Posted by Ginny
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!
Posted by Ginny
I had some kimbap (김밥) for lunch today and decided to write a post about it. What is kimbap (김밥)? Kimbap (김밥) is rice, some vegetables and meat wrapped in seaweed. Kim (깁) means seaweed and bap (밥) means rice. Kimbap (김밥) is really easy to make. You can pretty much put whatever you want in it.
First, get some seaweed. You can easily get this at a Korean grocery store. Then put some rice all over the seaweed. I prefer to mix some vinegar with the rice. This allows the rice to stick to the seaweed, but it’s not necessary. It’s just that a little moisture can go a long way, but it’s up to you. Also, use white rice. I find that barley and brown rice is thicker, and it doesn’t stick to the seaweed as well as white rice.
I like to keep my kimbap (김밥) simple. If you put more than three ingredients in the kimbap (김밥), it can get chunky. When it gets chunky some of the contents can spill out. My three favorites are: crab meat, some spinich, and eggs. You can get some packaged crab meat at a Korean grocery store near you, and as for the spinich, you can get it fresh or canned. If you buy the canned spinich, make sure you squeeze out the juice. As for the eggs, cook them until the yolk is dry. Then cut them into horizontal strips. Place all the ingredients on top of the rice and roll everything with a bamboo roller.
Here are some other alternatives: use beef or ham instead of crab meat. As for vegetables, you can use cucumbers and carrots. In Korea, kimbap (김밥) is used as picnic food. It’s also a popular form of Korean fast food, because they’re great to eat when you’re in a hurry. Unlike fast food though, kimbap (김밥) is healthier. In some Korean shops, you can get two rolls for $3, which isn’t too bad, considering the variety of ingredients that go in it. Ok everyone, that’s it for today and here’s a youtube clip on making kimbap (김밥):
