All in the tortilla

For Paco Loco owner-chef Kwon Si-hyun, a good taco begins with the tortilla. Every morning, Kwon and his culinary team of one craft their own with corn masa flour and water.“We make them every morning, about 100,” said Kwon, 28. To make their tortillas, corn masa flour and water are kneaded into dough. The dough is then hand-cranked through a rolling tortilla press and the resulting flat circles of dough are tossed on a griddle. Fragrant with that mouthwatering, nutty scent characteristic of cor

Jan. 24, 2014

Gungjung tteokbokki

Gungjung tteokbokki is the traditional version of tteokbokki. Gungjung means “royal court” in Korean, and this version dates back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). As the name suggests, it was part of the royal cuisine and regarded as a high-class dish ― an interesting contrast to the modern spicy version which is pretty much street food. One story behind the origin of this royal dish is that it was inspired by japchae (stir-fried starch noodles with vegetables) and created to help regain the k

Jan. 24, 2014

Bukeoguk (dried pollack soup)

Bukeoguk is a soup made with dried pollack. Depending on the process used to dry the fish, dried pollack is usually called bukeo or hwangtae. You can use either one for this soup. Dried pollack keeps well for a long time and can be rehydrated very quickly by soaking it in warm water. Keep a bag of shredded bukeo (or hwangtae) in your pantry. It comes in handy for a quick soup or side dish. The unique flavor of the dried fish makes the soup very flavorful but not fishy. Dried pollack is a rich so

Jan. 17, 2014

TV show makes Korean cuisine simple

A new Korean food show for the international audience has been unleashed.The program, titled “Korean Food Made Simple,” aired its first two episodes on Dec. 18 and 19 on MBC. According to a Mokpo MBC representative, the remaining episodes will air on Saturdays at 1:55 a.m. starting Jan. 18.“Korean Food Made Simple” will also be rolled out in around 81 countries including America and Europe starting this February, the program’s supporter, the Korean Food Foundation, stated.The show is, according

Jan. 17, 2014

Craft beer, BBQ at 7Brau Pub

7Brau Pub’s second branch, which opened near Sinnonhyeon Station, takes its brews very seriously. Not only are there eight unfiltered craft beers on tap, including the brewery’s new Imperial IPA, even the grub is infused with the heady stuff. “We focused on using our beer in our food,” said 7Brau director Kim Kyo-ju. 7Brau beer goes into most everything. According to deputy executive chef Dan Kang, over 75 percent of the menu, from the beer-battered onion rings down to the burgers, the pulled po

Jan. 10, 2014

Baechu doenjang guk (Napa cabbage doenjang soup)

Doenjang, fermented soybean paste, is a staple Korean condiment and used as a base for stew or soup. As with doenjang jjigae (stew), doenjang guk (soup) is also one of the most representative Korean home-cooked dishes. While the stew version is typically hearty, thick and pungent, the soup is light and mild and has more broth. The doenjang-based soup made with baechu (Napa cabbage) is called baechu doenjang guk. Koreans cooking at home usually save the water used to rinse rice, ssalddeummul, and

Jan. 10, 2014

Around the hotels

Flight and room package at Lotte Hotel JejuCelebrating the arrival of the New Year, Lotte Hotel Jeju presents flight and room in a package. The New Year’s Airtel (Airline & Hotel) Package consists of a two-night stay in the hotel’s Deluxe Mountain View Room and two round-trip Asiana Airlines tickets to Jeju. Bookings for this package are limited to 10 rooms per day. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. As part of the Lotte Mega Gift 5 event, guests can also enjoy five addit

Jan. 3, 2014

Modeumjeon (fish, shrimp and zucchini pan-fried in egg batter)

Jeon (or jun) is a term that refers to pan-fried battered food in Korean cuisine. There are typically two types of jeon. The first type is pancake-like dishes such as pajeon and kimchijeon. For these, the main ingredients are mixed with a flour batter and then pan fried into a crispy pancake. The other type is what I made for this recipe. The pieces are individually pan-fried in egg batter to create a soft skin. Variations include: saengseonjeon (fish), hobakjeon (zucchini), saewoojeon (shrimp),

Jan. 3, 2014

Flatties and piccolo lattes at Milestone

 Unpresumptuous and no-frills, Milestone, one of the latest artisanal roaster-coffeehouse hybrids to pop up in Seoul, manages to stand out from a bustling crowd of caffeinated hangouts with its Australian-style lineup of flat whites and piccolo lattes.“Flatties” or flat whites are essentially espresso topped with thick, satiny steamed milk called “microfoam” for a brew that many consider stronger than a cappuccino or a latte. Microfoam generally tends to be thick but not too airy in texture, so

Jan. 3, 2014

Koreans’ favorite delivery food: fried chicken

Fried chicken was ranked No. 1 among people’s favorite delivery foods, beating the long-loved noodle dish jajangmyeon, according to a survey released Wednesday.The state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute polled 3,200 households nationwide, using self-report questionnaires or questions asked through household visits, to find out people’s ordering-in preferences. The poll showed that 42.4 percent of Koreans favor fried chicken, followed by Chinese delivery meals at 21.5 percent and pizza at 16.6

Jan. 2, 2014

World’s hottest pepper is grown in U.S.

FORT MILL, South Carolina (AP) ― Ed Currie holds one of his world-record Carolina Reaper peppers by the stem, which looks like the tail of a scorpion. On the other end is red fruit with a punch of heat nearly as potent as most pepper sprays used by police. Last month, The Guinness Book of World Records decided Currie’s peppers were the hottest on Earth, ending a more than four-year drive to prove no one grows a more scorching chili. The heat of Currie’s peppers was certified by students at Winth

Jan. 1, 2014

Around the hotels

 Authentic ‘osechi’ cuisine at The Ritz-Carlton, SeoulHanazono, the Japanese restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Seoul, will be serving traditional osechi New Year cuisine as part of its special lunch and dinner menu from Jan. 1 to 7. The set meals will include miniature, single-serving osechi, in which each dish has a special meaning of its own, as well as sashimi, jorim (a boiled-down soy sauce dish), stew, glutinous rice and dessert. The osechi consist of prawns cooked in a special sauce, b

Dec. 27, 2013

Korean noodle shop helps Memphis break character

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) ― This Mississippi River city is proud of its barbecue, its fried chicken, its soul food. But the food scene here is often stereotyped because of it. Those foods are what tourists typically obsess over, standing in line at Central BBQ for smoky ribs or Gus’s Fried Chicken for juicy drumsticks. When told that there’s a place in Memphis that makes standout Korean food like soups and noodle dishes with meat and seafood, some may scoff. But Crazy Noodle is real, and it might

Dec. 27, 2013

Saeu mandu (shrimp dumplings)

Saeu mandu, as the name suggests, is a variation of Korean dumplings made with shrimp as the main ingredient. This recipe is simply made with shrimp and some vegetables, but you can mix in some ground pork or beef for another layer of flavor and texture. I’m also showing you how to make homemade dumpling wrappers. It’s really not that hard to make wrappers at home. All you need is good old all-purpose flour, salt and water. Homemade wrappers are more resilient and durable to work with, and taste

Dec. 27, 2013

Around the hotels

New Year’s party at J.J. Mahoney’sGrand Hyatt Seoul’s J.J. Mahoney’s is holding year-end party “6IX SNOW NIGHTS AT JJ’S” the last week of December. The party will invite guests to the club hall decorated with a winter theme to enjoy a variety of events, including live performances by J.J.’s house band Storm and a guest DJ, and a dance contest. A lucky draw will be held during the party, offering coupons to use facilities at Grand Hyatt Seoul. On Dec. 31, guests will get to countdown to 2014 on t

Dec. 20, 2013

Kkaegangjeong (sesame crunch)

Variations of sesame crunch are eaten all over the world. Korean sesame crunch is called kkaegangjeong. It’s a sweet treat that’s served during traditional holidays in Korea. Kkaegangjeong also makes a great Christmas gift. Add some nuts to create different textures and flavors. You can use any of your favorite nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, etc.). I used a combination of pumpkin seeds and pine nuts in this recipe. You’ll be very surprised how quick and easy it is to make. It’s nutty, crunc

Dec. 20, 2013

Salmon, salt-cured, smoked and raw, for a bargain

Near Seoul’s famed Garak Market in Songpa-gu, the newly-minted Salmone Kitchen serves up house-cured gravlax, cold-smoked salmon and raw slices of the popular fish in a pristine two-story space. With its manor-like white brick exterior and chandelier-encrusted interior, the fledgling restaurant, which opened last month, channels a posh, pricey vibe that is potentially misleading.The generous 25,000 platter of gravlax, smoked salmon and sashimi for two and the 5,000 won price tag per glass of dry

Dec. 20, 2013

Seolleongtang (beef bone soup)

Seolleongtang is a milky beef bone soup that’s made by boiling beef leg bones for several hours until the broth becomes rich and creamy white. Yes, it takes time, but most of it is stove time. You can do other things around the house while this is boiling away in the kitchen. The results are totally rewarding! A couple of kilograms of beef bones make lots of rich and nourishing soup. Legend has it that this soup was created because King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty wanted to feed a large numb

Dec. 13, 2013

Sweet and simple at Cafe 8

To bill Cafe 8 as a run-of-the-mill coffee shop would be inaccurate. Sure, the massive 80-seat spot in Seoul’s Sinsa-dong is called a cafe, but it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the name is more-or-less a surface-level introduction to an eclectic eatery-bakery that dabbles in flowers, wine and grub. To understand the fusion of flower shop, wine cellar, bakery, restaurant and coffeehouse that is Cafe 8, it is perhaps easiest to start at the beginning, when eight friends teame

Dec. 13, 2013