Makgeolli onboard Asiana Airline

Makgeolli, also known as Takju is a traditional Korean rice wine. This milky white drink may well be the oldest Korean liquor. Makgeolli, the once-overlooked drink, is now gaining popularity in Korea and Japan, and has made its way onto passengers airplanes. Asiana Airines said it will served the thick, white rice wine to all customers for free on all 22 flights linking Korea and Japan.

The in-fllight makgeolli is a specially modified strain made with fermented raw rice. Without odor, it is rich in dietary fiber and decarbonated. A company official said makgeolli is popular because it's healthier than other alcoholic drinks and tastes good. The carrier has decided to serve the rice wine on board to help promote Korean cuisine abroad and boost the consumption of rice. A fad for makgeolli in Japan encouraged the airline to serve it on flights from and to Japan first, nearly 90 percent of Korea's makgeolli exports go to the island country. Asiana will soon serve other Korean side dishes like an assortment of tofu and kimchi, and fired mung bean patties.

(Source: The Chosun Ilbo)

(Makgeolli I bought from Korean Festival last weekend)

As for the growing interest in this milky liquor, many makgeolli makers have added twist by inventing 'makgeolli cocktail', the colorful drink mixed with fresh fruits which hit young and old fans especially women.

All about Kimchi!

A kimchi lover? I do love kimchi even not as maniac as a friend who eat kimchi as a snack :) If you love kimchi then you should come to Gwangju Kimchi Festival (I wish I could..)

This all-about-kimchi festival will be held in Gwangju from October 23 to November 1. Gwangju has successfully established the image of the home of kimchi. Marking its 16th anniversary, the 2009 Gwangju Kimchi Culture Festival will offers various programs through diversified approaches toward kimchi and providing kimchi making experiences, and holding contest for making kimchi, which will serve as a venue to enjoy and experience Korean kimchi.

If you want to travel to the 'world of kimchi', visit this 'Speaking of Kimchi' page from Gwangju Kimchi Festival web and you'll find all you need to know about kimchi.

(Picture courtesy of Gwangju Kimchi Festival)

I L♥ve Korean Food

The 'I L♥ve Korean Food' promotion just started last weekend. The so-called 'Dine and Win' promotion from Korea Tourism in Sydney offers a chance to win a trip to Korea for two person while you can enjoy the 'special $10 dish' from the participating restaurants across Sydney.

I couldn't wait longer to enjoy the 'special dish' as I reckoned $10 is pretty affordable for a Korean food in this city, so I dropped in Kobow restaurant in the city last weekend. I picked this restaurant since I had never been there before and heard that the ambience is quite unique and they got friendly staff. Well, they indeed are friendly and as it was Chuseok day they gave free complimentary of colorful Songpyeon to enjoy the spirit of Chuseok. One disappointment was I couldn't find the 'special $10' dish on the menu, a short story that I hesitated to ask, I picked bulgogi and kalbitang (short ribs soup) to warm up the wet and chilling evening. After they served the 4 small plates of banchan (side dishes), my bulgogi came in a quite different look with 'plenty of' veggies, not the usual bulgogi I normally had but the taste wasn't a disappointment though. For those who love Korean music, they have LCD TV's playing latest Korean music to livened up the atmosphere.

(My Bulgogi with colorful veggies)

(My hot and yummy kalbitang)

(Banchan: seaweed and potatoes in sweet chili sauce, seasoned soy bean sprout and kimchi)

(Colorful Songpyeon to celebrate Chuseok)

Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok, originally known as 'hangawi', is a major harvest festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Chuseok also means a mass exodus of Koreans heading to their hometown to pay respects to the spirit of one's ancestors and visiting their family back home.

One inseparable thing during holidays, especially Chuseok holidays, is holiday-gift culture. Some would opt for hampers or boxes of meats and ribs for a 'heavy' gift or Korean sweets and cookies for a more delicate one. One of the Koreans' most popular holiday gifts is Ginseng, or red ginseng in a healthy gift set to be exact. Another popular items on shoppers' list are fruit and wine. If you are a wine lover, Chosun ilbo has some tips on choosing the best wine for Chuseok, wine that goes well with your Korean food (focusing on French wine) such as Bordeaux for meat dishes, white wine for fish dishes and sparkling wine for pan-fried food and seafood.

Koreans also enjoy the holiday with big feast at home, and one of the major food prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon, a crescent-shaped rice cake which steamed upon pine needles. While the half-moon shaped songpyeon is perhaps the most popular one, it also comes in a variety of colors and shapes depending the region. There are rice cakes in shellfish, dumpling and flower shapes in different areas. Even the thickness of the rice dough varies, as the ones in Gyeongsang and Gangwon areas appear to be thicker. Korea Times has a neat article about songpyeon including the best recipe to make songpyeon with a delicious flavor, chewy texture and the fragrant scent of pine needles.

Well... Happy Chuseok Holiday!..

(Photo courtesy of Chosun Ilbo)

Dancers perform a fan dance at Seoul Station Plaza celebrating Chuseok holiday.

Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing

'Taste of Nature, Heart of Sharing' is the theme of 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival which will take place at Bongnyeongsa Temple in Suwon from October 8-10. Korean Temple food is a precious cultural heritage Korea has long nurtured.

The three-day event will be held in a quiet and and serene Buddhist University located in Suwon city, about an hour drive from Seoul. Showcasing a series of exhibitions including a temple food market, tea ceremony, tea talks with monks, temple stay programs (for selected international students only), and 'balwoo-gongyang' (communal Buddhist meal service). Eating is called gongyang in Budhism while balwoo means bowls containing rice and vegetables. In this unique and special way of eating in Korean temples, the meal is eaten in total silence and not a single grain of rice is wasted.

This festival is admission free and visitors can register via www.templefood.org until September 30, to get there go to Gangnam Subway station line 2, exit 3 and take buses 3001 or 3007 or take bus 7, 77-1 or 700 from Suwon station. For more information, visit the 2009 Korean Temple Food Festival website.(source: Korea Herald and Korea Tourism)

For your who interested in temple stay program, you can find the detail information on Korea Tourism web.

Galbi will hit the Emmy Awards

Galbi literally means 'rib', generally refers to a variety of grilled dishes in Korean cuisine made from marinated short ribs in ganjang-based sauce (dark brown Korean soy sauce). This popular Korean grilled dish will hit Hollywood stars's palate at the Emmy Awards party.

'Calbi, a Los Angeles-based food catering, said Galbi was 'invited' for the Emmy launching party and would serve the Korean cuisine to Hollywood stars who will attend the event. (Source: Korea Times)

Galbi is generally cooked right at customer's tables on grills set in the table. It's typically served with lettuce and some leafy vegetables used to wrap the meat, which is then dipped in ssamjang, a sauce made of fermented bean curd and red pepper paste. Many Korean dishes incorporate with ribs, like Galbitang (clear soup containing pieces of galbi) and Galbi Jjim (steamed beef short ribs). Some restaurants also serve 'pork galbi' and chicken galbi which is a popular specialty of the Chuncheon region.

(uncooked galbi, picture courtesy of : Korea Tourism)

Dine and Win

October is just around the corner! What's happening in October? For Sydneysiders, October used to be popular for Good Food Month Event and this year it has been replaced by Sydney International Food Festival, but it's still all about good food. A list of foodie events will run the whole month of October, from Night Noodle markets to World Chef Showcase will bring celebration of amazing food scene to the city.

On the top of that, 'I Love Korean Food Festival' - a Korean food promotion from Sydney's Korea Tourism, has been on my top list. Some Sydney's best Korean restaurants in the CBD, Eastwood, Newtown and Strathfield will be offering diners the chance to try some iconic dishes of Korea including Bulgogi (BBQ beef), Galbi (beef ribs), Dolsot bibimbap (mixed rice/vegetables in a stone pot), Japchae (Korean style sweet potato noodle), Haemul Pajeon (seafood pancake) and more.

Aside from enjoying some yummy Korean dishes at the special low cost of $10 diners will have the chance to win a trip to Korea for two persons including return flights from Sydney to Seoul plus three nights hotel accommodation in downtown Seoul. Dining out on the weekend, I considered this as my weekend hobby rather than a desire to win the trip.

For details of participating restaurants please visit the official website: www.ilovekoreanfood.com.au Entry details for the 'Win a Trip to Korea' will be open on the same webpage from 1 October, 2009.

(Picture courtesy of Korea Tourism)

And here is a creative picture representing Korea in World Chef Showcase event:

(Picture courtesy of : Sydney International Food Festival)

Daejanggeum Jeongsik

Daejanggeum Jeongsik is a set menu described as Joseon royal cuisine traditionally prepared for the king and served at royal banquet. It's a new creation at Korea House, a meal course inspired by the hit MBC series 'Jewel in the Palace'. The set menu comprises 15 courses and costs 250,000 won per person.

The course starts with simple appetizers such as 'ejeolpan' (assorted Korean dry snacks), 'gujeolpan' (thin crepes with nine different fillings), water kimchi, king prawns with a pine nut sauce and assorted pan fried vegetables, mushrooms and meat.

The main dishes are divided into eight recipes, including lotus leaf-steamed pork belly, court style casserole, pine mushroom and broiled beef ribs, and braised abalone. The finishing touch is bibimbap with various side dishes. After feasting on the appetzisers and main dishes comes a dessert of fruit and rice cakes.

Daejanggeum Jeongsik set menu.

(Picture courtesy of Korea House)

Korea House itself is a tourist spot for learning Korea's tradition and culture in Seoul, it has been renovated as a cultural complex. For those who would like to learn how to whip up traditional Korean dishes, there is a new program where visitors can learn how to make kimchi, bulgogi and wear hanbok. The program will cost 55,000 won ($45) per person and is slated to be held in the new Chiseon Gwan building.

Korea House is located near exit 3 Chungmuro station, subway line number 4.

(Source: Korea Times and Korea Herald)

Gochujang

You may not know the name before but you'd find this reddish paste with rich flavour in most Korean dishes such as used to marinate bulgogi, or mixed in bibimbap or tteokbokki to make the food spicier. So what is Gochujang?

It's a Korean condiment made by adding powdered red chili pepper and glutinous rice powder to soy bean paste. Traditionally it's made through years of fermentation process in large earthen pots outdoor, more often on an elevated stone platform called jangdokdae in the backyard.

Gochujang is also used as a base for making other condiments like Chogochujang and Ssamjang. Chogochujang is a variant mixture of gochujang mainly with vinegar and oter seasoning like sugar and sesame seeds. It's usually used as a sauce for hoedeopbap (steamed rice mixed with raw fish, vegetables and sesame oil). Meantime, ssamjang is a mixture of mainly gochujang and doenjang, with chopped onions and other spicy seasonings, and is popular with sangchissahm, which is a lettuce wrap of marinated, grilled meat with sliced garlic and green chili pepper.

Children making Gochujang at Namsan folk village, Seoul

(Photo courtesy of Korea Times)

Gochujang is rich in proteins and the red pepper famous for its anti-bacterial and anti-cancer effects and the hot taste stimulates the skin to speed up the blood circulation. If you wouldn't bother to make your own then it's quite easy to find ready-to-use Gochujang sold in a jar in Asian supermarket.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Geumsan Insam Festival

Insam or Ginseng is one of Korean signature products, known as the best health item and originally used as medicines but nowadays you can find many delicacies made with Ginseng like tea and cookie. There are about six or seven types of Ginseng known worldwide and the ones cultivated in Korea called as Goryeo Insam (Ginseng).

Goryeo Ginseng

(Picture courtesy of Visit Korea)

Geumsan, a town of South Chungcheong Province, is home to Goryeo Ginseng and the largest producer of ginseng in Korea. This month, Geumsan is holding the annual 'Geumsan Insam Festival' which will be held from September 18 to 27. The festival, which has been running for 29 years, is held to promote the beneficial affects of Geumsan Ginseng.

The Geumsan Ginseng Pavillion will feature exhibits on everything related to ginseng, including a special fair for the international trade and a hands-on health area featuring folk medicinal remedies. Visitors will be amused by Geumsan traditional folk performances, singing and dance contests, a dramatic production about ginseng and other attractior. There are als some programs for foreign visitors, like singing contest, ginseng herb quiz, ginseng t-shirt painting and oter unique programs.

If you are coming from Seoul, take an express bus for Geumsan for 2 hours and 40 minutes ride and get off at Geumsan Bus Terminal then take 5-minutes walk to the venue.

(Source: Visit Korea)

Odeng

This is not a Korean city so don't expect to come across Pojang Macha on the street but if you want a bite of Korean delicacies to eat while catching up with friends in Sydney, try this 'Heaven and Earth Korean restaurant'. It's not a fancy resto though, just a small yet authentic Korean restaurant on Liverpool street just across the World Square complex in Sydney. Last weekend we went there to catch up with an old friend and we picked 'Odeng', it's made of processed fish cake, some of them placed on a long wooden stick and dipped in a hot and spicy soup, while another version cooked in a light soup.

This nice hot odeng soup is a perfect match for Soju

This restaurant also serve some others 'Pojang-macha's style delicacies' like sundae (Korean sausage), mandu (dumpling), kimchi pancake and hot and spicy noodle soup.

Maesilju or Bokbunjaju ?

I am not a heavy drinker but when it comes to my favorite wines, Maesilju and Bokbunjaju , they are just simply irresistible! Talking about Korean wine, there are six varieties of Korean alcoholic drinks:

Yakju, literally means medicinal alcohol, is a refined rice wine made from steamed rice that has gone through several fermentation stages.

Cheongju, literally means clear wine, is a clear rice wine familiar to Japanese sake.

Distilled liquors. Korean distilled liquors include Goryangju made from sorghum, while Okroju made from rice and Munbaeju, a traditional aged distilled liquor made of malted millet, sorghum, wheat, rice and nuruk (fermentation starter). It's believed to be originated from Pyongyang region, with a strength of 40% alcohol and noted for its fragrance.

Soju, a clear and slightly sweet distilled spirit. It's the most popular one and also well-known as Korean liquor. It's made from grain or sweet potatoes and generally inexpensive. Soju from Andong is famous as the the best soju in Korea and priced as much as 20 times more expensive than ordinary soju.

Takju or better known as Makgeolli is a milky, off-white, sweet alcoholic beverage made from rice.

Fruit wine, it's produced by combining fruits or berries with alcohol. The most popular fruit wines are Maesilju (made from maesil or plum), Bokbunjaju (madef from bokbunja or blackraspberry). These two are my favorite ones.

Flower wine, some made from chrysanthemum, peach blossom, acacia and wild rose.

Yagyongju or medical wine made by combining medicinal seeds, herb, and roots with alcohol, such as:

- Insamju, made with ginseng and is the most popular medicinal wine among older people.

- Dosoju, is a popuarl herbal wine and traditionally served on New Year's Day.

- Songsunju, is a soju made with glutinous rice and soft, immature pine cones.

- Jugyeopcheongju, is a traditional liquor made with bamboo leaves.

- Chuseongju, is a traditional wine made from glutinous and non-glutinous rice and herbs.

(Source: Wikipedia)

My Maesilju (Plum wine) from Bohae brewery

This Bokbunjaju is claimed to be the world's best by Bohae brewery company. This enchanting purplish color wine won the silver medal at 2005 Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition.

Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

Samgyetang literally means 'Ginseng Chicken Soup', it's a famous soup traditionally served in summer for its nutrient to protect the body from scorching heat and excessive sweating. It was a chilling winter night in Seoul when I happened to find Samgyetang quite easy in a restaurant near our hotel in Jongno-gu, the staff said that Samgyetang has been a popular Korean food for visitors so that they serve this healthy chicken soup all year round.

Samgyetang may taste plain to some but it's a healthy and nourishing food especially for those who prespire easily and have weak digestive organs. However, people with high body temperature should avoid the dish as it boosts body temperature.

Samgyetang

(picture courtesy of: Korean Tourism Org)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

- Whole chicken

- Sweet rice (also called glutinous rice or sticky rice)

- Fresh ginseng, medium size

(if use dried ginseng, better to crush the ginseng well)

- Garlic, 3 cloves

- Jujube (Chinese date), 3 (5 gr)

- Green onion

- Salt pepper.

1. Wash the chicken well and remove internal organs.

2. Wash the sweet rice and soak in water for about 2 hours.

Garlic and jujube are used whole, wash ginseng and slice green onion.

3. Stuff the chicken with sweet rice, ginseng, jujube and garlic.

Cross and bind the chicken's legs to keep the stuffings in.

4. Put the chicken in the pot and boiled in water for 45 minutes until the broth appears white

5. Sprinkle salt, pepper and green onion.

(Source: Korea Tourism Org)

I also got the pre-packed Samgyetang to be brought as souvenir for my family, it's quite unique and authentic food souvenir from Korea.

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.