Samgyetang - herbal korean chicken soup

I guess living almost 10 years in Korea has seared us more as "Koreans" in that I am getting back to cooking and eating Korean food like we were in Korea again.  

My hubby has been sick lately most likely due to over exertion and the many changes in the environment from Korea to US, and lastly, from sore muscles from finally working out after 6 months of eating our stomachs full (to a point where it kind of hurts to be full..).

I am cooking samgyetang tonight for dinner because its the true chicken soup of Korea and the Chinese(Korean) herbs that go into it indeed has some magic power into making us at last feel healthier after eating it.

I bought a samgyetang herbal mix months ago not thinking that I would actually be cooking it anytime soon, but indeed, that time has come.  It's time to get back to eating Korean!

I bought an organic whole chicken from HEB for less than $6. Almost the same price in Korea but probably cheaper because I read in online news that chicken prices in Korea are up the roof now.

Chunky sliced green onions, 1/4 cup soaked rice, a garlic clove or two - all these stuffed in the chicken will do. And don't forget the herbal pack - just drop the contents into the pot.  Pour 2 liters of water and boil for 45 minutes or more.

That's it! It's fairly simple and versatile.  Hey, I think you could boil a whole chicken by itself with some veggies(ginger, garlic?) and that would be enough.

Thank goodness we have a huge korean grocery around, called HMart! I can get pretty much anything I want that I used in Korea.   I even found the organic soy sauce that I like there - Amazing!

Paris Baguette sandwiches for lunch!

Paris Baguette, I will call PB from now on, has been around Korea forever since I've been here.  They are notorious for being on every other block in the country.  They dominate and conquer the bread scene here.  As much as Koreans are majorly big rice eaters (although that percentage is slowly decreasing nowadays), they seem to need a PB accessible just as much as a convenience store.

But I'm happy to have their presence around nowadays because their quality has increased tremendously!

Anytime we want something fresher and lighter to eat - we now head to PB downstairs to pick up these sandwiches that are actually a lot cheaper and even better tasting than the fancier cafes in the city.

Their overall bread taste better because they somehow use "natural certified yeast" now.  They were known for having rather rubbery bread - now that's old news.  You can actually taste the difference in quality!

Thanks to increased in taste and expectation - PB finally upped up their game and I actually like their goods now.

The chicken and vegs taste fresh and tasty.  Nothing that can make you go, "oh why did I get this one.."

Even their famous "pizza breads" are pretty good now.  Although I pick all the sausage bites out - I still enjoy the remaining taste of ham in these baked goods.  Overall a big increase in their quality!

So I can safely recommend PB as a "good bakery chain" - not the best, but of pretty good value.  Not everything is great on their menu - but some of their sandwiches are good enough to ditch the fancy cafe fare.  I also enjoy their ice cream ;)

Monk fish stew (Masan Agu-Jjim) - Yeouido Lotte castle

Have you ever seen what monkfish looks like?  They are not the most desirable of their species, but I might be wrong because to each their own, however, provided they look the way they do, they deliver much pleasure to the palette when sacrificed for human consumption. 

Koreans like to eat monk fish in stews, spicy or nonspicy.  This restaurant delivers a fair plate of monkfish stew for the nonspicy eaters. You can get this dish for 50,000won(smallest size) called "agu suyook."

Fried rice is served afterwards.  Come for yourself to discover monk fish korean style and without all the spice that sometimes hinders the genuine taste. 

Here are some info provided below.  You can search it in naver maps for more details.   It is located in Lotte castle (b1) in Yeouido.

Quinoa and rice - Korean style (with side dishes)

Instead of just plain white rice, I added some quinoa - No waiting time needed unlike when adding other grains, which typically requires some soaking before cooking it with rice.  

The little bites of quinoa provide a nice texture.  And knowing the additional nutritional content that goes in every bite makes eating a bowl of rice even more interesting and enjoyable.  Sometimes plain white rice gets very stale (if you eat it almost every day) - so I've been adding lentils (soaked for half a day) and now quinoa that I found just sitting in the pantry.  

We try to eat simple - these days with ready made side dishes which makes life so much easier especially when cooking in the summer with the suppressed appetite that accompanies the weather leaves one much to prone to eating more unhealthy junk and processed food.  And the secret of that is to buy ready made side dishes! 

There are individual stores in Korea that sells just side dishes (banchan).  I love it love it.  It tastes much fresher than the ones in the the grocery stores which are packed up laden with preservatives. 

There were extra pears sitting out in our counter top because our fridge is too full, or too small, or the pears are too big... 

I cut them in slices and mixed them with the spicy "doraji" banchan to lighten it up.  The sauce on the doraji banchan was so strong that I didn't need to add anything.

Pears are really great with spicy dishes by the way.  You can probably add them to any spicy dish to give it a "salad" taste.

Korean pears are too die for! They are in season right now and taste their best.  I say stock up on them and eat them up before it's too late!

It's chicken and EXO night - goobne chicken delivery

The weather is super duper gorgeous, so why not spend Friday with my favorite chicken and behold, EXO accompanies our evening munchies.  

Goobne chicken is another of our favorite chicken delivery chains when we feel like eating a healthier version because they bake instead of fry.  You might easily assume that baked chicken is drier - but be surprised because it's actually as juicy and tasty as a regular fried chicken without all that added oil!

Our favorite menu choice is "go chu Basasak" - it's battered in pepper spice and comes in 2 different sauces!

One is a mayo based, creamy flavor and the other sauce is a lot spicier and heavier in flavor, I think also mayo based. They are tasty pairings with the chicken and that's coming from a non saucy gal. 

I had a coupon for "free fried potato wedges" - potatoes and baked chicken in one!  It's a beauty!

We no doubt devoured it in no time.

Friday nights are nice with some of that good chicken!  Why go out and beat the crowd when you can stay in and eat like a barbarian chomping and dipping that chicken thigh piece like you were in an eating contest!  Now that's my kind of Friday night!

Fermented skate - eat it before you leave Korea

Fermented food is abundant in Korea.  To the milder dwenjang to the pros only, fermented skate. 

My husband enjoys fermented skate.  Per name, it is fermented to rot - and eaten with whatever however you would mask the ammonia stench - with kimchi or pork. 

I've only tried a few pieces with "ssam" of kimchi and pork.  It wasn't bad - but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat it nor order it - well unless I wanted to feel adventurous and drink lots of Makgeolli with it - to suffice get drunk. 

One of the more adventurous eats is the fermented skate.  If you are here, have a piece before leaving the country.

At least you will carry a badge around with you deep in your heart and ego that you once had fermented skate that stank like bottles of fermented piss.  

Have yourself an adventure!

Tuna mayo and Kimchi with rice

Pop a can of tuna

Drizzle a slab of mayo on top 

Sliced kimchi on the side

With a bowl of warm rice

Korean food 

That's what's for dinner 

We don't always eat bulgogi and grilled meat and 20 different side dishes with our multi grained bowl of rice.

A generation of too busy or food is nutrition nothing else folks opt for non frill foods can perhaps see the logic on popping a can of tuna with kimchi and rice.  I could eat this everyday, okay, every other day.  The tuna can get a bit fishy when you eat this 3 days in a row.  I've tried.

Seriously, a good kimchi goes a long way.  I am preacher of kimchi saves a day campaigner.  You can eat it as it is, sauté it with tuna, make it into a fried rice... Oh the possibilities.   

Although you don't want to eat a tuna can everyday if you're on the health conscious side.  Anything too much is no good.  Even the too good to be too much can be harmful, you know where I'm going! Yes, water; even water can be deadly when in excess.

One thing I can't get myself to do that I used to was eat ramen every day - that's when I thought every food item was good for you if it was made to be eaten, oh how naive of me.  I was eating off scrapped frying pan, ramen a day, to keep my chemicals levels in check when I first came to korea when I was in my mid 20s, wow that sounds so young.

Now I can afford not to eat ramen and upgrade to tuna cans. 

Life can take you places folks!

The Kimchi (Hong Jin Kyung's kimchi company) - delivery

Summer is a strange time of the year.  It is the season when I consume about 1 kg of kimchi a week.  When a weekly supply of fresh made kimchi needs to be delivered to supply the demand of salt, and spicy takes over our taste buds. Gone are the days of fresh delicate salads of the Spring.  Summer means, sweating, a lot, daily here in Korea, and replenishing those salts dissipating the body is necessary.

Kimchi is a great food for the Summer.  It's fresh and salty.  Crunchy and sour.  Live in korea in summer and you'll be in no time embracing the sweaty-life that Koreans expect and live without much complaint.  

I sweat at home daily.  I don't turn on the AC at home unless it's necessary.  This differs because in America, sweating is "not a normal" - unless you're in the gym that you pay a membership for an exclusive place to sweat.  Well, in Korea, you are allowed to sweat at home and not feel like it's because you can't afford the bill or AC repair, and even have your guests sweat at home is not rude.

Summer also means seasonal delightful fresh kimchi, like this "yeol-mu kimchi" I ordered online.  It was on sale for less than 10,000won(less than $10).  I'm always down for new kimchi taste and great sales.  

It came in 2 days in a nice ice box.  The box is way too big for the product(1.5kg).  Can't complain, it came cold and nicely packaged.  

The kimchi - is a kimchi company by the model/entertainer, Hong Jin Kyung.  She was a top model in the early 90s - I saw her on tv when I lived here in the 1990s in Korea, she was quite popular in comedy shows! so to see her doing her thang and having a successful kimchi company is inspiring because it's a mother and daughter made kimchi (at least the image of it).

It was a bit too fresh to eat right away, so I'm letting it sit on the counter for 2 days and it should be good to devour!  My body will be thanking the salty kimchi water I'll be in-taking soon.

This would be good as a "cold soup" or over noodles, or pretty much just by itself would be best.

Yummy yummy!

Samgyupsal, a casual meal

Samgyupsal is as common as eating a hamburger in the states.  Having it once a week is not uncommon.

Koreans just love a good table of grilled fatty pork and soju!  I think it's more of the atmosphere that people enjoy when a slab of fat meat is grilling in front of them.  

Had a hard day? 

Let's talk it over fatty pork and soju!

We haven't seen each other in a while!  Let's get merry w samgyupsal!

It's your bday! 

Golfing was fun! Let's go get some samgyupsal!

Samgyupsal is usually the cheaper option  compared to other meats and grills, which makes samgyupsal a big favorite for many Koreans.

Eaten for pretty much any occasion!

Kimchijjigae for the soul

A proper kimchijjigae meal with a piping hot pot of it, hearty side dishes, and white glistening rice. 

Perfect when you want something sour, sweet and spicy! 

This restaurant serves a good meal of it for just 7000won.

From 최고집 in mapo station arcade under "hanhwa obelisk" building.

Mandoo-jeon-gol (mandoo hot pot) at Insadong

Mandoo-jeon-gol (mandoo hot pot) at Insadong

Mapo Galbi & cherry blossoms at "Mapo Restaurant Street"

After volunteering at the orphanage on Sunday, we headed out to grab an early dinner at our town near Mapo station.  We always have a huge appetite afterwards.

We ordered 2 servings of pork galbi and two "bibim nengmyun".  We can't have meat with out topping it with the cold spicy noodles - it's a great combo :)


To start it off, the banchan spread...

good looking and tasty banchan

tangy sauce and veggies and "mool kimchi"

veggies for "ssam" (wrap)

After enjoying a little bit of everything from the banchan spread - our 2 orders of galbi came!

2 servings of galbi

grilling away

yumm

"bibim nengmyun" - spicy vinegary sweet cold noodles

It was such a yummy dinner!

It wasn't overwhelmingly heavy in marinade that you could actually taste the meat.
The banchan and service was also very good.  Very attentive and clean restaurant.





For good digestion(?), we walked around the "Mapo Restaurant Street" for the pretty cherry blossoms.

walking the mapo restaurant street

pretty cherry blossoms

There is a cute little elementary school in the area.  We walked around to enjoy the "school scenery".

I find that Korean schools can be so cute - especially the "garden" area - where trees, flowers, and sometimes, ponds to pretty up the school.

magnolia flower

Looking at the cute school reminded me of my younger days in Korea.. ^^



After the nice long stroll around the neighborhood with the pretty blossoms and trees - we grabbed some hot coffee.

hot Americano

Americanos for only 2500won!

It was a nice way to finish up the day~




Directions to MAPO WANG GALBI:
  - Get off Exit 1 of Mapo station (line 5, purple color), walk towards the first right corner, keep walking up towards a small uphill.  It will be on your left - refer to photos below.

- "Mapo Restaurant Street" is a rather short street with restaurants, especially grilled meat.  When you get off exit 1 and turn to the first right street, you will turn right again to the right and you will see a nice road with trees and restaurants on both sides.

view of restaurant on left

look for this big sign

Almost there~ street to the restaurant on your left