Samgye-tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)
Guksu (Wheat Flour Noodles)
Nakji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Octopus)

and much more. Check out the complete list of Korean food at http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Food/menu.cfm

If you go to a Korean restaurant, you might have tried this spicy Korean soup or at least saw it on the menu. It is a popular Korean soup for people who like spicy food. Cooking different kinds of vegetables in homemade beef broth, along with a spicy sauce, will give you great soup flavor. In Korea, if somebody dies, we visit the funeral house to morn the dead person and comfort the family. They usually get visitors for 2 or 3 days before the funeral and they serve food to the guests. This is a common funeral food. I don’t know why, but it is… Of course, we enjoy eating this soup other times as well, especially in cold weather.

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• GukMul = Broth

Main Ingredients:

• 8 oz Beef (Brisket)
• 3~4 Green Onions
• 1½ Handfuls Mung Bean Sprouts
• 1 Handful Dried Fernbrake (1½ Cups Soaked Fernbrake)
• 1 Handful Dried Taro Stems (1 Cup Soaked Taro Stems)
• ½ Onion
• 1 Egg

Beef Broth Ingredients:

• 10½ Cups Water (2½ Liter)
• 5 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Green Onions
• ½ Onion
• 7 Black Pepper Corns

Sauce Ingredients:

• 3½ Tbsp Red Pepper Powder
• 3 Tbsp Hot Pepper Oil
• 3 Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce
• 1½ Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

Yield: About 6 Servings

If you buy dried vegetables like, GoSaRi (Fernbrake) and ToRanDae (Taro Stems), soak 1 handful of each in water at least one night. If you buy them as already soaked in water, prepare 1½ cups of GoSaRi and 1 cup of ToRanDae. If you can’t get ToRanDae, you can substitute to oyster mushroom, or Enokitake mushrooms since the texture will be the closest to it.

To make the beef broth, add about 10½ cups of water, ½ onion, 2 green onions chopped in half, 5 garlic cloves, and 7 black pepper corns. Boil for 40 to 50 minutes on medium-high. Beef brisket is the best part to use for this soup. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that, so I used something else.

Mean while, boil the soaked GoSaRi and ToRanDae until they become soft. (About 30 minutes)

Boil 1½ handful of mung bean sprouts in the boiling water for 5 minutes. If you use bean sprouts (KongNaMul) instead of mung bean sprouts, remove and discard the yellow bean part, and boil for 10 minutes in the boiling water.

Occasionally, remove the foam on the surface of the broth.

After 40 to 50 minutes (until the beef is completely cooked), remove the beef from the broth, and drain the broth. Throw away the other cooked vegetables.

When all the meat and vegetables are ready, tear apart the beef thinly with fingers. (Boiled brisket is easy to pull apart.) Since I used a different cut of beef, I had to cut it with a knife. Cut green onions, GoSaRi, and ToRanDae into 2 inch pieces. Cut the onion into ½ inch pieces. You don’t have to cut the mung bean sprouts. If you like mushrooms, you can just add some mushrooms in it.

In a bowl, combine 3½ Tbsp of red pepper powder, 3 Tbsp of hot pepper oil, 3 Tbsp of soup soy sauce, 1½ Tbsp of sesame oil, 1½ Tbsp of minced garlic, 1/8 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of sea salt. I highly recommend using soup soy sauce instead of normal soy sauce for better flavor.

1. In a large pan, add all of the meat, vegetables, and sauce.
2. Mix it all together, and set it aside for 20 minutes. So all the ingredients will get enough flavor.

1. 20 minutes later, fry it for about 5 minutes on high.
2. Then, pour the broth in the pan.

Cook for 20 minutes on medium high.

1. Break 1 egg, and mix it well.
2. After boiling the soup for 20 minutes, reduce the temperature on medium.Slowly pour the egg on the top of the broth, being careful no to distribute it all in one spot. Don’t stir too much, or your broth will not be clear.



Boil for several minutes, until the egg is cooked. Then turn off the heat.



It was a little complex and took time to make, and some ingredients might be not familiar to you or easy to find. However, it is definitely worth a try. Aha, one last thing, this soup tastes even better the next day. Enjoy!

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Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jae_yong

Video coming soon…

It will be weird to hear that somebody doesn’t like kimchi or kimchi soup in Korea, except maybe young kids. Of course once they grow up, they like it. Kimchi is the most famous Korean food. It is thought to be one of the most healthy foods in the world. Like some other Korean food, there are different types of kimchi soup, depending on the ingredients: Tofu kimchi soup, Tuna kimchi soup, Pork kimchi soup, Bean sprouts kimchi soup, etc. Today, I will post one of them, tuna kimchi soup. I will post different kinds of kimchi soups later.

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• ChamChi = Tuna
• KimChi = Kimchi
• JjiGae = Name for one way to cook. It’s a kind of stew, but has more broth than stew and less broth than soup.

Main Ingredients:

• 1½ Cups Kimchi
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Cup Tuna
• ½ Tofu
• 1/4 Onion
• 1 Green Onion
• ½ Green Chilly Pepper and ½ Red Chilly Pepper

Seasoning Ingredients:

• 1/8 Cup Kimchi Broth
• ½ to 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 tsp Salt

Yield: 3 Servings

Cut 1½ cups of kimchi into 1 inch pieces.

It’s important to use well fermented kimchi for kimchi soup.

Sour (old) kimchi works good also.

Slice ½ of a pack of tofu and ¼ of an onion into ½ inch pieces.

Cut 1 green onion and chilly peppers into 1 inch pieces.

Prepare 1 cup of tuna. I recommend you use tuna packaged in oil instead of water. If you get a Korean tuna can, 1 medium size will be enough. Use all of the oil and tuna from the can for the soup.

In a pan, add the kimchi and 2 cups of water. Boil it on high.

Once the soup starts to boil, add the tuna and onion.

Then add 1/8 cup of kimchi broth, ½ to 1 Tbsp of red pepper powder (depending on your taste), 1 tsp of minced garlic, and 1 tsp of salt. If you use tuna packaged in water instead of oil, add 1 Tbsp of oil (vegetable or canola oil) to it, and slap your fingers because I told you to only use tuna packed in oil! =P

Cover the lid, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the kimchi is cooked.

15 minutes later, add the tofu, green onion, and chilly peppers.

Cook for 5 more minutes and turn off the heat. Enjoy!!

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INGREDIENTS

Main:
1/4 Cup Ground Beef
1/4 Cup Korean Radish Side-dish
1/4 Cup Kimchi
2 Handful Bean Sprout
1 Handful Gosari
1/3 (Carrot, Zucchini, Cucumber, Onion)
2~3 Leaves Lettuce
1/2 Green Onion
1 Egg
1 Sheet Dried Seaweed
2 Bowls Cooked Rice

For the Beef:
1/2 tsp (Sugar, Cooking Wine, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil)
1 clove Minced Garlic, 1 Pinch (Salt, Black Pepper)

For the Gosari:
1/4 Onion
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic

For the Bean Sprouts:
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Pinch Salt

For the Bibimbap Sauce:
3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
1/4 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp (Vinegar, Sugar)
3/4 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic