Welcome to jagaimo.com Sign in | Join | Help

April 2007 - Posts

Heyri Gallery, part 2: Artefacts of Korean cuisine

Jars for fermenting the mother sauces Gochujang, dwaenjang, soy sauce and several other Koreaen base sauces require fermentation, and these jars were the traditional vessels for the fermentation process. Mr. Lee has a collection of these jars from all Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007 8:56 PM by jason | 2 Comments

Dolsot Bibimbap at Lotte World

I don't know what possessed me to go to Lotte World, the megalithic shopping center, in Jamsil, complete with indoor ice skating rink and a shooting range. But I did, and of course, I needed lunch. While touring the food-laden Lotte department store basement Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007 7:34 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Pat guksu

This is hearty, extremely simple lunch fare. Pat guksu * It may not look pretty, but this pat guksu dish is packed with protein and it's very comforting. It's basically pureed azuki beans with handmade wheat noodles. When you receive your order, you have Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 29, 2007 8:15 AM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Korean ddeok sweets at Jilsiru

Jilsiru cafe After a little walking around Jongro (aka Jongno) on Monday, a friend suggested we go to this nice Korean ddeok cafe in neighboring Insadong. The cafe serves teas, smoothie-like concoctions and traditional and updated Korean confections. Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2007 10:03 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Bibim naengmyeon: Extreme elasticity in noodles

One of my lunches in Seoul... These chewy, stretchy long noodles made in part from buckwheat (like soba) but with a very distinctive texture are known as reimen in Sendai, Japan, where a local version is quite popular. In Korea, the most popular preparation Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2007 8:16 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , ,

O-sip-seju and nokdu jeon: A little late night snack

Sunday night in Seoul I was on my own, and incredibly jetlagged. After visiting a pottery gallery , I briefly met with a friend in Gangnam station, then I went back to my hotel near Seoul National University of Education to rest a bit... I researched Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 28, 2007 7:59 PM by jason | 0 Comments

Tōkyō ni tsuita : Arrived in Tokyo

I arrived in Tokyo last night... There's still a lot to write about from my Korea trip, but I just wanted to post a quick update... Off I go to cause trouble with Hiromi. My timing was fortuitous., or insane, depending on your perspective... right outside Read More...
Posted Friday, April 27, 2007 5:39 PM by jason | 2 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Seoul Bread and Coffee

I'm usually craving coffee and bread in the morning, although I'll certainly dig into a heavy Korean or salt-laden Japanese-style breakfast from time to time. Fortunately, Seoul and Tokyo, more so than Seattle, have an insane number of mostly French-influenced Read More...
Posted Thursday, April 26, 2007 3:05 AM by jason | 6 Comments
Filed under: , , ,

Heyri Gallery, part 1: The pottery of Sylvia Hyman

Sunday I visited Hanhyanglim gallery in the Heyri art village just northwest of Seoul. Riding in the car of the gallery owner, we saw a very intimidating-looking spirals of barbed wire fence along the river, across which lies North Korea. The gallery Read More...
Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007 8:32 PM by jason | 20 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Drinking food

Rabokgi Rabokgi is the derelict pot-smoking cousin of ddeokbokgi , the ubiquitous Korean stewed glutinous rice cake dish . Ramyun (instant ramen), glutinous rice cakes, and spicy gochujang are the essential components in rabokgi; in this case, ours were Read More...
Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007 9:05 AM by jason | 1 Comments
Filed under: , ,

On the streets: Scenes from Namdaemun market

We didn't really do much buying, aside from our Hoddeok, but Namdaemun is a crazy busy place full of tourists looking for visual drama and trinkets to take home (that would be us) and locals looking for cheap clothing and the occasional fish or vegetable. Read More...
Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2007 8:01 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , ,

On the streets: Namdaemun market, tasting hoddeok

Unlike Tokyo, Seoul still has a vibrant street merchant scene. Every subway station seems to have a few ajumma peddling some sort of medicinal mountain vegetable, bottles of some morning drinking yogurt concoctions, and the occasional roll of gimbap . Read More...
Posted Tuesday, April 24, 2007 12:58 AM by jason | 3 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Pulhyanggi: cuisine of the imperial court, Part 2

If you're properly royal, you save the rice for last. At Pulhyanggi (see part 1 ), you have two options: Typical steamed rice, probably also better than the average peasant mother will make, or, if you like, nurungji ( scorched rice), which is prepared Read More...
Posted Monday, April 23, 2007 5:30 PM by jason | 2 Comments
Filed under: , ,

Pulhyanggi: cuisine of the imperial court, Part 1

On my two previous trips to Korea, I've been to locations of Pulhyanggi at least twice. (A friend once took me to a similar style of restaurant for lunch, but I wasn't quite sure of the name). It's easily the most remarkable place I've eaten in Korea. Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 22, 2007 4:31 PM by jason | 4 Comments
Filed under: ,

Half day trip to Icheon: All about the rice

Hiromi and I met in Seoul late at night Friday, and woke up insanely early (6am) after too little sleep. After a breakfast of al bap for Hiromi ( tarako or cod roe on rice) and cool bibimbap for me, we got on the bus to meet an eGullet acquaintance in Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 21, 2007 5:50 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Warabi no ohitashi

It's a sure sign we're in the middle of spring. I found these forest treats at the University District Farmer's Market on Sunday. The season is mercilessly brief for fiddlehead fern fronds... They'll probably be impossible to find by the time I return Read More...
Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2007 12:10 AM by jason | 3 Comments
Filed under: ,

Supporting my habit

Cary Tennis : "Your music does not have to support you. In fact, your music might be happier if you were supporting it." Poignant. I remember when I started thinking about working in software again, sometime approaching the middle of 2005. I was watching Read More...
Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2007 1:25 AM by jason | 0 Comments

Off to Korea and Japan on Thursday

Just a little note... I'm departing to Seoul on Thursday, April 19, where I'll be doing a little ceramics hunting, catching up with a few friends, and probably eating a little too much. I'm flying solo on that leg of the trip, and then meeting up with Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 15, 2007 1:10 PM by jason | 2 Comments
Filed under:

Dorayaki

For some reason I get wistful whenever I think of the various ningyo-yaki (shaped waffles typically stuffed with sweet bean paste) and dora-yaki I have eaten on my many trips to Japan. From a highway service area or a department store basement, fresh, Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 15, 2007 11:59 AM by jason | 2 Comments
Filed under: , , , ,

Rhubarb season

Last Saturday I came home with a bundle of rhubarb, so I quickly turned it into a compot and kept it handy throughout the week. At breakfast a few times, the simmered rhubarb found itself in a lassi or smoothie-type drink. Made with a little buttermilk, Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 14, 2007 10:04 AM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Hummus in asparagus season

Continuing on with my recent run of extreme simplicity, I made a dinner that looks far more time-consuming than it actually was. Hummus on Baguette This toasted baguette has been baked with a bit of garlic butter (minced garlic, salt, butter) and topped Read More...
Posted Friday, April 13, 2007 8:51 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under:

Asparagus baguettes

I've been lazy this week. I just don't have much energy to make anything complicated, and for some reason I'm inadequately inspired to think of interesting simple foods. These asparagus baguettes took advantage of what was handy... Some asparagus, onions, Read More...
Posted Thursday, April 12, 2007 11:33 PM by jason | 1 Comments
Filed under:

Omu-udon

Uninspired weeknight cuisine... Lack of inspiration doesn't have to result in dreary food. When I made this, my lack of motivation to cook led me to procrastinate until the only practical options were either to go out and grab some mediocre takeout, or Read More...
Posted Wednesday, April 11, 2007 8:30 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Chi goo, meet fava. Brown butter, meet soy sauce.

Chi goo is a slightly crunchy potato-like vegetable. It's called a "river potato" in some translations, and seems to share some textural qualities with lotus root . Apparently the name means "belly button mushrooms" in Cantonese, but it's clearly a root Read More...
Posted Tuesday, April 10, 2007 7:57 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Kurogoma financiers with black sugar syrup

Until a little trip to Licorous last fall, I had never thought much of financiers. I don't know why... maybe I never had a good one. I don't have much love for madeleines either. But Licorous' financiers were just too hard to resist... Served warm with Read More...
Posted Monday, April 09, 2007 7:49 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: , , ,

Easter brunch

This year Easter is solo... and, while I don't practice any particular religion, I'm willing to adopt a pagan custom or two in service of good food. I'm too lazy to dye eggs, and probably will remain so as long as I have no children to entertain, but Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 08, 2007 1:20 PM by jason | 1 Comments
Filed under: ,

Pirikara no kimpira renkon

Kimpira (alternately kinpira) is a small category of side dishes in Japan typically involving finely sliced or shaved root vegetables. I don't think there's a strict definition, but you sort of know it when you see it. It typically involves sesame seeds Read More...
Posted Saturday, April 07, 2007 1:36 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Nasu no miso ni

It's totally out of season right now, but even during inappropriate times of year I can't resist nasu-no miso-ni . There are as many ways to make it as there are mothers in Japan. Northern Japanese versions tend to be salty, western Japanese ones tend Read More...
Posted Thursday, April 05, 2007 10:52 PM by jason | 0 Comments
Filed under: ,

Broccoli rabe standing in for Nanohana

Occasionally I've suggested that yu tsai or yu choi can stand in for nanohana , the greens of the rapeseed plant that are widely available in Japan during the springtime. In fact, though, rapini, also called broccoli rabe, is far more like nanohana than Read More...
Posted Sunday, April 01, 2007 10:13 PM by jason | 2 Comments
Filed under: ,