When I was working for Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, I used to slice and deep fry lotus roots to be used as garnishes. Whenever I made these I couldn’t stop thinking about the salty and sweet soy sauce braised lotus root banchan in Korea.
Tagfall
Yeongeun: Lotus root
The lotus is a lovely plant, and in Korea every single part of it has a purpose.
South Chungcheong Province traditional alcohol tour
Last week, we were invited to join a media tour of South Chungcheong Province to learn about the region’s traditional rice alcohols.
Recipe: Songi wanja-tang, pine mushroom meatball soup
With the fragrant songi beoseot (송이 버섯, pine mushrooms or matsutake) in season, I wanted to find a recipe that would really bring out their lovely scent.
Ueong: Burdock root
Ueong (우엉, pronounced ooh-ung) is known as burdock root in English, and can be found in temperate zones around the world.
Recipe: Ueong jorim (soy sauce braised burdock root)
This is the most common way to prepare ueong (우엉, burdock root) in Korea.
Gam: persimmons
If there’s one fruit to represent fall, we’d have to go with gam (감), or persimmons.
Recipe: Got-gam hodu mari (walnuts rolled in dried persimmon)
We have a weekly radio segment on the morning program Koreascape called “Local Eats,” and this week we have a special show.
Goddeulbbaegi: The bitter old man of the vegetable world
Of all the vegetables in the traditional Korean diet, godeulbbaegi (고들빼기, Crepidiastrum sonchifolium) is the most intensely bitter.