Namdaemun 남대문 Great Southern Gate

Namdaemun 남대문 or Great Southern Gate - Seoul, South Korea

This was taken in 2007 before the gate was burned by a mentally unstable man. The Southern Gate is considered the first cultural treasure of South Korea. I'm glad to have visited it before it was damaged. Restoration work is underway. It is scheduled to be completed in 2012.

Korean Seaweed Soup Miyeok Guk 미역국 Pt 3

Some cultural notes on miyeok guk.

Korea is surrounded by seas on three out of four sides. The brown seaweed is plentiful and very high quality. It's mostly dried for later use.

Miyeok guk is eaten after childbirth. It's very good for the mother's health and promotes milk production. Because of this, it is traditionally served on the 100 day celebration (백일) of a birth and all subsequent birthdays. In the past, fathers-in-law would go to the market and buy the best quality miyeok available in hopes of getting a grandson. There was even a superstition that folding or breaking the seaweed would cause a difficult pregnancy.

BTW, I don't usually eat miyeok in soup. At H-Mart in Lynnwood, a wonderful cold salad is sold with vinegar, sugar, red onions and shreds of crab surimi. I don't get enough of that stuff.

Korean Seaweed Soup Miyeok Guk 미역국 Pt 2

I made another batch of soup using a different recipe. This was based on chicken broth and chicken breast. In addition to the chicken, it also had medium firm tofu. The rest of the ingredients and method were similar to the beef version. I used American canned chicken broth that is low in sodium. I dilute with the same amount of water.
I added more salt at the table.

Miyeok guk can also be based on a seafood broth and ingredients.


Miyeok is bought in bags. The photo shows two examples. The writing in red on the upper bag is miyeok in Korean. 미역 This is what you need to look for at the store.
Dry miyeok is very dark, bone dry and brittle. If not using the whole bag, I try to separate the pieces instead of cutting it because cutting produces a lot of little pieces.


Here's the miyeok after it has soaked for 10 minutes.
Here's a big piece of seaweed. A lot of the pieces have a seam that should be cut off. On this piece it runs along the top. I use a sharp paring knife but it can also be torn off.

After the seams are cut, the large pieces should be cut into smaller pieces.

Korean Seaweed Soup Miyeok Guk 미역국 Pt 1

Here is an easy version of Miyeok Guk.

It includes beef, soy sauce garlic, sesame oil, black pepper, light beef broth and seaweed. Sliced green onions are used to garnish it.

Combine the sliced beef with crushed garlic, soy sauce, 1/2 of the sesame oil and some ground black pepper.

After letting the beef marinate, heat up the other half of the oil in a pot and brown the beef. Add the broth and seaweed and simmer (lightly boil) for up to 15 minutes.

The finished soup is ladled into individual bowls and then garnished with the green onion.

I'll add some cultural and cooking notes with the next post.

Comments are welcome but also moderated.

Super Pho and Teriyaki - Mount Vernon, WA

I had a nice meal with Paul, my HK student. I'll write more this weekend.

You can click on this or most any other picture to enlarge it.

Super Pho and Teriyaki - Mount Vernon, WA

Great news!! A new pho restaurant is opening in the near future. I called today 12/1 and they said it should be open tomorrow. :) It replaces Tokyo Stop on 2nd Street in Downtown Mount Vernon. I'll try it as soon as it's open and give my impressions.



Here's a link to their website with location and menu. I love that they have lots of combos.

http://www.superphoandteriyaki.com/

Pho at Thai House - Mount Vernon, WA

The weather turned today. It was cool and very rainy. On the way home I stopped downtown at the Thai House to have a bowl of pho. Of course, pho is a Vietnamese soup, not Thai. I've had their version quite a few times. It's not 100% authentic but it's pretty good and it's the only pho in Mount Vernon (perhaps Skagit County).

Here's a site to learn how to pronounce the word pho. It doesn't rhyme with hoe.

http://www.lovingpho.com/pho-opinion-editorial/how-to-pronounce-pho/

A bowl of pho at Thai House is $8.99. This is a bit more expensive than most pho restaurants. I eat at Pho 99 in Bellingham and their large is $2 or 3$ dollars less.

The lunch specials are a good value. I come here with co-workers every so often. I usually order the phad thai if I'm not getting the pho. My boss and the purchasing manager like the green papaya salad.

The first thing to show up at the table is a plate with Thai basil, jalapeno rings, bean sprouts and a lime wedges. These are all meant to be added to the soup to suit your preference. I always put in the basil and lime juice. Not so much with the bean sprouts and jalapeno.

The sauces are hoisen and sriracha red chili. They are also meant to be added to the broth.

And then the soup shows up. It's a piping hot beef broth with rice noodles, slices of rare beef and garnished with cilantro and sliced green onions.

The broth is seasoned with various spices. The one time I made this with a Vietnamese friend, I remember that we used star anise and ginger that had been charred on a stove top burner.
Add the basil, lime, sprouts, sauces and jalapeno and dig in.

Instead of putting the sauces in the soup, I learned a custom from a northern Viet student who had learned the custom in turn from southern Viet students. I mix the sauces on a plate and dip the meat in it.

In a pho restaurant, the slices of eye of round are just one of the choices. I usually get a combination that includes round steak, tendon, tripe and then some fatty, well cooked beef.