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"Have you eaten rice?"

Korean cuisine and the importance of rice

By Jenifer NimPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
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No, they’re not actually asking if you have eaten rice, although that is the literal translation. In fact, “밥 먹었어요?” (Bap meogeoseoyo?) is a common way of asking, “How are you?” And you should answer “네 먹었어요.” (Nae meogeoseoyo – “Yes, I have eaten.”) Even though you’re not actually talking about eating at all. Confused?

The aftermath of the Korean War was extremely difficult as the country had been devastated by the conflict. Well into the 1960s, food, particularly white rice, was very scarce. In those tough times, it became common to greet people and enquire after their welfare by asking if they had eaten. After a couple of decades, it became part of the language.

Although there are no longer food shortages in South Korea, asking if someone has eaten rice is still a typical way of showing care and concern for others. I like to think that it also shows the significance of food and cooking in South Korean culture. Because believe me, the cuisine is one-of-a-kind.

In 2019, I visited Seoul for a week’s holiday with my sister. I didn’t know much about the country other than it was a high-tech, modern Asian country with great skincare and a big music scene, but I love to go to new places and discover new things, so off we went.

I had never tried Korean food before, and I had never even seen a Korean restaurant in the UK. Chinese, Indian, Japanese, even Vietnamese cuisine is all pretty common in cities around Britain now, but Korean is still something of a mystery to us.

My God, we have seriously been missing out. Korean food is unbelievably delicious. It is usually spicy, often sweet, and always accompanied by a wide array of little side dishes. The tastes and the textures are distinctive and totally unique. Although there are elements common to other Asian cuisines like noodles, cabbage, white rice, soy sauce, Korean cuisine is truly unlike anything else.

Korean BBQ and selection of accompaniments

We didn’t speak any Korean, and most restaurateurs didn’t speak a lot of English. Luckily, I’m not a fussy eater, so I’m happy to point and gesture and look at pictures and other people’s plates and try whatever comes my way. Although this doesn’t always work out perfectly (I’m thinking of the time we ordered half a duck in Shanghai and received, literally, a duck chopped right down the middle, bones, beak, organs and all), in Seoul I was delighted with every single meal I tried.

There was nothing I didn’t enjoy eating in Korea, but one particular dish stood out. In fact, it was so delicious that I begged my sister to go back a second time before we left – same restaurant, same meal, same exact order. (I have never eaten in the same place twice while travelling as I like to try as much food as possible and something new every time, so you know this place was special.)

The dish that captured my heart and my stomach is called 닭갈비 – dak galbi. It’s a spicy chicken and rice stir fry made with the ubiquitous and inimitable gochujang, a sweet and spicy fermented chili paste added to many Korean dishes to provide that unique flavour. It’s essentially marinated chicken, ricecakes, cooked rice and vegetables, mixed together on one giant hotplate.

Gochujang

We spotted the place when walking down a bustling shopping street near our hostel, and through the large glass windows we saw it was jam-packed with young, trendy Koreans and assumed it must be amazing. We wandered in and were seated on a table with a hotplate in the middle, and the waiter swiftly brought a picture book for our perusal.

We pointed out some chicken and vegetables, and were bemused when we turned a page to find mozzarella. However, we saw cheese flying out of the kitchen and onto various tables around us, so we decided to copy what everybody else was doing. Best decision we ever made. The mozzarella melted into the rice and chicken, binding it all together into one sweet, spicy, cheesy, gooey, delectable dish. Perfection.

The meal had such an impact on me that one of the first things I did when I was back in London was seek out an Asian grocery store and buy a pot of their finest gochujang. I’d never really been an adventurous cook before and used to stick to simple British fare. If I enjoyed a particular meal on my travels, there was usually a restaurant not too far away where I could find it again.

The lack of Korean restaurants in the UK and the sheer deliciousness of everything I tasted there really influenced my relationship with food and cooking, and it led me to explore and experiment and try to recreate some of the meals I had enjoyed so much.

Dak galbi was the first Korean dish I attempted. I found a recipe online, though I couldn’t find all the ingredients, and gave it a go. It wasn’t really anything like the dish I’d eaten in that busy restaurant in Myeongdong, but it was pretty tasty nonetheless.

I continued to adjust and experiment, a process of trial and error until I found a version I was happy with. It’s not a patch on the original, and my recipe would probably horrify most Koreans, but I like to think of it as an homage and a tribute to that wonderful restaurant.

Now that I’m happy with my version, I often make it for friends and family to introduce them to Korean food, culture and history. For many years, South Korea was forcibly overshadowed by its larger neighbours China and Japan, and it is not very well known in the UK. It has a long, proud, fascinating, and sometimes sad history, but our school curriculum and TV documentaries tend to focus on Europe. Through cooking dak galbi, I try to honour the country I fell in love with and spread awareness of Korea’s culture and cuisine.

At the end of last year, I decided to become an English language teacher and apply for a job in South Korea. After a few months of studying, many hours filling in visa documents, and an agonising six-month wait when they suspended issuing visas to applicants from the UK because of a surge in COVID cases, I am finally here!

As soon as I’m allowed out of quarantine, I’m going to go back to that dak galbi restaurant. And if that doesn’t persuade you to give this recipe a try, then I don’t know what will.

Recipe:

Main ingredients:

  • Chicken thigh fillets (or breast if you prefer)
  • Korean ricecakes
  • Vegetables (traditionally sweet potato, carrot and cabbage, although I like to add whatever other Asian vegetables I can get my hands on)
  • Cooked rice
  • Mozzarella (optional, but why wouldn’t you?!)
  • Cooking oil

Marinade:

  • 3 tablespoons of gochujang
  • 2 tablespoons of rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of grated/finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of grated/finely chopped ginger
  • ½ a small onion, grated/finely chopped

Method:

  1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix together thoroughly.
  2. Chop the chicken into bitesize pieces, add them to the bowl of sauce and make sure they are coated. As always, marinate for as long as you can! Overnight is best, but do it for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Pre-cook your rice so it is ready to be added to the dish.
  4. Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add oil.
  5. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables and rice cakes, and then the chicken and marinade sauce on top.
  6. Cook on a medium-high heat for around 4 minutes, then reduce to medium-low for another 12-15 minutes until everything is fully cooked through. Keep stirring frequently to make sure it doesn’t burn onto the bottom of the pan.
  7. Add the rice and make sure it is coated in the sauce and fully heated.
  8. Add the mozzarella and cook for another few minutes until it is fully melted and the dish is stuck together.
  9. Serve and enjoy!

cuisine
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About the Creator

Jenifer Nim

I’ve got a head full of stories and a hard drive full of photos; I thought it was time to start putting them somewhere.

I haven’t written anything for many, many years. Please be kind! 🙏

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