Spring has arrived in Korea! Thank’s to Scott Beckingsale for the photo’s.
Cherry Blossoms in Pusan
Monday, March 31, 2014
Cherry Blossoms in Pusan
Cherry Blossoms in Pusan
Sunday, March 30, 2014
BREAKING NEWS: The Usual Tit for Tat
SKOREA FIRES SHELLS AT NKOREAN WATERS AFTER DRILLS
Nothing to get excited about at this point. The South has stated after previous serious provocations that they would respond to any further acts of aggression by the norK regime. Pretty much business as usual and life goes on in the south.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea on Monday returned fire into North Korean waters after shells from a North Korean live-fire drill fell south of the rivals’ disputed western sea boundary, a South Korean military official said. Residents on a front-line South Korean island said they were evacuated to shelters during the exchange.
No shells from either side were fired at any land or military installations, an official with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. He provided no other details and spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.
Kang Myeong-sung, speaking from a shelter on Yeonpyeong island, which is in sight of North Korean territory, said that anxious islanders were huddled together in shelters. Kang said he didn’t see any fighter jets, but he could hear the boom of artillery fire. In 2010, North Korean artillery killed four South Koreans on Yeonpyeong. Read more at the [AP].
BREAKING NEWS: The Usual Tit for Tat
Mul Naengmyeon (물 냉면)
The naengmyeon , also transliterated naeng-myeon , Naengmyun and naeng-myun , a Korean dish . Originally a winter delicacy North Korea (now North Korea ) has become extremely popular throughout the country during the summer. It consists of several varieties of fine handmade noodles, typically made of flour kudzu (칡 냉면, Chilk naengmyeon ) or buckwheat (메밀 냉면, memil naengmyeon ), although there are also pre-cooked versions of algae and green tea , and is traditionally served in a large steel bowl with a thick broth acid, raw vegetables in julienne , slices of Korean pear and often boiled egg or cold veal. It is often added before take mustard and spicy vinegar. Often naengmyeon precooked includes a small plastic container of mustard oil .
There are two main varieties of naengmyeon : the mul naengmyeon (물 냉면) and bibim naengmyeon (비빔 냉면). The first served as a cold soup with noodles in broth (usually beef). The second serves more as a salad with a spicy dressing made primarily from gochujang (red chili pepper paste). In the case of bibim naengmyeon , is often served to accompany a bowl of broth used for mul naengmyeon . Although these are the two main varieties of the dish, there are several more, typically changing the composition of broth mul naengmyeon , meat or vegetables added to the noodles, or both.
Other varieties of naengmyeon are naengmyeon hoe (회 냉면) and yeolmu naengmyeon (열무 냉면). The first is served with hoe , oil and chili pepper dressing fish, and the second is served with yeolmu kimchi ( kimchi fermented small radish leaves) cold broth.
The naengmyeon is typically associated with North Korea , especially in the cities of Pyongyang and Hamhung , where it is said to come from the two most famous varieties.
Because the noodles tend to be long, chewy and sticky, waiters usually ask before serving if the noodles should be cut with scissors.
Mul Naengmyeon (물 냉면)
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Dakdoritang (닭도리탕) Chicken Stew
Dakdoritang (닭도리탕) – Korean chicken stew.
Although it is a stew, my wife tends to make it a little more “soupy.” As with most Korean food, there is no shortage of variants. The closest recipe I have found is this one from Trifood.com
Dakdoritang is a traditional braised chicken dish that is full of spices and flavors which is known to be quite spicy in taste. Succulent chicken pieces such as thighs, breasts and/or drumsticks are simmered in a base soup where the meat tends to fall off the bones. It is marinated with hot pepper and soy sauce, containing assortments of vegetables such as green & red chili peppers, potatoes, onions and carrots. Some may include jalapeños to this dish in addition to gochujang (red chili pepper paste) in addition to gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes) which will surely wake up your taste buds. As it can get quite spicy, be sure to eat plenty of steamed rice to offset the heat.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS: YIELDS 4 SERVINGS
- 1-2 jalapenos (optional)***
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp Gochujang
(red chili pepper paste)
- 2 tbsp Gochugaru
(red chili pepper flakes)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 green onions
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper
COOKING DIRECTIONS
- Peel potatoes and cut them into eight pieces (cut each potato in half and then cut each half into four quarters).
- Cut onions the same way as the potatoes.
- Peel carrot and cut it into lengths about the same size as its width. Cut each slice into four quarters.
- Slice jalapeño (julienne), if desired.
- In a heavy pot, combine all ingredients except green onions.
- Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes over a medium flame.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop and add green onions to simmer for 5 additional minutes.
- Serve hot with rice.
***Note: This recipe uses jalapeños. First, I would not consider peppers optional. Second, jalapeños have a distinctly different flavor than the hot peppers (gochu, 고추) which are normally used in Korean cooking.
What you really want to use are these:
GO-CHU (고추), meaning pepper in Korean, is one of the more popular fresh hot peppers found in Korean markets or at home gardens. Fresh green peppers, 5-6 inches in length and half an inch in diameter with medium thick skin are mild to hot and well flavored. If enjoyed solely by itself, gochujang, dwenjang and and/or ssamjang can be used as its dipping sauce.
Dakdoritang (닭도리탕) Chicken Stew
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
South Korea Space Rocks
Seoul (AFP) – A corner of South Korea is in the grip of a frenzied hunt for valuable space souvenirs, following a rare meteor shower there last week.
Hundreds of people have been scouring hills and rice paddies for meteorites near the southeastern city of Jinju after the shower on March 9, some of them armed with GPS devices and metal detectors, according to media reports.
“Media hype claiming that chondrites (a type of meteorite) could bring you a bonanza sparked the fever for space rocks,” an official from the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea (CHAK) told AFP.
Local greenhouse owners have put up signs warning off trespassers after the first large chunk of rock, weighing around nine kilograms (20 pounds), was found in a greenhouse near Jinju.
A second piece weighing four kilograms was found by another local resident.
Scientists confirmed that both rocks, found in the two days after the meteor shower, had come from space… Read more at [Yahoo News]
South Korea Space Rocks
Monday, March 17, 2014
Buy, Sell, and Trade Links on Facebook
A handy list of Facebook buy, sell, and trade pages and groups for those living in Korea.
You can find about anything you need in your area (and in no specific order). Most of these are geared toward expats and USFK personnel but I suppose anyone is welcome.
THE NEW YONGSAN Buy and Sell Page
THE NEW CAMP CASEY YARD SALE PAGE
AREA 1 Buy and Sell
Dongducheon Flea market
Camp Casey Vehicles For Sale
Camp casey f market
Camp Red Cloud Yard Sale
Camp Casey Philipino Flea Market
South Korea’s “Garage Sale”
Osan Flea Market (Official Page)
Osan Flea Market
Camp Humphreys Buy and Sell
Daegu Buy and Sell
Seoul Buy & Sell
Also, here’s some groups dedicated to finding places to eat and things to see and do in Korea.
Where to eat in South Korea…
Festivals and Events in Korea
Sites in Seoul
Buy, Sell, and Trade Links on Facebook
South Korea"s Newest Fetish: Dinner Porn
Welcome to the world of ‘mok-bang,’ where you can watch young Korean people eat their dinner. For hours.
Remember the one about how you’re not supposed to talk with your mouth full?
Korea didn’t get the memo.
The latest internet trend from one of the most wired places on Earth is a bizarre form of dinner porn.
It’s called “mok-bang” — a combo of the Korean words for “eating” and “broadcast” — and it’s basically that: people live-streaming themselves eating dinner.
Usually they are pretty excited about what’s on the menu.
The “mok-bang” trend really took off this fall on Afreeca TV, which is a peer-to-peer, live-streaming service in South Korea, according to the Korean gaming website, kotaku.com.
Afreeca TV differs from YouTube in that viewers pay the live-streamers, or “broadcast jockeys,” a virtual currency called Star Balloons as a way of saying thanks.
You can read more at the following sites:
GlobalPost - HuffPost - Kakatu - The Daily Beast – DailyDot - Before It’s News
South Korea"s Newest Fetish: Dinner Porn
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Silkworm larvae, peppers and tuna
No explanation or write up is really necessary. It is what it is. From a popular soju maker website.
Silkworm larvae, peppers and tuna
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Homemade Kimchi Recipe
Kimchi
For this recipe we’ll use a food processor, which allows us to get a fine puree when the ingredients are mixed, without leaving lumps. However, you can do it the old fashioned way, if so inclined.
The spice or chili powder
Kimchi can be quite spicy and is not for the delicate palate or faint at heart. Visually you can just tell it is spicy, all red and mean looking.
This recipe should yield enough kimchi to fill two large jars. So here we go. You will need:
- 1 1/2 lbs (approx.) Chinese cabbage (800 grams)
- 1 large onion
- 5 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Piece ginger – about 2 inches (5 cm)
- The green part of a leek
- 1 carrot
- 3 Tbsp chili flakes (Gochugaru
- 1/3 cup Coarse Sea Salt
(80g)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 6 Tbsp jeotgal
(fish sauce)
- 3 heaping Tbsp rice flour (Chapssal Garu
)
- 3 cups water (75cl)
In some recipes, raw oysters, brine shrimp, squid, etc. are used but we’ll leave that alone for this recipe.
Chinese cabbage
Before and after cutting and salting.
Cut the base of cabbage and split it into quarters lengthwise, then cut it crosswise, about bite size. Rinse under cold water in a colander, then place in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, mix well and leave to drain for 2 and 1/2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour. Then, rinse several times in tap water, and do not hesitate to taste to see if it is too salty. If this is the case, rinse again.
Prepare the “porridge” mix rice flour and water in a small saucepan and heat gently for 5 minutes. Add the sugar, stir with a wooden spoon and let thicken over low heat. Let cool in the pan by placing a bowl of ice water.
Step: 1
Mix the onion, garlic, ginger and jeotgal.
Step: 2
Pour the “porridge” cooled in the bowl and mix with the previous preparation.
Step: 3
Add 3 tablespoons pepper or to taste (depending on the strength of your chili).
Vegetables
Step: 4
Cut carrot into thin strips, and chop the green leek into thin strips.
Step: 5
Add the vegetables to the spicy preparation and mix.
Step: 6
Finally, add the drained cabbage and mix.
And here is the result…
Place kimchi in clean jars and let sit in the fridge. You can eat it immediately after you make it, but I prefer to let it marinate at least 24 hours. You will find that aging really changes the taste. After a week, or a month, it gets even better.
Homemade Kimchi Recipe
Gwangjang Market: Food Alley
광장시장 - Gwangjang Market
Of all the attractions found in capital of the Republic of Korea, maybe none supply more of an authentic cultural experience than the city’s many street markets. Bustling Gwangjang Market is one of the best known, though maybe not to foreigners. Gwangjang Market was established in 1905, and is Korea’s oldest remaining daily market. It is near Dongdaemun Market in Seoul. There are a large number of foods to try, so wear your eating (and drinking) pants.
Korean’s flock to the market all year long to take a seat at the benches lining the food stalls and sample the various offerings. It’s even pleasant in the heat of the summer and cold of the winter due to the glass roof built over the market in 2005 to guard the stalls from the elements. Despite the occasional enhancements to the facilities, the market maintains an environment that has principally gone unchanged over the past century.
Among the featured delicacies, you will find mayak kimbap, soondae, pigs’ feet, bibimbap, and much more. Of course bottles of makgeolli or soju are available to wash it all down.
Gwangjang Market also offers its own variation of another widespread Korean delicacy, bibimbap, a basic dish that mixes rice with pepper paste and various vegetables. Customers can choose the vegetables they prefer to fill their metal bowls, the vendors don’t seem to be stingy with refills of rice and pepper paste either.
It can be a tight squeeze during busy hours and one may not find a seat during peak hours so it’s best to go during slack times.
The food stall area is open seven days per week, from around 11:00 AM to around 11:00 PM. To get there on the subway, go to exits seven and eight at Jongno 5-ga Station.
Visit Korea site: Gwangjang Market (English)
Official Website (Korean)
Gwangjang Market: Food Alley
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