I have a student that I do language exchange with and some times we decide to cook rather than talk. In this class I taught her how to make a steak. She said she really enjoys eating steak but at the restaurants it is often very expensive (40,000 won) for a little piece of steak. Cooking steak seemed to be a mystery to her. In our cooking class. I heated up a pan until it was smoking hot. I salted the steak with sea salt and then seared the steak on the pan, flipped it, added potatoes and stuck it in the oven until it was cooked. I don't add pepper until after because it will burn. Then I taught her the secret to a good steak: butter. I sauteed a bit of garlic and then mixed this into butter and put the butter into the freezer. Just as I served the steak, I added a dollop of butter. It melted on the steak. She really enjoyed it and said she would try doing the recipe for her family.

Dear Readers, With the weather as hot as it is, I think what you need is something cool and light. So this weekend at the O'ngo Cooking Studio in Gangnam-gu, we'll be making Bibimguksu (Cold noodles with vegetables and spicy sauce) and Mandoo (Dumplings with noodles, tofu, and pork). Chef Shawn will first give a demo on how to make the different dishes and then you'll get to make your own lunch. Class will start at 11am. The cost is 55,000 won per person and this includes lesson, food, and drinks. You can RSVP by e-mailing Daniel Gray at seouleats at gmail dot com or by calling at 010 6661 7769. O'ngo Cooking Studio is located near Gangnam-gu Office (Subway Line 7  NOT Gangnam Station (Subway Line 2). A map with directions can be found here: http://www.ongofood.com/contact.html Next Saturday, July 17th we will have a Samgyetang (chicken and ginseng soup) cooking class. This class will start at at 11am. You can see our regular schedule of classes and tours on ...

This Wednesday Night (after 5pm), Suji's Restaurant is doing a special at all of their restaurants. They will be adding 100 grams (3.5 oz) of pastrami to their already massive 200 grams (7 oz) pastrami sandwich this Wednesday Night. Suji's makes all of their meats and bread in house. This is a New York Deli Sandwich in Seoul, Korea. It's a sandwich so big, that you'll need a fork. Suji's is located at the entrance of Itaewon near Noksopyeong Station. If you are coming from Itaewon Station, walk out exit 4 and walk down past McDonald's. It's on the corner. Disclaimer: The regular price of the sandwich is W15,000 for 200 (7oz) grams of meat. I was invited by Suji's to try their sandwiches. Suji's Restaurant donated product to an orphanage I volunteer at in return for marketing. Dan

These were delicious.

Korean Brown Boiled Eggs (황토랑) According to my ajumma (older married woman) friend, women these days are doing a high protein diet of brown eggs and milk. The protein in the egg and the milk are supposed to help suppress the appetite. I'm sure that it might work, but I would get board of this diet fairly quickly. The eggs are brown because they are boiled in fine silt soil (loess). These eggs were actually gotten at a Korean Sauna (Jjimjilbang). They tasted great (especially with salt) and with milk, I guess it would make a fine snack (but not a meal). eggs with Milk

Hello Everyone! I'm happy to say that our first Homebrewing glass was a success. Lot's of good times, good questions, and great people. O'ngo Studios, however, is moving to a bigger and better location. So, we'll be squeezing in one more Homebrewing class before they do. This time, as so many people requested, we'll be doing it on the weekend! Like last time, we'll be going through the process of making beer by making a batch. There will also be a beer tasting to illustrate concepts like "body" and "mouth-feel". Total class-time will be 3 hours. The schedule is below: Hour 1: A slideshow and explanation of beer terminology, equipment, and what will happen on a typical brewing day. Hour 2: We will begin making our batch of beer with a step-by-step account of what's happening and why. In-between adding our ingredients, we will also be doing a tasting of 3 beers; all high-quality and available in Korea. Hour 3: We will bottle...

Fisheye Candy Hahaha

I know I should be blogging more, but I have been damn busy. Yesterday I gave a lecture on Korean food at Suraon for a group from the US military. Today I have been at the O'ngo Food Communications Cooking School cleaning up. The place is going to look great and we have 6 ovens!!! Tomorrow I will be on Rock the Boat promoting Suji's Deli Sandwiches. I hope you can make it out. There will be many bands including "We need Surgery". Even if it rains, the show will go on. (the yacht has lots of inside space. Today I had kongguksu for lunch at 여유당 near Nagwon Music Arcade. It was alright, but I have yet to find one the makes it as well as my favorite place near Hapjeong station. So I am writing this post from a moving cab because it has complimenary wireless. It's another reason to love Korea. Cheers, Dan

Do you know why Koreans don't really have dessert? It's because their fruit is so good. Now in the summer time, there is so much amazing fruit such as mulberrys, raspberries, watermelon, grapes- that a heavy cake slathered with chocolate seems unappetizing. I recommend you try a lot of Korean fruit these days. Cheers, Dan Chamwei: Korean Melon (Eat the seeds! That's where the sweet flavor is) Upclose: Chamwei Mulberry...Yum and they paint your lips.

Suji's Corned Beef Reuben Sandwich Suji's Restaurant has been on top of the American Cuisine scene in Seoul. They do Brunch, they do Mexican, they do a great burger, and they do Deli meat. Forget the nasty processed Lotte Ham and Spam (I'd rather eat meat rather than processed ears and snouts). Their restaurant makes all of their own corned beef, pastrami, turkey and ham. They even bake all of their bread on premises. It's real homestyle food and it's good. Oh, and those who say that Suji's is too expensive, they dropped their prices by 30% from 1 year ago. It's not that expensive and you get quality food. Here's the contest build and name your own sandwich. Add your entry in the comments section: One 20,000 won Gift Certificate will be given to the best sandwich. One 20,000 won Gift Certificate will be given to the most creative sandwich. Suji's Restaurant will judge the sandwiches Here are your ingredients: Meat:         ...

by Lindsey Huster   Tis the season of produce. At every street corner, alleyway, and subway exit, mini-food markets have cropped up overnight (or sometimes just at night). These corners, tables, trucks, and sometimes just blankets, readily displaying ripe produce fit for the picking. While a number of fruits and vegetables seemed to have sprung up recently, most of this produce has only now come into season.   One of the best was to support Korea is to support these local stands and markets. While it may be more convenient to shop at a grocery store, buying your produce through these markets benefits buyers and growers alike.   Fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious for eaters at their seasonal peaks. Although it's possible to buy fruits and vegetables out of season at many grocery stories, they are not nearly as tasty. More importantly, however, fruits and vegetables are the most nutritious when they are in season. Out-of-season produce also tends to be more...

PIZZARIUM, NOKSAPYEONG, SEOUL by Kerrie Doerr You can't visit Pizzarium without witnessing one couple taking pictures of their meal. At first glance, one might expect the isolated food photography incident to be the foodie of the pair's blogging adventure. However, a cursory internet search of the place reveals a dearth of articles about the Haebangchon hang-out, leading the investigator to a different line of reasoning. The few articles that do mention the joint are focused on two sole factors: pizza shape and lack of crust. Perhaps these two variables come across as novelty, as pizza in Korea usually comes as a circle laden with twists such as sweet potato wedges, pork donkatsu crust, and fried shrimp embedded in a cheese-filled crust. Pizzarium does have novelty in this aspect, as it shares none of these qualities. More accurately though, if normalcy is a quality that can be ascribed to a food adhering to tradition, Pizzarium is your most regular pizza around. Pizza al ...