Famous Daejigalbi Restaurant

According to the sign that was hanging at the entrance door, the restaurant will be closed soon so we decided to have some before it will be closed. It's a restaurant in front of our building. We've been there several times. The restaurant serves delicious daejigalbi. It was very famous before but now we realized why it's closing now. Everything is getting expensive so they increased their prices but still the meat is not as much as before. An order of meat is not enough for each person.

Here's the two orders of meat. It's not enough for two people and the meat is a little bit different.





The vegetables use to wrap the meat. Vegetables are also expensive so I understand why it's better to close than to run it without any profit. You can't just increase the price or you will lose some customers. They don't go if they think if it's expensive. They can't even decrease the amount of meat or even vegetables. Vegetables and side dishes can be refilled.



The sauce for the meat.



I feel so sorry to the owner of the shop because the restaurant is not running now and it's for rent. But I think it made a lot a few years ago. It's where we usually bring our visitors at home so the owner knows us a lot. We were regular customers of that restaurant. And on our last day of dining out there, the owner told my hubby the reason of closing his business. He just said that he wants to take a rest but I think the reasons are the ones that I've mentioned above. Those are just my point of views but I guess I'm right. What do you think?

Food for Chuseok (Thanksgiving Day)

Last week from Friday to Sunday, we celebrated Chuseok (Thanksgiving Day) here in Korea. I should've taken some pictures of the food that we made but I couldn't get chance to do it because of my in laws. I don't think it's allow to take pictures while everyone was busy in the kitchen. Like what I always do, I was in charge again with the dishes and was an assistant of my sister in law. Of course I can cook but I'm afraid to make mistakes so I just let my sister in law do it and helped her in cutting or washing some vegetables and ingredients that she needed.

Like what most people prepare every Chuseok, we made some "jeon" or fried dishes like mushrooms with meat, fish fillet, shrimps, oysters, etc.. We also cooked different kinds of "namul" (vegetables, spouts). Also toran guk (taro soup) is always in the list every Chuseok. We also steamed some fish. Luckily, we didn't have to make daejigalbi. My mother in law just bought some pork (oh gyeopsal, thicker than samgyopsal) and beef (seogogi) and made barbecue at night. We're also lucky because we don't make soeng pyeon (a half-moon-shaped rice cake stuffed with beans or sesame seeds and sugar or honey and flavored with pine needles) on Chuseok. My mother in law just buy some in the supermarket.

Chuseok today is not too hard for us because we didn't prepare lots of things like what we always did on the past Chuseok.

Cucumber for side dish

This is one of the easiest food to prepare when you are thinking of Korean side dishes. Did I mention that Koreans eat lots of side dishes every meals? So this one of them. You don't have to do lots of things. Just peel off the cucumber and cut the way you want it but I usually do it horizontally. I serve it with gochujang or chilli pepper paste because my hubby likes it with gochujang rather than bean paste which others prefer to eat with.

Enjoy the cucumber side dish the way you like it.

Kimchijeon

It was raining so I asked my hubby what he wanted to eat. He asked me what is delicious when it rains. I wasn't hungry so I couldn't think anything. Then he told me to make kimchijeon (kimchi jeon), a korean pancake-like dish made with kimchi and served with soy sauce.

Here's my own version of kimchijeon.
1. Chop the kimchi (old kimchi) and garlic.
2. Slice a half potato and half onion.
3. Put #1 and #2 in a big bowl and mix with flour.
4. Put some oil in a pan and fry the mixed ingredients.
5. Wait until it is brown.
For the sauce:
Pour some soy sauce and sesame oil in a saucer then sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Serve the kimchijeon with the sauce.

Kimchijeon is eaten as a side dish or snack.

Vegetable-Beef Simmered Dish (Seogogi Chongol)

Vegetable-Beef Simmered Dish (Seogogi Chongol)

Ingredients: 1/2 lb. beef, 7 dried brown, oak mushrooms, 1/4 carrot, 1/3 lb. mung-bean sprouts, 2 oz. small green onion, 3 red peppers, 1 round onion, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. rice wine, 3 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sesame salt, 2 tbsp. chopped green onion, 2 tsp. garlic, black pepper, salt, MSG

Method:
1. Cut the beef into thin strips, mix with the seasonings and let it stand. Slice the round onion into thin strips.
2. Soak water and remove the stems. Slice thinly and fry them lightly with the sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar.
3. Remove the beans and hair-like tips from the ming-bean sprouts and scald them slightly. Drain and mix them with the salt and sesame oil.
4. Cut the carrots into thin strips 2" long. Cut the small green onion into the same lengths.
5. Halve the red peppers, remove the seems and cut the peppers into thin strips.
6. Place the sliced round onion, 1/6 dried mushroom and 1/6 beef in the center of the pot.
7. Pile the beef and bean sprouts n the center of the pan and colorfully arrange the carrot, small green oinon, mung-bean sprouts, dried mushrooms, red peppers and beef around them.
8. Make meat broth and season it with the salt, black pepper and MSG. Add the meat broth to 37 and boil briefly at the table.

Hint: By marinating the beef in the sugar and rice wine first, the meat will be tender and will not give off an odor. Mung-bean sprouts do not remain tasty if rinsed in cold water.

Beef Rib Stew (Soegalbitchim)

Beef Rib Stew (Soegalbitchim)

Ingredients: 4 lb. beef ribs, 4 1/2 tbsp. sugar, 3 tbsp. rice wine, 1/2 cup chopped green onion, 1 tbsp. garlic, 9 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 tbsp. sesame salt, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, black pepper, MSG, 2 carrots, 15 chest nuts, 20 gingko nuts, 10 jujubes, 1 Korean white radish, 2 round onions, 3 cups water, 3 tbsp. pine nuts

Method:
1. Have the butcher cut the ribs into pieces 2 1/3" long. Wash and score them diagonally at 1/3" intervals. Marinate them in the sugar and rice wine for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sesame salt, sesame oil, black pepper and MSG to make seasoning sauce.
3. Cut the carrots and white radish into chestnut-sized pieces.
4. Peel the chestnuts and clean the jujubes.
5. Peel and fry the shelled gingko nuts in an oiled pan until they turn green. Rub off the top-skins.
6. Fry the #3, #4, and #5 ingredients lightly in an oiled pan.
7. Cut the remaining carrot and round onions into thin strips.
8. Place the #7 ingredients in the bottom of a pan and make a second layer with the ribs dipped into the seasoning sauce, leaving the center empty. Add 3 cups of water and cover. Boil hard for 20 minutes and then simmer for 30 minutes on medium heat. Add the prepared gingko nuts and simmer for 10 minutes more.
9. When the ribs and other ingredients become tender, remove the lid and simmer them on high heat until glazed.
10. Arrange the #9 food attractively on a plate and sprinkle with the finely chopped pine nuts.

Hint:
1. Though you cook a large quantity of ribs, 3 cups of water should be sufficient.
2. When the gingko nuts are cooked, add the broth and simmer on high heat.

Pork Rib Stew (Twaejigalbichim)

Pork Rib Stew (Twaejigalbichim)

Ingredients: A 1 1/3 lb. pork ribs, 2 tbsp. salad oil, B 2 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar, 6 btsp. green onion, 2 btps. garlic, 2 tbsp. ginger juice, 2 tbsp. rice wine C pine nuts, 1/3 carrot, 20 gingko nuts, 2 potatoes, 2 green peppers, 2 jujubes

Method:
1. Have the butcher cut the spareribs into 2" long pieces and score them on both sides.
2. Stir-fry the gingko nuts in a lightly salted pan until they turn green color. Then rub off the top-skins.
3. Fry the spare ribs in a heated oiled pan until brown. Remove excess oil and place the ribs in another pan.
4. Add half of the mixed B ingredients and 2 cups water to the #3 ribs and simmer them on high heat for 10minutes.
5. When the ribs are tender, add the gingko nuts, the carrots and potatoes cut into flower shapes and the remaining seasoning and stir-fry until glazed.
6. Place the seasoned ribs and vegetables in a serving dish and garnish with the sliced jujube and powdered pine nuts.

Spareribs in Sweet Sauce (Twaejigalbi Kangjong)

Spareribs in Sweet Sauce (Twaejigalbi Kangjong)

Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb. pork ribs, black pepper, ginger juice, MSG, cornstarch powder, salad oil, 2 Korean green peppers, 2 red peppers, 1/4 round onion, carrot, 2 garlic, 1/4 cup sweet sauce

Method:
1. Remove excess fat from the spareribs. Boil them and then score and marinate them in the seasoning.
2. Halve the red peppers and green peppers to remove the seeds. Cut the peppers, carrot and round onion into flat pieces and fry them lightly in an oiled pan.
3. Dip the spareribs in cornstarch powder and deep-fry them in oil.
4. Place the deep-fried ribs, vegetables and sweet sauce in a pan and simmer together on low hear.

Hint:
1. This is a high-grade dish which can be made easily for guests as a basic side dish if you prepare the sweet sauce beforehand.
2. To make the sweet sauce: 1 cup nicely aged soy sauce, 2/3 cup water, 1/2 lb. grain syrup (like dark corn syrup), 1 oz. ginger juice, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup rice wine. Place the above ingredients in a pan and simmer them in low heat until thick.

Deep Fried Chicken Legs (Taktaritwigim)

Deep Fried Chicken Legs (Taktaritwigim)

Ingredients: 6 chicken legs, 1 tbsp. ginger juice, 1/2 tbsp. salt, 1 egg, 1/2 cup cornstarch powder, black pepper, MSG, frying oil, parsley, red radish

Method:
1. Loosen the meat from the bones being careful to leave it attached at the lower end. Score the meat to tenderize and sprinkle it with the ginger juice, black pepper, MSG and salt rubbing the seasonings in.
2. Pour the beaten egg evenly over the meat.
3. Dip the chicken legs into the cornstarch powder and deep-fry them twice in boiling oil.
4. Place the deep-fried chicken legs on a plate and garnish with the parsley and red radish.

Hint: Place the cucumber, carrot, cabbage and boiled egg white cut into thin strips in a bowl and sprinkle the sieved egg yolk on top. Serve the deep-fried chicken legs with these vegetables.

Barbecued Pork (Twaejibulgogi)

Barbecued Pork (Twaejibulgogi)

Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb. pork (with fat and skin remaining), 4 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. ginger juice, small green onion, 10 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp. sesame salt, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, black pepper, MSG, 3 green peppers

Method:
1. Cut the pork into flat, thin pieces. Score finely, sprinkle it with the ginger juice and mix well.
2. Combine the soy sauce, salted soused shrimp, sugar chopped garlic, chopped green onion, sesame salt, sesame oil, black pepper and MSG to make the seasoning sauce.
3. Mis the pork with the seasoning sauce and let it stand.
4. Place the seasoned pork ipieces on a hot oiled grill and broil them turning often.

Hint: Pork tastes best when cooked thoroughly.

Cold Cooked Chicken and Vegetables (Takkogi Naengchae)

Cold Cooked Chicken and Vegetables (Takkogi Naengchae)

Ingredients: 1 lb. chicken, 1/2 lb. jellyfish, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 1 pear, 2 eggs, mustard sauce, (7 tbsp. mustard powder, 3 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar), chopped stone mushrooms

Method:
1. Clean the chicken well and baste it with the soy sauce. Deep-fry the chicken in oil and cut the meat into thick strips.
2. Separate the egg yolk and egg white. Fry the yolk into a thin sheet. Mix the egg white with the chopped stone mushrooms and fry in a thin sheet.
3. Cut the egg sheets, carrot and cucumber into flat rectangles.
4. Scald the jellyfish, briefly in warm water (140 degrees F). Then cut it into 2 1/3" long strips and mix it with the sugar and vinegar.
5. Cut one-third of the prepared cucumber pieces into thin strips.
6. Arrange the flat pieces of carrot, cucumber, egg white and egg yolk around the edge of a plate. Pile the sliced chicken in the center and ring it with the jellyfish and cucumber strips.
7. Serve with 1/2 cup of the mustard sauce.

Hint: If you the try the chicken basted with the soy sauce, the color becomes a lovely brown, but if you steam the chicken instead, it tastes specially delicious.

Deep-Fried Beef Rolled in Sesame Leaves (Seogogi Kkaennipmari twigim)

Deep-Fried Beef Rolled in Sesame Leaves (Seogogi Kkaennipmari twigim)

Ingredients: 2/3 lb. beef, 10 sesame leaves, 1/2 cake bean curd, 1 egg, 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp. chopped green onion, 1 tbsp. chopped garlic, 2 tsp. sesame salt, 2 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp. salt, black pepper, MSG, 10 small skewers, 1/2 cucumber, 2 bundles parsley, 1 red radish

Method:
1. Slice the beef thinly and mince well.
2. Wrap the bean curd in a clean cloth, squeeze out the excess water and mash it finely.
3. Combine the meat, bean curd, chopped green onion, garlic, sesame salt, sesame oil, black pepper, MSG and salt and mix well.
4. Wash the sesame leaves and dry off the moisture.
5. Dip the inside of sesame leaves in flour. Place the spoonful of the meat misture on eac leaf and roll it up and fasten with a small skewer.
6. Dip the rolls into flour and then into beaten egg and deep-fry them in boiling oil.
7. Drain and arrange the cucumber cut into thin rings and diagonally cut roll in the center of a plate. Garnish with the parsley and red radish.

Hint: Deep-fry the food in very hot oil until crisp. To drain, stand the deep-fried food on end, so that it does not become soft.

Pork Meatballs in Soy Sauce (Twaejigogi Wanjajorim)

Pork Meatballs in Soy Sauce (Twaejigogi Wanjajorim)

Ingredients: A 1/4 lb. pork, 1 tsp. salt, ginger juice, 1/4 roundd onion, 2 tbsp. cornstarch powder
B 10 Korean green peppers, 1/4 lb. cabbage, 1/4 carrot, salad oil
C 1/3 cup water, 1 tbsp. red pepper paste, 1 tbsp. rice wine, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar

Method:
1. Remove the stems from the long, Korea green peppers and cut them into 3/4" lengths.
2. Mince the pork finely and mix it with the chopped round onion, cornstarch powder, 1 tsp. salt, and ginger juice. Shape the mixture into meatballs 3/4" in diameter. Roll the meatballs in cornstarch powder and deep-fry them in oil.
3. Bring the C seasoning to a boil, add the deep-fried meatballs and simmer. Then add the green pepppers and cook briefly. Thread the meatballs and green peppers on skewers.
4. Arrange the skewered food around a centerpiece of cabbage strips and decorate the top with flower-shaped carrot pieces.

Hint: This dish can be served for guests, or as a side dish for lunch boxes or an hors d'eouvre.

Broiled Pork Spareribs (Twaejigalbigui)

Broiled Pork Spareribs (Twaejigalbigui)

Ingredients: 2 2/3 pork spareribs, 6 tbsp. soy sauce, black pepper, 4 tbsp. sugar, 6 tbsp. chopped garlic. 1 tbsp.ginger juice, 2 tbsp. sesame salt, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, 2 Korean green peppers, 1 red pepper, 1 round onion, MSG, 6 skewers

Method:
1. Cut the spareribs into 2 3/4" lengths and score them lightly at 1/3" intervals,. Sprinkle the ribs with the ginger juice, 2 tbsp. sugar and mix well.
2. Combine they soy sauce, sugar, chopped green onion, chopped garlic, sesame salt, sesame oil, black pepper, and MSg to make the seasoning sauce.
3. Add seasoning sauce to the ribs and rub it in with your hands, so that the ribs are well coated with the seasoning.
4. Place the spareribs on a hot oiled grill and broil them by turning often. Be careful so that the seasoning does not get scorched and fall off the ribs.
5. Serve the broiled spareribs topped with the sliced lemon.

Hint: Marinate the pork in the ginger juice and broil it basting with the seasoning sauce.

Salted Beef in Soy Sauce (Seogogi Changjorim)

Salted Beef in Soy Sauce (Seogogi Changjorim)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 lb brisket of beef, 6 cups water, 3/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tbsp. sugar, 20 quail eggs, 4 red peppers, 20 cloves garlic

Method:
1. Cut the beef into 1 2/3"x2" pieces.

2. Boil the quail eggs for 7 minutes, rolling them so that the yolks will be centered, and peel.

3. Leave the stems on the pepper to a 1/3" length.

4. Put enough water in a pan to cover the beef. Add the beef, bring to a hard boul and then simmer the beef on low heat.

5. When the meat is tender, add the garlic, soy sauce and sugar and simmer gently. Then add the 32, #3 ingredients and bring to a boil.

6. Shred the beef and halve the peppers to serve.

Hint: You may use the shank of beef instead of the brisket of beef.

Barbecued Beef (Bulgogi)

Barbecued Beef (Bulgogi)

Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb. top round or tenderloin of beef, 3 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. rice wine, 5 tbsp. chopped garlic, 6 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sesame salt, 2 tbsp. sesame oil, black pepper, MSG, lettuce, garland chrysantrum, sesame leaves, garlic, small green onions

Method:
1. Slice the beef thinly and score lightly with a knife to make more tender. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and marinate it in the sugar and rice wine.

2. Mix the marinated beef thoroughly with the soy sauce, chopped garlic, sesame salt, MSG and sesame oil.

3. Broil the seasoned beef over hote charcoal on a grill or in a fry pan. Bulgogi is delicious served with lettuce leaves, sesame leaves, garland chrysantrum and garlic.

Hint:
1. Cut the beef against the grain to make it tender.
2. Pulgogi is generally broiled over charcoal on a grill at the table. Otherwise, you may use an oven-broiler heated to 570 degree Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

Spring Chicken Stew (Yonggyebokkum)

Spring Chicken Stew (Yonggyebokkum)

Ingredients: 1 1/3 lb. whole spring chicken, 1/3 cup tiny soused, salted shrimp, 5 tbsp. chopped green onion, 1 tbsp. chopped garlic, 1 tbsp. ginger juice, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, 2 tbsp. sesame salt, black pepper, 5 red peppers, 5 green peppers, 1 round onion

Method:
1. Cut the chicken into 1/3" pieces, mix with the salted shrimp and seasoning and let stand.

2. Fry the seasoned chicken lightly in a pan. Pour in enough water to cover the chicken and simmer on low but steady heat.

3. Cut the round onion, red peppers and green pepper into 1/4" square pieces.

4. When the broth is almost evaporated, add the #3 vegetables and stir-fry briefly.

Rolled Beef with Vegetables in Soy Sauce (Seogogi Yachemarijorim)

Rolled Beef with Vegetables in Soy Sauce (Seogogi Yachemarijorim)

Ingredients: A 1/4 lb. beef, 1 tsp. rice wine, 1 1/2 red pepper paste, 1 knob ginger, 4 tbsp. water B 1/4 burdock root, 1/4 cup water, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sugar C 1/4 carrot, 3 green pepper D 1/2 tomato, 5 lettuce

Method:
1. Cut the burdock root into pencil-like pieces. Scald and simmer with the B seasoning sauce.
2. Cut the carrot into the same size as the burdock root pieces and scald. Halve the green peppers to remove the seeds and cut them into thick strips.
3. Cut the beef into thin slices (about 1/8"). Wrap the green pepper, burdock root and carrot strips in the beef and slice and fasten with a skewer. Simmer the A seasoning sauce until thick, add the beef rolls and cook them until the broth is almost evaporated.
4. Place the diagonally cut rolls on lettuce leaves on a plate and garnish with the tomato.

Hint: Scalded Angelica shoots can be used instead of the green peppers.

It's another mistake

I just want to say that I made a mistake in making the soup last night. Oh yes, it's another mistake. It was my first time to do it and as usual I failed again. I prepared it for almost an hour because i'm trying to get the exact taste of the soup but I always put some ingredients and I didn't know how to balance the ingredient. Well, the taste is not the same as what I have eaten in the restaurants or in my in-laws house.

It's summer and the weather is too hot so I need to prepare cold soup. My hubby already came from work but I was still preparing for the food and he saw the ingredients on the table and I looked very busy so he asked me what kind of delicious food i was preparing. Maybe, he expected so much. As soon as I served him the soup, he tasted it and smiled. He said it was delicious but he never touched it after that one spoon that he put in his mouth. hehehe...

After dinner, he told me to put some more water and vinegar. After washing the dishes, I started to make the soup again. I hope it will pass in his taste. Let's see what is gonna be happened tomorrow. Do you think he will like it? I'm so excited to know the result! hahaha...

Agujim (Steamed Marinated Goose Fish with Vegetables)

Agujim steamed marinated goose fish with vegetable. The agujim--chunks of monkfish in a thicket of bean sprouts--is a two-sauce dish: The fish is coated in a spicy red sauce, then dipped into a second bath of wasabi and soy sauce.

We ordered the food and it's too much for us. We ate all the fish and there's too much bean sprouts left. I put it in the refrigerator and tried to serve again but we didn't touch it so I threw it away.



These side dishes is included you order food in Korea. Except from the main dish, it always comes with different kinds of side dishes and sometimes drinks, too!