Healthy Korean Fare Part I

Last month, i had the chance to visit a country with very delicious and easy looking food. Sure, it tastes a little bland for a frequent laksa and KFC eater staying in the 'salty and oily' land of Singapore !

Today i will share some photos and description of the quintessential Korean fare that i had the privilege of trying out over there in Korea.

First up is a series of 3 photos of what i would call DIY fried rice, Korean style. I had this right at the base of Naejangsan National Park. After we had settle down in our seats, the waiters brought us each a plate of rice with meat, raw vegetable and egg. It was all donned on a thick hot rock plate.

Prior to frying, this dish actually looks like Mt Naejangsan itself! Haha! They both mountain-shaped and colourful!

We were then instructed to fry the rice quickly and thoroughly to prevent burning and to ensure the egg was totally cooked and safe for consumption. It was a very healthy meal, with its accompanying green side dishes. I could've done with more salt and pepper though :)

On one of my nights there, i tried Haemultang (seafood stew). Various seafood is boiled before adding red pepper paste and red pepper powder. The taste was both refreshing and very spicy. Not one of my top picks though.

Now, doesn't this look like something out of Fear Factor? Sorta like fried worms of some sort teehee. Actually, if u look closely, you will be able to see that it is in fact, fried squid. In a Chinese context, this may not be the most prosperous of names ( chao yao yu), but the little hint of spicyness, coupled with the juiciness of the squid, Oh my lord, it really tasted like something they serve in heaven! Top pick top pick!

Now, what do we have here? This is Korean seafood steamboat. We had a lot of seafood during the couple of days we were in Jeju Island. Being an island and all, Jeju is famous for its freshly caught seafood. This mouth-watering meal came complete with crab, clam, shrimp, fish and other goodies. Oooh yea!

I can't really recall what kind of steamboat i had on my first day. I only remember that it had a lot of fresh vegetable in it. Look at the side dish closest to the cameraman, that is the King of all Korean dishes, KIMCHI! Cabbages and other vegetables are soaked in salt water, then seasoned with different spices before being fermented. I have to admit that personally, i really really h ate Kimchi. But i had to try the Korean version while i was there and it was a little better compared to what we have over here, but i still hate it hohoho...