Korea Roundup III: Charcoal-Grilled Bulgoki, Wholewheat Kimchi Crepes and the Comfiest of Comfort Food in a Stinky Bowl of Stew

Here is my third and last entry on my Korea roundup series. I usually go to Marohwajeok for excellent bulgoki, marinated beef slices cooked tableside, ideally on charcoal. But my dear sister introduced me to Gondeuraejib, a rustic joint close to a hiking trail that served a great version at a fraction of the price.

What I loved about this bulgoki was the way it was marinated so lightly and yet was bursting with flavor. That's what I liked about Marohwajeok's version -- the fact that it wasn't dripping with the soy sauce-based marinade and tasted perfectly seasoned. But if it isn't salty enough for you, you have the option of dipping it in a soy sauce-based sauce with some onions and buchu, a type of thin scallion.

And the charcoal grill brought out the best of the meat, that was also a lot less fatty than the usual bulgoki meats. Big thumbs up.

Another specialty of this place is its namesake gondeurae namulbab, which is essentially bibimbap except you only use a single green, gondeurae in this case, to mix in the rice. The green doesn't have a translation that I could find but it's usually dried soon after harvest and soaked again for reuse. It is a regional delicacy from the east coast part of South Korea, or Kangwon Province.

The beauty of this simple dish is they cook the rice with the greens so they can penetrate their flavors throughout the grain. Then add a dollop of ssamjang that includes fermented soy bean paste and red pepper paste, drizzle some sesame oil and voila, you've got a delicious veggie bowl right there.

I loved the taste of the nutty greens mixed in with the rice, that I could tell was great quality rice that had been perfectly cooked so it wasn't overcooked (mushy) or undercooked (hard and grainy). I also loved the banchan, or side dishes, that included tofu blocks that made me appreciate once again what I can't get in LA -- that is, this kind of deep soy bean flavor that's so rich and pure and not available in any store-bought tofus in LA.

I wasn't blown away by Jirisan, a restaurant specializing in hanjungshik in Insadong. They do set meals with banchan and some protein dishes like grilled fish and pancakes. The dishes that caught my eye and my stomach were: a wholewheat crepe filled with kimchi and some pickled perilla leaves that was a wonderful surprise that I had never tasted before; a type of seaweed smothered and "seasoned" with mashed tofu. Very interesting texture and flavor I'd like to try replicating at home.

Another spot I liked was Hengbokhan Cheonggukjang (행복한 청국장) that serves, you got it, cheonggukjang. It's not an attractive looking dish by any means and it could be called the stinky cousin to duenjang, which already packs a potent punch.

It's hard to explain the appeal of cheonggukjang, which is one of the most comforting soups ever. Period. Plus, it's incredibly healthy. Some have compared it to nato in Japan but that wouldn't do it justice and as far as I know, I don't think nato is used in a soup. Also, Japanese miso is a lot milder than Korean versions. It's just a matter of pairings -- sometimes you crave milder soup and sometimes you want something that knocks you out with sodium and balances out a more bland side dish.

Another cool thing about this restaurant was that we could liberally mix the side dishes of bean sprouts, radishes and radish stems into the rice, add a little soup from the cheonggukjang and you've got yourself a bowl of bibimbap again. The possibilities and variations are endless!
I didn't love this next meal at Neulbom Wellbom (늘봄 웰봄) in its entirety but I loved the stone pot rice with all those goodies and the beautiful presentation of how the rice arrives at your table, complete with adorable wooden lid. I want one!

I also liked the raw squid side dish that smothers raw squid pieces with garlic, red pepper paste and sesame oil and seeds. What's not to like? Hard to find good ones in LA.

Then the dodorimook, or acorn jelly that I mentioned in my last post was not bad in this restaurant, drizzled with some soy sauce, red pepper flakes and chopped green onions.

The finale of the stone pot is also my favorite part of the meal -- when they pour some hot water and let the hot stone pot do the work and bring out all the slightly toasted rice flavors out to create the smokiest, nuttiest soongnyoong, or toasted rice water. It's also up there on my comfort food/drink list. Go ahead and scrape away that spoon against the stone pot to get all the toasted bits out. They're the best part of the noorungji, toasted rice in hot water.

I had reviewed Dubu Maeul from my last trip to Korea where I had good kalgooksu, or hand-made noodles in a chicken or dried anchovy broth with some vegetables. I had sooyuk this time around, which is slow cooked beef or pork where they are so soft and tender they melt in your mouth. Yes, it's a cliche but true. It was a revelation. They actually tasted like beef (it used the famed Korean beef known as hanwoo) and so incredibly soft. I would love to make this dish at home as well. It seems so simple and yet it's probably very involved as far as aromatics and getting the length of cooking time right.

I also liked the memilmook side dish this place offered. Similar to the acorn jelly above, this is jelly except made from buckwheat, that incidentally was a delicacy of the east coast region I visited during by my stay. The memilmook is a bit milder than the dodorimook (acorn jelly) but the toppings here were more complex, including aged chopped up kimchi, shredded seaweed and chopped green onions. This is the type of down home food I miss and can't get in LA. Boy, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record so I'll stop. Farewell Korea for now -- I'll miss the wonderful eats I've had! What was your favorite meal from Korea or a recent trip?

Hengbokhan Cheonggukjang (행복한 청국장)
(02) 400-3392
Dayoon Building A dong
Karakdong 160-3
Songpaku, Seoul

Neulbom Wellbom (늘봄 웰봄)
(031) 783-2808
Jeongja 1 dong 6
Bundangku Seungnamshi
Kyunggido