Let's make Korean food-!

I read comment from Rachel. I think someone wants to know about recipes. So, I want to let you know how to cook the most typical Korean food.




Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish that contains many ingredients mixed in a bowl with rice and hot pepper paste. It is also referred to as goldongban and is one of the most representative Korean dishes along with bulgogi and kimchi.
There was a longstanding tradition among our ancestors that any leftover food on New Year’s Eve was not to be kept into the New Year. For this reason, the practice of mixing various ingredients in a bowl with rice was started. Koreans are also known to cook many different dishes to pay respects to their ancestors on major holidays such as the Lunar New Year and Chuseok. Since there is a lot of food leftover on these occasions, people enjoy mixing them.
Although the recipe for bibimbap sounds rather simple, there are regional variations and one of the most well known is Jeonju bibimbap which contains bean sprouts. With a growing number of health conscious individuals, bibimbap containing fresh shoots, wild greens or mountain herbs is also gaining popularity. It’s not only the variation in ingredients that make a difference. Dolsot (stone pot) bibimbap, containing slow-cooked rice, has always been popular. Another interesting variation is yangpun (large brass bowl) bibimbap. As the Korean name suggests, the large brass bowl contains enough bibimbap to feed two to three.
The ingredients, an assortment of herbs and meats, all have their own distinct flavors and tastes, but a spoonful of hot pepper paste in the mix produces a surprisingly pleasant taste.
Bibimbap is not only delicious, it also contains a wealth of nutrients such as cellulose and vitamins while being low in cholesterol and fat. Such healthy dishes are ideal for all but especially so for busy students as well as hardworking individuals always on the go.
What better way to provide a simple yet nutritious meal than to prepare tasty bibimbap for your entire family.

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Ingredients
- Nonglutinous Rice (320g) = Soaked Nonglutinous- Rice (400g)- Water (600g)- Beef (150g)- Fernbrake (150g)- Seasoning for Beef & Fernbrake: Soy Sauce (51g), Sugar (19.5g), Green Onions, chopped (20g), Garlic, chopped (10g), Powdered Sesame mixed with Salt (9g), Ground Pepper (1g), Sesame Oil (12g)- Cucumber (200g)- Ballonflower (150g)- Seasoning for Cucumber & Ballonflower: Soy Sauce (11g), Green Onions, chopped (20g), Garlic, Chopped (10g), Powdered Sesame mixed with Salt (18g), Sesame Oil (24g)- Bean Sprouts (150g)- Seasoning for Bean Sprouts: Salt (1.6g), Sesame Oil (3g), Fish (Croaker, Cod or Frozen Pollack) (150g)- Seasoning for Fish: Salt (1.6g), Ground Pepper (1g), Flour (18g), Eggs (110g), Kelp (10g), Vegetable Oil (50g)- Hot Pepper Paste (80g)

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Cooking Instructions
1.Thoroughly wash rice and soak in water for 30~60 minutes and then cook.
2.Cut beef into 5cm long pieces and clean and cut fernbrakes into 4~5cm pieces. Using the seasoning ingredients listed above, mix into beef and fernbrakes. Remember to keep them separated. Next, panfry the beef and fernbrakes separately using vegetable oil.
3.The next step is to take the cucumber and to diagonally slice it into half. Then, slice into approximately 0.3cm thick pieces. When you have thinly sliced cucumbers, season with salt and then drain the liquid by squeezing with your hands. Rub salt into balloonflowers and then clean in water. Then diagonally rip them into thin slices. Use the ingredients listed above to season each ingredient and then panfry separately.
4.Bean sprouts should be cleaned and placed in a pot along with some water and salt and slightly cooked. Once cooked, use the seasoning instructions listed above to complete.
5.Take the fish meat and cut into 4cm by 5cm pieces and season with salt and pepper. Next, cover with a coat of flour and then drench it in a coat of eggs. Next, panfry the fish pieces and cut into 1cm wide pieces. Fry the leftover eggs to cook and slice them.Cook the kelp and panfry in oil until crispy. Break the crispy kelp into small pieces using your hands.
6.Using a bowl, place the ingredients nicely on top of rice. Serve a bit of the hot pepper paste separately.

The recipe looked so easy. I tried to cook with flowing this recipe, but it was not easy for me. Finally, I created my own food. :'-( If you guys want to try to cook this food, I am willing to give you some ingredients what are not easy for looking for.

How about customs of Korea-? (Part.2)

After I came here, what I missed a lot is food. American foods are so solty, fatty and oily. I think foods are big part of customs. Food is so closed to our life. We can't live without food. There are lots of types of Korean food. I want to introduce typical Korean food.

Korea was once a primarily agricultural nation, and since ancient times rice has been cultivated as Koreans' staple food. These days Korean cuisine also contains a large variety of meat and fish dishes along with wild greens and vegetables. Various preserved food, such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), jeotgal (seafood fermented in salt) and doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) are particularly popular due to their distinctive flavor and high nutritional value. In Korean cuisine all the dishes are served at the same time. A typical meal normally includes rice, soup, and several side dishes, the number of which vary. Traditionally, lower classes had three side dishes, while royal families would have twelve.In Korea, like in neighboring China and Japan, people eat with chopsticks. However, a spoon is used more often in Korea, especially when soups are served. Formal rules have developed for table setting, which can vary depending on whether a noodle or meat dish is served. Food is a very important part of Korea culture, and Koreans pay great attention to the way in which food is served.

Different Kinds of Traditional Korean Food

1. Bap (steamed rice) and Juk (porridge)

Boiled rice is the staple food for Koreans, it is eaten with almost every meal. In Korea people eat short-grained rice, as apposed to the long- grained Indian rice. Korean rice is often sticky in texture, and sometimes it is combined with beans, chestnuts, sorghum, red beans, barley or other cereals for added flavor and nutrition. Juk (porridge) is a light meal, which is highly nutritious. Juk is often made with rice, to which abalone, ginseng, pine nuts, vegetables, chicken, or bean sprouts can be added. As well as rice porridge, red bean porridge and pumpkin porridge are also delicious.

2. Guk (soup)

Korean meals traditionally consist of a soup served with rice. The soup can be made from vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish, seaweed, or beef bones.

3. Jjigae (stew)

Jjigae is similar to guk but is thicker and has a stronger taste. The most famous jjigae (doenjang-jjigae )is made from preserved soy bean paste. Jjigae is usually spicy and served piping hot in a heated stone bowl.

4. Jjim and Jorim (simmered meat or fish)

Jjim and jorim are similar dishes. Meat and fish are prepared with vegetables and soaked in soy bean sauce. The ingredients are then slowly boiled over a low heat.

5. Namul (vegetables or wild greens)

Namul consists of vegetables of wild greens, which have been slightly boiled or fried, and mixed with salt, soy sauce, sesame salt, sesame oil, garlic, onions, and other spices.

6. Jeotgal (seafood fermented in salt)

Jeotgal is a very salty food made from naturally preserved fish, shellfish, shrimp, oysters, fish roe, intestines and other ingredients.

7. Gui (broiled/barbecued dishes)

Gui is when marinated fish or meat are barbecued over a charcoal fire. The most popular gui dishes are meats, such as bulgogi and galbi, however, there are also many fish dishes which are cooked this way.

8. Jeon (pan-fried dishes)

Jeon is a kind of Korean pancake. Mushrooms, pumpkin, slices of dried fish, oysters, unripened red peppers, meat, or other ingredients are mixed with salt and black pepper, dipped in flour and egg and then fried in oil.

9. Mandu (dumpling)

Mandu are Korean dumplings, which are stuffed with beef, mushrooms, stir-fried zucchini, and mungbean sprouts. Pork, chicken, fish or kimchi are sometimes used instead of beef.

As I searched some information about Korean food, it made me hungry and missing Korea so much. There are some Korean restaurant but I couldn't be satisfied with that. I'm looking forward to someday going back to Korea- :-)

(I think that to learn cooking is best way.)

Let's see- How about customs of Korea-? (Part.1)

Have you ever been heard about culture shock? I think custom is a part of culture. When I came here, I felt so confusing and felt like I became a stranger. As time goes by, I could adapt myself to american culture. However, sometimes I feel little confusing until now. To learn another country's culture is so hard. Then, Let's see about customs of Korea to understand Korea-!

Family Life

Traditionally in Korea, the typical family size is quite large, with three or four generations usually living together under the same roof. Because infant mortality was high and a big family was thought of as a blessing, having many children was the desired option. However, as the country underwent rapid industrialization and urbanization during the 1960s and 1970s the pattern was accompanied by an effective birth control drive, and the average number of children in a family dramatically decreased to two or less in the 1980s. Having a long Confucian tradition under which the eldest son takes over as head of the family, many Korean families preferred having a son. To tackle the problem of male preference, the government has completely rewritten family-related laws in a way that ensures equality for sons and daughters in terms of inheritance. Industrialization of the country has made life more hectic and complicated. Young married couples have begun to separate from their extended families and start their own homes. Now almost all families are couple-centered nuclear families.

Names

The majority of Koreans have family names within one of a small set: Kim (about 21% of all Koreans), Yi (or Lee or Rhee, 14%), Park (or Pak, 8%), Choi (or Choe), Jeong (or Chung), Jang (or Chang), Han, Lim, etc. A Korean name consists of a family name, in almost every case one syllable, plus a given name usually of two syllables. The family name comes first. A Korean woman does not take her husband's family name, but their children take their father's family name.

Marriage

Koreans think marriage is the most important passage in one's life and a divorce is regarded as a disgrace not only for the couple but also for their families ― still the divorce rate is growing rapidly these days. Today's typical wedding ceremony is somewhat different from what it was in old times: first a Western-style ceremony is usually held at a wedding hall or a church with the bride wearing a white dress and the groom wearing a tuxedo, then later in the day the bride and groom have a traditional ceremony at a different room in the venue, in colorful traditional costumes.

Body Language

When you beckon to a person, do so with your palm down, and then flutter your hand up and down with your fingers touching together. It is not polite to beckon with your palm up ― especially using only one finger, because Koreans do that only to dogs.

It is a just Part.1-!!

I will introduce about Korean food, Korean clothing, traditional Korean houese and so on.

Coming Soon-!!! Put your hopes on it- :-)

How about Korea's weather-?

I want to introduce about Korea's weather. During the winter, Korea is much warmer than Muncie, and during the summer, much hotter than Muncie. (Because of high humidity-)
Korea is very good place for living. ( Just my opinion-! :-) ) There is no big snow like muncie, and there is no big rain. Let's see-!

Current Korea Weather Conditions

Korea has four seasons, with a wet monsoon/summer in the middle of the year, and a cold winter from November to March. The island of Jeju off the southern coast is the warmest and wettest place in the country. The most ideal time to visit Korea is during the autumn months (September~November). During this time, the country experiences warm, sunny weather, skies that are cobalt blue and spectacular foliage that is perhaps the biggest draw. Winters are cold and dry and remain a good time if you are interested in winter sports as there are numerous ski resorts. Spring (April~May) is also beautiful with all the cherry blossoms in bloom. However, it is very busy and one needs to book in advance to ensure accommodation is available. The summer months are muggy and hot, and rather crowded. It is also when the monsoon begins so many activities are subject to the fluctuations of heavy rain.

Four Distinct Seasons

Korea's climate is regarded as a continental climate from a temperate standpoint and a monsoonal climate from a precipitation standpoint. The climate of Korea is characterized by four distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.


Spring
Spring lasts from late March to May and is warm. Various flowers, including the picturesque cherry blossom, cover the nation's mountains and fields during this time.





Summer
The hot months of summer last from June to early September. Half of the annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon season from late June to early July. Mid-July through mid-August is the hottest,humid period and the most popular time for Koreans to go on vacation.


Fall
Lasting from September through November, the mild days of fall make it the most pleasant time of the year. The temperature varies greatly from day to night. The mountains, when blanketed with vivid golden and red autumnal leaves under the clear blue sky, are breathtaking. It is the best season for visiting Korea.


Winter
Winter lasts from December to mid-March. It can be bitterly cold during this time due to the influx of cold Siberian air. Heavy snow in the northern and eastern parts of Korea makes for favorable skiing conditions.



Are you interested in Korea-? Visit Korea-! Korea is so charming country-! :-)