Quick Bites: Some of my Favorite Recent Eats

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Songgi Mushroom

These days, I am into snacking and I love carbs. It must have something to do with the exercise that I’m doing. I try to run a couple of days a week so my metabolism is a bit quicker than it was. So…I can snack and go and not worry so much. But being busy with a couple different projects I haven’t had many full meals. I eat and I go. So here are some quick bites I have had in the last couple of days. Up first is Songgi mushrooms which are considered to be the highest quality mushrooms in Korea. A box costs 100-120,000 won and I think you might get 8 or so. While I was stopping by in the morning to visit my favorite monk, Dae Ahn Sunim, she insisted that I have a few of these mushrooms. They were cooked simply -just steamed, yet they had a wonderful punch of flavor that felt like an endorphine high. Lovely stuff. I recommend you try them.

Pumpkin Rice Cake

Another thing I’ve been eating a lot of are pumpkin rice cakes. I think they are much better than a granola bar or energy bar. The rice has been made into a powder, it is mixed with healthy pumpkin and then steamed with chestnuts, daechu dates, beans, and peas. It’s a great energy booster and it’s absolutely delicious. I love getting mine at Nakwon Tteokjip because they have them individually packaged to go. Each one costs only 1 dollar, I feel I should be paying more.

Ddang Kong Kangcheong

When I snack at home I love me some Ddang Kong Kangcheong. They are like rice krispy treats but with peanuts. They are crunchier than rice krispy treats and they are really good for muching at night while watching a movie. I don’t think I needed the 25% extra in the bag because they are so addictive.

Bee Cheng Hiang

Lastly, Bee Cheng Hiang is a Singapore speciality that takes pork or beef and grills them with a delicious food. They are like beef jerky, but softer and the sauce on them are great. I got the spicy pork and the meat melts in your mouth. You don’t even have to chew them if you don’t want- just put one in your mouth and salivate. They grill them up fresh and you’ll usually see a queue out the door. The one I went to was in Myeongdong but I have seen it as well in D-Cube City in Sindorim.

Spicy Pork at Bee Chiang Hiang

About the Author

Daniel

Daniel Gray is a Korean adoptee that returned to Korean in 2005 because he wanted to try and find his birth mother and to learn about Korean culture. He started a restaurant review blog in 2007, www.seouleats.com, that became a local and international hit. He and his blog has been featured in the New York Times, Monocle Magazine, The Kimchi Chronicles, Bizarre Foods, Rudy Maxa, Olive Magazine, Euronews and much more. He now is a partner at O’ngo Food Communications (www.ongofood.com), which is a culinary tourism and consulting company that offers Korean cooking classes and restaurant tours to travelers. Their food tours and cooking classes are ranked as one of the top attractions in Seoul according to tripadvisor.