Korean Cookery Classes Autumn/Winter

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Well this blog isn't really about travelling, but it is about experiencing culture through food. Something I really enjoy. I love Korean food, but didn't really know where to start when it came to trying to cook it myself, so I signed up for a nine week cookery class.

The course I took was run by the Institute of Korean Royal Cuisine. the course took place in their istitute in near Anguk station in Seoul, right next to Changdeokgung Palace. The building is a traditional Hanok, set around a courtyard, it's so pretty.

The Institute of Korena Royal Cuisine researches and passes on the Royal Cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty, which is a nationally designated important intangible property. Each week we had a different teacher, who would teach us the dishes, the teachers seemed to teach the dishes that were their speciality. The teachers and the volunteers that translated and helped us cook were amazing. A really big thank you to them. It was a lovely, educational and informative nine weeks.

Week One (8th September): Galbijjim (갈비찜) is a rib stew with sweet soy sauce, delicious.

Nokdujeon (녹두전), also called Bindetok, as it said to of originated from Bingjatok or Binjatok, is a mung bean pancake. Koreans eat them to remember the good old days. They are eaten on rainy days and often eaten with Makgeolli, Korean rice wine.

Shigumchi dwenjangguk (시금치된장국) is spinach and soybean paste soup. Spinach is well known for its effect on alcohol detoxification, and together with the soy bean paste, the soup helps settle a disgruntled stomach. Perfect for a hangover!

Week Two (15th September): Dallkgamjajjim (닭감자찜), one of my favourite Korean dishes, I was always happy when the cook at my old job made this for dinner. It is a spicy chicken and potato stew, which is especially popular with young people.

Haemulwanjajeon (해물완자전) are pan-fried seafood and vegetables coated with egg. Jeon (전) is a party food or snack in Korea. When serving jeon or other snacky type food, Loreans always plate up an odd number of pieces, as having an even number is considered bad, I think it has to do with death. We also learned to make two namul dishes.

Namul is a generic term for different vegetable side dishes, due to the cooking method (I think). Sukjunamul (숙주나물) is blanched and seasoned mung beans, and Oinamul (오야나물) is stirfried cucumbers. I thought that the cucumbers would be strange as I have never had themm 'cooked' before, but you chill them before serving and they were really nice.

Week Three (22nd September): Onmyeon (온면) or Janchiguksu (잔치국수) is a noodle dish that is eaten for special occasions such as weddings, 60th birthdays, and other times of celebration. Janchi means feast or banquet. The eating of the noodles symbolises the blessing that you will have a long and happy life.

Haemulpajeon (해물파전) is a seafood and scallion kind of pancake. It is popular as a main dish, appetizer or snack. It is served with a soy sauce and vinegar dipping sauce and is often eaten with Makgeolli. Many people call it Korean pizza, which really annoys me, as it is nothing like a pizza, but a pancake. Grrr!

Yangji pyeonyuk (양지편육) is boiled brisket. When the beef is boiled it is pressed with a heavy object such as a stone. It is eaten in feasts or as anju. Anju is small dishes that are served with alcohol, kind of like tapas.

Week Four (13th October): Tarakjuk (타락죽) is milk porridge with rice, or rice porridge with milk. Tarak is another name for milk, (it is normally called uyu 우유) this name began with and was used by the royal family. It is made of ground rice boiled with milk. It is a health food and was made for the king by the royal clinic as opposed to the the royal kitchen. It was made for him during the start of October and January. This dish was only made for the king, nobody else was allowed to eat it, however the king would save his last spoonful and give it to his mistress.

Dalk Jatjuk Muchim (닭잣죽무침) is a chicken with pine nut porridge. It is a kind of salad made by mixing shredded chicken with vegetables (carrots, onion, cucumber, and Asian pear) and using the pine nut porridge as a dressing. I had never had anything like this before and it was really nice. It was very different to a lot of Korean food I have had before.

Kongjaban (콩자반) is black beans cooked in soy sauce. Black beans are choc full of vitamin B1 and are also rich in antioxidants. Black coloured foods have been known to prevent constipation and they also detoxify the body.

Nabak Kimchi (나박김치) is a watery kimchi that is made with radish and napa cabbage. Kimchi is the staple of Korean cuisine along with rice. Nabak kimchi is different to regular kimchi as it contains a lot of liquid ans is eaten like soup. Due to the fact that it has a lot of liquid, this dish does not have a strong salty flavour or a spicy taste. It is popular throughout the year. Fermented fish sauce is not used in this dish which makes it quite distinctive.

Week Five (20th October): Kimchi Jjigae (김치 찌개) is spicy kimchi stew. This is another Korean staple dish. Since rice is such an important part of Korean food and is served for every meal, a soup or stew almost always accompanies it.

Gyeranjjim (계란찜) or Dalkyaljjim (달걀찜) is steamed or boiled, beaten and seasoned eggs. Bit of a mouthful isn't it. It is kind of similar to scrambled eggs, but the texture is a lot smoother. It's one of my favourite things to eat. Eggs are eaten a lot in Korea due to their good nutritional content and because they are cheap. We learned to make this dish used a tradtional style bowl and this takes quite a long time to cook. One of the teachers told me just to use a plastic bag at home to speed up the cooking times and one of my coworkers makes it in the microwave to make it even quicker.

Gamja sogogi jorim (감자쇠고기조림) is simmered potatoes and beef with soy sauce. This a lovely dish and makes a nice change for a lot of Korean food as it is not spicy.

Dubu jorim (두부조림) is pan-fried tofu simmered in a Korean style soy dipping sauce. I loved this, especially as I don't really know what to do with tofu apart from throwing in into a jjigae (stew). The tofu is panfried and then the soy sauce mixture is added and boiled down. Tofu is made of ground beans and is easy to digest, contains healthy proteins, and reduces blood sugar and cholesterol. The instructor called it cheese that doesn't make you fat. Really, that's how it should be marketed in the west.

Week Six (27th October): Rice cake soup (떡국) is traditonally eaten on New Year's Day (Lunar New Year 설날). By eating a bowl of ddeokguk you become a year older. I like ddeokguk and we used to get it about teice a year at my old job, onve at the start of winter, this was how you knew winter had started and then the day we broke up for the Seolnal holiday. The garetok, the coin shaped slices of rice cake, which is the main ingredient of the dish, represesnts a long life and wealth by its length and coin shape. Ddeokguk is prepared for the New Year memorial service and shared by the family.

Wanjajeon (완자전) is pan-fried beef and egg coated with egg. Generally jeon is served in three different colours, all plated together with an odd number of pieces. There are many different types of jeon and you can use meat, fish or vegetables. They are served with choganjang (초간장), a vinegar and soy sauce dipping sauce.

Bugo gui (북어구이) is grilled or fried dried pollack with red pepper paste. I have never had this before and I was really surprised as I really enjoyed it. Bugo is dried walleye pollack. The dried pollack contains an amino acid called methionine, which has a protective function. It stops the pollack form becoming stale, when it is room temperature.

Dongchimi (동치미) is salted and fermented watery radish kimchi (quite a mouthful). It is a good way to enjoy the real fermented flavours that develop. It has a refreshing taste. It is also good for hangovers.

Week Seven (10th November): Yangji gomtang (양지곰탕) is a clear brisket soup. Guk and tang are Korean stylr soups and they are considered almost the same. However tang requuires a longer time to boil than guk. Most guks and tangs are served with a bowl of rice and Koreans enjoy dumping their bowl of rice into their soup and mixing them together before eating.

Daehajjim (대하찜) is cooked shrimp tossed with vegetables in a pine nut sauce. This was delicious a shrimp and beef type of salad dish. Jjim refers to dishes that are steamed or boiled. This seafood dish best represents seafood royal cuisine. The shrimps go really well with the pine nut sauce.

Ggakdugi (깍두기) is spicy radish kimchi. Ggakdugi means cutting objects into cubes. Radish is found all year round in Korea, but the autumn radish has the best taste. Radish helps aid digestion in the stomach. Ggakdugi goes well with guk or tang (soup) dishes.

Deodeokgui (더덕구이) is grilled or pan-fried deodeok root. Deodeokgui is a kind of bellflower. This was similar to the pollack dish we had made the week before. Deodeok is known in Korea as the second ginseng or the meat from the mountain. It hasa unique and strong scent, and a bittersweet taste. However I found it tasted better than ginseng and didn't have the bitter aftertaste that ginseng has. Deodeok is considered to be a herbal medicine and is very good for colds and bronchitis.

Week Eight (17th November): Kimchi (김치), the infamous Korean dish, is spicily seasoned and fermented Napa cabbage. November is Kimchijang, the kimchi making season in Korea. Napa cabbage is at its cheapest around 20-30 pence a cabbage, so whole families (the women, mainly) and neighbours get together and make enough kimchi to keep the family going for the next year. Many Koreans live on kimchi and rice. Because the winters are so cold in Korea, growing vegetables is difficult so kimchi is important as doesn't go off and is an important source of minerals and amino acids.

Week Nine (24th November): Kimchi mandu guk (김치만두국) is a kimchi dumpling soup. This dish is very popular in Korea in the winter. It is very popular in North Korea, too. People eat it with ddeok (rice cakes) in it on New Year's Day. Also how good you are at making dumplings will tell you how pretty your daughters will be. So if I ever have any daughters they will look a little lumpy, just like my mandu.

Gogi Beoseot Sanjeok (고기버섯산적) are beef and mushroom skewers. It is a representative dish of the many types of skewers that are available in Korea. The ingredients on a skewer depend on the person who 's making them's taste. Seosongi (shiitake) mushrooms are used as they are effective at reducing cholesterol, so they go well with the meat.

Jang Kimchi (장김치) watery kimchi made with soy sauce. This is totally different to regular kimchi as it is not spicy and not seasoned with pepper flakes. In the olden days it was enjoyed by the rich as the ingredients in it were expensive.

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