Friday 20 November 2015

Strange Korean Foods: Pig Guts Soup Recipe



Having spent the better part of five years in Korea you can believe I've eaten plenty of strange Korean foods.

Live octopus? Sure. Tube worm? You bet. Pickled jellyfish? Delicious.

These are all fine examples of curious Korean cuisine and worth a try if you find yourself in the Land of Morning Calm. Granted, they may not be as accessible as, say, a hamburger or fried chicken, but they're lots more interesting!

If you're looking for a more adventurous meal let me recommend one of my favorite strange Korean foods.

Pig Guts Soup



Chances are even if you know next to nothing about Korean food you've at least heard of kimchi and Korean barbecue. Both are deserving of their fame and a definite treat for the taste buds.

Korean barbecue is particularly delicious: Imagine meaty cuts of pig that fall somewhere between pork chops and bacon in taste and consistency grilled right at your table. A fabulous foody experience.

But after you've butchered a pig for barbecuing there's still plenty of meat leftover. From the hooves to Wilbur's inner-workings, you've got lots of good eating still to do.

Koreans are big on making the most of every pig they butcher and nowhere is that more evident than in a bowl of pig guts soup.

When you dig into this strange Korean food you'll find discover a bounty of pig intestine, liver, and bits of pork. It is quite literally a bowl of pig guts.

How does it taste? Well, the flavor isn't as strong as you'd probably imagine, although every time I've enjoyed this dish there is the faintest aftertaste of manure.

It isn't overpowering, mind you, but it' unmistakably there. I suppose that shouldn't come as a shock. I mean, you are after all eating a pig's digestive track.

Like a lot of Korean cuisine you can choose to spice up pig guts soup with red pepper paste. A dollop of this ubiquitous condiment gives the dish some kick and helps to mask the aftertaste.

A Piggy's Tale



Traditionally, pig guts soup was most popular amongst peasants, farmers, and laborers. It still has a reputation as "peasant food".

This plebeian history tends to be reflected in the clientele scarfing down pig guts soup today. A typical restaurant serving the stuff will offer a good cross-section of low-income Korean society: poor college students, gritty blue collar types, factory workers, and folks who enjoy life's simpler pleasures.

A bowl of pig guts soup will run you about 6,000 won at most restaurants. You won't need to break the piggy bank to enjoy it. In addition to an affordable price, this strange Korean food does a good job of keeping you full.

I'm not sure if intestines are just very filling, but after a bowl of pig guts soup I'm set for hours.

Pass the Pig Guts Soup

If you're up for this culinary adventure pig guts soup is easy to find throughout Korea. Just look for "naeg jeong mari guk bap" on the menu and prepare for the local's eyes to bug when you place your order.

From my experience I've found that the dingier the restaurant looks the more delectable the dishes tend to be. So find yourself a dive and dig in!




Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:
1 pig stomach
1 -2 pieces of pork rumps
A handful of white pepper, cracked (depending on the spiciness to your liking)
salt to taste
Pig Maw cleaning method: (refer to video -http://bit.ly/fz7ukM )
Turn the pig’s maw inside out (like you do with your shirts) and clean the pig stomach by washing it with salt and tapioca flour (cassava root starch). For better result rub the stomach with banana leaf or assam (tamarind) paste which can easily get rid of the slimy and sticky feeling of the stomach. Repeat this process a few times to get rid of the fats (white stuff) and other impurities on the lining. Rinse with running water. Turn the stomach back and repeat the washing steps on the outside. When to stop cleaning? Test it by smelling it! It sounds a bit gross but it’s an effective way to tell whether the stomach is still smelly.
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
mushroom (soaked)
Gingko
How to make it

1. Pour boiling water over the cleaned pig stomach (inner lining) and use knife to get rid of yellow inner membrane around the stomach and trim off any fats attached on the lining.
2. Turn the inner lining stomach back and stuff the whole pork rumps into the pig stomach thru the small opening, put half the quantity of the cracked peppers in too.
3. Simmer the stomach using slow cooker (crock pot) or over stove using low heat, it takes at least one and a half hours.
4. You can add in the optional ingredients mushroom, gingko at the last 30 minutes.
5. To test if the pig’s stomach is ready, use a fork to poke in the center, if fork go in easily, then it is ready else continue to simmer.
6. Add in seasoning and final taste test.
7. When ready, remove the pork rumps and slice the pig’s maw into stripes and serve with soup.


Tuesday 22 September 2015

Best Korean Restaurants in Argentina



Argentina is home to 22,000 Koreans thus Korean cuisine is so popular in the country. For those who are fed up with pizza and empanadas or look for a bit of diversity, Buenos Aries offers a few pleasant Korean restaurants.

Bi Won restaurant is probably the most popular Korean restaurant that is famous by its tasty dishes and friendly atmosphere. Breakfast menu offers a wide selection of Korean delights that can cater all your needs. Dining here, you should not miss bibimbap that is made of rice as well as vegetables. Other popular dish is bulgogi that includes sirloin beef with garlic, pepper, mushrooms and of course marinated soy sauce. The prices seems to be eye-watering, it can vary from $60 to $100. Without doubt, it is not a budget place but is worth visiting. For those who lost in translation, the restaurant offers family menu, including a wide selection of dishes that can be delivery to your home.

Bo Sung

Dining here, you may be experienced with best dishes, including gogi gui (roasted meat), Korean grilled beef, pork and surely fantastic Korean barbecue. Meat dishes are even more delicious than would you except that are usually served with chili, garlic and soy sauce. The dinner will cost you around $80.

Sinko Korean restaurant

Sinko is perhaps the biggest Korean restaurant, even festivals are celebrated here. It can be an ideal place for Korean community or those who love spicy food or barbecue. The brilliant restaurant offers a Korean picada, a mix of white fish, rice, and cabbage and of course a lot of hottest red pepper as well as chili paste. It is so spicy that can make you even cry. So9 be careful and if you cannot eat very spicy food announce the waitress in advance. After spicy food, delightful iced coffee is the best option. The hottest food will cost you around $ 70.

Estilo Coreano

This fantastic restaurant but the prices are eye-watering that can hit your pocket. In fact, Estilo Coreano is a modern, elite restaurant with colorful portraits of women's on the wall. The restaurant keeps Korean traditions and serves one dish by one. The traditional Korean cuisine is not complete without spicy soup as well as chicken bulgogi. In addition, the finest restaurant offers a mouth-watering dessert, known as a brownie that means chocolate cake in Buenos Aries. It is known as the most popular Korean restaurant in Buenos Aries can be found. Weather you love Korean cuisine, Asian or Spanish, Argentina has to offer all that can cater your needs.

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Easy Healthy Dinner Recipes with Pork Lettuce Wraps



It's very hard to pick a favorite comfort food. I have had several since I was a kid and the list is continuously growing. I guess it comes naturally when you are from a family who loves good food. Growing up, my mom was always there to supervise what we ate. She refused to feed me fast food and personally packed my school lunches. She also slowly introduced me to different kinds of dishes as I grew older. It was somewhere along those years that I discovered how easy it was to prepare lettuce wraps.
Who doesn't love lettuce wraps? For some, it's considered a simplified version of Bossam which is a type of Korean cuisine where steamed and roasted pork is wrapped in a leafy vegetable such as red lettuce or sesame leaf. Often accompanied by condiments like gochujang, this is often served as side dish consumed while drinking alcoholic beverages.
If the Bossam takes a lot of your cooking time then Pork Lettuce Wraps, on the other hand, is one versatile dish that has become a fast favorite whenever I have some friends over. What makes it great is that I can play around with the ingredients and still end up with an equally satisfying gastronomic delight. They're quick and easy to prepare - very fitting for someone who's always on the go - and a great alternative to bread if you're watching your carb intake. Most would often prefer plum sauce to go with this dish but I like it best with my spicy mustard sauce. For starters, allow me to share a recipe I got off the internet for reference:




Pork Lettuce Wraps
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground pork
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
16 leaves of butter lettuce or romaine lettuce
8 teaspoons plum sauce - I use spicy mustard sauce instead
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 lime, sliced into 4 wedges
Preparation:
1. In a large frying pan, heat oil over high heat and add pork. Cook, stirring until starting to brown. Drain excess fat.
2. Stir in green onions, allspice, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Cook until green onions are tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Place 4 leaves on each plate and fill with pork mixture. Top each with plum or spicy mustard sauce and cilantro. Serve with lime.




Since not all of my friends eat pork, I sometimes prepare this using beef as the main ingredient. Instead of soy sauce, I experiment with marinade for beef to pack it with more flavors. One can also opt to use turkey meat coupled with the best marinade for chicken to get some variety. From tuna to quinoa salad to spicy Asian or ham and pineapple combo, the recipe twists for this are endless that I wouldn't mind eating lettuce wraps all week if I have to. The dish is very Asian in origin but even Westerners have come to appreciate it. I remembered how my mom would serve this whenever we had some relatives over. She would simply adjust the ingredients to suit the size of the party and everyone would have their fair share.
It's no wonder why this ended up on my list of favorite comfort foods. They evoke a sense of nostalgia and remind me of the good, old days of my childhood. It's a staple for anyone wanting a hearty meal and a little taste of home. So why not prepare this dish yourself and impress your loved ones? It's worth the effort, I promise.

Choga Restaurants in New York City



Have you been to Korean restaurants in New York lately? There are abounding Korean restaurants that are absolute and arising every now and again in New York City But did you apperceive that the first and original Korean restaurant that invades New York continued time ago was Choga? Yes, Choga is the aboriginal Korean restaurant NYC. They acclimated to serve abounding Korean foods aback again and are advised by many as the aboriginal restaurant to serve adorable and altered Korean dishes all over New York.
There primary account of confined foods is by confined altered and out of this world Korean foods that they originally invented way aback then. Eventually this aliment has become the springboard of today's top Korean foods. There foods acclimated to admonish Kalbi or barbecued abbreviate ribs and Dark Guyee or barbecued chicken. Through these recipes, Choga restaurant has earneda lot of appreciations and they received accustomed awards because of these Korean recipes.
Choga is accepted afresh for its fast paced and quick way of confined the top of the class Korean dishes and Asian noodles. They additionally accept abounding Korean dishes that will not alone served two or three costumers but additionally abounding by passers and costumers that will dine and will banquet in there restaurant. There delicious Korean cuisines such as confined hamburgers, sandwich, and added archetypal Mexican and Chinese dishes Korean aliment appearance are additionally remarkable.




If your are not used to eat with meat; they also have vegetables dishes, absurd entrees and altered appetizers such as pancakes, dumplings, rice rolls will satisfied your needs. Through there accomplished and able-bodied accomplished cooks and chefs, absolutely these foods will be served to your table with an altered affectionate of aftertaste that will amuse you. MSG is one of the busiest and accepted places in New York, but this Korean restaurant NYC is additionally fast arising as one of the best accepted restaurants in the streets of New York City.




Lastly, Choga is one of the best restaurants that New York has. There foods are abundant and the best affair values for you and there foods are very affordable. They have the best affable and best all-around agents and account aggregation that will serve and accomplish and they will make you feel adequate and comfortable from time to time. If you and your friends are attractive for that abode to relax, bond, and get pleasure together; this Korean Restaurant NYC is one of the abode you can go if you are in city New York.

Saturday 1 August 2015

Korean Diet Food Recipe to Lose Weight



South Koreans have one of the lowest obesity rates amongst people in the developed world. Koreans pay a lot of attention to their appearance. This alone is good reason to try and incorporate the Korean diet to lose weight. It is based upon fresh vegetables, a lot of seafood, lean meats and plenty of spices.

You first have to see if there is a restaurant in the vicinity of your home that can help you with the Korean food. Once you can set up a running order with them you are good to go.

Korean food is packed with colors, textures and flavors. Two of their favorite meals are rice bowl with vegetables and noodle soup with vegetables (onmyeon). They have a very healthy practice of providing lots of vegetables as accompaniments to meat dishes.

The diet contains lots of seafood and lean meats. They do not deep fry their food, preferring to stir fry it or have it in soups and broths. The other characteristic of Korean food is its extreme spiciness. This boosts up your metabolism and makes you more active.

Kimchi, a Korean staple made of fermented cabbage and sometimes radish, is excellent for digestion. Eat a bit of Kimchi with every meal, just like the Koreans do.

The custom in Korea is to eat large helpings of food. Since a large part of it is vegetables, you automatically get a high fiber, high nutrition diet. This works well if you do not want to cut back on your eating.

Another thing to emulate from the Koreans is to take the time out to enjoy the meal. Meals are family events and are not rushed affairs. If you slow down to enjoy your food, you will consume less.

Try out the Korean diet to lose weight and you will be amazed at the results.

.

The basic steps to prepare spinach for sushi rolls are:

Wash and steam spinach until it's cooked but still retains its dark green color.

Transfer cooked spinach to a basin of cold water (with a few ice cubes, if necessary) to ensure that cooking stops and spinach remains a rich, dark green color.

Use your hands to squeeze excess water out of the spinach. The drier you can get your spinach, the better.

Season with a touch of sesame oil and sea salt.

Once you have your vegetables ready, line them up so they're easy to pick up one after the other as you make your sushi rolls.