Korean Health Food: Chung Guk Jang (Part 2)

3 days later...

remove the gauze and the blanket on top of the beans,

and it should look like this:

It now has a rather brownish color than a vanilla color.

So the color is supposed to get darker during the 3 day fermentation process.

After taking out the straws, just stir them a little bit.

They should be REALLY sticky....

It was pretty hard to stir.

In this process, you can put some salt if you want.

If not, then you could just put some salt when you use this food to cook something.

You could stop here,
but if you want to make it better, here's what you do...

Put the beans in.

This Korean traditional grinder made of rock would be ideal,

but it's not easy to find these, so you can just put them in a bowl.

Then rather than grinding, just smash a part of them.

Dont' smash all because it tastes good in food when you can kind of just

taste the beans that are not smashed....

Smash maybe 30~40% of them...?

...and we're done! :)

If you made a large amount, and if you cannot finish this in a couple days,

then preserve it by putting them in a freezer.

Unfreeze as much as you would like to have that day, but keep the rest frozen to preserve!

Enjoy some healthy chung guk jang...! :)

Korean Health Food: Chung Guk Jang (Part 1)

Chung Guk Jang (Korean) and Natto (Japan) are very similar in a way that

they are made from the same beans in very similar ways.

They even have similar health benefits.

I know some people are really interested in making them,

so I decided to show you guys how to make them...

Boil it at night and let it stay in water till the morning.

It should be so soft you could smash it easily with your finger.

Stick some straws in there...

I don't really know why,

but I think it's to provide some oxygen for the ones under the surface,

so that the healthy bacteria could breatheeeeee.....(ew?)

**btw, there is some straws on the bottom, too.

Put some thin gauze on top of it,

and then a very thin futon.

OH WAIT

Don't use futon(blankets) that you would need when you sleep.

As the beans start getting fermented, it will start smelling,

and that smell isn't going to be all that pleasant for some people

espcially because chung guk jang and natto are food that usually requires "acquired taste"

which means you have to kind of learn to like it.

Wait for 3 days.....!
See you in our Korean Health Food: Chung Guk Jang (Part 2)

Chinese Kimchi and Korean Kimchi

So... there's something I would like to say about Kimchi and other Asian food...

Some people think Sushi is totally Japanese.

Some people think fried rice are totally chinese.

Likewise, some people think kimchi is totally Korean.

They are true, yet false because they do very much exist in the countries the food is known to come from,

but it's not the country's food alone...

Sushi is found in Korea and China,

and fried rice are actually more common in Japan and Korea...

and kimchi is found a lot in all three countries: Korea, Japan, and China.

Although they all differ in taste and ingredients, it's the same concept.

So, now that I made clear that Kimchi is not Korea's alone, but is shared in China and Japan,

let me tell you the difference of Chinese kimchi and Korean kimchi...

Japanese kimchi is different, too, but our kimchis are similar.

Anyway, the main difference of Chinese kimchi and Korean kimchi is that

Korean kimchi has more "stuff" in them, like

vegetables or sliced radishes.

Sliced radishes makes the kimchi more suitable to Korean taste,

and some people like just the sliced radishes without the actual cabbage that makes the kimchi.

The sliced radishes look like this:

and it is often eaten a lot with Bossam (steamed pork).

There are other types of kimchi in Korea, Japan, and China,

but when we're looking at the ordinary kimchi,

this is just about all the difference.

Not so different, is it?

Here's an extra thing just because the baby looks pretty cute eating those kimchi.

Honestly, why kimchi is hard to like is not because it's spicy.

It's mostly because of the smell and the taste of the kimchi that comes from salted fish or their extract that makes it hard for everyone to like kimchi...

Well, this kid seems to really love it.

I mean.. that's pretty damn cool!!!

Korean Bus System

Transportation system is pretty well organized.

You can basically go ANYWHERE in Korea just using trains and buses.

I do have to admit it's more well organized than other larger countries because

Korea's so small... yeah, surprise surprise!

There were always these neat little machines telling us how many minutes it takes for the next train to arrive,

and recently, this machine has been set up for buses, too!

It's so convenient especially if you need to decide whether to take the faster taxi.

One time, I remember getting on the taxi after waiting for the bus for 15 minutes,

and finally seeing the bus come around the corner after I was already seated in the taxi...

DARN IT >:(

I wish these machines were set up earlier.

Here's another thing that's important for you guys to know:

When a bus comes, just remain seated, NOT.

You really have to let the bus driver know that you want to get on the bus.

Otherwise.....

This is what happens.

The bus just goes right past by you, who is seated elegantly waiting for the bust to stop.

What Koreans do to tell the bus driver that they want to get on is:

1. Wave at them

or

2. Stand up and step down on the road. Not to far into the car lane, but just about a 

step away from the sidewalk.

The second option may seem dangerous,

but so far, there hasn't been any accidents because of this action.

So if you're new to Korea and trying to catch a bus,

don't just sit there and wait for the bus to stop for ya! :)

If You're A Single or A Worker in Korea...

Ever wonder what it's like to be a single or a worker in Korea?

Well....

this little kitty over here is single...

and this is what his week is like;

Monday: ......

Tuesday: ...

Wednesday: ...

Thursday: .... grump...

Friday: ....

Saturday: murmur murmur murmur damn couples murmur murmur murmur...

Sunday: *cat-sob*/sleep

...and these dogs over here are just ordinary workers...

You know, weekday working, and weekend off...

And this is what they look like each day of the week:

Monday: This is only the beginning...

Tuesday: Aww come on, just leave me alone!

Wednesday: ... (worst day of the week)

Thursday: The day before the day before the weeeeeekend!!! :)

Friday: AWWWWW SWEEEEEET!!!!

Saturday: Zzzzzz.....

Sunday: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Man... even cats and dogs know it.

Korean Black Garlic Health Drink Is...

This is black garlic...

No, it's not a kind of a garlic.

It's basically ordinary garlic fermented and heated for 10 days.

It has a jelly-like texture, and it's less spicy and smelly than

just garlic but healthier than ordinary garlic.

These are basically good for everything, ranging from cancer, eczema, and heat disease

to diabetes and stress/fatigue.

Some people actually like this because it's chewy and sweet, kind of like dried fruits , of course good for health as well.

Because it has so many different health benefits, and has a better taste than the raw garlic,

someone invented this health drink that was 93% concentrated black garlic juice, and the rest

some ginseng juice.

As you may be guessing right now,

this thing is pretty expensive....

If you're wondering what to get your parents,

maybe you should get them this

although I have to admit that this little health drink right here

took me back and forth from hell and the Earth....

I know it's really going to be good for your parents though...

If you think ginseng is good,

this one has 10 times more health benefits than ginseng,

so go ahead!!!

Oh, that is, if you can find one outside Korea :)

HA! SASS!

Okay, sorry, please don't stop reading our blogs :'(

Old Style Korean Restaurant: Gomjung Gomushin

This is Gomjung Gomushin.

This means black Korean traditional rubber shoes.

 

Just like its name,

this place looks pretty old style Korean.

They did have some Western modification like chairs and tables,

but they still had the vibe.

Apparently, this place is pretty famous!

Celebrity autographs! :)

Gotta admit that they do have a pretty unique look...!!

Even their lights are supposed to be watermelons and pumpkins,

One of Korea's most popular vegetable and fruit.

We found something even cooler!

Half of their drink menus were made up of Korean rice wine,

and no wonder....

This place was where the ex-President Dae Joong Kim bought the rice wine

for a gift for Kim Jung Il during a visit to North Korea.

Since then, the name of the rice wine of this place changed to:

Reuniting Rice Wine

Looks like rice wine here is no ordinary drink...

So we decided to order some rice wine (Mak-kolli)

and the food that went well with it:

Pan-fried Kimchi

Kimchi Stew

and...

Dakbal (Chicken feet)

I know the last food Dakbal (chicken feet) may sound and look unappetizing,

but don't judge the food before you taste it...!

Trust me, I've been grossed out by this same food,

but now it's one of my favorite food :)

Here's finally the famous rice wine of this place!

Btw,

when people drink Korean rice wine,

they always eat something that looks like a pancake with the drink.

It's called "boochimgae", and it can be made with kimchi like I showed you above,

or it could be made with seafood and vegetables, too.

Well, here we go for a taste of reconciliation :)

Cheers!!!

P.S. this is probably one of the best places to see the older side of Korea for tourists!

Definitely a point of interest...

Gomjung Gomushin (검정고무신)

Seoul-shi Mapo-gu Seogyo-dong 354-2 (서울시 마포구 서교동 364-2)