Eating in Korea (Part 2)

I am a big fan of spicy food so Korean food is definitely one of my favourite cuisines. In fact, my very first meal in Seoul was a steaming hot pot of spicy kimchi jjigae (stew). Besides this spicy soup, we also ordered doenjang (bean paste) jjigae and sundubu (soft tofu) jjigae during that same meal. Subsequently, during the next few days, we also tried the budae jjigae (army stew) which came to creation due to the scarcity of food after the Korean War. It is a mishmash of items including ham, sausage, rice cake and instant noodles.

Samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly) is well-known among Korean food lovers around the world. However, jokbal (pig trotters) is another popular dish in Korea. It is definitely unique to the Asian world and for first-timers it might not be an easy dish to start with. As a start, it might be easier to order ssambap (lettuce wraps) where you use lettuce to wrap up the grilled meat and other items such as garlic, some sauce and so forth before eating it. This makes for a crunchy texture. Yummy! During our stay in Hongdae, we tried a recommended restaurant serving steamed pork bone/ribs with soy sauce. This was mouthwatering delicious and we finished the entire large portion without any leftovers. It was perfect for dinner on a cold, winter night.

Besides pork, Korea also has lots of beef dishes to offer. One popular dish is Seolleongtang (ox bone soup). During my second visit, I ordered the mild version. However, the one I tried was pretty tasteless and totally different from the beef soup noodles I love in Ipoh. I'm not too sure whether it is supposed to be this mild or whether I tried it at a wrong restaurant. The next time, I would probably order the spicier yukgaetang.

Although it might seem hard to get away from rice in Korea, there is a variety of noodle options to choose from such as jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce), kalguksu (handmade noodles) and japchae. The kalguksu which we tried in Namdaemun came with clam-based soup which we drank to the very last drop.

This time, during my second visit to Korea, I finally tried the authentic tokpokki (spicy fried rice cake) and kimbap (Korean rolls - like sushi) too. I also had the opportunity to try pumpkin porridge (known as juk in Korean). It has a very smooth texture and is sweet in taste. At one of our stops in Busan, we also tried haemul pajeon (seafood with green onion pancake). All in all, my Korea trip was definitely one amazing trip with my daily delight in trying new Korean foods as well.