East Asian Delights...

On my first trip to Korea, I have literally freaked out on the food here. While enjoying the local delights, it was also interesting to figure out how geopolitics and migrations have shaped the cuisine that locals have...

My peek into Korean cuisine came at breakfast today, when I was kind of spoilt for choice and was absolutely stunned to see unusual stuff beyond the usual Korean stereotype of kimchi...

Anchovies with peanuts, kimchi, dried seaweed and smoked black beans...

Korean janchi soup...

Condiments for the janchi soup...

My favourite - sauteed mushrooms, but instead of button mushrooms, we have an exotic variety of saesongii mushrooms...

Another East Asian delight - fermented soyabean or natto...

So finally get down to eat - besides dumplings, I took some stir-fried vegetables and saesongii mushrooms. These mushrooms are said to be rich in Vitamin C. The dumplings clearly show the cultural influence that China has had on the Korean peninsula...

Here comes my janchi soup. Made of thin noodles cooked in an anhcovy broth, the soup is a great way to start the day. It shakes you and wakes you up, with its warmth and discernible flavours. To add a bit of colour and flavour, scallions, kimchi, seaweed and thin strips of fried egg was added...

And here's more...

Here are the natto, seaweed, smoked black beans, anchovies and kimchi...

The natto and kimchi are interesting examples of how Koreans coped with the long harsh winters - these are preserved foods prepared to last the season where nothing grows and nutrition is scarce...

And seaweed is a cheap yet abundant nutrition available around Korea's vast coastline...

The influence of Japan is clear in the miso soup - made of a fish stock called dashi into which softened miso (fermented soya bean paste), my miso soup also had extremely fine and delicate mushrooms...

A spicy seafood soup in a fishy broth. You can baby octopuses, tofu, spinach and corn with a bit of noodles...

It is said that Koreans eat live octopuses as well, which are a potential choking hazard when when the suction cups stick to the oesophagus. Now I am not sure if I eat an octopus live...

Ingredients for the soup...

A less spicier version of the seafood soup...

Gimbap, is Korea's version of a Japanese sushi variant norimaki. Introduced to Korea during the Japanese occupation from 1910 to 1945, the norimaki has been rechristened gimbap with distinct traditional Korean flavors. Thy now use sesame oil, instead of rice vinegar. Some variants of gimbap use kimchi and bulgogi - barbecued beef...

Sashimi, another Japanese influence called hwareo hoe by the Koreans...

Here I have my sampling of  hwareo hoe - raw seafood slices with condiments...

Grilled pork belly and sirloin - the Koreans are fantastic with their barbecues...

Salmon, roasted pork and Korean condiments - heavenly...

And the heartiest of all Korean meals - bibimbap - warm sticky rice with vegetables, chunks of meat and gochujang - a fermented hot pepper paste...

Gochujang's ingredients are red chili powder, glutinous rice powder mixed with powdered fermented soybeans and salt. All this is fermented in underground vats for months if not years and this what gives the condiment its bite. It seems gochujang has evolved over the centuries as peppers were introduced to Korea in the 1800s...

If you're in Asia, tea is bound to follow you everywhere you go. And here I have the goodness of green tea in the twin scoops of the delightful ice cream, along with a stiff espresso - the Koreans love their coffee, clearly an influence coming in with the Americans...

Indeed there is more to Korean food than what can be discovered in the sterile environs of a hotel. And that calls for another trip to Korea, hopefully sometime in the near future...