Below are some of my favorite traditional Korean foods that I had the pleasure of tasting...
My welcome to South Korea dinner with my friends! Korean barbecue, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Korean cuisine...well it used to be. And this particular Korean barbecue is galbi meaning marinated beef short ribs
I can't recall the proper name for this dish but I like to call it fatty delicious duck! Grilled duck with grilled onions and mushrooms, rice, kimchi, daikon and other sides all served in a lettuce wrap...sounds healthy until you realize that the onions and mushrooms are cooking in the duck fat but that's why it tastes so good J
My friends Elizabeth and Read showing me how it's done. Apparently, you cook and cut as you go. Learn something new everyday!
Dalk galbi, big stir-fry of chicken, vegetables and rice cake with sides of chilled radish soup and kimchi. With communal meals like this one, you order by the number of servings you would like and apparently the food is so abundant that you should typically order one less than the amount of people present. For instance, there were four of us so we ordered 3 servings. They will still bring out the appropriate amount of side dishes for each person, as they are accustomed to this ordering rule. And trust me this was more than enough for 4 people...we probably could have done with just 2 serving portions to share but our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.
Ready to eat...and rice cake, which is made of rice flour and has a dense slightly gummy texture, sounds so weird but tastes so good...it's a new favorite!
And they have a round 2...they add rice and cheese half way through the meal and not just because we were Americans...it's an option on the Korean menu J
Very happy and content faces...I'm ready for bed!
Bibimbap, another classic Korean dish and considered a traditional brunch or at least that's what I was told. I wouldn't consider this brunch but it was delicious and very healthy tasting. Well, until I tried the candied fish for my first time...and last I might add!
Oh yeah, spicy pork spine soup!!! [aka Gamjatang] I didn't talk too much through this meal because it was so damn good. Hot meaty soup with the right amount of spice to keep you warm in the 0 degree Celsius weather.
The proper way to eat. So tender just pull the meat off the bone and then put the loose meat back in the broth and enjoy!
And have you noticed every meal comes with side dishes which are always kimchi and daikon radish. You either love it or hate it and I definitely LOVE it!
I have no idea what it says but they love their daikon. This poster was on every subway train and made me smile J
Or does this look more familiar? Ramen, it's the Koreans' quick on-the-go snack and in every convenience store.
Just for some humor...this is an actual Korean school workbook and what they are learning about America...I think it needs updating!
