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K-uisine

K-uisine 2024 SPRING

Miyeokguk – A Taste of the Ocean Miyeokguk, a soup primarily made with seaweed, soy sauce, and sesame oil, has a unique texture along with a savory taste that perfectly captures the essence of the sea. The dish is unique to Korea’s cuisine and a product of the country’s rich culinary tradition. Commonly served on birthdays and to new mothers, miyeokguk is closely associated with childbirth in Korean culture. In Korean, the term jjapjjalhada is often used to describe ingredients and dishes that are both savory and intensely flavorful. It also implies that the food is neither too salty nor too bland but has the perfect level required to elevate the overall taste. Achieving this delicate equilibrium is of great importance in Korean cuisine, particularly in dishes such as miyeokguk. SPECIAL YET COMFORTING Miyeokguk holds a special place in the hearts of many Koreans. While the soup is commonly served as the centerpiece of a meal, enjoyed as a side dish with drinks, or even eaten to help with weight loss, understanding what makes it so precious in the eyes of an entire nation requires a closer look. It has long been customary for Korean women to eat miyeokguk in the days after giving birth. But of all the diverse dishes in Korean cuisine, why seaweed soup? The chief ingredient, namely seaweed, is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, calcium, vitamin A, potassium, and selenium, as well as other vitamins and minerals. Its high iron and iodine content is especially beneficial for promoting blood circulation and preventing anemia, making it the perfect food for women who have recently given birth. In line with this tradition, it has become common practice for families to gather on birthdays to enjoy a bowl of miyeokguk together as a way of commemorating the occasion. Conversely, there are times when Koreans intentionally avoid eating miyeokguk altogether, such as on the day of an exam or job interview. There is even a dictionary-listed Korean idiom, miyeokguk mokda, which translates to “eating miyeokguk,” and expresses the notion of failing an exam or interview. The meaning is rooted in a superstition that consuming the soup on such a day could cause a slip-up due to the seaweed’s slippery texture. A SIMPLE RECIPE The recipe for miyeokguk is relatively simple and only requires a handful of ingredients — dried seaweed, beef, sesame oil, salt, and gukganjang, a light soy sauce that’s an essential ingredient for Korean soups. First, the dried seaweed is soaked in water and allowed to expand, after which it is drained and cut into slices roughly four or five centimeters in length. The beef, which serves as a flavor enhancer rather than as the main ingredient, is cut into thin pieces of one or two centimeters. After these steps have been completed, sesame oil is heated in a pot, in which the beef and seaweed are stir-fried until they are evenly cooked. This process generates a cloudy broth with a delightful aroma and also imparts the seaweed and beef with a nutty and savory flavor. Once the broth starts to bubble, water is added. The soup is then seasoned with both salt and light soy sauce and left to simmer for another thirty minutes until the dish is ready to serve. Although plain water can be used, substituting it for anchovy stock, beef broth, or the starchy water left over from rinsing rice give the soup more depth and a richer taste. A small amount of minced garlic can also be added for extra flavor, but this step is usually omitted by those who wish to fully appreciate the underlying taste of the seaweed and beef. While the simplest type of miyeokguk only consists of seaweed and beef, there are many variations made with local ingredients that reflect regional culinary traditions. THE SECRET TO A DEEPER FLAVOR Thanks to its distinctively crunchy and smooth texture, the incorporation of seaweed, along with pieces of flavorful beef, significantly elevates the soup’s taste profile. The seaweed used in the soup is sea mustard, a kelp species native to cold-temperate coastal waters. It possesses a notably salty and fishy taste when eaten raw. However, much of this saltiness can be reduced by thoroughly rinsing and soaking it in water, which leaves behind a far subtler flavor along with a pleasant aroma reminiscent of the ocean. Stir-frying sea mustard with beef in sesame oil and then simmering them in water helps bring out the flavor in each of the individual ingredients. Hence, the longer miyeokguk is left to simmer, the more savory its flavor becomes. This is why it seems to taste even better when reheated. For a nourishing and satisfying meal, nothing beats a steaming portion of miyeokguk paired with a bowl of freshly cooked white rice and served with some well-fermented kimchi. This hot, hearty, and intensely savory soup boasts all the qualities Koreans look for in a dish. With sea mustard as its main ingredient, miyeokguk is a uniquely Korean dish. Indeed, the incorporation of seaweed in soups is uncommon in most other cuisines. Miyeokguk thus remains a somewhat unknown dish abroad. Tony Yoo, the chef-owner of Dooreyoo, a Korean restaurant located in Seoul’s Jongno District, recalls preparing miyeokguk for some friends when he was studying in Italy. Upon seeing the dish, the reaction of his friends, who hailed from all corners of the globe, was particularly memorable. “What’s that dark, slimy, strange-looking thing?” one of them even asked in horror. After tasting the soup, however, everyone asked for seconds, affectionately dubbing the dish “encore miyeokguk.” Although Tony’s friends were initially skeptical because they had never tried the dish, they quickly found it to be deliciously addictive. Sanmo miyeok, literally “seaweed for new mothers,” refers to freshly harvested seaweed that is sun-dried in the ocean breeze. It is known for its delicate texture and ability to produce a rich broth. ⓒ gettyimagesKOREA REGIONAL VARIATIONS Korean soups tend to vary slightly between regions and households, from their preparation all the way to their individual ingredients. This can be attributed to the differences in local specialties as well as the respective cooks’ personal preferences. Most standard miyeokguk recipes typically include sea mustard and beef, but regional variations may substitute beef for shellfish, such as clams or mussels, or even fish, such as flounder, hairtail, or Pacific saury. As such, this particular dish works with any kind of protein, whether from the land or the sea. On Ulleung Island, known for its Pacific saury dishes, miyeokguk is prepared with this popular catch instead of beef. To prepare the dish, the fish is first deboned and then shaped into little balls with starch and eggs before being added to the soup. Given its subtle flavor, Pacific saury blends nicely with the soup without overpowering it. In some parts of Gyeongsang Province, miyeokguk includes hand-rolled rice balls known as “saeal” that are made from glutinous rice flour. They boast a chewy texture that perfectly complements the seaweed’s crunchiness. The cuisine of Jeju Island includes a variation of miyeokguk made with wild sea urchin roe. Highly prized in Korea, it elevates the traditional miyeokguk into a gourmet delicacy thanks to its creamy, pudding-like texture, savory flavor, and refreshing marine scent. Other recipes include dried pollock, shredded chicken breast, or shrimp. REINVENTING A TIMELESS CLASSIC Ironically, despite the long history and numerous variations of miyeokguk that can be found throughout the country today, there used to be only few restaurants specializing in it. This is likely due to the soup’s widespread perception as a simple, everyday dish traditionally prepared at home. In recent years, however, miyeokguk restaurants have begun to emerge, many of which offer variations prepared with special ingredients. One visually striking example is gajami miyeokguk, which includes a whole flounder served in the bowl. Other popular adaptations include miyeokguk made with abalone, a highly prized delicacy, or more expensive cuts of beef such as brisket. These new establishments also take pride in preparing their own broths using a variety of shellfish and meat which they simmer for a long time to achieve a richer and deeper flavor. Characterized by the use of unique ingredients and specially crafted broths, these modern takes on the timeless classic have given rise to what can be considered an entirely new dish. Miyeokguk is a great dish for anyone visiting Korea. While the seaweed’s somewhat dark and slimy appearance may initially feel off-putting to some, trying this distinctively Korean soup steaming hot with a bowl of freshly cooked rice is a perfect way to change this perception. Hwang Hae-won Editor-in-chief, Monthly Food Service Management Lee Min-Hee Photographer

K-uisine 2023 WINTER

Bindaetteok – A Timeless Comfort Food Made by frying a thick batter consisting of mung bean flour, meat, and assorted vegetables until it attains an attractively golden-brown color, bindaetteok is a traditional Korean dish notable for its distinctive crispy texture and nutty taste. Made with ground mung beans instead of wheat flour like most buchimgae dishes, bindaetteok is the very definition of “geot-ba-sok-chok,” a Korean term used to describe foods which are crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Koreans use the term “geot-ba-sok-chok,” a portmanteau meaning “crispy on the outside and moist on the inside,” to describe various fried foods that boast this delightful textural contrast. One dish that perfectly fits this description is bindaetteok. CRISPY AND SAVORY GOODNESS Bindaetteok falls under the category of buchimgae or jeon, terms that refer to pancake-like dishes made by coating ingredients such as vegetables, meat, and fish in a flour or egg batter and pan-frying them in oil. Such dishes are a staple of traditional Korean holidays and other festive gatherings. What sets bindaetteok apart from other types of buchimgae is the use of stone-ground mung beans instead of wheat flour. To prepare the dish, ground mung beans are first mixed with ingredients such as vegetables and meat to make a batter which is then poured into a well-oiled pan, shaped into a thick pancake, and fried. Cooked over a high heat, bindaetteok develops a distinct crispiness thanks to the mung beans’ hard texture, which results in a firmer and denser consistency in contrast to wheat-based buchimgae dishes that tend to be softer and thinner. Bindaetteok has a rich, nutty flavor that envelops the palate, as well as a distinctively earthy aroma that goes perfectly with the dish’s other ingredients. The result is an exceptionally savory taste. Traditionally, ingredients used to make bindaetteok included bracken fiddleheads, mung bean sprouts, scallions, kimchi, and chili peppers, though these would vary from household to household. Wealthier families would have used a wider variety of ingredients including kimchi, ground pork, and different types of vegetables, while those less well-off would have had to make do without such additions. However it is prepared, bindaetteok has long served as an inexpensive and convenient meal option during economically challenging times. THE ORIGINS OF BINDAETTEOK Pork and vegetables are added to a mung bean batter and fried in oil on a sizzling griddle— preheated to over 300 degrees—until the mixture achieves a delectably crispy texture and nutty flavor. There are several theories regarding the origins of bindaetteok. Some purport that its beginnings can be traced back to ancestral rites when the dish would have been smaller and used as a base on which portions of fried meat would have been stacked. Over time, it is argued, the dish would have become popular among people of lesser means, hence being served in heartier portions and earning itself the name binjatteok, or literally “poor people’s cake.” According to another theory, the dish’s name may find its roots in the word bindae, which means “to host guests,” implying it may have been a food to entertain visitors. There are records indicating that during the Joseon Dynasty, in years of poor harvest, influential households would prepare bindaetteok to give out to itinerants gathered outside Sungnyemun, one of the four main gates along the Seoul Fortress Wall, in an act of charity. One historical certainty is that bindaetteok has long been enjoyed in the provinces of Pyongan and Hwanghae in present-day North Korea. In fact, the dish was first brought to South Korea by refugees fleeing the North during the Korean War. Many public institutions and homes were destroyed during both the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, which led to the displacement and migration of millions of people. Many of them came to settle in ruined houses and shops where they began selling dishes such as gukbap, a hot soup served with rice, and buchimgae, as well as makgeolli, a fermented rice wine. Over time, bindaetteok became a comfort food for those who had been made homeless and separated from their families, helping to ease their sorrow and fill their stomachs. Other people also came to appreciate it as a cheap and filling meal option. A DISH LOVED BY ALL Both Gwangjang Market and the Euljiro area in Seoul are home to a number of bindaetteok establishments that have served the dish for more than four decades. The proper way of making bindaetteok requires the use of rendered pork fat, or lard. Using lard instead of vegetable or sesame oil gives bindaetteok its incomparably nutty and savory flavor. In order to achieve the perfect texture and flavor—crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and bursting with savory goodness—the mung bean batter, which also contains pork and vegetables, is fried in a sizzling hot pan, preheated to over 300 degrees and generously coated in lard. Gwangjang Market and the Euljiro neighborhood, both located in the heart of Seoul, are home to many restaurants specializing in bindaetteok that have been in business for 40 to 50 years. One such establishment is Pakgane Bindaetteok, or “Park’s Mung Bean Pancakes,” which has been in operation for three generations and continues to make bindaetteok in the traditional way. The restaurant has remained a crowd favorite thanks to a unique menu that combines bindaetteok with pyeonyuk, a dish of thinly sliced boiled meat served cold, and eoriguljeot, or spicy pickled oysters. The chewiness of the pyeonyuk and the spiciness of the eoriguljeot perfectly complement the bindaetteok’s savory taste and soft texture. Many other long-standing bindaetteok establishments continue to thrive at Gwangjang Market and around other parts of Seoul, where the sizzling sound of bindaetteok being fried in large, heavy-duty griddles can be heard throughout the day. Most of these older restaurants have open-style kitchens which offer passersby a glimpse of the frying process through the large windows. Visitors are often drawn by the mouthwatering smell and the sight of restaurant staff expertly frying the bindaetteok, which itself is a kind of performance. VARIATIONS TO PLEASE EVERY PALATE Bindaetteok is versatile and can be prepared using a wide range of ingredients and toppings. Since it is a dish that is fried thoroughly, chefs can incorporate a myriad of ingredients, including meat, vegetables, or even seafood. With a history of over 40 years, the JBD Jongno Bindaetteok franchise is known for its extensive menu, which includes, among others, bindaetteok variations with kimchi, octopus, and other seafood. One particularly delightful variation is topped with a generous portion of oysters and fried to crispy perfection. This dish stands out thanks to the oysters’ distinctive flavor which wonderfully complements the intense savoriness of the mung beans, making it a popular choice among foodies. Bindaetteok also pairs wonderfully with makgeolli, hence the sharp rise in establishments specializing in this combination. While some bindaetteok restaurants boast modern interiors and elegant plating, others pursue a more retro decor and nostalgic atmosphere. These days, restaurants offering special bindaetteok variations alongside a wide selection of traditional Korean alcoholic beverages are becoming increasingly popular. GOOD FOR THE BODY AND SOUL From its humble origins as a comfort food enjoyed by refugees to the current popularity of its many variations, bindaetteok continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many Korean people. Steeped in history, this delightfully crispy dish evokes a sense of nostalgia and has earned itself a reputation as one of the nation’s most beloved foods, whether paired with alcohol or simply enjoyed as a snack between meals. Lately, bindaetteok has also begun drawing attention for its purported health benefits. It is claimed by some that mung beans, its chief ingredient, not only boast detoxifying properties but are also effective in treating a host of skin problems, as well as in improving kidney function. As a result, a variety of semi-prepared and ready-to-cook bindaetteok products are being launched by a growing number of companies. Requiring no prior thawing, these frozen products can easily be fried at home in a well-oiled pan. In addition to their affordable prices, they offer a quality that compares favorably with bindaetteok served in restaurants, a factor that has contributed to their steady rise in popularity Hwang Hae-won Editor-in-chief, Food Service Management Lee Min-Hee Photographer

K-uisine 2023 AUTUMN

Gejang: Marinated Crab with a Delightful Texture The soft flesh underneath the hard shell is so tender that it melts in the mouth. The delicate and juicy meat, along with the crab’s innards, oozes right out upon first bite, with the initial salty and spicy kick instantly yielding to a mild sweetness that envelopes the entire palate. How could anyone dislike such a delightful combination of flavors? Allow me to introduce you to the traditional Korean dish gejang. Ganjang gejang is a dish of fresh crab marinated in a mix of soy sauce, onion, garlic, and other ingredients. The crab’s delicious, chewy flesh combined with its soft and creamy innards make this dish truly irresistible. The term “jang” in “gejang” stems from the Chinese character 醬, which refers to a variety of sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. Some of the better-known examples include ganjang, or soy sauce, doenjang, also known as soybean paste, and gochujang, a spicy red pepper paste that has lately found its way into international fusion cuisine. All of these condiments are made from bricks of dried fermented soybeans called meju, which are soaked in brine for an extended period in order to undergo secondary fermentation. Soy sauce is produced by filtering and boiling the liquid obtained from the fermented meju and brine mixture. BORN OUT OF TRADITION The process of preparing ganjang gejang, namely soaking raw crab in a soy sauce marinade for a significant length of time, draws many similarities with Korea’s culinary tradition of fermentation, which involves aging certain foods to enhance their flavor. There is also a spicy variation of this dish called yangnyeom gejang, in which the marinade is primarily made from gochujang and soy sauce. To fully appreciate gejang, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the cultural significance of jang in Korean cuisine. The use of soy sauce to marinate fresh crabs for ganjang gejang, or gochujang and soy sauce, along with various other ingredients, to make the sweet and savory yangnyeom gejang marinade, is deeply rooted in the culinary tradition of jang which itself plays an integral role in Korean cuisine as a whole. GOOD SOY SAUCE AND FRESH CRABS Although ganjang gejang was traditionally made using live crabs, these days the dish is prepared using flash-frozen crabs that are harvested during peak season. © gettyimagesKOREA Gejang can be broadly divided into two types: ganjang gejang and yangnyeom gejang. As mentioned above, ganjang gejang is made by submerging raw crabs in soy sauce and allowing them to marinate in a refrigerator for a few days. The key to tasty ganjang gejang is the use of fresh crabs and high-quality soy sauce. Hence, handmade soy sauces are recommended over store-bought ones. This is because soy sauce is a product of fermentation, and the aging process has a direct impact on the product’s flavor and salinity concentration. Traditionally made soy sauce, or ssiganjang, is fermented for an extensive period of time, which gives it a superior taste. To make ganjang gejang, finely sliced onions, scallions, apples, garlic, and chili peppers are mixed with ssiganjang before being brought to a boil and left to cool down. Fresh crabs are then added to the cooled soy sauce mixture and left to marinate in the refrigerator for a few days before serving. The most traditional method of preparing gejang involves submerging live crabs in ssiganjang along with small pieces of beef inside a large earthenware jar. Over the next few days, the crabs consume the meat. This process is said to give them a much sweeter taste as well as a tender texture. Nowadays, instead of feeding beef to the crabs, it is more common, when boiling the sauce, to add sugar or corn starch syrup along with rice cooking wine to achieve the sweet flavor. Gejang is typically marinated for two to three days, but leaving it for longer allows the soy sauce to penetrate the crabs deeper and more evenly, which results in a more intense flavor. HOW TO EAT GANJANG GEJANG One of the most popular ways of enjoying ganjang gejang involves filling the crab’s shell with rice which is then mixed with the marinated innards to make gettakji bap. © gettyimagesKOREA Before the perfectly marinated flesh under the crabs’ hard exterior can be enjoyed, the outer shells must be removed. Once this is done, the crabs should be cut in half with a pair of scissors. One can then squeeze the pieces to extract all the juicy flesh which oozes with the marinade and the crabs’ bright orange innards. Added to a spoonful of freshly cooked rice, this delightful combination bursts with savory goodness. This process is just the start. After the first mouthful of ganjang gejang, it is time to get down to the serious business. Inside the carefully removed outer shells, one finds the savory and creamy innards, the most prized part of the dish. A common practice involves filling the shells with rice and mixing it with the marinated innards to make gettakji bap, literally “crab shell rice.” Another popular way of enjoying the innards is by mixing them with crab meat, roasted sesame oil (a staple of Korean cuisine which boasts an exquisitely nutty flavor), dried laver, and rice to make gejang bibimbap. Some restaurants will even top this off with some flying fish roe which adds a crunchy pop of texture to the dish. Although the soy sauce marinade is certainly important, the key to preparing this dish lies in ensuring the crabs’ flesh is soft and their innards savory, which requires the use of fresh in-season crab. The coastal area near Seosan in South Chungcheong Province is known for its abundance of blue crabs; crabs caught in season, especially egg-carrying female crabs, make for the best-tasting ganjang gejang. FROM GEJANG TO GANJANG GEJANG Known for its sweet and spicy sauce, yangnyeom gejang finds its origins in mixed and seasoned dishes known as muchim. In contrast to the equally popular ganjang gejang, in which the crab is first marinated, yangnyeom gejang is meant to be eaten right away. © gettyimagesKOREA Although the term “gejang” used to be synonymous with ganjang gejang, this changed with the arrival of yangnyeom gejang, a dish consisting of crabs coated in a red sauce with a completely different flavor profile and appeal. Yangnyeom gejang has a shorter history than its predecessor. Its origins can be traced back to the Chungcheong and Jeolla provinces, which have a long-standing tradition of mixing raw fish or dried pollock with a spicy sauce made from either red pepper flakes or gochujang. People later began eating crab in the same fashion, which resulted in the dish known today as yangnyeom gejang. At the time, the dish was simply referred to as ge muchim. “Muchim” is a term widely used in Korean cuisine to refer to dishes made from ingredients dressed in a spicy sauce, including the likes of hoe muchim (raw fish salad) and hwangtae muchim (pollock salad). Yangnyeom gejang differs from ganjang gejang in many ways. While ganjang gejang is made by marinating crabs in soy sauce, yangnyeom gejang involves simply dressing crabs in a sweet and spicy sauce, and while the former is left to age, the latter is meant to be eaten right away. Unlike ganjang gejang, yangnyeom gejang isn’t meant to bring out all of the crab’s subtle flavors. Although there is no fixed recipe, the sauce is usually made from a combination of red chili powder, gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, scallions, onions, and corn starch syrup. Compared to the sauce used in the earlier version of the dish, namely ge muchim, yangnyeom gejang sauce now has a thicker and somewhat stickier consistency. Smaller crabs are usually preferred when preparing this dish. The process involves removing the shells, gills, and abdominal flaps from the crabs, cutting them into halves or quarters, and generously coating them in the tasty sauce. Thanks to its addictively sweet and spicy flavor, yangnyeom gejang has come to rival ganjang gejang in popularity. RESTAURANTS SPECIALIZING IN GEJANG The popularity of gejang in Korea is evidenced by the large number of restaurants specializing in the dish. These range from upscale restaurants, where a single crab can cost over 40,000 won, to all-you-can-eat restaurants offering unlimited ganjang gejang and yangnyeom gejang from as little as 10,000 or 20,000 won per person. In the Sinsa-dong neighborhood in Seoul’s Gangnam District, there is even an entire street known as “Gejang Alley” lined with restaurants specializing in this particular dish. Although it is unclear which of these places first sold the delicacy, the restaurants in Gejang Alley are usually all full of customers. Particularly popular among gejang lovers is Jinmi Sikdang, a restaurant located in Gongdeok-dong in Seoul’s Mapo District. This place boasts an abundance of crabs during the peak seasons in June and December. The locally fished crabs are carefully air-shipped and promptly frozen at minus 35 degrees Celsius to ensure they remain as fresh as live crabs. At this restaurant, ganjang gejang is served alongside a wide variety of side dishes, including fluffy steamed eggs called dalgyal-jjim, a spicy stew made from crab and kimchi called kkotge jjigae (which is sometimes referred to as gekukji), a fermented dish of salted oysters with hot pepper powder called eori-guljeot, and a type of dried green laver which stands out for its distinct texture and aromatic flavor. One tasty way to enjoy this dish is to wrap some rice in green laver with some eori-guljeot and crab meat. Jinmi Sikdang’s popularity is likely to soar even further, after earning a coveted spot in the 2023 Seoul MICHELIN Guide. Hwang Hae-won Editor-in-chief, Food Service Management Lee Min-Hee Photographer

K-uisine 2023 SUMMER

Sundubu: A Quintessential Dish Sundubu, a type of soft tofu with a distinctively light taste and texture, is enjoyed by Koreans for its smooth flavor and health benefits. It is often used to make a spicy stew that is still bubbling furiously when brought to the table. Sundubu is prized for its versatility. It can be combined with clams to make bajirak sundubu jjigae, added to a spicy seafood broth to make jjamppong sundubu jjigae, or even mixed into a kimchi stew. The pairings seem endless. The light texture and neutral flavor of sundubu (soft tofu) make it an ideal partner for meat and vegetable dishes and stews bursting with flavor and personality. Sundubu on its own might seem somewhat plain and unassuming. However, that all changes the moment it is added to stews to take on new life as a hot, spicy, and tasty treat. Sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew) is one of the most popular Korean stews along with kimchi jjigae and doenjang jjigae. In Korea, tofu is known as the “meat of the fields” because of its protein punch. Meat was not affordable to most households before the nation industrialized and prospered. Stews with tofu thus became a favored way of getting protein as well as amino acids to aid digestion. For those who know how tofu is made, the steps for making sundubu might sound familiar. Soy milk is brought to a boil, to which salt water is then added and stirred until the soy proteins begin to coagulate. Once the soy milk starts to curdle into soft chunks and separates from the water, the resulting silky bean curd is removed along with the water sitting on top to make sundubu. To make regular tofu, a coagulant is added at this stage to allow the curds to harden into firm chunks. EXTRA SPICY Fittingly, in addition to its silky texture and delicate flavor, sundubu is easy to digest. Thanks to its high protein content, it is also incredibly filling but not heavy on the stomach, making it a popular weight-loss food. To fully appreciate the inherently subtle flavor of sundubu, it should be eaten hot and chewed slowly. There are many variations of sundubu jjigae. The most common image of this dish features soft tofu floating in a spicy broth made with red pepper powder. The stew is brought to a boil and served seething hot while still bubbling loudly. The fluffy, snow-white bean curd helps tamp down the spiciness of the red pepper to produce a mild and delicate flavor. Thanks to the silky texture, the bean curd seems to melt in the mouth, like a warm pudding. An egg or seafood are often added to complement the flavor and depth. This is the case in Seoul, where an egg and baby clams are commonly added to The Gyeongsang region is where foodies can test their heat tolerance. It is common to fry green onions and red pepper powder together to create a spicy oil, which is poured into the sundubu jjigae broth before it is boiled. The resulting stew has a more intense flavor as well as extra burn. Chili oil is also a staple in Daegu, Korea’s fourth-largest city, where it is essential in sundubu jjigae as well as haejangguk, a soup favored by many after a night of heavy drinking. The Jeolla region, hugging the southwest coast of the Korean peninsula, is known for jeotgal, salted and fermented seafood. Shrimp jeotgal ( saeujeot) is often used to lace stews. It is featured in a salty and savory version of sundubu jjigae that is made with summer squash. The Chungcheong provinces, on the northern border of the Jeolla region, are famous for jjageuri, a stew that may be mistaken for a stir-fry. The broth is reduced to a thick consistency and ladled onto or mixed into rice. NOT ALWAYS SPICY Most variations of sundubu jjigae are spicy and packed with flavor, but in Gangneung’s Chodang Village, the dish is also served without added seasoning for those who would rather enjoy the tofu’s inherently light flavor. There is also a clear-broth version of sundubu jjigae for those who don’t want to overwhelm the delicacy of the tofu. The birthplace of this dish is widely regarded to be Gangneung, a city in Gangwon Province on the east coast of the Korean peninsula. In Gangneung, the sundubu sold in Chodang Village is particularly famous, thanks to locally sourced soybeans. Beans grown in the rich and fertile soil of Gangwon Province combined with pristine saltwater from the nearby East Sea result in sundubu with a distinctively nutty flavor and some of the original texture of the soybeans. Though not as silky as typical sundubu, many Koreans prefer the Gangneung version and consider it to be the real deal. Heo Yeop, a Joseon Dynasty scholar and government official who lived in the 16th century, is credited as the godfather of Chodang Village sundubu. While serving a government post in Gangneung, Heo Yeop fell in love with the taste of the spring water from the well in the office yard and had his cooks use the well water and saltwater from the nearby sea to make tofu. The name “Chodang” in Chodang tofu and Chodang Village is in fact Heo Yeop’s pen name. Gangneung still boasts many restaurants serving sundubu made the traditional way. In fact, Chodang sundubu has become its own brand of sorts that has been applied to sundubu ice cream and gelato. OFFBEAT RESTAURANTS Many restaurants in Korea can be found using sundubu in unconventional ways. For example, Donghwa Garden in Gangneung sells a spicy seafood soup with sundubu called jjamppong sundubu. Jjamppong is a spicy Korean noodle dish with a mélange of seafood ingredients. It is a take on a traditional Chinese dish, and Donghwa Garden decided to go a step further by adding sundubu. A generous amount of seafood is just an added bonus. This establishment has turned into one of the most sought-after restaurants in Korea, which is evidenced by the long lines of people waiting outside the door every day. Gangneung Sundubu Jang Kalguksu, as one might surmise from the name, is a restaurant specializing in kalguksu (handmade, knife-cut noodles) with sundubu. This soup is laden with two traditional Korean condiments: doenjang, or fermented soybean paste, and gochujang, or fermented red pepper paste. Once the two condiments have been brewed into a spicy broth, flat-cut noodles are added with sundubu, zucchini, and shiitake. A true delight, the rich-tasting broth warms you up from the inside out. The restaurant recommends starting with the noodles before diving into the heaps of soft, fluffy sundubu. Seoul, too, has many restaurants serving their own variety of sundubu jjigae. For example, Opal Sikdang serves it with finely minced pork. Geobugi Sikdang, which specializes in pork barbecue, also has its own signature pork sundubu jjigae, which is offered in the form of a large jeongol (Korean-style hotpot) that serves three to four people. Cooked at the table, it comes in a huge pot filled with pork and sundubu and is eaten after being brought to a roiling boil. Plain but brimming with flavor, unassuming but full of character — sundubu jjigae may very well be the quintessential Korean dish. Now it is capturing the attention of food lovers elsewhere. Today, the crimson stew brimming with soft, nutritious tofu is also finding its way on menus and tables around the world. Hwang Hae-won Editor-in-chief, Food Service Management Lee Min Hee Photographer

K-uisine 2023 SPRING

Spring in a Bowl: Flounder and Mugwort Soup As the ground thaws from the winter freeze, young shoots of mugwort are the first to emerge. Just as highly prized at this time of the year is the flounder, another harbinger of spring. When combined, the two ingredients produce a soup synonymous with spring in Korea. Dodari ssukguk, or flounder and mugwort soup, is a specialty from the coastal city of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province. At the turn of spring, coastal restaurants post signs announcing that they have begun serving the seasonal dish. Many things alert us to the change of seasons. When the time is right, new shoots sprout from the ground and flowers bloom. Months later, the lush green of foliage changes into fiery colors, and icy wind strips branches bare. Such is the coming and going of seasons. We can also feel the change of seasons with our tongues. Is there a more intuitive way of experiencing the seasons than by savoring the freshness of seasonal foods? According to the late Korean traditional culinary expert and chef Kim Tae-won, “The fastest way to attune oneself to the change of seasons is to eat the most expensive seasonal fish.” LOCATION AND TIMING Since ancient times, mugwort has been used to bolster the function of the stomach, liver, and kidneys. Mugwort harvested between March and May is considered to be superior in taste. © gettyimagesKOREA A specialty from the coastal city of Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province is dodari ssukguk, or flounder and mugwort soup, highly anticipated not only for its taste but because it heralds the arrival of spring. Flounder fatten up through the winter and migrate to the nation’s southern coastal waters to spawn when temperatures begin to rise. During the spring, they are found in abundance in Tongyeong’s waters and rushed to the city’s restaurants, where the fish is prepared in a variety of ways. One of the most sought-after dishes is dodari sekkosi — freshly cut slices of raw, bone-in flounder (dodari). Mugwort (ssuk) has a slightly bitter taste and a fragrant smell. Young mugwort shoots harvested in early spring between March and May are superior in both texture and taste. Later, the plant takes on a rougher texture and a more bitter taste, which makes it less suitable for cooking. So, restaurants that offer dodari ssukguk scramble to get freshly picked mugwort shoots every spring, especially those grown near the seashore. The sea breeze makes coastal mugwort richer in minerals, tastier and more fragrant than mugwort from mountainous and inland regions. In Korea, mugwort is a symbol of vitality because the plant thrives in any type of climate, soil, and environment. Consumed as food and used as medicine by Koreans since ancient times, mugwort even plays a major role in the myth regarding the foundation of Korea: a bear forced to stay inside a cave and eat nothing but mugwort and garlic for a hundred days eventually becomes human. UNIQUE TASTE “Dodari” is an umbrella term used for many types of flounder. Marbled flounder is found in the coastal waters of Tongyeong but fishing limits keep the local specialty, dodari ssukguk, off menus until February. Making soup from local fish and meat with seasonal herbs and vegetables is a long-standing tradition throughout Korea. Flounder and mugwort soup is native to Korea’s southern coastal regions, though it is uncertain whether fishermen or families living along the coast were the first to combine the two main ingredients. What differentiates dodari ssukguk from other Korean soup and stew dishes is its lack of red pepper powder. This gives it a distinctively clear broth. Since the focus is on highlighting the taste and smell of mugwort, fermented soybean paste and a light amount of soy sauce are used instead of spicy red pepper to produce a mild and savory taste. Carefully sliced flounder, well-rinsed mugwort, chopped white radish, and spring onions are then added to the soup, which is brought to a boil — and voilà, the dish is ready! People who eat dodari ssukguk for the first time sometimes say it has a peculiar taste due to the mugwort’s slightly bitter flavor and smell. However, once they become accustomed to the flavor of the soup, they cannot get enough of it. Gourmets believe the true star of this dish is not the flounder but the mugwort. The fragrance of mugwort combined with the broth made from fermented soybean paste helps elevate the soup’s character, while the light and delicate taste and texture of the flounder enrich the flavor. LEGACIES The combination of flavors from the delicate taste of flounder and the fragrance of fresh mugwort puts Tongyeong dodari ssukguk on the calendar of foodies every year. Restaurants serving seasonal dishes may start selling dodari ssukguk as early as the middle of February. Markets near fishing ports in Tongyeong are filled with small restaurants offering this quintessential seasonal dish, one of the most popular being Huijeong Sikdang. Made with freshly harvested mugwort, the soup at this restaurant has a clear broth that is among the tastiest there is. It is served with a variety of side dishes made with seasonal ingredients. The soup and side dishes go so well with rice that few can settle for a single bowl. In central Seoul, the most famous place for flounder and mugwort soup is Chungmujib in the Euljiro area. Its history goes back to 1964, when the owner’s father first opened a restaurant in Tongyeong called Huirakjang. He put all his faith in flounder and mugwort soup and enjoyed a loyal following over the decades. One of the most popular dishes ordered alongside flounder and mugwort soup is sea squirt bibimbap. Consisting of white rice topped with thinly sliced sea squirt, white radish sprouts, laver flakes, and sesame oil, it has a savory taste that makes for a fantastic accompaniment to the soup. All things brimming with life eventually die only to be reborn again following a long and arduous wait. The same can be said for dodari ssukguk. Spring is the time to enjoy this seasonal dish, for it will soon vanish from restaurant menus until next year. Hwang Hae-wonEditor-in-chief, Food Service Management Lee Min HeePhotographer

K-uisine 2022 WINTER

Gimbap: Comfort Food in a Roll Gimbap, a roll of rice packed with vegetables, meat and various other ingredients wrapped in a sheet of laver (dried seaweed), is a popular light meal that is nutritious while also evoking pleasant memories of childhood. The humble gimbap evokes fond memories thanks to countless combinations of ingredients and seasonings used by Korean mothers. Lately, gimbap has moved up the culinary ladder to “premium” variations featuring unusual ingredients. There are a variety of traditional foods with a history and story unique to Koreans, but few foods have captured people’s hearts as much as gimbap. Koreans grow up accustomated to the taste of their mother’s unique version of gimbap: indeed, a common boast is “my mother’s gimbap is the best.” On taste alone, a case can be made for gimbap made with spinach seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce, burdock root and fish cake stir-fried in soy sauce, various vegetables, and rice seasoned with a dash of sesame oil and salt. Entirely different combinations, however, are also possible. Of course, unmatched are individual memories of where, when and with whom a mother’s gimbap was enjoyed. UNCERTAIN ORIGIN The exact origin of gimbap (gim meaning dried seaweed, or laver, and bap meaning cooked rice) is unknown. While some argue that it originated from Japanese norimaki – a roll of rice, raw fish, cucumber, dried gourd strips, and pickled radish tightly wrapped in a sheet of laver – others argue that gimbap is a version of bokssam, which was eaten during the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The origin of the name “gimbap” itself is also uncertain. A recipe for “chobap,” in the March 29, 1958 edition of the Dong-A Ilbo, seems to describe gimbap made with rice flavored with vinegar, or cho. The recipe calls for wrapping various ingredients, such as fish, mushrooms, bean curd, spinach, and carrot, in a sheet of laver covered with cooked rice flavored with 2/3 of a cup of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG). In later gimbap recipes, the vinegar was left out. However, Koreans began eating cooked rice wrapped in laver long before gimbap appeared in the modern era. “A Record of Seasonal Customs in Korea” (Dongguk sesigi), published in 1849, mentions both gimssam and bokssam, which refer to rice and various side dishes eaten together, wrapped in a sheet of laver or leafy greens. A late 18th century cookbook titled Siuijeonseo mentions people eating laver brushed with oil and sprinkled with salt. Many assume that rice would have been wrapped in the laver. The first Korean records of gim itself go back even further. Two 15th-century texts, “Geography of Gyeongsang Province” (Gyeongsangdo jiriji) and “Geography of Korea” (Dongguk yeoji seungnam), mention gim as a local product of Gyeongsang Province and Jeolla Province, respectively, suggesting that people’s diet at the time contained seaweed. Whatever the origin of gimbap, the farming of gim is believed to be native to Korea. According to a story that dates back some 300 years, an old woman in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, was collecting shellfish in the Seomjin River when she picked up a piece of driftwood covered in seaweed. Her subsequent practice of attaching seaweed to bamboo poles, which she placed in the sea, is thought to be the start of seaweed cultivation in Korea. Fishermen in the seaside city of Tongyeong (formerly named Chungmu) needed food that would not spoil quickly when they were out at sea. That led to Chungmu gimbap, consisting of plain rice rolls with radish kimchi and seasoned baby octopus on the side. It became a signature Korean food after 1950. © gettyimagesKOREA CHUNGMU GIMBAP A completely Korean version of gimbap gradually evolved after 1950. In the early stages, before raw fish was widely included in the Korean diet, vegetables and other common household ingredients were prominent in the wrapped rice roll. The amount of vinegar was reduced to satisfy local tastes, and the rice was seasoned only with sesame oil and salt or, occasionally, sesame salt only to bring out its natural flavor. Kim Yun-yeol, whose mother sold gimbap in Daegu’s Dalseong-dong district in the late 1940s, recalled: “My mother seasoned the rice with a little vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil, and sold it as ‘gimchobap.’ In today’s terms, it tasted similar to Japanese makisushi. When my mother reopened a gimbap shop after the Korean War, she removed the vinegar and mixed the rice with sugar, salt, and sesame oil. She also took out the red-dyed Japanese pickles and added carrots, pickled radish, and eggs.” Chungmu gimbap, a local food of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, is an indispensable part of any discussion of gimbap. “Chungmu” was the former name of the seaside city of Tongyeong. The theory is that Chungmu gimbap started when a fisherman ate radish kimchi and seasoned baby octopus with plain rice wrapped in laver. Neither the rice nor the laver were seasoned to reduce the possibility of spoilage during long periods at sea. Instead, the plain rice rolls were eaten with sweet and sour radish kimchi and seasoned baby octopus on the side. As Chungmu gimbap became popular, households made their own versions, using sliced radish instead of radish kimchi or squid or fish cake with spicy sauce instead of seasoned baby octopus. The most common type of gimbap is made of rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt, then rolled up with pickled radish, egg rolls, carrots, burdock root, ham and spinach. © Shutterstock GREATER SOPHISTICATION Gimbap of the 21st century has now shed any Japanese associations and is generally understood as a Korean food. The most common form of gimbap today is made of rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt, which is spread over a sheet of dried laver and topped with strips of pickled radish, fried egg, carrot, burdock root, ham, spinach, and cucumber before being rolled up. Of course, this is a general guideline only, with ingredients differing by household, depending on the family’s tastes and what is in the refrigerator. Gimbap is synon-ymous with lunch boxes and picnics prepared by mothers with their intuitive understanding of the family’s tastes. People joke that there are as many different flavors of gimbap as there are mothers across Korea. NO LIMITS FOR GIMBAP The commercialization of gimbap began in Incheon when Gimbap Cheonguk (literally “gimbap heaven”) opened in 1995 and became a national franchise within five years. At that time, its “1,000-won gimbap” was inexpensive but generously filled with ingredients, making it a convenient and nutritious breakfast for office workers in a hurry. It was also around that time that gimbap became firmly established as a restaurant menu item. Since then, many variations of gimbap have appeared. The “premium gimbap” craze gripped the Korean market for some time, offering consumers diverse ingredients such as spicy stir-fried pork, bulgogi, pork cutlet, fried anchovies, canned tuna and mayonnaise, fried shrimp and seasoned shredded squid. Some gimbap restaurants include chicken breast or other protein-rich ingredients. With an increasing number of vegans and health-seeking people who avoid meat, gimbap stuffed with seasoned vegetables such as thistle (gondre namul) or radish greens, pickled vegetables and carrots have been introduced. A close look at some of the old local gimbap restaurants that have gained national fame through word of mouth reveals vast regional differences. Oseonmo Yennal Gimbap in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, is popular for its carrot-filled version; at Gyori Gimbap in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the favorite is egg kimbap, in which fried egg strips account for 90 percent of the ingredients. Similarly, Owolui Gimbap (literally “gimbap of May”) at Nakseongdae Station in Seoul sells an outsized roll that also consists of more than 90 percent fried egg strips. Dongwon Bunsik in Busan is a gimbap restaurant off the tourist track. Filled with thick sliced eggroll (dalgyalmari) and spicy shredded squid (thin strips of semi-dried squid stir-fried in gochujang sauce), the gimbap here is a delicacy. On Jeju Island, there are places that sell gimbap with a whole saury in it. Regardless of its rather bizarre appearance, the savory taste of brown grilled saury goes nicely with the rice. Gimbap filled with pork belly, a beloved Korean barbeque meat, is also popular. Gimbap is the ultimate Korean comfort food and is expected to keep evolving thanks to the endless possible combinations of increasingly diverse ingredients. Domestic food critics and experts are convinced that gimbap will soon, as a category of “K-food,” join the ranks of Korean cultural exports. Exposure of gimbap in dramas such as the smash-hit “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is also creating greater awareness of this dish overseas. Perhaps gimbap will join Mexican tortillas, American hot dogs, Italian pizza, German bratwurst and other global favorites. Hwang Hae-won Editor-in-chief, Food Service Management Choi Su-jin Illustrator

K-uisine 2022 AUTUMN

Pine Mushrooms with the Fragrance of Autumn There are countless mushrooms growing on Earth, including more than 2,000 edible kinds. When Koreans think of mushrooms, the first thing that comes to their mind is autumn, because it’s the harvest season for the particularly delicious pine mushrooms, so-named because they grow attached to pine trees. Pine mushrooms that sprout under the shade of pine trees are a delicious gift of the fall season. They are very expensive because they cannot be cultivated, are sensitive to climate, and are difficult to collect. Yi Gyu-bo, a writer from the mid-Goryeo period, described pine mushrooms (songi beoseot) in detail in his poem “Eating Pine Mushrooms.” (“Collected Works of Yi Gyu-bo [Dongguk isang gukjip], Vol. 14) Mushrooms grow in rotten soil Or maybe from a tree. Because all are born of decay, They are often feared to be poisonous. This mushroom comes from the pine tree, And is always covered with pine needles. How abundant the pure scent Growing from the vitality of the pine. The first time I found them, following the scent, Even a couple made a handful. They say one who eats pine oil Is the fastest to become an immortal. So why is it not medicine? IMPORTANCE IN THE ECOSYSTEM Most people think that mushrooms are plants but they are not. Having no chlorophyll, they cannot photosynthesize and must obtain nutrients from other plants or animals, which is why they are said to resemble animals. Button mushrooms and shiitake attach themselves to dead trees and decomposing organic matter. They also survive on nutrients left in animal waste. As Yi Gyu-bo wrote in his poem, not all mushrooms grown on rot cause poisoning. In fact, humans eat plenty of foods that are grown on rotting plants, since they allow for artificial cultivation. In China, as early as the 13th century, shiitake were grown on oak blocks. Button mushrooms began to be cultivated in France in the 17th century, using compost from melons and manure from horse droppings. Mushrooms play a crucial role in ecosystems’ circulation of nutrients. The cell wall of trees is made up of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Lignin is particularly difficult to decompose, and mushrooms are almost the only organisms that can do the job. Fungi decompose and eat dead trees, and the trees thus return to the soil and grow again from it. Like porcini, truffles, and oyster mushrooms, pine mushrooms have a symbiotic relationship with living trees. They collect minerals from the soil, some of which they pass on to the roots of trees. In return, the roots donate sugar to them. Probably because of this symbiotic relationship, pine mushrooms contain more minerals than other species. DEMANDING GROWTH ENVIRONMENT Most mushrooms are invisible to the human eye, and spread in the ground as a net-like mass of fungi called mycelium. The mycelium collects enough nutrients and absorbs water to form denser mycelial tissues called the fruiting body. What we eat is not the mycelium in the ground, but the fruiting body that corresponds to the flower of a plant. Pine mushrooms are difficult to cultivate because they grow only on living trees, in symbiosis with the small roots, about 10 cm underground. They can be harvested during the summer and rainy season, when the ground temperature decreases, but the best time is autumn. When the underground temperature drops below 19 degrees Celsius, pine mushrooms’ mycelia spread wide, and their fruiting bodies appear aboveground. Rain is essential for growth, but too much is undesirable. The temperature should neither be too low nor too high, the pine trees neither too old nor too young, and, although the mushrooms are always covered with pine needles, they do not grow well if the cover is too thick. The best pine mushrooms have a modest cap and generous silvery white tip. Fresh pine mushrooms have a unique, elegant and distinguished pine scent that cannot be compared with that of other mushrooms. © gettyimagesKOREA THE FAME OF PINE MUSHROOMS Pine mushrooms grow only when all these conditions are met, which means they don’t come cheap. When their caps are not spread out and their stalks are more than 8 cm long, the price is particularly high. If their stems are not of uniform thickness or the caps have spread even a little, they are categorized as second-class, and if their caps are spread out like umbrellas, the price drops even further. Whatever the shape, there is no difference in taste or smell, but people tend to value things that are rare. Moreover, the price fluctuates greatly with production volume. The main growing areas in Korea are Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces, with pine mushrooms grown in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, being the most famous. According to an article in the JoongAng Ilbo from September 18, 2021, first-grade Yangyang pine mushrooms fetched a record high price of 1.32 million won per kilogram in 2019. Pine mushrooms are called songi beoseot in Korean, “songi” meaning “pine” and “boseot” meaning “mushroom.” Their popularity also affects the names of other mushrooms. King oyster mushrooms (sae songi), oyster mushrooms (cham songi), flowering mushrooms (ggot songi), willow oyster mushrooms (beodeul songi), and button mushrooms (yang songi) have “songi” in their names, though they are all different species. SAVORED FOR THE SCENT Although they contain nutrients such as protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, pine mushrooms are mainly sought-after due to their autumnal scent. Gourmands are particularly keen on them around Chuseok, the traditional autumn harvest festival. Rice cooked with pine mushrooms seems to fill you with the pure scent of pine trees, every time you take a bite. It is no wonder that eight hundred years ago, Yi Gyu-bo wrote that he felt he was becoming an immortal when he ate them. The demand for autumn pine mushrooms never wanes, but unfortunately, harvests are on the decline. Annual production reached 1,300 tons until 1985, but has recently fallen to an average of merely 219 tons. There are four main reasons for this decline: the reduction of pine forests, climate change, the accumulation of fallen leaves and the effects of pine wilt disease. A 2009 study by the University of Oregon suggests that using the shallow-raking method when remixing the soil after harvesting does not affect yields the following year. Not remixing the soil at all, however, or raking too deeply, could reduce yields by up to a whopping 90 percent. This holds the message that people should learn to coexist with nature in a balanced way and treat it with respect. Pot rice made with fresh cooked rice and pine mushrooms is the perfect autumn meal. The secret is to place the mushrooms on the rice just before steaming © gettyimagesKOREA Pine mushrooms are a wonderful addition to soups based on mussels, bonito flakes or kelp, and can also be enjoyed in a stew. © TongRo Images WILD MUSHROOMS REVISITED Mushrooms are rich in umami, so even a cook with no special skills can use them in stews or stir-fries and be confident in achieving a deep, rich flavor. Pine mushrooms can be grilled with meat, covered in egg batter and pan-fried to make jeon or skewered to make sanjeok. There are about four hundred types of edible mushrooms in Korea. Recently, the value of various native wild mushrooms is being re-examined. Morels and chanterelles, so prized in France, can also be tasted in Korea. According to an article in the Chosun Ilbo, published on October 18, 2018, the Korean name for morels is gombo boseot; they grow in spring in Sinan, South Jeolla Province. Chanterelles can be found in local traditional markets under various names, such as nightingale or cucumber flower mushrooms, and aeggot or oeggot boseot. Few people know about these mushrooms, however, and in most cases, they are just added to stews. Hopefully, more people will learn to distinguish between the different kinds of mushrooms and enjoy their unique tastes and scents. This would, in turn, lead to greater interest in wild mushrooms in Korea and new and exciting recipes for them.

K-uisine 2022 SUMMER

Chili, the Heat Behind the Taste of Korean Food Chili, the most widely cultivated spice in the world today, is enjoyed by a quarter of the world’s population. In Korea, the chili pepper (or red pepper) called gochu is an especially important ingredient in the hot and spicy food that Koreans love. Chili is central to Korean cuisine. It is so essential that its spicy taste seems made for Koreans. Chili is the most widely cultivated spice in the world today. Chili peppers originated in South America, where people first ate them around 7,000 BCE and began cultivating them around 3,500 BCE. After spreading to Europe at the end of the 15th century, they were introduced to India, Asia and Africa through Portuguese merchants in the latter half of the 16th century. It was around this time that chili was introduced to Korea as well. When chili production later increased in Asia, it was exported back to Europe. The Measure of Heat Chilies are the symbol of spiciness. One major indicator of this spiciness, or “heat,” is the Scoville scale, developed in 1912 by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. Today, there are other, more accurate ways of measuring capsaicin, the pungent component in chili, but the Scoville scale is still widely used. Pure capsaicin has 16 million SHUs (Scoville heat units). SHUs indicate how much a pepper needs to be diluted for its spiciness to become undetectable. The higher the SHU, the hotter the pepper. Some peppers, such as green bell peppers, aren’t hot at all, but once the scale reaches jalapenos (2,500 to 10,000 SHUs), which are often pickled, the taste is moderately spicy. In the past, the habanero (350,000 to 580,000 SHUs) was considered a pretty hot pepper, but new and even spicier varieties have since been developed, including the bhut jolokia (or “ghost pepper” at 855,000 to 1.5 million SHUs) and the Trinidad Moruga scorpion (1.5 to 2 million SHUs). Of course, there are people who enjoy eating these extremely hot chili peppers, even as others struggle with them. Interestingly, chili peppers pose no problem for birds – they lack the receptors that detect the heat of capsaicin. Birds do not digest the seeds and therefore play a role in spreading them after eating chili. On the other hand, there is a theory that the capsaicin in chili peppers is meant to prevent mammals such as humans from eating them, and it’s true that rodents such as squirrels avoid them after a single taste. Red pepper paste (gochujang) is a traditional Korean seasoning made by mixing glutinous rice with red pepper powder, malt and fermented soybean powder. © gettyimagesKOREA Fiery Pleasure Certain people enjoy the hot taste of chili peppers so much that they even compete in chili eating contests. This is because the heat, or pungency, of chilies provides a pleasure akin to that of a roller coaster, as discovered by Professor David Julius at the University of California, San Francisco, one of the co-winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. According to his research, a receptor known as transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) detects the heat in capsaicin. Simply put, the spicy taste of chili stimulates the sense of heat, creating the illusion of being burned. Enjoying the sensation of falling through the air while on a roller coaster is similar in context to shedding tears while eating a mouthful of chili. But while the thrill of the roller coaster disappears after it descends, the hot taste of chili lingers in the mouth for a long time, which can be painful. And yet, adding chili extract or capsaicin to a pain relief patch or cream helps relieve muscle or joint pain. This is because repetition of the pain caused by the spicy stimulus depletes the pain-related neurotransmitters of their active agency, and conversely reduces pain. After consuming spicy, stimulating foods containing pepper, garlic or ginger, your body reacts as if you were in a hot room. You sweat to lower your body temperature and increase blood flow to the skin. As a result, skin temperature drops and you feel cool. This is perhaps why people living in hotter regions tend to enjoy spicy food more, and explains the logic behind Koreans’ predilection for hot, spicy food on a hot summer day. However, the relationship between climate and chili consumption is not necessarily consistent, and opinions are still divided as to why humans like spicy food so much. Chili grows well in warm climates but may be difficult to cultivate in cold countries, perhaps resulting in low production and consumption. Moreover, it isn’t as if people don’t eat spicy food in the winter; in Korea, kimchi is a favorite winter food and a representative spicy staple on the dining table, although its hot taste gradually grows milder as it ferments and matures. The spiciness may be reduced as capsaicin becomes diluted in the kimchi broth, or as it decomposes into a compound that is less hot due to microbial fermentation. In 2015, a research team led by Professor Kim Soo-ki at Konkuk University discovered a microorganism that decomposes capsaicin in pickled red peppers, a traditional fermented Korean food. Gochujang tteokbokki, made by adding sugar to red pepper paste, appeared during the Korean War and has developed into a popular quick bite with several variations. © TongRo Images Various Uses In their native Latin America, chili peppers are used in a variety of ways. In Mexico, many different types of chili peppers are eaten, and go by different names depending upon whether they are raw or dried. When dried in the sun, certain compounds react with one another to create new flavor substances. Mexican cuisine even has rules as to which chilies should be added to certain foods. For example, guajillo, with its sweet and smoky flavor, produced by drying mirasol peppers in the sun, is used in tamales, enchiladas and salsas. Ancho chilies, which are sun-dried poblano peppers, are used either dry or soaked in water and ground to make mole sauce. When chili is added to a dish, it not only increases the spiciness but also adds complex flavors, including sweet, smoky or fruity notes. And adding ground chili to sauces creates a soft, thick texture due to the fiber pectin. In Korea, the hot taste of red peppers (gochu) is so popular that it is considered the taste of Koreans today. However, not everyone welcomed it in the past. Advocates of Western-style modernization in the 1920s and 1930s argued that consumption of hot foods should be reduced as they were not the foods of an advanced people. The general public thought otherwise, changing recipes in a way that enabled them to enjoy the hot taste even more. It’s through this process that red pepper powder (gochugaru) and sugar entered the picture. Until the 1950s, tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) was not spicy – it was made by stir-frying meatand rice cakes seasoned with soy sauce. Shortly after the Korean War, the red tteokbokki that we know today was created by adding sugar and red pepper paste (gochujang). As spicy tteokbokki began to catch on, the old soy-sauce version was pushed aside. Spicy stir-fried octopus (nakji bokkeum) and spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum) also became popular around the same time and remain favorites today. Here, we can confirm once again that people like spicy food for the pleasure it gives. Sweetness is a taste that people like from birth and a symbol of pure pleasure. By contrast, spiciness, which offers a more complex pleasure, is a taste acquired as one grows. The sweet and spicy taste of chili and sugar combined is the refreshing taste of youth. These days, new foods that are not too hot are in favor. Rose tteokbokki is a good example. Capsaicin is soluble in fat, so the heat cannot be completely washed away in water, but the abundant casein protein in dairy products such as cream or mozzarella cheese binds well with fat. This is why drinking milk or eating yogurt after a spicy meal can reduce any related pain. The cream in rose tteokbokki likewise captures capsaicin, mitigating the feeling of heat. For a similar reason, Korean foods such as cheese dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) and cheese buldak (hot and spicy chicken) are popular in other countries as well. Even people who aren’t used to hot and spicy foods can easily grow to like them. Kimchi, the iconic Korean side dish, contains generous doses of red pepper powder. The fermented food varies depending on the region, ingredients, and method of preparation. © TongRo Images Loved by Everyone Columbus, who brought chilies to Europe, thought they were related to pepper, hence the name “chili pepper.” However, chilies are the fruit of the solanaceae family of plants and therefore distinct from peppercorns, which are the fruit of pepperaceae vines. While the heat of chili comes from capsaicin, the pungency of pepper comes from piperine. There is one more important difference between the two: in medieval Europe, pepper was considered a luxury, and the spicier a dish was made by sprinkling it with pepper, the more luxurious it was. In the 17th century, when Europe imported large quantities of pepper, the upper classes began to seek foods with a mild, delicate taste. Their desire to distinguish themselves from the lower classes, who could now put pepper in their dishes, served to completely change their food preferences. This was not the case with chili. Unlike pepper, which comes from a subtropical plant, chilies grow well in temperate climates. Being easy to grow also means being widely accessible. At one time, the hot taste of chili was looked down on, but since chili was readily available, most Koreans made and ate their favorite hot foods regardless. Chili is the evidence that Korean cuisine today was shaped not by the elite but by the ordinary people.

K-uisine 2022 SPRING

Siraegi : A Delicacy of Humble Origins When eaten in spring, siraegi that has grown sweet after enduring the cold weather of late autumn and winter feels like a gift to the palate. This humble vegetable is an acquired taste, but once it grows on you, it’s hard to forget. Each part of the radish has its own use and a different taste depending on the season. When radishes are harvested in winter, the green stems and leaves at the top are cut off, tied together and dried in the sunlight and wind throughout the cold months to make siraegi. These dried radish tops enrich the spring table with their savory flavor and abundant natural fiber. Siraegi needs to be repeatedly frozen and thawed at least three times before reaching it’s full flavor. Some foods that are now prized delicacies had trivial beginnings. Such is the case with siraegi, which refers to radish stems and leaves or the outer leaves of cabbage dried in the sun and wind. Since ancient times on the Korean Peninsula, kimchi has been made in great quantities in late autumn to eat throughout the winter. This annual custom of making, storing and sharing kimchi for winter is called kimjang and has been inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Winter kimchi is made by mixing cabbage and radish with various seasonings, such as green onions, garlic and red pepper powder, as well as salted and fermented seafood. The greens of the radish and outer leaves of the cabbage are not used. When these leftover parts are dried fresh or boiled and then dried, they become siraegi. In the standard Korean dictionary, the outer leaves that are left over after trimming are generally called ugeoji – literally, “removed tops.” Dried radish or cabbage leaves are a sub-category of ugeoji. Although ugeoji is a word also used to describe a “frowning facial expression” due to the food’s shabby appearance, it becomes a good ingredient when carefully dried. As Chinese cabbage or other vegetables grow, their outer leaves are exposed to rain and wind.Compared to the inner leaves, the outer leaves become rough and damaged, and therefore seem low in quality. They easily turn yellow or become limp. However, in the days when people barely managed to subsist on herb roots and tree bark, they could not afford to throw these leaves away. They picked up vegetable hulls, dried them in the shade, chopped them up and boiled them to make a porridge with a handful of rice, tofu dregs or wheat bran. During the spring lean season in particular, newspapers would report on farmers who pleaded for even just enough siraegi porridge to eat. Chinese cabbage contains a lot of free glutamic acid, which gives it a savory taste. Radish stems and leaves contain more glutamic acid than theradish root. Sulfur compounds and glutamic acid are naturally present in meat and are responsible for the meaty flavor. Thanks to this flavor substance, siraegi goes surprisingly well with meat. Siraegi stew or soup made with red pepper paste or soybean paste and garlic has the flavor of meat without actually containing meat. Adding anchovy stock makes the broth even more flavorful. In Tongyeong, a southern port city famous for its food, siraegi soup is cooked with eel bones instead of anchovies. AN ACQUIRED TASTE Siraegi isn’t the kind of food you instantly get used to. The smell of boiling siraegi in the yard of a country house on a cold winter day is not especially appealing. I like the feeling of the hot steam warming the house, but I don’t like the smell, which comes from the sulfur compounds produced when cabbage or radish stems and leaves are boiled. While being boiled, however, the bitter spiciness is reduced, with the flavor turning soft and mild. It is true that siraegi can be an acquired taste.It is said that for children to accept and like an unfamiliar food, they must taste it at least 8 to 15 times. Siraegi soup fits this deion perfectly. I don’t remember when I first tasted it, but I do remember that for a long time I didn’t care for it. Then, oddly enough, one day I started liking it. And once I fell in love with siraegi, I was able to enjoy most of the dishes made with it: siraegi seasoned with perilla, siraegi simmered in soybean paste and various seasonings, and siraegi soup made with beef bone broth, all of which are delicious. In Korea, the 15th day of the lunar new year is a traditional holiday called daeboreum, or the “great full moon day.” In 2022, by the Gregorian calendar, this day falls on February 15. It is a day for eating mungnamul, which literally means “old greens,” and ogokbap, or rice made of five different grains. Mungnamul refers to a variety of dried vegetables and greens, such as gourds, cucumbers, mushrooms, pumpkins, turnips, bracken, aster, cucumber stems and eggplant skins. These are dried and stored during the winter to be eaten later boiled and seasoned. Siraegi also falls under this category. Some of the most famous siraegi comes from Haean Basin in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province, located some 300-500 meters above sea level, where the daily temperature difference exceeds 20 degrees in winter. The eroded basin has also been known as the “Punchbowl” since it was so named by an American journalist during the Korean War. © Shutterstock Hong Seok-mo (1781-1857), a scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty, wrote in his 1849 book, Dongguk sesigi (“Record of Seasonal Customs in the Eastern Country”), that eating dried greens on the first full moon day of the year means you will not suffer from the heat in the coming summer. Although it is difficult to find a scientific basis for this statement, there is no doubt that dried vegetables are sufficiently nutritious. When vegetables are boiled and dried, chlorophyll changes in color from green to a rather dull yellow-green, but chlorophyll itself isn’t a nutrient absorbed and used by the human body. And while some water-soluble vitamins such as B vitamins and vitamin C are lost, most of the fat-soluble vitamins and minerals remain. According to the Korean Food Composition Table published by the Rural Development Administration, 100 grams of blanched radish siraegi contains 4 grams of protein, 9.8 grams of carbohydrates, 0.3 grams of fat and 10.3 grams of dietary fiber. Just two plates of siraegi will give you more than half of the 25 grams of your daily recommended dietary fiber intake. And while siraegi eaten in mid-winter cannot be expected to show its effects in summer, for those prone to constipation, a siraegi dish served often at the spring dinner table will certainly help. Siraegi boiled for a long time and soaked in cold water is used in various dishes. It is mixed with finely minced beef or pork and assorted seasonings then stir-fried to make a special dish enjoyed on the first full moon day of the lunar new year. © Getty Images Korea GIFT OF COLD WEATHER Siraegi these days differs from that of the past. In days gone by, leftover radish stems and leaves from making kimchi were collected and dried without anything going to waste. Now, a radish variety suitable for siraegi has been developed and is grown separately. Siraegi produced from these radishes is softer in texture, which means it can be cooked without going to the trouble of peeling the stems first. Accordingly, this radish variety with more leaves is planted at wide intervals, and when the stems and leaves have grown sufficiently, they are cut to make siraegi while leaving the radishes behind. The radishes are harvested 45 to 60 days after sowing, with smaller ones sometimes left in the fields. This radish variety grown exclusively for siraegi has a slightly spicy taste and is softer than regular radish, which makes it unsuitable for kimchi. Instead, it is used to make dongchimi (white radish water kimchi) or mu jangajji (pickled radish), or is shredded, dried and roasted to make tea. Siraegi is harvested and eaten all over Korea, but Yanggu in Gangwon Province is most famous for its production. The Haean Basin of Yanggu County, surrounded by high mountains, is called the “Punchbowl,” a name coined by an American war correspondent during the Korean War. That the English word referring to the topography of the eroded basin remains in use today means that this place was a truly ferocious battlefield. These days, however, more people associate the Yanggu Punchbowl with siraegi than with the bloody battles of seven decades ago. Siraegi produced there tastes good because of the strong sunlight, as suggested by the syllable yang in the place name, which means “sun.” The sunlight in Yanggu is very bright and the colder weather also helps to make the radish sweet and mild. In winter, to prevent vegetables from freezing, the moisture in the leaves, stems and roots decreases and the content of sugar and sweet-tasting free amino acids increases. In the cold and less sunny fall to winter months, fewer pungent flavor substances are produced, which is why kimchi tastes better when made with winter cabbage and radish. For the same reason, although siraegi is available all year round, it tastes best when eaten in cold weather. Siraegi can be a tasty addition to spaghetti aglio e olio or cream pasta dishes. A spoonful of perilla oil adds to the savory flavor, while the dried radish greens cut into small pieces provide a crunchy texture. © blog.naver.com/catseyesung TENDER TEXTURE Once you have grown familiar with the unique taste of siraegi, you will realize that there is no food with which it doesn’t pair well. It is an ingredient in common home-cooked dishes such as parboiled greens (namul), porridge (juk), stew (jjigae) and soybean paste soup (doenjang guk), and when added to rice before cooking, it turns the staple into a delicacy. After a simple meal of siraegi rice, you’ll want to protest the recent attack on grain foods. A food as delicious as siraegi can’t just be eaten by Koreans. Italians in Puglia also eat turnip stems and leaves stir-fried in oil with orecchiette, ear-shaped pasta. The fresh stems and leaves are also washed and ground with Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and pine nuts to make radish pesto. Since the turnip greens are used raw, the pesto has a tangy taste that is softened by the addition of nuts. Since ancient times, there must have been a universal rule to consume ingredients sparingly without throwing away anything that can be eaten. Siraegi, once considered a food for the poor, has now become a delicacy enjoyed by everyone, reborn with a softer texture and taste. It is similar to how polenta, a boiled cornmeal dish eaten by poor Italian farmers in the 16th century, came to be prized by gourmands in modern times.This shows us why we shouldn’t forget siraegi’s past while we enjoy its softer and more enhanced taste.

K-uisine 2021 WINTER

Herring: A Delight from the Winter Sea Herring has long been a staple food around the world. In Korea, gwamegi, herring dried in the sea breeze, is eaten wrapped with seaweed, dried laver, garlic and vegetables. This is a common dish, but various other traditional recipes have also been passed down. Herring is familiar to people all over the world. The thin, blueback fish, silvery white from center to belly, live in schools in cold coastal currents with a temperature of 2-10 degrees Celsius and a water depth of less than 150 meters. Herring yields in Korean waters are very irregular, but the catch this winter is known to be good. “The most eaten is pollack; the best eaten is herring.” This old saying means that among the three typical fish on the Korean table – cod, pollack and herring – herring is the tastiest. Herrings are called cheongeo in Korean, which literally means “blue fish.” Diverse herring species roam the seas in large schools. The North Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) is the most popular in Northern Europe, while the Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is caught off the coasts of Northeast Asia and North America. White fish, such as cod or pollack, are low in fat, but herring has a fat content as high as 20 percent. As a cold-water fish, it spawns from winter to spring and gets fat in late autumn. In addition, it’s rich in free amino acids, such as glycine and alanine, that make its flesh taste sweet. Korea’s earliest known atlas of fish, “Register of Rare Fish in the Jinhae Sea” (Uhae ieobo), written in 1803 by Kim Ryeo (1766-1821), says the taste of herring is “sweet and soft, and very delicious when grilled.” Chef and writer Park Chan-il describes the taste in a similar way. In his 2012 book, “Half of the Memories Are Taste,” he recalls the grilled herring that he ate with a friend at the Sokcho seaside along the east coast: “On a windy winter day, the herring sprinkled with coarse salt and grilled over charcoal was soft and sweet.” RECIPES Herrings are eaten in many ways. On the east coast, where most herrings are caught in Korea, they are eaten raw, dipped in sauce or mixed with various ingredients. Sometimes they are boiled to make a broth for rice porridge, or covered in flour and egg batter, pan-fried and then braised in a soy sauce-based soup. In the Gyeongsang region, along the southeast coast, they are also cooked in a kind of stew. One record says that in the Jeolla region in the southwest, large quantities of herrings were steamed in a cauldron over boiling water and eaten dipped in red pepper paste. However, herrings taste best when grilled. Sprinkled with coarse salt and grilled until golden, their soft meat is sweet and savory. Chef Park explains, “Herrings are very oily, so when grilled they cook in their own oil, turning amazingly delicious.” Saltwater fish contain trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), a non-protein nitrogen compound that helps maintain the balance between seawater and body salinity. When this compound is decomposed into trimethylamine (TMA) by microorganisms, it gives off a fishy smell. Herrings, full of oil in winter, contain a lot of polyhydric fatty acids, which means they go rancid easily. It also means their fishy smell is stronger, but this can be alleviated by adding doenjang (soybean paste) to herring stew or applying some on the fish before grilling it. Not only do the fragrant substances in doenjang cover the fishy smell, its proteins bind to the substance that causes the smell and prevent it from volatizing. Since the 1990s, however, herring recipes ha-ven’t been diverse. On January 27, 1996, the daily Dong-A Ilbo carried an article saying, “These days, it’s hard to see Gyeonggi regional style dishes such as herring stew, herring boiled down in soy sauce, salted herring and herring porridge.” The fish tend to come and go, which is a major culprit for this lack of variety; yields have always been inconsistent. Swimming in large schools following cold currents, they have at times been caught in hauls among the largest of any fish. Then they would sometimes disappear, for up to almost 10 years at a time. “A Record of Penitence and Warning” ( Jingbirok) by Ry u Seong-ryong (1542-1607), an account of the Japanese invasions in the late 16th century, describes a strange event just before the outbreak of war: “Fish from the East Sea were caught in the West Sea and gradually reached the Han River; the herrings, originally from Haeju, had not been found there for more than 10 years because they had moved to the Liaohai Sea off the Liaodong Peninsula, where they were called xinyu[meaning “new fish”].” A similar explanation is found in the encyclopedic book, “Topical Discourses of Jibong” (Jibong yuseol), written in 1614 by Yi Su-gwang (1563-1629). It says that herrings, which had always been plentiful in the southwestern sea in spring, were not seen there for over 40 years. But “War Diary” (Nanjung ilgi) by Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) states that herrings were caught and exchanged for provisions to feed his soldiers. Scholar Yi Ik (1681-1764) quoted Ryu Seongryong in his book, “Miscellaneous Explanations of Seongho” (Seongho saseol), in explaining the situation. At the time that Ryu wrote his book, herrings, which had previously been found only in the sea off Haeju, in Hwanghae Province, could now be caught in all Joseon waters. He wrote that herrings were “caught in Hamgyong Province [in the northeast] every fall” and “gradually moved to Jeolla and Chungcheong provinces [in the southwest and west] in spring. They were caught in Hwanghae Province [further northward in the west] between spring and summer, but as they gradually moved west, they grew smaller and more common, so there was no one who couldn’t eat them.” Yi Ik assumed that the huge change in herring catches and locations was due to the way the fish followed the changing climate and environment. Although this speculation was made 250 years ago, it was spot on. An analysis of herring catchesin the seas around the Korean Peninsula between 1970 and 2019 by the National Institute of Fisheres Science says that catches increased in the East Sea as the water temperature increased, whereas they fell in the West Sea as the water temperature rose. It’s because the East Sea has cooler water than the West Sea. According to this study, herring catches have been very unstable over the past 50 years. The annual haul approached 5,000 tons until the early 1970s before falling below 1,000 tons in the mid-1970s. The figure began to rebound in the late 1980s, peaking at 20,000 tons in 1999, but plummeted to below 2,000 tons in 2002. In the mid-2000s, catches surged again, reaching a whopping 45,000 tons in 2008. The herring boom continued the following year, and on December 20, 2009, KBS reported on its primetime news broadcast that the missing herring had returned. According to the report, herring, a cold current fish, was being caught not only in the East Sea but also in the warm southeast and southern seas, and as a result, gwamegiproduction resumed in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province. Herring is familiar to people all over the world. The thin, blueback fish, silvery white from center to belly, live in schools in cold coastal currents with a temperature of 2-10 degrees Celsius and a water depth of less than 150 meters. Herring yields in Korean waters are very irregular, but the catch this winter is known to be good. In Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province, and other coastal villages along the East Sea, winter is the busy herring drying season. With the heads cut off, the fish are repeatedly frozen and thawed in the cold sea breezes. The result is savory gwamegi without a strong fishy smell. © Jeon Jae-ho DRYING Though gwamegi originally refers to dried herring, due to falling catches of the fish since the 1960s, it was mainly made from saury (kkongchi) in the coastal regions of North Gyeongsang Province. In a column in the Dong-A Ilbo on May 9, 1939, the ichthyologist Jeong Mun-gi (1898-1995) wrote, “In North Gyeongsang Province, which is a prolific herring region, dried herrings are called ‘gwamigi,’ which is an important local specialty.” These days, gwamegi is often eaten wrapped in vegetables such as cabbage or sea plants such as laver, seaweed and sea tangle, whereas in the past, it was grilled or cooked in soup with mugwort. Where the word gwamegi comes from isn’t clear. In his book “Record of Hunting and Fishing” (Jeoneo ji), the late Joseon scholar Seo Yu-gu (1764-1845) wrote that whole herrings were tied together with straw rope and hung in the sun to dry. That is, they were dried whole rather than cut open at the back. Seo claimed that herrings have transparent eyes that can be pierced with rope to tie them up, which is why they are called gwanmok, meaning “piercing eyes.” Some say that this word evolved to become gwamegi. Although drying whole herrings isn’t the most common method, it has continued to this day. Usually, the fish are cut in half, their intestines and bones removed, before drying in the sea breeze for a short period of time. Drying whole herrings takes a long time – longer than saury – as herrings are wide-bodied and oilier. If a whole saury can be dried in a half month, a whole herring takes at least a month. However, the longer the drying period the deeper the taste. Herrings dried whole in the middle of winter also have eggs, which make them even more flavorful. The herring is back; this year’s catch is plentiful. In Samcheok, Gangwon Province, on the east coast, various ways of processing the fish – making fish cakes, stewing and deep frying – are being developed to promote consumption. The National Institute of Fisheries Science explains that rising yields since the 2000s are due mainly to higher water temperatures in the East Sea. Herrings taste best when grilled. Sprinkled with coarse salt and grilled until golden, their soft meat is sweet and savory. When grilled, the oily herring is soft and melts in your mouth, its flavor amplified. On the downside, the fish contains a lot of fine bones, which makes it rather fiddly to eat. Scale the washed herring, make a few cuts on it and sprinkle with salt. Grill the fish until the meat turns yellowish and has a sweet and savory flavor. © Shutterstock CATCHES However, researchers caution against unrestrained fishing. Given the precedent of plummeting catches resulting from overfishing in the North Atlantic, experts say that catching young herring should be banned. Notably, overfishing in Norway in the 1970s caused herring catches to nosedive to less than one ton, with numbers taking 20 years to recover previous levels. There is still a lot we don’t know about how herrings migrate in schools. Although they have returned to the East Sea, they remain difficult to catch in the other waters in Northeast Asia, such as the West Sea [Yellow Sea] and the sea off Hokkaido, Japan. The reasons have yet to be found. Rather than recklessly catching, we must therefore be humble in the way we treat these fish – and nature as a whole.

K-uisine 2021 AUTUMN

Toran: A Mysterious Tuber Taros, which are soft like potatoes yet chewy due to their sticky mucilage, are an old ingredient mostly eaten in autumn in Korea. The starchy tubers, called toran in Korean, are much more versatile than commonly known. ① Taros, generally grown in fields, have a large leaf attached to the end of a thick stem. They are a versatile ingredient, no part of which is wasted. Well-dried taro leaves are eaten as namul (greens) or ssam (leafy green wraps) in the summer. The stems are slightly dried and peeled, briefly boiled and stir-fried with perilla seeds to make a side dish with a crispy texture. Taro tubers (the root) have a unique, slippery texture that is not to everyone’s liking, but has a distinctive quality unlike any other ingredient. ② The sticky substance in the cross section of a taro tuber is mucin, a polysaccharide mucilage which breaks down protein to aid digestion and absorption. Mucin is also found in eels, lotus roots and yams, and is an excellent lubricant for the stomach and intestines. ③ The needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals contained in taro starch cause itching and produce an acrid taste. To deal with itch-producing taro skin, quickly boil the taros in rice water and peel the skins by rubbing them off. ⓒShin Hye-woo Food is like a riddle, each food item hiding many facts. Think of a taro, for instance. When peeled, the tuber looks very much like a potato. How, then, did it end up with a totally different name? When taros first appeared on the Korean peninsula, gamja, the Korean word for potatoes, didn’t yet exist. Taros were dubbed toran because they looked like eggs from the earth (to meaning “earth” and ran meaning “egg”). Written records say potatoes were first introduced to Korea around 1824, during the late Joseon Dynasty. But mention of taros can be traced back six centuries to a Goryeo Dynasty medical book from 1236, titled “Emergency Preions in Local Medicine” (Hyangyak gugeupbang). Similarly, “Collected Works of Minister Yi of the Eastern State” (Dongguk isang gukjip), an anthology of prose and verse on a diversity of topics written by Yi Kyu-bo and dated 1241, notes that taro soup was cooked in the countryside. Taro soup is marked by the unique, slippery texture of taro. Clear soup made with beef, radish and taros, and seasoned with soy sauce has a simple but deep flavor. It is a traditional dish that is mainly eaten at Chuseok, the autumn harvest festival. © Korean Food Promotion Institute Wisdom for Detoxification Like the potato, the taro is a stem tuber. Tubers are plants with bulbous underground structures for storing nutrients, from which the roots and stems grow. In Korea, taros are traditionally eaten on Chuseok, the autumn harvest festival held in the eighth lunar month. “Recipes for Korean Dishes” (Joseon yori jebeop), a 1917 cookbook by Bang Sin-yeong (1890-1977), includes a recipe for toranguk, or taro soup: “Wash the taros well and boil them. Add them to clear soup or beef bone broth and boil with a few pieces of kelp.” This is a Seoul-style taro soup recipe. In the southern provinces, taros are boiled in a savory broth made with ground perilla seeds. At first glance, taros cooked in soup look much like potatoes. But when you put one in your mouth and chew on it, the texture is completely different. Because taros are rich in sticky mucilage, they have a slippery, squashy feel. Some people hate taros because of this texture, but most forms of mucilage are good for our health. The polysaccharides that make up the mucilage in taros act as prebiotics – plant fiber that is a source of food for beneficial intestinal bacteria. These polysaccharides easily absorb water and swell in size. One study shows that thanks to this property, mucopolysaccharides can be used to make orally disintegrating tablets (ODT), which dissolve on a patient’s tongue without water. Aside from water, the most abundant property in taros is starch. The starch granules in taros are small and digestible, but can’t be eaten raw because they contain sharp, needle-like calcium oxalate crystals. Taro leaves and stems also contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are stored together with proteolytic enzymes, giving them an acrid taste when eaten raw. First, the needle-like crystals pierce and wound the mucous membrane of the skin. Then the enzymes act on the wound, causing inflammation and pain. Therefore, it’s important to wear gloves when handling taros; getting taro juice on your hands can make them itchy. Such toxicity is a common characteristic of plants in the arum family (Araceae). Animals avoid eating them because they can’t avoid the pain and itching on their mucous membranes. It’s why the plants are known to thrive even on islands where goats graze. But humans are unique omnivores; we can overcome the toxicity of taros by cooking them with fire. Taros or taro stems are soaked in water for a day, then boiled before being used to cook any dish. The thick water left behind is discarded. When pre-heated in this way, the enzymes in taros denature and stop working, and the oxalate crystals dissolve in the water and are removed. They don’t go away completely, but the irritation is reduced enough to make taros edible. If one buys taros or taro stems in the fall and, unaware of this process, boils them in soup right away, they will still have an acrid taste and be difficult to eat. A dish made of taro cut into bite-size pieces and boiled down in soy sauce and sugar with green shishito peppers and whole garlic. It has a deep, savory flavor, especially when eaten with the boiled down sauce. © 10000recipe To get rid of the acrid taste of taro, boil briefly, cut it into slices and bake them to make chips with a crispy texture and savory taste. Low in calories, this makes a good diet snack. © momcooking Diverse Dishes and Desserts Koreans refer to something solid and substantial in content as being like altoran – taros that have been cleaned of their hairy skin. The prefix al- denotes something that’s been removed from anything that either wraps around or is attached to it, as in albam (peeled chestnut) and almom (naked body). Until the advent of potatoes and sweet potatoes, taros were a very important crop for farmers to reduce hunger. In this context, it can be understood why altoran became synonymous with substance. Despite being a food ingredient with a long history, taros are only eaten during the autumn holiday season in Korea. They begin to appear in markets in September, but are hard to find after the Chuseok holiday, when taro soup is a popular traditional dish. In the past, however, taros were cooked not only in soup, but served steamed, grilled, pickled, or even used to make songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cakes). They were also steamed, peeled, mashed and mixed with glutinous rice flour before being pan-fried to make taro cakes, and mashed taros were even mixed in a batter with other vegetables and pan-fried. These days, it’s much easier to find taro stems than taros themselves because the stems are used in yukgaejang (spicy beef soup). The peeled and dried stems are boiled in water and then soaked in cold water for several hours to remove the acrid taste. They are then boiled together with assorted other vegetables and beef to make the spicy soup. The taro stems are as chewy as beef but in a subtly different way, which makes the soup taste even better. Taros are mainly grown in Gokseong County, South Jeolla Province, which accounts for half of Korea’s taro fields and more than 70 percent of total production. Gokseong is also where an array of taro dishes can be tasted. Perilla taro soup, made with plenty of ground perilla seeds, is a signature dish of Gokseong, the fragrant aroma of taros blending well with perilla and beef. Clear taro soup, steamed taros, taro pancakes, taro flour and scorched taro are also worth trying. There are many processed products on offer as well, such as taro bread, taro scones, taro cookies, taro chips and taro chocolate chips. Recently, ice cream and apple pie made with taro are also available. These are snacks developed for young people who are unfamiliar with taros. However, those young people who have never tasted taro soup may already be familiar with the taste of taro if they have tried taro bubble tea or taro milk tea. Toran, the Korean variety of the taro plant (Colocasia esculenta), is native to tropical Asia and the Pacific Islands. Depending on the cultivation area and variety, taros may be white or purple, but they all have a sweet and savory taste and a soft texture. There are numerous dishes, desserts and processed foods made with taro all over the world, from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas to island nations in the Pacific such as New Zealand. There is enough of a variety, so one can travel around the world tasting many different taro-based foods. Those young people who have never tasted taro soup may already be familiar with the taste of taro if they have tried taro bubble tea or taro milk tea. Toran is the Korean name for a variety of taro cultivated in the tropics, which is eaten around the world under various names such as taro, kalo, talo, dalo, dasheen and eddo. Also called the “tropical potato,” taro grows well in wet climates and swamps. Even the younger generation who may not know taro as a food might be familiar with taro tea made by mixing taro powder and milk. © Sutterstock TARO FLOWERS' WARNING Toryeon is another Korean name for taros. The name comes from the plant’s thick, broad leaves resembling lotus leaves (ryeon meaning “lotus”). For many older Koreans, the sight of taros brings back memories of their childhood in the countryside, when they carried a taro leaf over their heads on a rainy day in place of an umbrella. On the contrary, not many people have seen the taro f lower. In the past, taro f lowers were so rare that they were said to bloom once every hundred years. As taro is a tropical plant, it didn’t f lower easily in Korea’s temperate climate. However, starting about a decade ago, taro f lowers have bloomed annually in many places across the country. This is because the climate of the Korean peninsula is changing to a subtropical one, with high temperatures and humidity. The taro f lower is another warning that global climate change demands urgent and effective response.

K-uisine 2021 SUMMER

Fragrant and Crunchy MINARI Minari, or water parsley, is a fragrant vegetable with a crunchy texture. With the recent international interest in the film “Minari” by Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung, the plant has become a symbol of Koreans’resilience and adaptability. Most grasses in the wild contain toxic substances, so theytaste bitter in your mouth.Children’s natural rejection of that bittertaste comes from their instinct to protectthemselves from poisonous plants. Humandietary culture has developed based on theknowledge to distinguish between edibleand non-edible plants. At first glance, water parsley (minari)and water hemlock (dok-minari, meaning“poisonous minari”) look similar. Theyboth have hollow stems and sharply serrated leaves. However, if you look closely, water parsley leaves have the shape ofan egg cut vertically, while water hemlockleaves are long and pointed, like the end ofa spear. Though they belong to the samefamily, one is edible and the other is not. As minari contains no toxic substances, it can be eaten raw or cooked and hasbeen a popular ingredient in Korean cuisine since ancient times. In the 1920s, itwas so commonly consumed that its market price was listed in the newspapers. It isloved for its unique fresh taste and relatively richer scent than other herbs, and as ahollow-stemmed vegetable like water spinach (gongsimchae), it remains crisp andrefreshing even when slightly blanched Let’s look at the recipe for minariganghoe, or minari rolls, introduced in theJoseon Dynasty cookbook Siui Jeonseo(Compendium of Proper Cookery), writtenin the late 19th century. Remove the rootsand leaves, trim the stems and blanch them.Slice pan-fried egg sheets, brisket, rockear mushrooms (manna lichens) and redchili peppers into thin strips, then tie all theingredients with a minari stem, placing apine nut in the middle of the roll. Put themneatly on a plate and eat with red pepperpaste mixed with vinegar. The key to thisdish is the fragrant, crunchy minari, whichbinds the other ingredients together. Minari, a cool and refreshing summer ingredient with aslightly peppery taste, is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber.According to Dongeui Bogam (Exemplar of Korean Medicine)from the 17th century Joseon Dynasty, it quenches the thirst,clears the head and is effective in treating headaches andvomiting. Minari leaves have sharp sawtooth edges. The shape ofthe leaf resembles that of an egg cut vertically. Moist and resilient, minari stems have a refreshing,crunchy texture. There are two major types of the green: Ricepaddy minari, grown in water, has a hollow stem, while thestems of minari grown in dry fields are relatively solid. Special Texture Why do we love this crispy, crunchy texture? Neuroanthropologist John S. Allen gives three reasons in his book, “The Omnivorous Mind” (2012). First, humans are primates who have insect-eating relatives.Second, the preference for crispy food increased when food began to be cooked with fire, making ingredients crispier than in their raw state. And third, the crispy texture of plants signifies their freshness. Fresh vegetables, whose cell walls are filled with water, burst to produce a crispy sound when chewed. By contrast, vegetables that have been stored for a long time are pulpy and tough, as their moisture has largely dried out. Water-filled minari maintains its crispiness when blanched or stir-fried, andeven when pickled or used in kimchi. This is because the sour-tasting organic acids strengthen the cell walls. But by far the best way to enjoy the crispy taste is to go to a farm for raw, freshly harvested minari. penes. Chewing on a mouthful of minari will take you into the midst of a dense forest of pines, firs and cedars as the terpene substances such as pinene and myrcene explode in your mouth. Minari also contains aromatic substances that bring to mind citrus fruits, lime peel, ginger and galangal. Adding minari to fish-baseddishes can therefore help reduce any fishy smell. Clearly, there is a scientific reason for using it in dishes such as maeuntang, spicy fish stew. Pleasant Aroma The fragrant scent of minari goes well with the savory flavor of soybean paste. It wasalready common to add minari to soybean paste stew when, on April 2, 1939, theChosun Ilbo newspaper introduced a recipe for minari cured in soybean paste: “Washthe minari clean, soak it in hot water for Hanjae minari, grown in Hanjae, Cheongdo County, North GyeongsangProvince, is famous nationwide. Hanjae comprises the villages of Chohyeon-ri, Eumji-ri, Pyeongyang-ri and Sangri, where local volcanic rock soil, with its excellent drainage, is perfect for minaricultivation. Minari is largely divided into varieties grown in rice paddies or in dryfields. Rice paddy minari, which grows in water, has a hollow stem as describedabove. On the other hand, field minari has a fuller stem. Hanjae minari is cultivatedin a way that produces a middle ground between the two types. The stems are mostly full, and the plant is also crispy with a pleasant scent. Minari harvested in springis often eaten raw with grilled pork belly in place of the usual lettuce, served together with sliced garlic and soybean paste for relish. The refreshing scent of the vegetable covers the greasiness of the meat. It can also be lightly cooked on the grill alongside the meat. The scent of minari comes from a class of volatile substances called terp about an hour, then spread soybean paste in a bowl and place a thin layer of minarion top. Spread another layer of soybean paste and minari on top and put a lid onthe bowl. It tastes wonderful when taken out and eaten two days later. The better thesoybean paste, the better the taste.” The fragrant substances in plants are basically weapons to defend against external invaders, such as bacteria and insects.Therefore, minari has a stronger scent when grown in fields than in water. Minarithat grows in the mountains or in the wild is called dolminari, the prefix dol meaning“wild.” It has an even stronger scent than minari grown in fields because it producesa lot of resistant, fragrant substances to survive in a barren environment. Minari also contains various antioxidants and studies are underway to explain its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and liver protective effects. It is commonly believedthat adding minari to blowfish dishes helps to detoxify any blowfish poison that mightremain. But as this has not been proven, it should rather be understood that minari is added to enhance the flavor. To someone who has never tasted it, minari – and its consumers – may seemstrange. However, it isn’t particularly hard to get used to. The carrots and celery usedin European flavor bases such as mirepoix and sofrito are all relatives of minari. If youlike the crispy texture of celery, minari will also grow on you in no time. It can be usedinstead of basil to make pesto, and also works well stir-fried and added to oil pasta. Minari ganghoe, or minari rolls, made with assorted ingredients such as fried egg strips, stir-fried beef and mushrooms, all tied with blanched minari stems, are eaten dipped in red pepper paste with vinegar. They were served on the king’s table or at court banquets during the Joseon Dynasty. Minari goes very well with juicy pork belly, either fresh or grilled with the meat. Minari has a strong fragrance and is known in English as water parsley, water dropwort, or Asian parsley.These days, it is a popular ingredient for pasta. Pesto made with chopped minari is not only used with pasta but is delicious when spread on bread, just like basil pesto or spinach pesto. Resilient Vitality “Minari grows well anywhere.” So saysthe grandmother to her little grandson inthe film “Minari,” directed by Lee IsaacChung. It isn’t easy for a Korean familyto settle down in an unfamiliar place likeArkansas. The life of an immigrant, whereanxiety and hope intersect, can leave onewondering whether or not it is possible totake root in a new place, as minari can. Atfirst, minari seems to simply be a resilientplant that grows well anywhere, but in fact,it has to struggle with many surroundingthreats.

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