[KOREAN TASTE] 'Gahm Ja Tang' (Potato Stew)

The direct translation of 'Gahm Ja Tang' is 'Potato Stew'. However, the food's main ingredient is pork bones with meats. It has potatoes in it. But, Koreans enjoy the meat around the bones.

This dish is a great example of 'closer to the bones, sweeter the meat'. You might find you are struggling with bones to dig out the meats. But, after the short struggle, you will enjoy the taste of the pork, tendered and seasoned well with the soup.

The soup of the stew is based on 'bean paste', the product of very complex fermentation of soy beans. And, a lot of vegetables are put into the soup, and mixed with juice from the bones and meat to complete this delicious stew.

Usually, when the stew is served to a table, it is precooked without fresh vegetables. And, on the table, fresh vegetables are placed on the top of the precooked. Then you have to wait until the stew is boiled properly.

Most Koreans start eat the stew by tasting the soup during boiling. The soup is very tasty with some hint of sweetness and sourness mixed with great meat & bone broth. So the soup itself becomes a great companion for 'Soju' naturally. ('Soju' is Korean version of Vodka.)

Then when the stew is completed, you can start dig in the meats, potatoes and vegetables along with clean tasting 'Soju'. And, after the meats and vegetables are gone, you can still enjoy the soup. If you are still hungry, the most restaurants give you a bowl of steamed rice to eat with the soup.

If you are traveling Korea, or living with a place close to Korean communities in your country, look for a luck to find good Korean friends to take you to a restaurant serving 'Gahm Ja Tang'. This dish represents Korean tastes in many ways. And, I am sure you will enjoy every part of the food. Just don't forget you have to order 'Soju' to complete the new experience. I wish for your luck.

[KOREAN TASTE] Homemade Tofu

Special Homemade Tofu

The best way of tasting homemade tofu is 'not cooking'. Eat as it is with some kind of sauce and/or garnish.
Then the dish becomes a delicacy of simplicity. If the tofu was made with roughly ground beans, you can feel soybean taste as it is.
My favorite way to enjoy 'uncooked' tofu is to have with fast fried Kimchi next to it.
Just chop Kinchi and pan fry with some oil and butter if you like. If you want, you can fry with thin sliced pork. But, I wouldn't recommend it when you having real high quality tofu. Because if the fried Kimchi has too much flavor, you can't taste tofu well.
The photo is the dish I had a month ago with my friend. We went out of Seoul to enjoy food and drink. And, we ended up to step in a restaurant serving homemade tofu with its villages special soybean variety.
We enjoyed a lot: simple clean taste with great Kimchi and SOJU.