[Home Cooking] Saeu ganghoe (Green onion-tied shrimp and asparagus)

Spring is in full swing! Gorgeous spring vegetables are everywhere. Among them is asparagus, which tastes best at this time of year. Another spring treasure is tender, thin green onion, called shilpa. It’s mild and sweet. I decided to put these two spring vegetables together with shrimp for these little rolls.  Saeu ganghoe　Ganghoe is a general term that refers to a dish that is made by tying ingredients with a thin green onion. It’s a spring favorite. Nakji (octopus) ganghoe and ojingeo (squid)

April 29, 2016

Piccolo lattes and hefty cookies at Hayley’s Cafe

There is something deeply satisfying about a cookie, especially when it is fat and plump, cake-like on the inside but crackly crisp and caramelized around the edges -- like the ones at Hayley’s Cafe in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.　The bakery-cafe chain, which opened its third outlet near Apgujeong Station last November, serves five kinds of cookies, including an oatmeal raisin and a cranberry variation, but it is the dark chocolate chip that is the most popular at the Sinsa shop, says owner Cho Jae-kun. 

April 29, 2016

7-11 launches ginseng kimbap

A ginseng variety of samgak kimbap was launched at 7-eleven convenience stores in Korea on Tuesday, in collaboration with Korea Ginseng Corporation. Samgak, or triangle, kimbap have long been a convenience store staple. Rice is formed into a triangle about the size of a baby‘s fist and wrapped in seaweed with any number of varying ingredients inside. Popular fillings are spicy bulgogi and tuna with mayonnaise.  (7-11 Korea)The newly launched product has rice cooked in Cheong Kwan Jang red ginsen

April 26, 2016

[Weekender] Tea fields in Boseong beckon with natural green splendors

BOSEONG, South Jeolla Province -- While nearby tropical nations like the Philippines and Indonesia have their hanging rice terraces in Banaue and Tegalalang that serve as major tourist attractions, Korea also has its own natural green splendors for tourism. 　Located at the southern tip of the peninsula is the Daehan Dawon Tourist Tea Plantation -- more often known as Boseong Green Tea Plantation -- in Boseong, South Jeolla Province.  　The lusciously vibrant green tea fields of Boseong is the nat

April 22, 2016

[Weekender] At one with nature, tea, others

Traditional Korean tea-drinking is not just about the beverage. 　It’s based on the harmony of all aspects involved in the process, including nature, attire, interior setting, teaware and people, explains Kim Eui-jung, who is recognized as Korea’s 27th intangible cultural asset for her expertise in traditional royal tea ceremonies. 　Kim’s mother, Kim Mi-hee, in 1980 helped restore Korea’s unique tea tradition which had been passed down for hundreds of years since the Goryeo dynasty (918-1392) but

April 22, 2016

[Home Cooking] Beets, mint and lemon team up in a simple spring salad

The modern beet descends from the ancient sea beet. News that thrilled my inner biologist.　Imagine the sea beet, swimming the Indian Ocean. It must have slithered the depths, dodging eels, sharks and other toothy creatures attracted to its plump, red tastiness. Frantic, it fluttered its green leafy fins toward the shallows, and in an act of evolutionary heroism, sprouted legs, skittered across the sand and planted itself safely on earth -- where we farmers tended and, much like the sharks, downe

April 22, 2016

‘Breakfast for Dinner’ author gives meal its respect

Asked why she wrote the cookbook “Breakfast for Dinner” (Ryland Peters & Small, $19.95), author Carol Hilker admits that the morning meal doesn‘t always get the time and respect it deserves: “We skip breakfast a lot. We don’t always have time in the morning to stop and cook, but you can do it at dinner.”　While that bit of practicality sort of explains the impetus for eating breakfast foods at dinner, it doesn‘t completely account for the allure. Hilker says that’s easy: “We all need to indulge e

April 22, 2016

[Home Cooking] Nabak kimchi (water kimchi)

Nabak kimchi is a type of water kimchi that’s made with thinly sliced radish squares and other vegetables. It’s easy to make, yet deliciously refreshing.　Nabak kimchi is commonly enjoyed in the springtime when the kimchi made in the fall gets old. It’s also a traditional holiday kimchi. Growing up, we always had nabak kimchi with tteokguk (rice cake soup). They are delicious together. Nabak kimchi (water kimchi) (Korean Bapsang)　It’s a mild, clean tasting kimchi, so nabak kimchi doesn’t call for

April 15, 2016

Hanwoo expert uses skills to source prime beef for his restaurant

Samjung Hanu Pub CEO Han Deok-woo takes his beef very seriously, doing everything from sourcing it straight from the auction house to grilling it tableside for hungry customers. “Since I bring in the beef myself, I can check, taste and look at all the cuts, and decide which ones are optimal for eating that day,” said Han, 34, on how sourcing the beef directly enables him to keep track of his beef, from the minute it arrives at the restaurant to how it is aged or served up uber-fresh.  Samjung Ha

April 15, 2016

Salute! Italy toasts booming wine trade

VERONA (AFP) - As he swirls a glass of yellowy green wine made from the trendy pecorino grape, Fabio Centini purrs with enthusiasm.　“I hadn't even heard of this grape 15 years ago,” the Italian-born chef-restaurateur from Calgary, Canada tells AFP between slurps at a tasting of top pecorinos from the Offida area of the Marche region.　“But it is exactly what my customers want. People are looking for new varietals, new experiences.” A man walks past a column of wine bottles on April 10 during the

April 14, 2016

Busan’s latest hit street food

The saturated fishcake market in port city Busan has embraced creativity for its next-generation street snack. (@seung_ryeoll Instagram)Brainchild of tried-and-tested chef Lee Seung-ryeoll, 53, the chicken wing fishcake mashes together chicken’s savoriness with fishcake’s chewy texture. The recipe for this is simple. The chicken wing is first deboned and stuffed with fishcake, then it is cooked in an oven, roasted on a grill and served on a paper plate with sauce and sesame salt. Lee said he cam

April 12, 2016

Fruit not fruity enough? Get your money back

Lotte Super, a major local retailer, will refund all fruit that customers found unsatisfactory in celebration of the 16th anniversary of its foundation.CEO Choi Choon-seok on Tuesday said, “Neither the price nor the size of a fruit has any effect on customers if it is not delicious. We promise to refund or exchange all fruits that fell short of our customers’ expectations.” (Lotte Super)This new policy will be put into practice from Wednesday’s 16th anniversary sales event. Lotte Super will also

April 12, 2016

[The Palate] Classic noodles done best at Yurimmyeon

One of the pleasures of eating in Seoul is that you can always find a place that specializes in one particular dish, and when that one such place has done so for more than 50 years, you are guaranteed a tried and true quality that has been time tested. 　Yurimmyeon, near City Hall in Jongno­-gu, Seoul, has been serving the same menu of noodles for more than half a century, strong and steady. A testament to their quality and consistency.　Matriarch and owner Kim Myeong-kyeong, 83, who mans the cash

April 8, 2016

Best way to cook lobster tails

What’s the best way to cook lobster tails? How do you butterfly them? 　Lobster, once considered food for servants, is now a moderately priced treat. 　The way you prepare lobster tails is paramount. What you don’t want is chewy, rubbery and tough lobster tails that need to be drowned in melted butter.　Lobster’s soft flesh, once cooked, should be pristine white, soft and tender. You should be able to eat it with a fork, from the shell or not. The flavor and texture of the lobster tail is somewhere

April 8, 2016

Cookbook, a long journey into Korean-American food

“Koreatown: A Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter, $30) is a cookbook, yes, but chef Deuki Hong and journalist Matt Rodbard go further than recipes, distilling two years of research, interviews and dining across the United States into what they write is “a candid and uncompromised snapshot of what it‘s like to eat and drink in Korean-American communities today.”　“For me, coming as a Korean-American, there’s a sense of pride,” said Hong, who along with Rodbard met me at Dancen, a small Korean grill restau

April 7, 2016