Korean Food and Utensils

     On 27th February, we (my group mates and I) paid our first visit to a Korean restaurant located in Ampang. Among those hundreds of Korean restaurants we have had in Malaysia, we had chosen Jal Dae Ji located in the Korean Village.
     By visiting the Korean Village, I believe we can have a better observation in how Korean live their lives and of course for the sake of some real and unique Korean cuisine. Why would I mention the word "unique" to describe the commercial Korean food? Aren't restaurants all like Mc. Donalds, Pizza Hut, and K.F.C in which all their franchises have the standard identical taste? After visiting the Korean Village, I can assure that each restaurant in that community has different recipes for Kim Chi, which means no two restaurants have the identical taste in their foods. The owner which is also a Korean had recommended a couple dishes to us which included Sam Gyuop Sal (Strips of Pork Belly Barbecued), Mok Dung Sim (Grilled Pork Loin), Kim Chi Jji Gae (Kimchi Soup), and Tteok Bkokki (Fried Rice Cake).

Free gift!! Pajeon- Korean Omelette

Banchan- Korean small dishes

Sam Gyuop Sal- Strips of Pork Belly Barbecued

Mok Dung Sim- Grilled Pork Loin

Kim Chi Jji Gae- Kim Chi Soup

Tteok Bkokki- Fried Rice Cake

     First of all, I would like to thank the owner for a free dish. He gave us a free plate of Pajeon as our appetizer. Pajeon is usually served as the appetizer in Korean restaurants because of its light taste comparing to those heavily sauced Korean foods. Pajeon is Korean omelette with spring onions and chives. Banchan, the small dishes of food served along with cooked rice, came before our first and second dish- Sam Gyuop Sal (Strips of Pork Belly Barbecued) and Mok Dung Sim (Grilled Pork Loin). Utilizing charcoal to replace gas is believed to be the reason that the owner highly recommended their Korean barbecue to us. Expectantly, both the marinated Grilled Pork Belly and Pork Loin have its great smoky flavor and a beautiful charcoal-grilled look. Later, came our Kim Chi Jji Gae (Kim Chi Soup) and Tteok Bkokki (Fried Rice Cake). Their Kim Chi Soup is not as sour when compare to other restaurants in their neighborhood, as I have mentioned above, no two restaurants have the same recipe for Kim Chi that distinguishes the taste of the soup. The owner told us that it is his mother who make the Kim Chi, so I assume that he says, "there is no two mothers cook the same taste for the same food." Kim Chi is a traditional fermented Korean dishes made of vegetables with varied seasonings. According to tradition, Korean have to ferment vegetables to consume in the winter season as there will be less vegetable crops to harvest during the winter season. Their Fried Rice Cake is a bit spicy, and this is not surprising as most Korean like spicy foods.Overall, I think Korean food are slightly heavy as in taste. It is quite different with Chinese foods as Chinese focusing more on bringing out the original taste of the ingredients, for example, the freshness and sweetness of fish.
     After checking out from Jal Dae Ji, we walked around the community and found a grocery store. We found Songpyeon, a traditional Korean food made of glutinous rice, and it is eaten during the Korean autumn festival. Similarly, Songpyeon is what Chinese known as moon cake. Last but not least, we noticed that the Korean Ginseng Tea were on sale! The owner told us that she has been very proud of her own country ginseng as their production of ginseng is well-known all around the world for its good quality.
     When it comes to utensils part, Korean have been more particular about it. They have different utensils when serving different kind of cuisine. In the video I interviewed with Mr. Kang, the owner of the Korean restaurant, he told us that the chopsticks and spoons that Chinese use are different with theirs in the way of its length, shape, and functions. Chinese chopsticks are shorter compared to Korean chopsticks, and the shape of Korean chopsticks are square while Chinese chopsticks are round. The function differs its shape as Korean need longer chopsticks for easier picking up Banchan, yet Chinese use the chopsticks for eating rice. The spoons for Korean are longer and thinner compared to Chinese spoons. It is because that Korean eat rice with spoon, so they need a longer and thinner spoon to scoop up rice. In order to serve the Dol Sot Bi Bim Bab (Stone Rice), Korean create the Ddukbaekee, a Korean cooking pot made by earth soil with a layer of air inside, to serve the soup and Stone Rice.

     After this trip, I have a strong feeling for Korean friendliness. Although Korean are mostly shy in expression, but they are willing to help. We really feel grateful for the seriousness of Mr Kang when we were interviewing him. Despite his weakness in speaking English, we have seen and feel that he was very serious while trying to explain his culture to us. We really appreciate the help from the owner and his free dish to us.

Written by: Catherine Goh HuiLoon