Haejangguk vs Gyeondyo-bar

Two dishes to combat the hangover, which would you prefer?

I would like to report about the lastest food trends in Korea.

Vs

Today i’m going to introduce you to Haejangguk (해장국) or “hangover soup”. It is a korean broth that you’re supposed to eat to cure or prevent a hangover when your condition cannot worsen, usually is mixed with kimchi for a better effect or result. This soup is made from boiling ox bones for hours and hours until all the meat dissolve and create a bone broth. This kind of soup is very nutritious and undoubtedly good for you, and Koreans of all ages eat it to improve their health. There are various types depending on the main ingredient of the soup (there are 4 common ingredients that are used as a main, Kongnamul/Soybean sprout, Seonji/congealed ox blood, Pork backbone, and Buk-oh/dried fish), the place of origin, or how it is made.

The regular ingredients to make this dish are: Heads of baby napa (Chinese) cabbage, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, doenjang (Korean miso) paste, garlic, beef broth, peeled ginger, dried gosari (fern sprouts), red pepper paste, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, soy bean sprouts, salt, ox (beef) blood, and some vegetables such as: zucchini, onion, green onion, red and green chili peppers, and a small Korean radish (Daikon). It is usually eaten with rice and other side dishes.

Various people enjoy Haejangguk, regardless of the urge to cure a hangover, and given the Korean setting where drinking is rather common, a remedy would seem probable. And there is no scientific finding that this soup would actually cure a hangover, it doesn’t change the fact that it is a delicious dish that ought to be tried by drinkers and non-drinkers alike.Also, this soup is very common in treks, because in Korea it is a tradition go to mountain or places outside the city to learn how to work as a team or to tidy up unfinished business between colleagues.

"Life is often compared to a voyage". Someone said this once and it's true. Try different dishes is a great journey of taste.

Here is a video with a traditional recipe of Haejangguk, enjoy it!!!!

On the other hand we have an ice cream that will cure your hangover. This is not a joke; it’s real and a terrific idea. Besides, I venture to say I will taste it in the future.
 It is called “Gyeondyo-bar”, a grapefruit-flavored ice cream that was created to help you out on those hellish mornings-after. This excellent option contains Japanese raisin tree fruit juice, which has been traditionally used to fight the side effects of drinking since the 17^th century (according to Reuters). South Korea is known for the huge industry of alcohol, drinking more than 12.3 litres per year according to reports by WHO (World Health Organization) on 2014; South Korea occupy first place in consumption in all Asia and the Pacific area.

The local supermarket chain Withme FS distributes this product and its name means (Come on, don’t give up). Korea is a country with much alcohol intake and it is usual develop this type of food from Korean home remedies. Now these products are so famous, and have been a vast discovery. They already are at the beginning to export it to countries such as: China, Japan and Viet Nam.

You can not only buy this product in supermarkets, there are some tiny places where they are available, these places maybe are not very nice at first sight but it is worth visiting them at least once. In places like these where there are almost always vacancies for students who need a part time job, it requires a good timekeeping, good presence  (nothing vague), a widely quantity of available time, have a good treat to customers, because they are the ones who leave a tip and it depends on the good or bad service they receive and to be always able to continue orders.

Are you willing to try this hangover-fighting ice cream or maybe the soup?

Korean recipes. My favorite this week.

     My name is Eliskar and this is my blog dedicated to Korean food. Someday i'll visit Korea and the many beautiful places with that exotic food. 


   I'm going to explain step by step my favorite recipe from this week.
         

   Ready to start? Go.

 Bibimbap ( 비빔밥 )

                                                                 

  

      This dish has an English name: rice mixed with vegetables, meat, egg and chili pepper paste. It is also necessary to know that Bibim ( 비빔 ) translates as "mixed" and bap ( 밥 ) "cooked rice", so bibimbap means literally "mixed rice". Before you eat it you need to mixed all together. 

Bibimbap is a well-known korean dish, made up by ingredients such as: rice, seasoned vegetables, carrot, spinach, zucchini. You also need, garlic, eggs, fernbrake, beef, red pepper paste, sesame oil, sesame seeds, shiitake mushrooms, bean sprouts and vegetable oil.

   

Now we have step by step the preparation:

1. Prepare dried fernbrake: 

In a large saucepan add 1/2 ounce of dried gosari or fernbrake to 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil fot 30 minutes. Cover and let stand until cool, about 2 to 3 hours. 

Rinse the fernbrake a couple of times, drain and put in a bowl. Cover with fresh cold water and let soak for at least 8 hours or overnight in a cool place, changing the water 2 or 3 times during the soaking.  

Taste the gosari: It should be soft. If it's tough, boil it again in a fresh pot of water for about 20 minutes and then let it sit, covered, until soft. 

Drain. It should make 4 ounces.

    2. Make rice.

    3. Prepare and cook the vegetables: 

• Cook the soy bean sprouts for 20min in a pot with 4 cups of water and 2 or 3 teaspoons salt. The cooking water will be used as soup then. 
• Cut up the blanched spinach and put it in a bowl. Mix by hand with 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. Also, it is necessary mix carrot with salt. 
• Cut the zucchini into matchsticks and mix with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. 
• Cut the cucumber into halves lengthwise and slice thinly crosswise. Mix with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

     4. Beef: 

• Cult the beef into matchsticks and put them in a bowl. 
• Mix with 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds with a spoon.

       Fine, let's cook!!!!!

     In a pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and cook the carrot for 1min.  Then, add the cucumber with garlic and sesame oil. Clean the pan and put red hot pepper paste. Clean the pan again and cook the zucchini with garlic, green onion and sesame oil for 1 min. Lastly, add bellflower roots, stir dried fernbrake for 2 minutes until a little softened, mix that with garlic, soy sauce, sugar and put it on the plate. Serve with soup.

This is not bibimbap if you do not mix everything together and ......... Tada!!!!!!! Enjoy.

Here is a video to learn how to make Bibimbap in the easiest way.