Korean food...

[Mette]

I've just spen a couple of days in Korea for work (first visit) and I had some nice meals, especially when my colleauges from work ordered for me.

One question I could not ask them for fear of offending as they all seemed very keen is: What is the deal with the rice soup?

we had what was supposedly special rice soup made with the rice from the bottom of the pan - something I do realise is a big deal in Korea - but could not for life of me understand this soup.

It tasted like warm water with rice in it (hold the salt, you do not want to mask the flavour of the warm water), it looked like warm water with rice in it (oh - no, no, no, we do not want to cloud this soup with something tasty, as it may take away the fine view of the rice) and it was utterly pointless...

Could an expert explain this to me, or was I simply unlucky in my culinary exploits?

Thanks

p.s. Don't get me started on the pickled jellyfish

Edited February 25, 2009 by Mette (log)

[nakji]

Well clearly you didn't eat it with enough kimchi on the side!

But seriously, rice is a pretty big deal in Asia, and wasting even a single grain of it is not considered respectful in some circles. For a long time, pure white rice was expensive and difficult to get, so to leave some behind on your bowl just because it was stuck could be considered pretty wasteful. In the West we feel similarly about bread, I think. I remember my mother insisting that I finish my bread crusts, even though I'd already eaten up all the tasty bits from the rest of the sandwich. Was it the most delicious part of the bread? No way. Could it have been improved by smearing it with butter or other things? For sure, but my Mom didn't roll that way. I ate the crusts up and washed them down with milk or kool-aid.

But I agree, it's not the most delicious thing on the table most of the time in Korea. I always had a few spoonfuls to be respectful, then pleaded a full stomach.

[melamed]

not unlucky at all, its a completely different world which I think can really be confusing. When I traveled to China I always ended up ordering a hamburger or other western food at the end of the day just to set me straight. Its a real shock to the tastebuds and all your senses for that matter. My husband has more experience than I do so thinks nothing of raw octopus, fermented tofu, jellyfish, duck tongue, bee larvae, deep fried crickets and of course kimchi...But most importantly, if you eat their food, the locals give you respect.

[Peter Green]

Nuryungji

(Yoonhi and I spent some time arguing about nuryungji or nuroongji. She was lying down and didn't want to get up to spell out the hangul for me)

The story I have on this is partially what Nakji had said, "You don't waste rice".

But the other part is very much nostalgia. With the advent of the electric rice cooker, you don't cook (and burn) rice in pots anymore, so you don't have this "end of the meal" item. Over the years, a lot of people have waxed nostalgic over this, and there's now an industry out there burning rice and selling it specifically for nuryungji.

Can't say it excites me too much.

Pickled jellyfish, though.....mmmmmm........

[Dejah]

I don't use an electric rice cooker unless I am having a dinner party. With cooking rice the traditonal way - on the stove - there is always that lovely toasted crust on the bottom of the pot.

I keep the pot on the stove on lowest heat until the end of the meal. Then I pour hot water over the rice and the family fights over this stuff! My grandparents always enjoyed a bowl of the "rice tea" while the young'uns enjoyed the "fan jiu".

May not be acceptable in Korea, but I have been known to cook yams along with the rice, then mash the yams into the bottom before adding boiling water.

Dessert, anyone?

[Mette]

Thanks for explaining - I think the crust of the bread is the best part, so I guess i'm really from the 'rice form the bottom of the pan'-school of thought

[Domestic Goddess]

Mette - there are actually restaurants that specialize in this type of course. The highlight of the meal is the rice cooked in a personalized stone pot. You are instructed to scoop out the rice in the middle while leaving some rice sticking on the sides and bottom of the pot. Then while you eat the scooped rice in another bowl, the waitress will put hot water into the stone pot and cover it. Each meal comes with about 20 side dishes (mostly veggies, kimchi and a couple of meat dishes or fish) then at the end of the meal, the stone pot is uncovered and you gently scrape the stuck rice and eat the soft gruel it makes. I usually eat half of it and then also tell my hosts that I am too full to take another bite.

[SheenaGreena]

Nurungji is nostalgia food for me. Another way to make it is to take leftover cooked rice (from the rice cooker if you will) and then flatten it into a cake in a nonstick frying pan. Keep on low heat for about 20 minutes per side so that it gets dry, cripsy, and brown. You can eat this sprinkled with sugar or better yet break it into pieces and boil it in water for a few minutes to soften it. It's like nurungji congee. My little sister and I loved eating this when we were growing up with seasoned myeulchi (anchovies). It's also very comforting to eat when your stomach isn't feeling so well.

[jkim]

The whole point of eating nu roong ji is for the "go so han" flavour... not sure how that translates to english. If you add salt, soy or any other additives, you mask this flavour, as it is very subtle. You should avoid eating red kim chi with nu roong ji as well for the full effect. I guess it's an acquired taste.

Fried nu roong ji, on the other hand, is a sweet dessert that Sheena is referring to.

Edited April 7, 2009 by jkim (log)

[ZenKimchi]

Out of all the extreme Korean foods I've tried, including the fermented skate, nureungji (the water in the bowl kind) has been the hardest for me to like. But as they say, you should try something ten times before developing a taste for it. A couple of weeks ago we had some during our meal, and I started to like it. Still not my favorite.

[melonpan]

this whole thread honestly strikes me as rather strange. nurungji isnt "extreme" in any sort of way. its about as extreme as milk toast. or grits. or oatmeal porridge.

its soupy rice. its a kind of comfort food. its appreciated for its "gosuhan" taste that jkim mentions which can be translated as something like "savory" or "nutty". which toasted/burnt rice is. its toasty, nutty, savory.

im not trying to be a hater, but "pointless" and "extreme" seem silly. its rice in hot/warm water. koreas a rice eating culture.

for "this is weird" you can go back to kimchi or jellyfish or dog stew...

just my opinion.

[melonpan]

you all should try chazuke. it has a bit more flavour than nurungji so who knows, maybe thats right up your alley.

[SheenaGreena]

Nurungji is like oatmeal, very very soothing, comforting, and warm. I haven't had it in a long time ):

For a terrible substitute I will sometimes eat nurungji candy - not the same but close enough.

[jkim]

Nurungji is like oatmeal, very very soothing, comforting, and warm.  I haven't had it in a long time ): 

For a terrible substitute I will sometimes eat nurungji candy - not the same but close enough.

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lol i can't stand nu rung ji candy...