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Monthly Archive for: ‘February, 2016’

Celebrate Jeongwol Daeboreum, the First Full Moon Festival with miss KOREA BBQ! (Feb. 22nd, 2016)

정월 . 대보름

Jeongwol . Daeboreum

First Month of the Lunar Year . Big Full Moon


This February 22nd, 2016 marks the rise of the first full moon of the year, which is celebrated in Korea in the name of Jeongwol Daeboreum.


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Traditionally in Korea, days, months and years came around in a lunar cycle, following the transformation of the moon. For this reason, Jeongwol, the first month in a Lunar year, was the most important time of the year to plan out and secure their fortunes for the entire year ahead.


Moonlight is considered a symbol of a good force that outshines darkness, diseases and misfortune, so Jeongwol Daeborum, when the moon is at its fullest presence and the brightness, became a festive occasion, perfect for the community to gather and ward off misfortune and wish for a prosperous year.


There are various traditions and customs performed during the Jeongwol Daeboreum festival, but let’s explore the most representative cultural FOOD practices you can experience here at miss KOREA BBQ on this year’s Jeongwol Daeboreum on February 22nd, Monday!


On February 22nd, instead of plain white rice, miss KOREA BBQ will serve Ogokbap with your meals to boost balance in your life for the year ahead. To accompany the Ogokbap with even more nutrition and flavor, miss KOREA’s banchan, small complementary side dishes, will be prepared with Ogoknamul and with an addition of a bureom as dessert.


 

Ogokbap


2Ogokbap at miss KOREA BBQ


Made of 5 types of grain and beans, ogokbap usually consists of sticky rice, foxtail millet, sorghum, red beans, and beans. Its grain composition often varies, but generally it is a mix of 5 ingredients that represents the 5 elements of nature by their resembling colors. On Jeongwol Daeboreum, people eat Ogokbap in hopes to achieve balance in life by the spirit of the 5 elements—water, tree, fire, earth and metal—that serve as life’s foundation.

Ogoknamul


3Ogoknamul at miss KOREA BBQ


Ogoknamul, five different mountain vegetables, is common as part of banchan in a Korean meal, but it is believed that eating ogoknamul on Jeongwol Daeborum will help us fend off extreme heat and remain healthy throughout the summer.

Bureom


4Bureom at miss KOREA BBQ


Bureom, hard shelled nuts such as peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts and chest nuts, will also be a new addition as dessert for this special occasion. Traditionally, Korean people start out the morning of Jeongwol Daeboreum by cracking bureom with their teeth, then throwing the shells over the roof wishing for good health.


Eating ogokbap, ogoknamul, and bureom on Jeongwol Daeboreum are all tied to wishful thinking that good fortune and good health will come their way, but they are more than mere superstitious customs.


These practices bear the wisdom of Korean people, as they ate ogokbap, ogoknamul, and bureom to replenish essential nutrients to rebuild a healthy stronghold in the body, weakened from lack of varied food source during the barren winter. Cracking bureom with their teeth was also known to help strengthen their teeth.


Wishing for your best health throughout the year, miss KOREA has adopted the wisdom of Korean ancestors and prepared a nutritious and delicious meal with a combination of ogokbap, ogoknamul and bureom.


Don’t miss Jeongwol Daeboreum, relive the tradition this Monday, February 22nd, at miss KOREA BBQ through the lens of food! Come celebrate the first full moonshine of the Korean lunar year and anticipate a great year for you and your loved ones!


 


Reservation: http://bit.ly/1PDhevo

Open Your Mouth Wide and Eat “SSAM” – It will bring good luck into your life!


miss-korea-bbq-how-to-eat-ssam-final-pork-belly-samgyubsal-8gj40


Photo taken at Miss Korea BBQ in NYC


 


What is SSAM (쌈)?


SSAM, literally meaning “wrapped,”  refers to a dish in Korean cuisine in which usually leafy vegetables such as lettuce are used to wrap a piece of Korean Barbecue. It is often accompanied by a condiment known as ssamjang and can also be topped with raw or cooked garlic, onion, green pepper, or banchan (small side dish) such as kimchi. SSAM is usually bite-sized to avoid spilling out the fillings. Simply, it is a delicious combination of a variety of ingredients, and makes for a healthfully nutritious meal.[1]


History:


“SSAM has been part of Korean cuisine since the Three Kingdoms (57 BC – 668 AD) era. Farmers during work hours used to enjoy wraps with the leafy vegetables from their field. Eating SSAM with namul (vegetables side dish) was a tradition on Jeongwal Daeboreum (“Full Moon in January,” January 15 in lunar calendar, one of the 4 major Korean traditional holidays). They believed that opening one’s mouth wide and eating a big wrap was a symbol of luck coming into their household. Even today, some people believe that the big SSAM should be eaten in one bite for good luck.” [2]


Wrap Types (There are many more but I have chosen 7 for you) :

  • Wrapped with lettuce (Sangchu ssam)
  • Wrapped with napa cabbage leaf (Baechu ssam)
  • Wrapped with chwi ssam (Chwinamul ssam)
  • Wrapped with kimchi (Kimchi ssam)
  • Wrapped with perilla leaf (Kkaenip)
  • Wrapped with gim, seaweed (Gim ssam)
  • Wrapped with pumpkin leaf (Hobakip ssam)


Meat Options:

  • Beef (i.g. Galbi)
  • Pork (i.g. Samgyeopsal)
  • Chicken (i.g. Dakgalbi)
  • Duck (i.g. Sengohrigui)
  • Seafood (i.g. Haemulgui)


How to make “SSAM” (please see the picture above):

  1. Have your plate or cleaned hands ready to make the delicious and healthy “SSAM”
  2. Place the leaf on the plate or on your palm (rip it in half it is too big)
  3. Add salt or a dollop of “SSAMJANG” (a special dipping sauce for “SSAM” – a great way to take advantage of beneficial bacteria in fermented soybean past “doenjang” and hot pepper paste “gochujang”
  4. Add a meat on top
  5. Add sliced green/red peppers
  6. Add sliced raw or roasted garlic
  7. Add seasoned scallion and green chili peppers
  8. Add shredded radish
  9. Add kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage)
  10. Ready to make “SSAM?” then close the wrap
  11. Wrap the whole thing into a neat package (about the size of a golf ball)
  12. Eat it in one bite!


Enjoy your “SSAM” that will bring good luck into your life!


*Personal Tip : Try not to make the whole thing too big because then you’re stuck with two messy options: (1) stuffing it in your mouth or (2) biting into the SSAM and spilling its contents


 

References:
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssam
[2]http://crazykoreancooking.com/print/16


 

Thrillist’s ‘Comprehensive Guide to Korean BBQ Meats’

Thrillists Comprehensive Guide to Korean BBQ Meats at miss KOREA BBQ

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO KOREAN BBQ MEATS

By MICHELLE NO


I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t like Korean barbecue. The diverse textures of the varied cuts of meat and spread of condiments, sauces, and side dishes can certainly appease the pickiest of eaters. Understandably, though, this rainbow of wraps, meats, and pickled things can be confusing to the inexperienced eater.


With the help of miss KOREA BBQ‘s KBBQ authority Seolbin Park, we’ve outlined the cuisine’s cuts below. If questions like, “Is that a sauce or a side dish, and what part of a cow am I chewing on right now?” have kept you from incorporating KBBQ into your weekly dinner rotation, then read on and put down the meatloaf.


And once you’ve done that, read up on the dos and don’ts of eating KBBQ. You’ll be a pro in no time.

Prime rib (unmarinated)


Though Korean BBQ is most closely associated with marinated cuts — like the barbecued short ribs (kalbi) or marinated beef (bulgogi) — the unmarinated varieties are just as frequently ordered. The prime rib isn’t too different from backyard barbecue steaks, except that instead of A.1. sauce, KBBQers dunk their bites in a salt-and-sesame oil mix. Top this cut with scallion salad and soybean paste (doenjang) for a salty, savory dressing.

Pork belly (sam gyeob sal)


Sam gyeob sal, which translates to “three layers of flesh,” is probably what most native eaters think of when they hear “Korean BBQ.” It’s more succulent than bacon, and just salty enough to allow you to consume absurd quantities of it (because that’s what you’ll do) without rubbing the roof of your mouth raw. As for serving suggestions, it’s all about balancing out the grease.


“Pork belly can taste a little too fatty, so you pair it with kimchi,” says Park. “You could dip it in sesame oil, but that’s likely not the best option because it would make the whole thing too oily. Add ssamjang, a slice of garlic, and some scallion salad. Then eat the lettuce in ‘one shot._”


Korean cuisine is surprisingly decent for the health-conscious, and the insistence on nutritional balance is a common culinary trend you’ll notice across all Korean cooking. As Park says, “You always want to balance the meat with veggies.”

Duck


Perhaps the blandest cut in the entire KBBQ oeuvre, grilled duck absolutely needs to be topped with a variety of condiments to enhance the flavor, or else it will kind of just taste like chicken. “The texture and flavor of a marinated perilla leaf goes perfectly with unseasoned duck,” advises Park. Often intensely spicy and bitter, these leaves can be a bit of an acquired taste for non-native diners, but are a must-have for more experienced folk.

Marinated ribeye


“This cut will give your jaw a workout and prove your manliness,” says Park. But it will also be a juicy, greasy burst of flavor. Swipe it in soybean paste (doenjang) to bring out the savory, or just have the hunky thing by itself.

Seasoned chicken


Chicken is not the most popular protein on Korean dinner tables, and that’s probably why you’ll hardly ever find it not marinated. “You don’t need a lot of condiments with seasoned chicken because the meat already combines so many flavors.” Still, a slice of green chili pepper on your romaine leaf might add a refreshing crunch.


I won’t lie; any greens you add at a KBBQ joint are like tomato slices on a cheeseburger — technically “healthy,” but mostly there for texture.

Kalbi


Kalbi, or barbecued beef short rib, is a Korean BBQ restaurant’s staple — the spaghetti and meatballs or chicken tikka masala, so to speak — and you’ll find that each restaurant has a slightly different marinade recipe. The kalbi served at miss KOREA BBQ is “top secret,” but Park did disclose that it contains, as all kalbi marinades do, a mix of “soy sauce, garlic, and meat-tendering fruits.” Served sweet and tender, kalbi is best enjoyed by itself, with rice (which actually serves as just a side dish at most KBBQ tables), or cold buckwheat noodles (naengmyun).

Marinated beef (bulgogi)


Another classic dish, bulgogi, or “fire meat,” is predominantly sweet and chewy, and best had in copious amounts. It’s the kind of barbecued meat that you have with scallion salad — or any other cold, crunchy, green side dish, really — so you can take your mind off the abundant grease about to line your stomach, and focus on the delicious pork gracing your taste buds.

The sauces and fillings


The meat is the meal’s primary flavor source, but half the fun is enhancing the main component with different combinations of sesame oil, umami-packed soybean paste, raw garlic, jalapeño slices, scallion salad, and sprinklings of salt.

The wraps


If there’s one thing that most differentiates Korean BBQ from its American brethren, it’s that KBBQ is best enjoyed wrapped, rather than on its own. Crunchy leaves of romaine lettuce are standard, but your restaurant might even offer bitter perilla leaves (raw or spicy and marinated), or paper-thin squares of rice rolls. Use any of these to 1) contain your meats and sauces in a single, tidy entity and 2) pack as much meat into your body in a two-hour period as you can.