Po Jang Macha

Seoul - Third installment: Street food

Po Jang Macha or street food vendor was one of my 'must visits' in Seoul. If you watch Korean drama you would see what they called 'Po Jang Macha' featured quite often in the movie when people craving for midnight supper or just for a bottle of Soju (Korean rice wine). These street food vendor is very popular in Korean cities, from party goers to white-collar workers wouldn't hesitate to end their nightlife session inside a plastic tent alongside the streets.

Most of Po Jang Macha serve many kind of snack on sticks for you to enjoy while standing up or to take with you and some vendors also serve seafoods for you who wish to sit and have some drinks as well. The snacks come in affordable price just don't forget to ask the owner beforehand if you can't eat the hot and spicy sauce.

(Po Jang Machas in Myong Dong, Seoul)

Here are the list of some popular Korean snacks:

Beondegi - seasoned steamed or boiled silkworm pupae, it's the most unique one you won't find it sold elsewhere.

Gimbap - rolled steam rice wrapped in seaweed. It looks like temaki sushi (roll sushi) in Japan but taste slightly different. Normally comes in one bite-size, lightly salted, filled with sausage, meat, radish etc . Gimbap served cold accompanied with kimchi as dipping.

Sundae - Korean sausage made with pig's intestines. It's a kind of blood sausage stuffed with various ingredients such as vermicelli, minced pork, green onion and some variant also made with seafood such as ojing-eo sundae (squid sundae).

Tteokbokki - Stir fried rice cake stewed in thick red pepper sauce with some vegetables. The red color tells how hot is the soup.

Mandu - Dumpling stuffed with mince pork or beef and mixed vegetables, comes with kimchi or soy sauce for dipping.

Twibap - Literally means 'popped rice', it's a kind of puffed crispy cookie made from rice or corn.