<Soondooboo>

Soondooboo might sound unfamiliar, but it is tofu with softer texture than regular tofu. Tofu is loved and can be found on most Korean food tables because it is high in nutrition, low price, and in every market. Tofu is known to be first made about two thousand years ago by King Ryooan. He was very into martial arts and did training in Hwenam. The monks who accompanied him studied and invented Tofu for improvement of the king’s dietary life. After tasting tofu, Ryooan ordered a mass production of tofu so the authority of invention went to Ryooan. Tofu is probably introduced in Korean in Goryeo Period, a period when a vigorous cultural exchange existed with China. In Joseon Period, Korean people’s skill of making tofu was excellent and people from China and Japan came to Korea and learned it.

Tofu is very healthy food. It is high-protein food that also contains

amino acids, calcium and iron. Its digestibility is 95%, so it is recommended for diabetes patients. Other effects include anticancer, osteoporosis prevention, high blood pressure prevention and decreased cholesterol. Also, although it is high-protein food, its calorie is very low, so it can be good diet food as well.

<Sulungtang recipe>

Ingredients: beef leg bone, miscellaneous bone, Satae, water, julienned green onion, small amount of noodles

Procedures:

1.      Soak bones and meat in the water and get rid of blood

2.      Put water into the bones and meat so they sink in the water and heat until it boils (pot)

3.      Get rid of the floating impurities and pour water out

4.      Poor new water into the pot and set fire on high

5.      After boiling for an hour, change the fire to medium

6.      After four hours of boiling, fish out meat out of the pot and, cool the meat, tear it apart and put it into a container

7.      After boiling for eight hours, cool it in a cold place

8.      Scoop out floating white oils

9.      Pour the soup into another pot

10.  Again, pour water into the pot (fully)

11.  Boil it with high fire for an hour and change to low fire, and continue to boil it for ten hours. (Until the soup turns into milky color)

12.  Cool the soup down, remove floating oil and continue to boil for four hours

13.  Boil the noodles and put them into a separate dish

14.  In a soup bowl, put julienned green onions and beef. And then, poor the soup.

15.  Put the noodles into the bowl and eat Sulungtang with rice!

<Sulungtang>

Introduction:

American people usually buy a chicken broth in a grocery store to make a soup. In most Korean soup, meat and meat bone are boiled for hours to make a delicious soup. Sulungtang is the most popular and well known soup. Its initial name was Sunongtang. Sunnongtang was not a food that was sold in restaurants like today; originally, people who participated in ancestral rites made food with offering (cow) and shared with others. This culture started in ancestral rites that took place in Sunongdan, and this is how this soup got its name. Sunongdan held rites for two agricultural gods, Sinnongsi and Hoojigsi, and the rites were called Sunongje. Joseon Period was a period agriculture has become the country’s basis, and many rites were performed at Sunnongdan. Over time, Sunongtang changed its name to Sulungtang. Sunnongje still exists today, and it is known that people still boil Sulungtang on the day. Sulungtang is very healthy food. It contains collagen, which is the main component of connective tissue. It is high in protein and is known to bring elasticity to muscle, joint, and skin. Collagen is even used in cosmetic products. Also, collagen also helps with cancer prevention and raises immunity performance. Especially those who pay attention to skin care should intake Sulungtang.

<Japchae recipe>

(4 servings)

Ingredients: 150g of beef, 100g of onion, 100g of chives (can be substituted with spinach or cucumber), 100g of shiitake mushroom (soaked in water), 1 egg, 200g of dangmyun (also soaked in water for thirty minutes to one hour)

For seasoning: suitable amount of thick soy, sugar, sesame oil, and sesame

Procedures:

1.      Boil water

2.      Chop beef, following its texture, and season it with thick soy, sugar, pepper, garlic, and sesame oil

3.      Julienne carrots and onions and season with some salt. Julienne chives as well, in same length as onions

4.      For the egg, separate yellow and white, fry them (in pan) separately, and julienne them

5.      Julienne shiitake mushroom and season it like you did with beef

6.      If the water boils, put dangmyun and cut the noodles in approximately thirteen centimeters. Season them with thick soy, sesame oil and sugar and leave it

7.      Fry in this order: onion, shiitake, and then beef. Fry chives last

8.      After frying these ingredients, put them altogether in a dish and finish off by placing the julienned egg at the top J

Introduction:

As pasta is Italy’s representative noodle dish and ramen or udon goes for Japan, japchae is a classic Korean noodle dish that is indispensable especially in holidays and birthdays.      Its origin came from Joseon Dynasty; Leechoong started making Japchae for the king by frying and seasoning various vegetables and the king loved this dish and gave Leechoong a position of a minister. Like this, japchae was originally made with only vegetables, but as noodles known as dangmyun, which is made with mung bean, potato and sweet potato were developed and widely used in early 1900s and soon it has become a japchae’s ingredient. Nowadays, people try in innovative ways to make japchae, such as putting seafood or thinly sliced potatoes in japchae. Because dangmyun, various vegetables, mushroom, and meat are fried separately and later mixed and put together by seasoning to complete this dish, it does not only provide healthful and balanced nutrition but also look appetizing. I never thought the dish that was initially made for a king would become a food that make Korean home tables so abundant. I hope it will continue to be loved as Korean traditional and feast food.