Today’s post is going to be about food! I recently had a craving for namul (나물) and decided to write a post about the different kinds of namul (나물) out there. At this point you might be wondering what namul (나물) is. Namul (나물) is a generic term for a marinated vegetable or plant dish. Namuls (나물) are usually served as banchan (반찬) or side dishes. A Korean meal can consist of several namul (나물) consumed with a bowl of rice.
My favorite namul (나물) so far is miyok muchim (미역 무침). Miyok muchim (미역 무침) is a dish of seaweed with vinegar, salt, and some processed crab fish. Miyok (미역) means seaweed while muchim (무침) means marinated mixture. You can also add some cucumber and shrimp to the mix as well.
Chiwi namul (취나물) is a type of namul that has been stir-fried and seasoned with seasame seeds, garlic and soy sauce. Chiwi namul (취나물) is a type of Korean spinach. Eating spinach isn’t really my thing, but somehow chiwi namul (취나물) tastes so good that I can overlook the fact that it’s spinach.
Lastly, there’s doraji namul (도라지 나물). Doraji namul (도라지 나물) is a type of root from a flower that has been boiled until the roots turn soft. Sometimes red pepper paste is added to make it spicy. The best thing about doraji namul (도라지 나물) is that it’s really healthy. Other than food, doraji (도라지 ) is used in many eastern medicines.
There are many other types of namul (나물). However these three are my favorite! Maybe somewhere down the line I’ll write another post on namul (나물). Until then. Take care everyone!
A typical snack enjoyed on Deborum (대보름), or the full moon festival, is yakshik (약식). Yakshik (약식) is brown in color and sweet in taste. Today, we are going to learn how to make yakshik (약식).
First, soak about two cups of chapssal (찹쌀) or glutinous rice in cold water for a day. If you don’t soak the chapssal (찹쌀), it won’t turn out soft and sticky, so make sure to soak, soak, soak. Then, take a cup of brown sugar and a cup of cinnamon and mix it together. Add two cups of water and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Next, mix in a half cup of raisins.
Then, open a can of bam (밤). Let me give you a hint as to what bam (밤) is. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” If you haven’t guessed alreay, bam is the Korean word for chestnut. Drain the water out of the can of bam (밤). If you don’t want the canned variety, you can buy some raw chestnuts. However, it takes more work with raw chestnuts because you have to peel off the hard skin. 
Then get about a fourth of a cup of song kwa (송과). Song kwas (송과) are pine nuts. They are yellowish in color and used in American recipes as well. For example, pine nut oil is used in making brownies. Pine nuts come from pine cones. I guess you could look for some pine cones and try to shake out some pine nuts, but a better use of your time might be to buy it at the store.
Next, grab a handful of dechu (대추). Dechu (대추) is a type of date or jujube. (Jujube as in the type that grows on trees, not the candy.) Dechus (대추) are red and look like dried raisins. Dechus (대추) give the yakshik (약식) a natural sweetness. Dechu (대추) is used not just in yakshik (약식) but in Korean teas and medicine as well.
Ogok-bap (오곡밥) is a common dish consumed on Deborum (대보람) or the full moon festival. What is ogok-bap (오곡밥)? It’s a dish of five different types of grain.
The most prominent ingredient in ogok-bap (오곡밥) is chapssal (찹쌀). Chapssal (찹쌀) is glutinous rice. When glutinous rice is cooked, it becomes sticky. Despite it’s name, glutinous rice does not contain gluten. So for all of you who are on a gluten-free diet, ogok-bap (오곡밥) is perfect for you.
Pat (팥) is a type of red soybean. Red soybeans are often sweetened and consumed as a type of paste in Korean desserts. In ogok-bap (오곡밥) red soybeans are not sweetened and consumed as a bean, not as paste.
There are also black soybeans called komjung kong (검정콩). Komjung kong (검정콩) contains a lot of protein. Komjung kong (검정콩) is the most recognizable ingredient in ogok-bap (오곡밥). They are huge and scattered all throughout the ogok-bap (오곡밥).
Bori (보리), which is barley grain in English, is used to make Korean tea. Bori (보리) is also used in U.S. goods like bread and oatmeal. Bori (보리) is really healthy and known to regulate blood sugar levels.
Lastly, ogok-bap (오곡밥) contains chasusu (차수수). Chasusu (차수수) is sorghum. Sorghum is used in the US as fodder for livestock and sometimes to produce molasses in alcoholic beverages.
Hi everyone! Let’s talk about what Koreans eat on New Year’s Day. The typical day of the New Year starts with breakfast. Breakfast consists of a rice cake soup called ddok-kuk (떡국). Ddok-kuk (떡국) is a soup made of beef broth with thinly shaped oval rice cakes. Actually, I’m not sure why Americans call ddok-kuk (떡국) a soup with rice cakes. It’s not really a rice cake per say, but rather a type of dough made out of rice. Anyway, some of the ingredients in ddok-kuk (떡국) are bits of seaweed, an egg that has been cooked and thinly sliced, and some seasame seeds. The beef broth also contains some soy sauce as well. On top of that, it’s not unusual to see beef cut into small chunks mixed in with some green onions.
This is optional, but sometimes people put mandu (만두) in ddok-kuk (떡국). Mandu (만두) means dumpling in Korean. Mandus (만두) can be prepared by frying them, or boiling them in hot water. The mandu (만두) used in ddok-kuk (떡국) is boiled. The fried mandu are called gunmandu (근만두). Usually gunmandu (근만두) is crispy and dipped in soy sauce. The kind of mandu (만두) made in boiling water is called mulmandu (물만두) or mandu-kuk (만두국)..jpg)
1) Yakgwa (약과) is made by kneading some wheat flour and frying it in honey and seasame oil. Sometimes instead of wheat flour rice flour is used. Also, in place of honey, rice wine can also be used as well. Yakgwa (약과) is brown in color and is made in the mold of a flower. These cookie like sweets can get stale very quickly, so make sure they’re refrigerated properly. As for taste, I would say they taste close to what I feel ginger snap cookies taste like.
2) Sukshilkwa (숙실과) is made by boiling some fruits, ginger, and pine nuts in water mixed with honey. You can add chestnuts as well. Sukshilkwa (숙실과) come in a variety of colors. Some are tannish, some are blackish, some are white, etc. As for taste, it really depends on the ingreedients. If you add in lots of sugar and honey, it has a tendency to be sweeter.
3) Jungkwa (정과) is made by boiling either fruits or plant roots in honey and some mulyot (물엿) or Korean liquid candy. It’s soft like jello. You can pretty much put anything in jungkwa (정과) including carrots, ginseng, melons, sweet potatoes, etc. Food coloring is optional. It tastes like American jello, but less sweeter.
