여러분 안녕하세요! (yorobun an-nyung-ha-se-yo) 여러분 = everyone. 안녕하세요 = hello. Hello everyone! Today’s post will be a top three countdown from my third favorite to my number one favorite rice cake of all time. We will count down in Sino-Korean numbers and introduce my favorite rice cakes at the same time.
Coming in 삼 (sam) 등 (dung): (삼 등 = third place.) is patinjolmi (팥인절미). Patinjolmi (팥인절미) is made from white rice and chapssal (찹쌀) or glutinous rice. After the white rice and chapssal (찹쌀) is mixed together, it is steamed in a rice cooker until it becomes soft. After it’s cooled, it’s pounded on a flat wooden board called an anban (안반). Once that’s finnished it’s rolled in powdered soybeans called pat (팥). I like this rice cake because you can reheat it later and still have the softness and taste of soybeans preserved. It can get a little messy eating it though. Sometimes the powder falls all over the place, but it’s a fun activity to do with the kids.
In 이 (e) 등 (dung): (이 등 = second place ) is bek-sol-ki (백설기). Bek-sol-ki (백설기) means white snow in Korean. First you soak the rice and mepssal (맵쌀) overnight and drain the water afterwards. Then you pound it into little pieces with a jolgu (절구) and a jolgutkongi (절굿공이). A jolgu (절구) is a mortar while a jol-gut-kong-i (절굿공이) is a pestle. When the pieces start to look like little snowflakes, add some sugar and starch. Then steam it in a siru (시루) or a earthenware steamer. It’s the most simple and basic rice cake out there, but it’s still sweet and tasty.
Lastly, coming in 일 (il) 등 (dung): (일 등 = first place) is ggul-ddok (꿀떡) which means honey rice cake in Korean. First, boil some hot water in a sot (솥) or a cauldron. Then mix the white rice and mepssal (맵쌀). After that, let it cool. When it cools down knead the dough into miniature round balls. Poke a small hole in the balls and pour some Korean candy syrup in it. Then close the balls with some more dough. Make sure you add some grease to the balls so that they don’t stick to each other. I love this rice cake because its sweet, tiny and cute to look at. You can add some food coloring to make it more festive as well.
One thing that you might have noticed is that the main ingredient in rice cakes is rice. Duh! It just goes to show how important rice is to the Korean cuisine. Not only is rice a staple crop but a form of dessert as well. You’ll also notice that a lot of Korean rice cakes have minimal amounts of sugar; especially when you compare it to American cakes. Therefore, if you’re worried about calories, a typical Korean rice cake will contain far fewer calories than a typical American cake with icing. Unfortunately, Korean rice cakes contain a lot of carbohydrates, (It’s starting to show on my hips! I need to work out!) but as long as you have it occasionally it shouldn’t contribute to a significant weight gain.
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Without further ado let me introduce you to the Namdemun (남대문) Market. Namdemun (남대문) is one of the oldest marketplaces in Korea. You’ll find clothes, souvenir items like figurines, hair pins, and jewelry. A lot of the items are cheaper than what you would find in a retail store. If you really want the best value for your money, go to the market between the hours of 12am to 4am. The streets of Namdemun (남대문) are less crowded at these hours; which means less customers and more sellers who are willing to lower their prices in a last bid attempt to sell their goods.
Next, let’s go to the Busan-kong-dong-o-shi-jang (부산공동어시장) which is the Busan Cooperative Fish Market. This market is the largest seafood market in Korea. They have all sorts of fish and seafood like seaweed, oysters, octupus, squid and eels. I gotta warn you though, the smell can be umm…how should I say…interesting. Well, simply put, the Busan (부산) fish market has a fishy, seawater sort of smell. For first time visitors, this may be a bit overwhelming. 
If you want a sweet deal on electronic goods, go to the Yongsan (용산) market. It has a variety of name brand computers, CD players, Ipods, video games and office equipement. While Youngsan (용산) is known to sell its products within a store rather than outside on the street sidewalk, you can still haggle over prices. In fact, some items do not have a price tag because it’s expected that the customer will haggle over it. Also, a lot of sellers at Yongsan (용산) will allow you to test out the machine before you buy it. The only thing is, just don’t break anything!
Maybe you’re more into antiques. Well then, let me guide you to Insadong (인사동) Market. Insadong (인사동) has all the traditional Korean ceramics, paintings and furniture you could possibly ever want. It’s really the place to go for anything traditional. A word of warning though, it can be a bit pricey. The goods are hand made, so some of them cost in the thousands while the most expensive can reach into the millions. If you want something more affordable, they have these miniature porcelain vases that you can get as souvenirs. Even if you don’t get to buy anything, just take a look around. So much of traditional Korean culture and art is alive in Insadong (인사동).
Bulgogi (불고기) tops the list as one of the all time Korean favorites. Bulgogi (불고기) is beef that has been marinated with soy sauce, sugar, seasame oil and garlic. It’s usually grilled and depending on the restaurant, may cost about $15-30. Some people eat bulgogi (불고기) with lettuce and rice. The lettuce acts like a taco shell and the rice and bolgi (불고기) serve as the filling.
The next popular meat dish is kalbi (갈비). Kalbi (갈비) is also a beef dish. However unlike bulgogi (불고기) kalbi (갈비) can be sparse in meat with thick bones inbetween the meat. Kalbi (갈비) is also less tender than bulgogi (불고기), while costing about the same or more than bulgogi (불고기). Like bulgogi (불고기), kalbi (갈비) is grilled and marinated and sometimes consumed with rice and vegetables. Carrots and onions are the most typically grilled with kalbi (갈비).
If you’re low on cash, try some samgyupsal (삼겹살). Samgyupsal (삼겹살) is not a beef dish. It’s actually a pork dish. Samgyupsal (삼겹살) looks a lot like American bacon, but thicker in texture. Samgyupsal (삼겹살) is often grilled but not marinated. It’s consumed by dipping it in a sauce consisting of soy sauce, black pepper, vinegar and salt. Depending on the restaurant, it can be as cheap as $9 per plate. Typically people will order some soju (소주) or a Korean alcoholic beverage with samgyupsal (삼겹살). Since soju (소주) is relatively cheap as well ($1-2 per bottle), you can still get a full meal without destroying your wallet.
Maybe you’re more into seafood. Well then I would recommend sengsun-hwei (생선회). sengsun-hwei (생선회) is raw fish that has been thinly sliced. Sengsun-hwei (생선회) is marinated with rice wine, soy sauce and seasame oil. It is sometimes dipped in a spicy red pepper paste called kochujang (고추장). Depending on the quality of fish and the restaurant, it may cost around $17-25 per plate.
