Food & Drink - Seoul - page 373

Budae jjigae (or Johnsontang ) is a unique Seoul dish that originated in the hungry years after the
Korean War. At this time tins of ham, sausages and baked beans from American army bases
(such as Yongsan) were bought on the black market and mixed with noodles and vegetable
scraps to make a meal.
Kimchi
Traditionally, kimchi was made to preserve vegetables and ensure proper nutrition during
the harsh winters, but it's now eaten year-round and adds zest, zip and a long list of health
benefits to any meal. A cold side dish of the spicy national food is served at nearly every
Korean meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Generally made with pickled and fermented cabbage seasoned with garlic and red
chilli, it can be made from cucumbers, white radish or other vegetables. Note, kimchi is
not always vegetarian as it can have anchovies added. Mul kimchi is a cold, gazpacho-
type minimalist soup, and is not spicy.
Dumplings, Noodles & Pancakes
Mandu are small dumplings and wangmandu are large ones; both can be filled with
minced meat, seafood, vegetables and herbs. They are often freshly made to a special re-
cipe by restaurant staff during quiet times. Fried, boiled or steamed, they make a tasty
snack or addition to a meal. Manduguk is mandu in soup with seaweed and makes a per-
fect light lunch.
There's a whole range of guksu (noodles) to sample. A much-loved Pyongyang special-
ity is naengmyeon, chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, sweetish broth, garnished with
shredded vegetables and topped with half a hard-boiled egg - add red-chilli paste or
gyeoja (mustard) to taste. Popular in summer, it is often eaten after a meat dish like galbi .
Use the scissors provided to cut up the noodles so they're easier to eat.
Kalguksu is thick, hand-cut noodles usually served in a bland clam-and-vegetable broth.
Ramyeon is instant noodles often served in a hot chilli soup. Seoulites believe in fighting
fire with fire and claim it's a good cure for hangovers.
Pajeon are thick, savoury pancakes the size of pizzas, often filled with spring onions
and seafood. Bindaetteok are just as big and even more filling, made from ground mung
beans with various fillings and fried until a crispy, golden brown - they're best eaten at
Gwangjang Market.