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Raengmyun in Pyongyang

Published August 3rd, 2007 in Food Culture. 15 Comments

I got an interesting email from one of my readers, Paul, the other day. It was about his food experience in Pyongyang. So naturally it drew my attention (I’ve never been to North Korea before. Have you?). His description about the Raengmyun (Naengmyun for North Korean) he had was very descriptive and he also kindly attached some photos for us to share.

The restaurant he visited is called “Okryugwan (옥류관) “, one of the landmarks in North Korea, and is located near Daedong river.

Okryugwan0803

(Photo from news.naver.com)

North Korean food is generally known to have a purer and clearer taste than South Korean food. If you are used to the artificial taste of some other food, it might taste quite bland.

Here are some photos of what Paul had and his description about them. Thanks Paul for sharing your experience with us.

Raengmyun0803

(Raengmyun in a brass bowl - Brassware is one of the Korean traditional dishes and apparently it keeps cold food cold and warm food warm. )

The noodles arrived extremely cold and contained a chewy texture. The buckwheat hulls would separate and offered great texture contrast while chewing. The broth was very mild, not salty nor “meaty” flavored but pure and clean.

Sauce0803

The mustard and hot pepper condiments are house made. The mustard packed a great punch, but just enough so the noodles natural flavor came through. The red pepper sauce is a winner and combined both sweet and aromatics, one of the best in my memory. Finally vinegar, was just that, white vinegar most likely vegetable as the smell was quite mild.

Tangpyongchae0803

(I am guessing this is one of the side dishes. It looks like Tangpyongchae - mung bean jelly with beef and egg topping. Is that right, Paul ?)

The many kimchi varieties in Pyongyang tasted to be quite sweet and mild and did not contain heavy amounts of garlic. I learned that this is a Pyongyang characteristic with Kimchi. Truly an eye-opening experience!

If you would like to share your unique Korean food experience with us, please send me an email (sue at mykoreankitchen.com) with photos.

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Difference Between Bibim Naengmyun and Bibim Guksu

Published June 3rd, 2007 in Food Culture and Korean Food F.A.Q. 12 Comments

If you started to wonder what is different between bibim naengmyun and bibim guksu when you read my bibim guksu post the other day, I wouldn’t be surprised. I wasn’t quite sure which one is more accurate as the title either.

Here is a beautiful picture of bibim naengmyun taken by Evil jungle prince and compare it with my bibim guksu picture. Have a close look. Can you tell what the difference is? Not including the toppings?

bibim naengmyun 0602

(Bibim Naengmyun)

Bibim Guksu05291

(Bibim Guksu)

As far as I know, the main difference is “the noodles”. Naemyun noodles are usually made of buckwheat flour, sweet potato starch or potato starch. They are very resilient and relatively harder to cut with your teeth.

On the other hand, guksu noodles are usually made of wheat flour and sometimes something else added like the soba noodles I used for my bibim guksu (The noodles had 69% wheat flour and 29% buckwheat flour).

I prefer guksu noodles over naengmyun noodles because they are easier to chew, therefore less messy to eat and feels easy on my stomach. What about you?

Here is some information on naengmyun if you are interested.

mulnaengmyun0602

(Mul naengmyun, photo from hankooki.com)

Types of Korean Naengmyun

  • Pyongyang naengmyun - Mul naengmyun, served in cold watery radish kimchi broth, the noodles are usually 70% buckwheat flour and 30% starch powder
  • Hamhung naengmyun - Bibim naengmyun, served in spicy seasoning without the broth, the noodles are usually 100% potato starch.
  • Busan style Milmyun - the noodles are are usually 70% wheat flour and 30% starch powder

milmyun0602

(Type of Milmyun, photo from Gaya milmyun)

Related posts

Instant Cold Noodles in Broth (Mul Naengmyun)

Buckwheat Noodles (Memil Guksu in Korean)

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Steamed Cabbage Rice Wraps (Yangbaechu Ssambap)

Published April 26th, 2007 in Rice Meals and Food Culture. 8 Comments

Steamed Cabbage Rice Wraps (Yangbaechu Ssambap)1

It’s Autumn here in Australia. But still in my mind April means spring, with lots of beautiful flower blossoms and also more fresh herbs to make Namul banchan (seasoned vegetables or herbal side dishes) or Ssam (wraps) - in Korea that is.

Are you familiar with Ssam? Ssam means any wrapped food in edible leaves or wet seaweed like kombu. If you had meat in lettuce at a Korean restaurant that is called Ssam as well.

One type of Ssam I love is Ssambap (쌈밥). Ssambap is wrapped rice in edible leaves or some leafy seaweed. It is known as a healthy diet meal, because lettuce (or cabbage) makes you feel satisfied sooner. However, the material that is contained in lettuce, called lactcarium, can make you sleepy after the meal, so we need to watch out for that.

There are also some Korean restaurants specializing in Ssambap. They have a menu called “Ssambap Jeongsik” (consider this as Ssambap combo) which includes various kinds of leaves with dipping sauce, several side dishes, soup or stew and Jeyuk bokkum (stir fried spicy pork). Man, my mouth starts to water thinking of these already.

Steamed Cabbage Rice Wraps - Jeyuk Bokkum

(Homemade Jeyuk Bokkum - January 2007 )

The key point of making delicious Ssambap is making delicious Ssamjang, the dipping sauce. Every restaurant has their own secret recipe for this. Me? I don’t have a secret recipe, I am not a specialist at this. However I found a simple and interesting recipe from the free recipe book that came with a magazine.

The dipping sauce turned out sweet but also a bit spicy. But to be honest, it might go better as a Bibimbap sauce rather than as a dipping sauce. Yet give it a try! You never know how you might feel about it.

Ingredients

-Cabbage wraps (for 2 people)

  • 600g steamed cabbage
  • Steamed plain rice

-Ssamjang (enough to serve 6-8 people)

  • 1 cup of Korean chili paste (Gochujang)
  • 100g beef mince
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp grated Nashi pear (or Korean pear)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey

-Marinade sauce for beef mince (mix these well)

  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp minced green shallots
  • little ground black pepper

Method

Steamed Cabbage Rice Wraps (Yangbaechu Ssambap)2

  1. Marinade the beef mince with the marinade sauce, leave it for 5 minutes.
  2. Pre heat the wok on high heat for 10-20 seconds then add 1 tbsp of sesame oil in the wok.
  3. Add the marinade beef and stir it fast.
  4. When the meat is nearly cooked add the pear and stir it.
  5. Add the Gochujang and stir it occasionally for about 6-10 minutes on medium heat.
  6. Add the sesame oil, sugar, and honey, then stir.
  7. Turn the heat off.
  8. Serve the Ssamjang (dipping sauce) with steamed cabbage and rice or you can make the roll then serve.

Note : When you serve the Ssamjang, you should scoop out an adequate amount for the size of the meal. You can store the rest of the sauce in a sealed container in the fridge. It should last for at least a month.

Related Post

Stir Fried Gochujang and Simple Bibimbap

Some recipes for Ssambap combo

-Side dishes

Thinly Sliced Radish Kimchi

Fish Cake Stir Fry (Eomuk-Japchae in Korean)

Simmered Lotus in Soy sauce (Yeon-gn Jorim)

Seasoned Green Bean Sprouts (Sukju Namul Muchim in Korean)

-Soup

Tofu Soybean Paste Stew (Dubu Doenjangjjigae in Korean)

Pork and Kimchi Stew (Dwaejigogi Kimchijjigae in Korean)

-Meat

Marinatied Pork Stir Fry with Gochujang sauce (Jeyuk-bokkeum)

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