Going to Korea last year was a major highlight in my life. P.S If you have never been, GO!!!! Seriously. Hop on a flight, a train, a bus or just put on a good pair of shoes and just run there. Run as fast as you can cause it is one of the most amazing places around. Now, I have only been to Seoul but even if the rest of Korea is 1/10th as good as the Capital then I am in.

Last year on our one year adventure to Asia which honestly feels like years ago, (Note to self, must go back soon) everyplace that we went to felt as if it could not possibly get any better. Here I am at the White Temple in Northern Thailand, a few weeks later on the beaches of Koh Lipe. A month later I am climbing to the Base Camp of Mount Everest then off to see the almost untouched islands in Cambodia. Sounds stressful right. We had booked our ticket home a year in advance and was not particularly concerned about where our stop overs on the way back would be. Luck would have it Seoul, Korea was a connecting stop. Why you may ask? Let me tell you.

Rob’s Aunt Donna used to have an ESL student that was living with her for about a year and as you guessed it, he was from Seoul, Korea. His name was Soo Hyoung. Rob would talk about how he would make the best Korean Barbecues for him and make the most delicious sauce called Pepper Jam. I could never quite figure out what that was and kept asking if it was Gochujang but he insisted it was something else. Later on I figured out it was infact Gochujang. Go figures. Fast forward more than a few years and here we are luckily having a stop through in Korea. So what do we do, extend our trip 8 days later because why not. I cant say that Korea was high up on my list to travel, mostly because I did not know that much about it. That quickly changed.

Rob had told Soo Hyoung that I was very into food and wanted to learn more about it while in Korea and by the end of the trip I felt as if 80% of it was spent Eating. Sometimes we would come back to their house after a HUGE 2 hour lunch and we would take a nap for an hour, wake up and it would be time for dinner which would take another 2 hours and then we would come back to the house for a few drinks in which more snacks were laid out. Seriously, how is everyone in Korea not 1000 pounds. Probably because all the food being consumed is so healthy. It is all fresh meats, tons of vegetables, 100 different types of Kimchi and of course Garlic. That was something new as well. Did you know that Koreans love raw garlic, eat it with everything. I thought it was a little strange at first but it is actually quite delicious and am doing it at home now.

Funny enough, previously in the year we were in Laos at the Plain of Jars (One of the mysteries of the world) and while at lunch we sat next to a Korean man. As the soup was brought to the table he pulled out a bag of raw garlic and asked if we wanted some. At the time I remember just looking at Rob and mentally saying “Hmm, isn’t that odd. Who caries around a bag of raw garlic?” Although, I like Sirracha on my popcorn and have brought a big bottle of it into the movie theatre with me. I am sure someone looked at me and had the same thought. Anyways, fast forward to me being in Korea and the raw garlic in a bag made sense.

The first day in Seoul we headed out to find some lunch and to check out the area. After walking around for an hour and seeing tons of large pots as well as individual bowls bubbling with the most delicious looking food I knew thats what my first meal would be. I had no idea what it was only that it looked and smelled incredible. We ordered a bowl of what we found out was Kimchi Jjigae or Kimchi Stew, and a rice dish called Bibimbap. About 10 minutes later (the orders always came out quickly in Korea) we were served with what seemed like 20 different dishes and as Rob and I looked at each other with the “OMG what did we order.” The waiter picked up on it and explained how to tackle everything. It ended up being that one dish was for me, the Kimchi Stew, and roughly 12 were for Rob. There were three types of kimchi, raw and cooked vegetables, two types of sauces, tofu, seaweed and the most flavourful meat. It was heaven and so began my new love affair with Bibimbap. Although, when I make it at home I usually serve all the ingredients on top of the rice mainly because of the amount of dishes it makes. Next, we headed to the bustling Namdaemun Market, a must see, where we had stumbled across the most interesting looking hot dog I had ever seen. It was covered with potatoes and then deep fried. Not going to lie, it looked so delicious.

The next day we were treated to a backyard BBQ and let me tell you, there was no shortage of food. Again, not sure how everyone stays so small. Rob and I felt as if they were trying to train us for a food eating contest. This is also where I had gotten to try a Korean drink of having a beer with a shot of Shoyu in it, delicious but will defiantly catch up to you after a few. The next few days were filled with more food and laughter and could not have been any better. The difference of having someone show you around a new place compared to trying to make an itinerary is night and day. If only we had a Soo Hyoung in every city that we went to.

Have you ever been to a Korean baseball game? Put it on your list as it was such a highlight of the trip. I am not a huge fan of baseball by any means, not a fan at all actually (sorry baseball fans) but it was such a great experience. First, unlike at home, you are able to buy your beer and food before you go in the stadium. And what is the main food item being sold? Fried Chicken. Never would have guessed. Although, it does come with sides of Kimchi and tofu which is unlikely to get at home. You would think that after eating 3 boxes of fried chicken and a few beers that would be dinner but apparently not in Korea. We went back to their house where their friends had picked up a huge box of roast pork and radish kimchi for lettuce wraps. I didn’t say no they were ridiculously good. Everything was. Seriously, EVERYTHING!

Another great activity to do while in Seoul is to go to the Kimchi Museum. Not only do you get to learn about Kimchi and the very old history of it, you get to make your own. A lot is already done for you and its pretty simply laid out but it is a great introduction. It hooked me as there is always homemade Kimchi in our fridge now.

Now back home I can’t get enough Korean food. In fact just last night I made Bibimbap for dinner, with homemade Kimchi of course. Once you have all the ingredients which may not all be at the local grocery store, Kimchi is really quite easy to make and tastes much better than store bought. One great thing is you can start to figure out at which point during the fermentation you like best. For example, I prefer my Kimchi to be left out for 2 days before being put in the refrigerator. Three days and the fermented taste is too strong but because I live in a warm climate, it might taste the same for someone after 3 days if someone cooler. So make a few small jars and experiment with them, find what works best for you.

Also, Here are just a few ideas for what to do with all your freshly made Kimchi:

1. Kimchi Fried Rice
2. Kimchi on top of sliced Tofu
3. Kimchi Ceaser / Blood Mary
4. Savoury Kimchi Pancake
5. Kimchi Scrambled Eggs

Also, I just want to say thank you to our extended family in Korea, the Hyoungs, and to all their friends that we had met that helped make our experience there such a unique one. Kamsahamnida!

Instructions:

1. Cut the cabbage lengthwise into four equal pieces then cut each piece into thirds and add to a very large bowl.
2. Add a handful of cabbage at a time to a colander and sprinkle over some of the course sea salt. Once all the cabbage is salted, let it sit for an our and a half, tossing every 30 minutes
   

   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   

   
   
3. After an hour and a half rinse the cabbage under cold water and transfer to a bowl. Rinse once more and lightly squeeze out the excess water then set aside
4. While the cabbage is soaking prepare the Kimchi paste. Start by making the porridge. Add two cups of water to a pot on high heat and add 4 tablespoons of sweet rice flour once beginning to boil. Stir constantly until mixture becomes thick. Set aside
   
5. Place all the Kimchi paste ingredients plus the porridge into a food processor for 1 minute or until no course chunks remain.
   
6. Combine the cabbage, carrots, daikons and spring onions into a large bowl and add the paste. Mix well until all the cabbage mixture is coated
   
7. Transfer the Kimchi to sterilized glass jars and let sit out at room temperature for 24 hours over a sheet pan. When the Kimchi starts to ferment it will bubble and might release some juices from the lid. After 24 hours, looses the lid and let sit out for another few days or up to a week, tasting each day. Place in fridge in the coldest spot for up to 1 month.
   
8. Start eating your kimchi with everything!!!!!