Home Cooking

Some people say it's cheaper to eat out in Korea than to eat at home, and while there are many places to find a low-price meal, it's still much cheaper to dine at home.  Plus, it often can be healthier as you control more closely what shows up on your plate.

But so far in my time here, despite not eating out all the time, I've avoided doing much cooking at home.  Or maybe more accurately I've been lazy and/or uncreative in my home-cooked meals (think scrambled eggs).  However, last week I decided to try my hand at adding some Korean flare to my cooking repertoire.  I made a very basic Korean style meal with rice (obviously), sesame leaves, ssamjang (seasoned bean paste), laver (seaweed), and mushrooms.  I just rolled the pan-fried chicken pieces in the sesame leaves with some rice, paste and mushrooms dipped in soy sauce for a simple, decent meal.

But Monday I was at the grocery store and while wandering the isles had the inspiration to see if I could pull off something new.  So I picked out a bunch of ingredients and set off for home eager to eat in my post-workout daze.  When all was said and done I had pulled off haemul pajeon (Korean style seafood and green onion pancake) and chamchi (tuna) bibimbap.  And it turned out alright!  Well, enough with the words.  Check it out yourself.