Gyulpicha to shake off the cold

Not even winter’s joy like snow makes one season oneself to cold. But as they say, if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

Tangerines are in season these days. The refreshing fragrance of the citrus fruit awakens the stiffened bodies during the frosty weather. Here’s an acidulous drink that’ll thaw your flushed cheeks and fight off the raging flu.

Gyulpicha (tangerine peel tea) alleviates stress, feeling of knot in the stomach, perspiration, headache, flu, diarrhea, constipation and indigestion. Improves liver function.

Ingredients

Serves 1

100ml water

1/4 teaspoon ground dried tangerine peel (check the tip below)

1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Place pot with water over high heat. Bring to a boil.

2. Turn off heat and cool the water for 2 minutes. Put ground tangerine peel.

3. Discard peel bits with a tea strainer, after about 3 minutes. Serve with honey.

* Tip: How to make ground dried tangerine peel

1. Wash organic tangerine with salt water.

2. Slice the peel and dry in the sun for about 3 days.

3. Coarsely grind the dried peel and roast it in low heat for about 2 minutes.

4. Keep the ground peel in a paper bag or airtight container.

Patjuk: Soup for the long winter night

Today is dongji, the winter solstice. During this time of the year, families used to gather around the table to form small balls with rice dough for patjuk (red bean soup). Laughter filled the homes after hotly debated contests of who made the best rice cakes and a round of amusing stories, making the longest night even seem shorter than usual.

There is a saying that one truly becomes older after having a bowl of patjuk. Traditionally the bowl of soup has a number of glutinous rice cakes symbolizing one’s age. The version below is simpler without the risk of revealing your private information.

I like to have it with only a pinch of salt. But many prefer it sweet. It’s delectable cold or warm.

Ingredients

Serves 1

50ml red beans

200ml warm water

600ml cold water plus more

pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Rinse and soak red beans in warm water for about 30 minutes.

2. Drain water and place the beans in a pot with 200ml of water over high heat. Bring to a boil. Discard water again (this process helps reduce tannins and saponins in red beans which causes unpleasant aftertaste and diarrhea).

3. Put the pot with red bean and the remainder 400ml of water on high heat.

4. Reduce the heat when it starts to boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans soften. Remove from heat.

5. Separate the liquid and the beans. Set the liquid aside.

6. Mash beans in a fine sieve by pressing through with a spoon. Dip the sieve in the liquid to facilitate the process.

7. Simmer the mixture in a pot for about 5 minutes or until it develops a creamy consistency. Stir occasionally the sides and bottom. Season with salt and sugar. Add about 50ml of additional water if the soup is too thick. Serve either warm or cold.

Kimguk (Laver Soup)

Kim is the most popular Korean lastname. Now, you might be thinking why I’m elaborating about a topic which seems to be irrelevant to kimguk, but I’ve a perfectly reasonable explanation. Laver, widely consumed here in Korea was named by the king after Kim Yeo Ik from from Taein island southwest of the Korean peninsula. Fisherman Kim succeeded in cultivating kim (laver) for the first time in this part of the world.

What is mesmerizing about kim is the fresh smell of the ocean. It’s usually served toasted or seasoned with salt and perilla oil. Kimguk is a clear soup with dried kim.

Ingredients

Serves 1

1 toasted sheet of kim (laver)

100ml stock (preferably sea food like oyster or clam)

1/5 teaspoon canari aekjeot (sand lance sauce)

1 pinch ground pepper

1 pinch roasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Place stock in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Season with sand lance sauce and pepper.

3. Tear kim in bite-sizes and sprinkle over the bowl along with sesame seeds. Serve immediately either cool or warm.

Childhood Memories: Gyeran Bab (Egg with Rice)

It took a while for my dear mother to feed me as a child - that’s all in the past, I’ve built an enormous affection towards food now. I loved fruits: the shapes, the smell and the taste. So I had a hard time learning the importance of consuming anything not as flavorful and pretty as fruits.

I did eventually surrender the long battle of nerves. My mom’s secret weapon was gyeranbab - rice mixed with sunny sideup. I couldn’t resist the nutty flavor of freshly pressed sesame oil and delicate taste of grain.

Every household has its own version. Some add margarine, soy sauce and raw egg while others stay loyal to the classic recipe below.

Ingredients

Serves 1

200ml cooked short-grain rice

1 fried egg (preferably sunny-sideup)

1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 pinch crushed roasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Mix rice, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil and crushed sesame seeds in a bowl.

2. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Easy Banchan: Gamja Jorim (Potato Boiled with Soy Sauce)

A bowl of rice with simple banchan (Korean side-dish), fried egg and kimchi makes a good lazy weekend brunch. Here’s the recipe for gamja jorim, a simple wholesome banchan.

Ingredients

Serves 1

7 cubes potato (2 cm)

3 cubes onion (2 cm)

100ml water

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 pinch ground pepper

1/3 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Place pot with potato, soy sauce and water over high heat.

2. Boil for about 10 minutes then add onion cubes.

3. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until potato cubes are chopstick tender and the sauce thickens (add more water if too dry). Sprinkle ground pepper.

4. Turn off the heat. Drizzle honey and mix gently. Cool before serving.

* Tip: It cooks faster if you slice the potato cubes finer.