my life is now complete. i have held in my hands a crispy, deep fried chicken pattie (imagine chicken fried steak) the size of my FACE. and let me remind you, i'm korean so the face is pretty large.
i can't believe i'm finally on my last leg of the trip. taiwan has been a whirlwind of two days. from bangkok we almost couldn't fly out due to the biggest typhoon taiwan has seen this year. after many hours of sitting idle at the airport, we finally land in deserted city streets, just to head off for an all night clubbing and ktv...
i've always loved taiwanese foods, so i'm sad we have to leave tomorrow. but not before i head back to the night market and eat another chicken pattie... and maybe bring one on my flight tomorrow?
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
seoul foods: part 3
does anyone else around here eat raw spam?
i'm talkin' scooped straight out of the can with a spoon. i used to eat that when i was a kid, with a bowl of rice and a fried egg (sunny side up, of course). i'm totally craving that right now, as i write this entry about "gross" animal parts i've been eating lately...
talk about hardcore carnivorism, xxx style!
do-gah-nee-tahng. sullungtahng soup broth minus regular brisket. this costs three times more than regular bowl of sullungtahng, but it's SO worth it! the broth here was killer also... made gameeok in nyc taste like instant ramen.
gelatinous stuff from cow's knees (melt-in-your-mouth soft) and other tendons (so chewy, so savory)
soondae. pig's blood sausages with steamed pig liver. one of my favorite street foods. i think i've eaten this like six times in the past month.
yang-git-muh-ri gui. grilled lamb intestines (the white, scallop looking meat) and lamb liver. the flavor is very mild, not gamey at all. there's almost a sweetness to it.
gohp-chahng. the word gohp-chahng basically means small intestines. a lot of korean restaurants in the states serve this in spicy hotpot, but this was my first time eating it grilled. i was too busy stuffing my face after my first bite to take a close-up picture of gohp, which is the soft, puree like spread that lines the wall of the instestines. OHMYGAWD. why have i not eaten this before?! i want to spread this gohp thing on everything i eat.
i can just imagine it in my head right now- raw spam, fried eggs, and a small bowl of gohp. I DIE.
i'm talkin' scooped straight out of the can with a spoon. i used to eat that when i was a kid, with a bowl of rice and a fried egg (sunny side up, of course). i'm totally craving that right now, as i write this entry about "gross" animal parts i've been eating lately...
talk about hardcore carnivorism, xxx style!
do-gah-nee-tahng. sullungtahng soup broth minus regular brisket. this costs three times more than regular bowl of sullungtahng, but it's SO worth it! the broth here was killer also... made gameeok in nyc taste like instant ramen. 
gelatinous stuff from cow's knees (melt-in-your-mouth soft) and other tendons (so chewy, so savory)
soondae. pig's blood sausages with steamed pig liver. one of my favorite street foods. i think i've eaten this like six times in the past month. 
yang-git-muh-ri gui. grilled lamb intestines (the white, scallop looking meat) and lamb liver. the flavor is very mild, not gamey at all. there's almost a sweetness to it. 
gohp-chahng. the word gohp-chahng basically means small intestines. a lot of korean restaurants in the states serve this in spicy hotpot, but this was my first time eating it grilled. i was too busy stuffing my face after my first bite to take a close-up picture of gohp, which is the soft, puree like spread that lines the wall of the instestines. OHMYGAWD. why have i not eaten this before?! i want to spread this gohp thing on everything i eat. i can just imagine it in my head right now- raw spam, fried eggs, and a small bowl of gohp. I DIE.
Friday, June 19, 2009
seoul foods: part 2
my parents came to korea for 8 hectic days, which explains my absence from the net. it's been three years since my parents and i were in korea together, so we took advantage of their short trip here and attacked what we do best- EAT!! :)
it's like a little tradition we have, me and my mom, to go eat 갈치조림 (braised spicy silverfish) at the namdaemoon market. this year was no exception.
tiny alleyway, always jam packed with the lunch crowd
mom and grandma waiting in line
the restaurant is so small, there's no kitchen inside. there's only two menu items and both gets cooked outside in the alleyway!
i realize this may not look appetizing... but you gotta trust me, the taste is unbelievable. on the bottom they put radish which gets braised soft like tofu, then on top is layers of silverfish, moist and buttery. and the spicy sauce... i take scoops of the sauce and mix it in my rice. total yumfest!
since the fish is extra spicy, a bubbling pot of steamed eggs and veggies balances out the flavor and the heat. this is also what i was eating almost every day (minus the veggies) when i got my wisdom teeth pulled.
the guy is cooking on the street... with more lunch crowd waiting for their seat as we walk out in 20 minutes flat. basically they have everything cooking already, so you just tell them how many portions, and it comes out in minutes. talk about a literal eat and run!
when i have a daughter, i'm gonna make sure to bring her here as well. she better not become a vegetarian...
it's like a little tradition we have, me and my mom, to go eat 갈치조림 (braised spicy silverfish) at the namdaemoon market. this year was no exception.
tiny alleyway, always jam packed with the lunch crowd
mom and grandma waiting in line
the restaurant is so small, there's no kitchen inside. there's only two menu items and both gets cooked outside in the alleyway!
i realize this may not look appetizing... but you gotta trust me, the taste is unbelievable. on the bottom they put radish which gets braised soft like tofu, then on top is layers of silverfish, moist and buttery. and the spicy sauce... i take scoops of the sauce and mix it in my rice. total yumfest!
since the fish is extra spicy, a bubbling pot of steamed eggs and veggies balances out the flavor and the heat. this is also what i was eating almost every day (minus the veggies) when i got my wisdom teeth pulled.
the guy is cooking on the street... with more lunch crowd waiting for their seat as we walk out in 20 minutes flat. basically they have everything cooking already, so you just tell them how many portions, and it comes out in minutes. talk about a literal eat and run!when i have a daughter, i'm gonna make sure to bring her here as well. she better not become a vegetarian...
Sunday, June 7, 2009
seoul foods: part 1
i freakin love crabs. loveloveloves it.
ever since i was a little girl, i'd be the last man standing at the dinner table, picking at every morsel of the sweet and delectable meat, reveling when i got out a nice big chunk of the claws. crustaceans have always been one of my favorite food items to eat, but out of all hard-shelled friends under the sea, my absolute favorite is kkot-geh, translated 'flower crab' that's available in korea. its appearance resembles blue crabs that's found abundantly in the gulf coast, but the two cousins differs in taste like steak and eggs from denny's and a well-marbled piece of ribeye from pappa's bros.
fortunately for me, it is kkot-geh season here in korea. i could just die a happy gal right now.
garak fish market, similar to tsukiji in tokyo
let's get crabby!
do you know how to distinguish male and female crabs? if you flip them over and look at their stomach, males have a pointier, penis-looking line where as females have a more rounded, boob looking line. go check next time you're at the fish counter!
crab pr0n. i'm really good at undressing live crabs.
final product: kkot-geh tahng (spicy crab stew)!!
have i mentioned that i am learned how to cook here? that's right, i'm going through housewife training. once i come back to the states, ya'll can come over and i'll make you all the korean food you can possibly want, including homemade kimchi! :) as some would say, my stocks just skyrocketed...
ever since i was a little girl, i'd be the last man standing at the dinner table, picking at every morsel of the sweet and delectable meat, reveling when i got out a nice big chunk of the claws. crustaceans have always been one of my favorite food items to eat, but out of all hard-shelled friends under the sea, my absolute favorite is kkot-geh, translated 'flower crab' that's available in korea. its appearance resembles blue crabs that's found abundantly in the gulf coast, but the two cousins differs in taste like steak and eggs from denny's and a well-marbled piece of ribeye from pappa's bros.
fortunately for me, it is kkot-geh season here in korea. i could just die a happy gal right now.
garak fish market, similar to tsukiji in tokyo
let's get crabby!
do you know how to distinguish male and female crabs? if you flip them over and look at their stomach, males have a pointier, penis-looking line where as females have a more rounded, boob looking line. go check next time you're at the fish counter!
crab pr0n. i'm really good at undressing live crabs. 
final product: kkot-geh tahng (spicy crab stew)!! have i mentioned that i am learned how to cook here? that's right, i'm going through housewife training. once i come back to the states, ya'll can come over and i'll make you all the korean food you can possibly want, including homemade kimchi! :) as some would say, my stocks just skyrocketed...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
happy mother's day
my mom is my hero.
the years i spent living 4.5hr plane ride away from houston were probably the years i've realized it the most. somehow, past all the screaming fights in my teens and psychological bouts in my twenties, i've come to appreciate all the little things she has done for me. like how she always packs me suitcases full of food, in little ziplock bags and containers, just so i wouldn't have to worry about making dinner alone. makes me porridge and honey lemon tea when i'm sick. saves me the last piece of anything, even when she worries i am probably eating too much and gaining weight.
she is the picture perfect description of selfless guardian angel who is always more concerned about our family's well-being, and i regretted not fully appreciating her every intent till i was thousands of miles away.
my love is often expressed in foodspeak, so to celebrate mother's day, i made one of my favorite meals: garlic butter dungeness crabs and garlic noodles, a la crustacean.
"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
//Washington Irving
the years i spent living 4.5hr plane ride away from houston were probably the years i've realized it the most. somehow, past all the screaming fights in my teens and psychological bouts in my twenties, i've come to appreciate all the little things she has done for me. like how she always packs me suitcases full of food, in little ziplock bags and containers, just so i wouldn't have to worry about making dinner alone. makes me porridge and honey lemon tea when i'm sick. saves me the last piece of anything, even when she worries i am probably eating too much and gaining weight.
she is the picture perfect description of selfless guardian angel who is always more concerned about our family's well-being, and i regretted not fully appreciating her every intent till i was thousands of miles away.
my love is often expressed in foodspeak, so to celebrate mother's day, i made one of my favorite meals: garlic butter dungeness crabs and garlic noodles, a la crustacean.
"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."
//Washington Irving
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