Seafood soup from yeonnam sikdang 연안식당. It’s the best thing to have in Korea on a frigid day. I think Korea does not get enough credit for their seafood, especially their soups. The daikon radish in the broth just adds something that is light, sweet yet not over powering. The leeks and watercress also add a bit of freshness as well. This soup had clams, red scallops and much more. The restaurant is also famous for their bibimbap made with cockles, chilies, green onions and buchu which is like a chive, but not. If you add some of their special sesame oil it makes it amazing. This restaurant has branches all over but I am a fan of the Mangwon one because the owners are nice. Yeonnam Sikdang 연안식당 [KakaoMap] 연안식당 망원점 134, World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul http://kko.to/GClTSJK0M
Advertisement
Posts
Showing posts with the label korean food
Best Beef in Korea Hanwoo I am all about going to the source. The best beef is not found at the supermarkets or even at the high-end restaurants in Seoul. If the restaurant does not have its own herds or farms then they can't control the quality of beef or have discretion on what is good beef then it won't consistently be the best. The problem is that Korea doesn't have enough local beef and the grading system is not exact across the board. I am not going to name names or go too deep into the politics of this because it is something that is being addressed and I think eventually it will be standardized. 1++ (the highest grade) beef is different from region to region. Local beef cooperatives are the ones that set the standards. In Korea, I would say the best beef comes from the Southwest in Jeollanamdo and in the center in Chuncheonbukto regions. Both of these regions have enough land for cattle raising and their beef cooperatives have set high standards. The standards a...
Hey all, wanted to share a local haunt that has been around for ages for all the right reasons. Daegwanryeong Shabu Shabu is one of favorite places for this dish because all of the ingredients are so fresh! They even grow the mushrooms in the fridges. Great veggies and broth that tastes like broth and not just msg (note it does have a tad too much black pepper, but I am cool with that). You get a ton of mushrooms and veggies and they have excellent buckwheat noodles as well to make soup. Definitely check it out. It's in Hongdae down the street next to Samsung digital building and then make a right. 마포구 동교동 158-28 — at 홍대 Hongdae.
Omelette Rice Duck Lettuce Wraps Homemade Hickory Smoked Bacon Our home continues to cook all of our meals and so far it has been good. Yesterday, we did want to order some take out or delivery because we just wanted something greasy, but we resisted. Luckily we had some homemade hickory smoked bacon on hand. I simply grilled this up and made a sauce with vinegar, chilies and shallots. For breakfast, I had omelet rice or what Koreans (and Japanese) call Omurice. To make this, I made a simple fried rice with onions, shallots, potatoes, soy sauce and a touch of vinegar. I then topped it with scrambled egg and served it with ketchup and a side of bacon and salad. For lunch we did duck lettuce wraps, bacon, dumplings, side dishes, soup and rice. It is not one hundred percent Korean but it does embody the Korean way of eating. Vegetables and rice are the main part of the meal and we are not over indulging in proteins. Ok, back to work and then its time to make b...
Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul Nampo Myeonok for Naengmyeon in Seoul It's hot, so it is best to get some cool, chilled Naengmyeon at the classic Nampo Myeonok Restaurant by City Hall. Pictures by Jihyun Lee Seoul Eats: Nampomyeonok Contrary to popular belief, Korean “naengmyeon” is a wintertime specialty dish that originated in North Korea. I guess the idea of combating cold with cold is similar to people in India drinking blazing hot coffee to fight the heat. Although some still eat naengmyeon-which translates to “cold noodle”- in winter; these days it is more common to eat it in summer cool down from the heat Naengmyeon has become ubiquitous around Korea and the world. The standard seems to be a brown chewy noodle that's dense (and often clumps), a salty beef broth, half an egg (which you are supposed to eat first to prepare your stomach for the cold meal), turnip, ch...
Omija Makgeolli Awesome Braised Pork and Octopus with Eggplant and Potatoes! So...again, this is another place that I love and I'll tell you about it, but you have to promise to behave if you go. This is a local Korean hotspot that is sort of a speakeasy. It's hidden and in such a nondescript place that you probably wouldn't even know it was there. Also, it's one of those places that it helps to know someone that knows the place (if not, you'll never get a table). You might have to wait for a while and you'll probably have to make a reservation. Now if I haven't scared you off yet, this place has amazing food. They are famous for their healthy (this is under debate) food and their use of fresh ingredients. The food here is flavorful and fresh. They make Makgeolli (Rice Wine) with Omija essence. Their jeon and acorn salad are wonderful as well. I really enjoyed their seasonal fresh oysters with vinegared red chili sauce. The oysters were well clean...
Boseong Green Tea Fields Korea Now that spring is right around the corner, I thought I would talk to you all about bom namul or Korean Spring Greens. These are greens are very seasonal and only last for a few weeks out of the year. You know how some times you just crave something fresh like a vegetable or fruit and you just eat a whole plate of them? I think that’s how many Koreans feel when winter is finishing. There is just something necessary in the spring greens that their body is telling them they just need to eat. In spring, when my Korean mother and I go for a mountain hike, for her it is a shopping excursion. She always has a basket to take with her because she’ll pick certain leaves and vegetables and then she’ll make a spring greens bibimbap. The vegetables that she picks are fresh shoots and leaves for if they are old, they taste bitter. My mother told me that the spring greens have a lot of panax, you know the same stuff in ginseng, so...
Pyeongando Jip's Famous Marinated Pig's Feet (Jokbal) in Seoul, Korea Pyeongando Jip's Famous Marinated Pig's Feet (Jokbal) in Seoul, Korea Pyeongando Jip is famous for their marinated pig's feet and during the dinner rush you'll often see a line out the door even in winter. The owner, now grandmother, Lee Gyeong-soon is a no nonsense woman that is all about efficiency and order. Since her place is an institution, so she can run it the way she would like. The place is not pretty or modern- it actually looks quite drab. Good thing that this doesn't affect the taste of the marinated pig's feet. The recipe is Gyeong-soon's secret and the feet have to be marinated for 24 hours before they are cooked. The meet falls off the bone and the normally chewy pig feet is tender and buttery. It is absolutely delicious. It even feels healthy when you eat the meat with some garlic and wrapped in lettuce. Gyeong-soon assured me that this was good for...
My First Soondubu When I lived in Gyeongju, one of my good friends Jikyung wanted to introduce me to the best restaurants in the city. She was fiercely proud of her hometown. She is a food connoisseur and thought that life was too short to eat bad food. One of the first places she took me to was at a famous soondubu place in Gyeongju’s Bomun lake resort area. This restaurant, Metdol Soondubu, was a landmark restaurant and it always had at least a 30 minute wait for a table. Jikyung assured me that it was worth it. The inside was quaint with wooden floor tables all around and the interior was a Korean hanok (traditional) style. The table was empty except for some container with some sauce and there was a little bowl of brown shelled eggs. Jikyung and I had a busy day hiking so I was a tad peckish. Jikyung had gone to the bathroom. So I thought, “ok, these hard-boiled eggs must be the appetizer.” I took one of the eggs cracked it on the table and I discovered the egg was raw. This egg st...
In Korea, be you young or old, rich or poor, or male or female; the universally adored food is pork belly BBQ with side dishes of kimchi, fresh leaves for wrapping, and a chilled shot of soju to wash it all down. Many foreign visitors that I have met think that samgyeopsal is just bacon (or rashers in England) and they believe this meat to be very low grade. After all, statistics from the US Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) suggest that people in the lower-income bracket tend to suffer from obesity more often than the rich. I have even seen some foreign guests cut off the fat off pork belly and throw it away. In Korea, this is a definite “No-no.”
I usually explain to such guests that Korean pork is much different from pork in other countries. The taste, the marbling, the smell, and texture of the meat are all quite different. Plus, the thick cuts of pork belly are neither salt cured nor seasoned. In addition, the pork belly is usually cooked on a cast iron hot plate or a s...
The food that should be on every table in Korea is a bowl of hot rice. Rice is the centerpiece of the meal. Throughout history, the simple bowl of grains has been the driving force behind the economy and the reason for, and the cause of revolutions and social change. When Korea tried to open up trade agreements to other countries, rice was a battle cry for farmers to protest the agreements. Ultimately, they were able to put restrictions on the amount of foreign imports allowed. Plus it maintained the Korean perception that Korean rice is unique and preferable to other nation’s rice. Korean rice is a short grained rice that is sticky. Korean short grained rice seems stickier and has a poppy bite compared to other nations’ rice that I have tried. It definitely has more bite than a jasmine, basmati, or Chinese long grain rice. I would say it has a chew that is similar to risotto. The flavor of the rice is bright and with a clean aroma. The rice goes very well with Korean foods ...
Koreans love noodles. Actually, I think all cultures love noodles. But in Korea noodles are more than just a meal, it is a reason to celebrate. When I was a little boy in Korea, my mother would to a Chinese restaurant to eat a delicious meal noodles topped with black bean sauce(jajangmyeon) on my birthday. To this day, I still remember the loud smacking sound of the dough slamming on the table as the chef made the chewy noodles by hand. I still think black noodles are better than cake. I also remember the winter days when my mother would take flour, water and some oil to make noodles that she would cut by hand and boil in a clam broth. I would often beg my mother to make this simple noodle soup dish. She told me if I was good, she would make it for me. I would be good so I could watch my mother roll out the dough and cut the noodles with a sharp knife. Even today, noodles are an important part of the culture. I can’t count how many times, I have seen Korean dramas have the stars cook o...
Wow, another epic food week. Our food tours have been hopping nonstop and I have tried all sorts of great food and met great people from around the world. I feel quite blessed to be able to do a job as this and that so many are enthusiastic to come meet me and our team. In the last week, I have met people from Singapore, Australia, USA, and Canada that all came to Korea for the food. Some of the cool things we saw were a cool plate that let the kimchi juice flow down and make a rose. Lots of great street food like the eggie bread thing. Is also got some Chinese moon cakes that had some beautiful writing on top. At Brew 3.14 (my pub) we made some tomato pie to the dismay of my chef. It's been a good week I must say. My chef also made some quiche at our pub and they have been a big hit. Ok, back to work. Thanks for reading. Dan
Hong Yongjae The story goes that there was once a well-known and respected doctor that had everything going for him in life. He had a loving family, he had a successful practice, and many friends. Everything seemed to be going well, maybe too well. Like, Job that was struck down by God in order to test his faith, the same was for this doctor. This doctor, ironically, was diagnosed late with a deadly form of cancer, so advanced that not even modern medicine could cure him. Not knowing what to do, he looked to the small, simple soybean. He saw how food could be a medicine and so he focused on how natural food could nourish his body and cure him. Through a diet of naturally fermented food made from soybean- especially cheonggukjang, he was able to magically reverse the tide of cancer and return to health. In tribute to the bean that saved his life, he decided to open up Hong Yeong Jae Cheonggukjang: a Korean restaurant that focuses on natural, curative food that emp...
Copyright 2019, Seoul Eats. All rights Reserved.