig. They ate almost everything including ears, nose, tail and bones.

Among them, pork and beef intestines were, surprisingly, delicious and its simple roasting/braising recipe has been passed down to Koreans today. Hallelujah!

The efficacy of pork and beef intestines was also recorded in a famous medical book by Dr.Jun Heo during the Chosun dynasty. It was written: "It energized the whole body, and strengthens the stomach and spleen. It protects one's intestines and minimises dizziness."

Pork and beef intestines are very chewy and savory because they are full of fat, iron and vitamins, and are high in protein and low in cholesterol. In Korean, pork intestines are called 'Gopchang(곱창)' and beef intestines are called 'Makchang(막창)'.

Gopchang and makchang are usually roasted/braised with many vegetables  as garlic, spring onions, onion and perilla leaves. It is usually stir-fried on an iron plate in a spicy sauce. So some cities like Busan are famous for gopchang and makchang recipes.

Today, it is no longer a cheap dish like it was. It's very popular to many people because of its taste, but its ingredients are limited and require import of intestines from overseas.

Koreans love to eat stir-fried rice after any meal.

If you are a meat-lover (sausage included), how about tasting gopchang and makchang? You won't regret it :) 'Chewy and savory' doesn't do justice to explaining their full taste :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food] Jangjorim (Soy sauce braised meat, 장조림)

[Food]

[Food] Jangjorim (Soy sauce braised meat, 장조림)

Beef jangjorim garnished with garlic and gguari pepper (shishito pepper)

It is true that many non-Koreans who are fond of Korean gourmet know about main, heavy, meaty and typical Korean foods such as Bulgogi, Galbi, Kimchi and Bibimbab. However, I would say these are not frequently neither commonly served menus on the everyday Korean table because Koreans usually eat these foods on special occasions (except Kimchi, which is a typical side dish). Then, what do Koreans usually eat for their daily meal? I have been introducing many Korean dishes and side dishes. Today's menu is one of the Korean's favorite :) Jangjorim!

Jangjorim placed in the middle of a Korean meal

Jangjorim's 'Jang' means 'Sauce' and 'Jorim' means 'Braise', so it means 'Braised in sauce'. What do Koreans braise in which sauce? They usually braise meat (beef and pork) in sweet soy sauce :) The jangjorim recipe is recorded in a 15th century Korean book. Korean culinary experts estimate that the recipe of braising in sauce initially came to the Korean peninsula from China.

In the past, people didn't have freezers in the time of the Chosun dynasty (obviously because this period was far before the invention of the freezer) but Koreans wanted to store meat for a long time in jars and pots. So they invented recipes that could preserve meat and egg for a long time using salt. Jangjorim is one of the results :)

The recipe is not very hard, but it takes a long time.

1. If using beef or pork, put it into the water to remove the blood
2. Boil or steam meat with rice wine and a laurel leaf (no need to boil if using egg)
3. Put meat into a mixed soy sauce (soy sauce, sugar, sliced ginger and plum juice ), and braise for 15 minutes
4. Put quail eggs (if desired) and garlic, then heat it till it boils.

5. Tear the meat apart into small pieces (so you can eat it easily), then boil them once again in the sauce with sesames.

Usually, jangjorim is stored in a plastic box to be stored in a freezer, so it can be enjoyed longer

Egg jangjorim is not as popular as beef, but is still a welcomed side dish

Quail egg jangjorim, cheap and tasty jangjorim

Beef jangjorim. The 'eye of round' is usually used for it.

I love eating jangjorim with hot rice and kimchi :) chewy beef or pork that is well braised in soy sauce gives you a sweet and salty flavor every time you chew it :) I think I will cook jangjorim tonight. I miss its chewy and salty flavor.

Bon Appétit!