A taste of Korea, part two

Contains aimless wandering, kimchi, 'investment cooking' with Korean-ish flavours, and black sesame ice cream.

When writing about visiting Alexandria, the peerless travel writer Jan Morris said there were two rules:

“One is E. M. Forster's guide to Alexandria; the best way to know Alexandria is to wander aimlessly. The second is from the Psalms; grin like a dog and run about through the city.”

Dongdaemun Plaza, a sinuous Zaha Hadid-designed building in the middle of Seoul.

This advice, for the most part, is how we approached a week in South Korea. With just over a week split between Seoul and the coastal city of Busan, it was imperative that we made the most of every minute. Sometimes that did mean running about through the city (or at least up through a lush green space to the hypodermic Seoul Tower - I’m still not sure whether I should be flattered that some fellow older joggers applauded and cheered as I staggered past). Occasionally it meant retiring to our tiny hotel room for an afternoon kip. Quite a lot of the time it meant hanging around outside K-pop shops while our daughter mulled over how to spend long-saved pocket money. Most of the time we excelled at aimless wandering and eating. Seoul is a very good place to do both of these things, even in very hot and steamy conditions.

Before we went to Korea I told people all I wanted to do was eat fried chicken. I got my wish here at a little street restaurant: a whole deep-fried chicken smothered in spring onions and garlic, served with chips and beer. Heaven.

Anyway… other people’s travel stories often get stale so I’ll spare you the rest (if you do want some travel advice, let me know, I’ll happily share what we learned!)

Haeundae Beach, Busan. Around 10 million people come here every summer (mercifully not all at once). Quite a different experience to being at the beach in NZ.

If you’ve gotten this far, here’s a dish inspired by our travels.

Korean-inspired spicy beef with spring onions

This photo makes it look all carrots, but there’s lots of meat in there, I promise!

I’d made this recipe a couple of times before we went away, but have tweaked it to be a bit more in line with some key Korean flavours. This makes a large amount (there is no such thing any more as a cheap cut of meat, but it’s the dinner equivalent of an ‘investment piece’) that will easily feed six on its first go-round, with lots of great leftovers. You can freeze these for another time, or pick out the meat and stuff this into some baguette with kimchi (and thence to the toasted sandwich machine) for lunch, or cover the top with fluffy mashed kūmara (lots of roasted kūmara stalls in Seoul!) and bake in the oven. Or, save the delicious leftover cooking liquid and use as broth for chewy udon noodles and bok choy.

Back to the main event. This couldn’t be easier to put together: you brown the meat, then chuck everything else in the pot and let it slowly melt deliciously together in the oven. Meat-wise, I suggest osso bucco, or short ribs (I really love short ribs), or you could use beef cheeks or any cut that benefits from a long, cosy stint in the oven.

1.5 kg beef short ribs or osso bucco

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 large piece ginger - about 75g - washed, dried and cut into thick coins

8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

1 bunch (6) spring onions, ends trimmed, plus 2 finely sliced spring onions for garnishing

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

3 sticks celery, peeled and cut into chunky lengths

3/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine

3 Tbsp oyster sauce

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp brown sugar

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2-3 Tbsp gochujang

6 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2-3 whole chillies

Heat the oven to 150C.

Set a big, heavy cast iron or similarly ovenproof pot over medium heat. Add the sesame oil. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, removing to a plate as you go. If using osso bucco and it curls up during browning, snip the connective tissue at the sides with a pair of scissors (like you’re cutting into a curved hem). This will enable it to lie flat.

Wipe out most of the fat (there will be a lot, if using short ribs) and add the garlic, ginger, spring onions and carrots. Sauté for five minutes. Return the meat to the pot, along with all the other ingredients. Stir well, then pour in enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a simmer, then cover tightly with a lid or foil.

Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is meltingly tender. Pick out and discard the bones and any connective tissue (osso bucco can have rubbery bits). At this stage, you can cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for the next day. If doing this, reheat over low heat until scalding hot. Serve each diner a portion of meat with steamed shortgrain rice and scatter with the reserved spring onions. Ladle over a generous amount of the cooking liquid and don’t forget some kimchi on the side.

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Good Things

Black sesame ice cream

It was punishingly humid in Seoul, perfect ice cream weather. The one I’m holding above is black sesame soft serve, which looks like concrete but tastes the world’s most luxurious tahini. Serendipitously, this week

David Lebovitz

published a recipe for Black Sesame Ice cream. First catch your black sesame paste: from a bit of internet searching, it seems to be available from Asian grocers. Wholefood stores also sell black tahini, which I think must be the same thing. I’m looking forward to trying it when our little freezer is empty enough to fit the bowl of the ice cream machine (the ultimate First World Problem).

Black Sesame Ice Cream

Kiwi Kimchi

I became obsessed with kimchi while we were away, not least because it’s an essential part of the Korean diet (this academic paper explains its significance). Everywhere we went, even in the humblest of places, a little side dish of it would appear on the table. Making some is now high on the to-do list. In the meantime I’ve discovered this one (which is not particularly Korean and branded a bit like a wellness supplement) but addictive nonetheless.

Death At The Sign Of The Rook

Seoul is roughly an 11-hour flight from Auckland, which is enough for two movies, two meals and a bit of a snooze on the way there (and hopefully a proper sleep on the night flight home again). There’s just a three-hour time difference, which makes it very manageable. Should you be looking for something to read on the way, the latest in Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie series of crime novels is an absolute treat. It’s a kind of Agatha Christie-meets-Downton Abbey tale, with Atkinson’s trademark sly humour. Highly recommended holiday reading, even (especially) if you’re not going anywhere flash.

Next time on Fancy Butter… a cure for death by lightning and other lurgies.