Japchae is amongst the most popular dishes in Korea. It’s a stir-fry of noodles, vegetables and, in my case prawns and squid. The transparent noodles are made of sweet potato starch and have a lovely chewy texture. Soak 6 – 8 whole dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for a few hours before you start…… Continue reading seafood japchae
Tag: korean food
eggplant and onion
Deliciously soft and sweet eggplant and onion – an excellent side dish to serve with a Korean or Japanese style meal. Slice a large onion and an eggplant (aubergine) into wedges. Heat some oil in a saucepan and fry the onions until they are starting to soften. Add the eggplant and continue to cook until…… Continue reading eggplant and onion
kimchi 2.0
I decided to make some kimchi again, this time using a more traditional method from this recipe. To split a Napa cabbage without losing any leaves, make a short cut in the base and tear the cabbage in half. Repeat and make quarters and even eighths, depending on the size of your cabbage. Dunk the…… Continue reading kimchi 2.0
spicy stir-fried squid + cabbage and bok choy with bean paste
Now that I’m home I’m inspired to try some Korean cooking. Ojingeo bokkeum is a perennial favorite among Koreans and can be found on most restaurant menus. Like most Korean food it is hearty and spicy. This recipe is adapted from kimchimom.com. In a large bowl mix together 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 2 teaspoons of minced…… Continue reading spicy stir-fried squid + cabbage and bok choy with bean paste
traditional set lunch
Wandering around Insa-dong in Seoul, we overheard someone saying that a restaurant was her mother’s favourite. Of course, we had to try it. She recommended the traditional set lunch. It included mackerel, tiny sardines, some sort of fish floss, kimchi, tofu, pickled cucumber, pickled chayote (choko), chilli paste, soup, rice and a few other things…… Continue reading traditional set lunch
Korean teahouse
A visit to Korea wouldn’t be complete without a teahouse. We found this charming one on our travels. As the weather was hot we chose an iced green plum tea with pine nuts. To accompany our tea we ordered a traditional Korean confection called Gangjeong. Made of glutinous rice it is a deep-fried rice puff, extremely light,…… Continue reading Korean teahouse
Korean food shopping
In Korea, you can’t help but notice all the Lotte stores. There are Lotte Department Stores and even Lotte Duty Free at the airport but best of all are the supermarkets: Lotte Mart. The vast varieties of tofu could be confusing…… but the most fun for a non-Korean speaker are the snacks. Lotte have their…… Continue reading Korean food shopping
dolsot bibimbap
I think this might be my favourite Korean dish. Bibimbap literally means mixed rice and this variation is served in a very hot (dolsot) stone bowl. Usually made of granite, the bowl is so hot that anything that touches it sizzles for minutes. Before the rice is added, the bottom of the bowl is coated with sesame…… Continue reading dolsot bibimbap
bingsu
This Korean dessert of shaved ice was traditionally served with only a few ingredients such as red beans, condensed milk, fruit syrup and fresh fruit. Today bingsu is a popular dessert served in specialised restaurants with a myriad variety of ingredients. We enjoyed these two sophisticated versions in The Lounge at the Seoul Park Hyatt.…… Continue reading bingsu
gimbap
I like to travel with my tastebuds so while visiting Korea my food choices are local. Gimbap is Korea’s version of sushi. The toasted seaweed (gim) is sometimes brushed with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Instead of using vinegared rice as the Japanese do, steamed rice (bap) is mixed with sesame oil and…… Continue reading gimbap
michelle picker cooks 