KOREAN FOOOOOOOOOOD!!!

Introduction         

Hi, my name is Benji, and for my blog, I am going to try and make Korean foods. I'm not very good at cooking to be honest, so I thought it would be cool to learn to cook, so that I won't be helpless in the future (also because of this project -_-). I'm also Korean as well, and although I've eaten some Korean foods, I don't know how to make 'em. So let's get cooking! (The book I'll be using is called "Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes," by Robin Ha.)
  

Miyeokguk (Seaweed Soup)

  

So the first meal that I'm going to attempt making, is called Miyeokguk, which translates to "seaweed soup." To be honest, a lot of you might not like it. Essentially it's what the name says it is, soup made with seaweed, which really doesn't sound all that appetizing. But this is something I'd usually have to eat on my birthdays. The book I'm using even says this right on page 94 about this dish as well, "it is also the Korean tradition to eat this soup on birthdays, as a reminder of you mother's hard labor" (Ha 94). This dish serves as a reminder of labor since it is very nutritious, and helps women regain strength after giving birth (Ha 94). But anyways, here are the ingredients from the book.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce of miyeok (dried seaweed),
• 8 ounces of lean beef,
• 6 cloves of peeled garlic,
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil,
• 1 tablespoon of soju (Korean rice liquor),
• 2 tablespoons of gukganjang (light soy sauce),
• and toasted sesame oil for drizzling.
• OPTIONAL: rice, 4 ounces of shiitake mushroom (beef substitute), 1/4 cup of soybean paste.

Materials

There weren't really any specific materials listed in the book, but here are the ones you'll probably end up using (if you ever wanted to make this).

• Two bowls (one big enough to fit 8 cups of water, one to serve with),
• a cup (I used a measuring cup),
• a clock (just if you can't manage time like I can't),
• a knife,
• a cutting board, or someplace to cut your ingredients over,
• a strainer,
• maybe a large spoon (to serve),
• and a large pot.

  

  
  

Steps

1. First of all, you'll probably want to lay all of these ingredients out somewhere near you, so you can use them to cook easily. (and wash your hands!)
2. After laying out your ingredients, you'll want to take your ounce of dried seaweed, and place them in a bowl. Then you should add about eight cups of cold water, and let the seaweed soak for about 30 minutes. "The miyeok will expand and become soft and silky" (Ha 94)
3. Then, once your seaweed has finished soaking, drain it in a strainer, and cut it up into four inch strips. (Ha 94)
4. Then take out your beef and garlic. Cut the beef into small cubes and mince the garlic.
5. At this time you'll want to add your beef into your large pot with your garlic, one tablespoon of soy sauce, and tablespoon of soju (personally I didn't use the rice liquor, as we didn't really have it available). Then place your pot on a stove, and turn the heat to high. Saute (fry) your beef for around five minutes (Ha 95).
6. After those five minutes, add in your seaweed and another tablespoon of soy sauce. Stir for a couple of minutes. This is to "allow the miyeok to soak up the beef flavor" (Ha 95). 
7. Then, you'll want to add eight cups of water into the pot, and switch the heat to medium. Let it boil for 20 minutes (Ha 95).



Soaking seaweed





Need a bit of work on my cutting



Stirring ingredients in pot



Adding water, letting it boil

8. Now you're finished! Hooray! Maybe you'll regret your decision, or maybe you're super excited! Either way, pour your soup into a bowl, and if you want, drizzle some sesame oil. Now, it is ready to serve.

Miyeokguk/Seaweed Soup

My hand!!! (personal image requirement)

How do you eat it?

Well usually, from my experience, you just eat it like a regular old soup. You can also eat it with rice if you want, or with other side dishes (called "banchan" in Korean) like kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage) or something.

How does it taste?

Again, I have to admit that this soup might not really taste good the first time or even anytime you try it. It's sort of an "acquired" taste, and probably the only reason I'm fine with it is because I've eaten this thing since I was a kid. But even then, you just might not like it, whether it's the taste, smell, presentation, or whatever. For example, my brother and dad HATE this meal, and to them, come birthday time, it's more of a chore to eat seaweed soup then it is a delicacy. 

Summary

Overall, I really liked the steps in the book for making this meal. Again, I'm not a skilled chef or anything, so I really liked the straightforwardness of the recipe. Next time, I probably would add just a little salt, since without any, it was just a little bland. Although "miyeokguk" might not be something that everyone will enjoy, I definitely still had some fun making it, and I'm sure you might too! Thanks so much for reading, and seeya next time!

Here are a few questions:

• Would you be willing to try out or make this Korean dish?
• Why or why not?
• What would you change about this recipe?
• Which ingredient grosses you out the most?

Bibliography

          Ha, Robin. Cook Korean!: A Comic Book with Recipes. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2016. Print.