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I love food. During my time in Korea, I have been collecting recipes and anecdotes about Korean food. I also have been working on survival techniques for westerners living in Korea.

In this journal are recipes for cooking Korean food in Korea or abroad and recipes for recreating western food with Korean ingredients.

But mostly, it's about enjoying life.

SUBJECT KEY
Christmas Chronicles - Trying to celebrate Christmas in Korea
Drink - Imbibe me
Event - Special events involving special Korean foods
FFF (Food for Foreigners) - Recipes for foreigners living in Korea
FP (Food Porn) - Pictures for stimulation
Fusion - A mixture -- or clash -- of cultures
Junk - Junk food
KFC (Korean Food Concept) - A blog entry explaining a type of Korean food
Kimchi - Something about kimchi
KR (Korean Recipe) - A recipe for Korean food, duh!
Miscellaneous - Stuff, stuff, and stuff
News - Korean food in the news
Out There - What others are saying
Rest (Restaurant) - An entry about a restaurant in Korea
Street Food - An entry about a street food concept or adventure
Tip - A survival tip for living or visiting Korea
Video - A summary of a video on the site
WTF - A feature on anything unusual that has to be investigated further

Sunday, August 27, 2006

(Drink #2) Pu-erh Tea -- Fermented Tea?

Eun Jeong works as a tour guide. Usually she is showing Japanese tourists around Seoul. She's been getting tired of that and has been trying to get her foot in the door for outbound tours, where she takes Koreans to different countries.

She took her first outbound job to China a few months ago. Missed her a lot. I also wondered what she would bring me back. Other than a tiny terra cotta teapot and pervers naked cartoon character (it's Jjangu!) used to test the heat of tea water, she brought back lots of teas.

Her prized find was what she called "Boy Cha."

In our dialect, we call it "Pu-erh Tea." It's a special fermented Chinese tea from Pu'er county in Yunnan, China. This stuff is really cool. It's created unlike any other tea. It uses older leaves from tall and old trees. It's matured outside in moist air and is then stored underground for one to four years to ferment and mellow. Some teas can be fifty years old!

These teas are sold in bricks and were once used as a form of currency.

We've been living off iced Pu-erh tea all summer. We've been using it so much, that we just call it "water," as in, "Hey, do you want some water?"

I'm also very suspicious of herbal medical claims. I want to see studies using the scientific methos before I believe anything. Some studies have substantiated claims that this stuff reduces cholesterol and saturated fats in humans. It may also assist in weight loss.

Yeah, I was very skeptical when Eun Jeong was saying that. "Drink this. Help you lose weight."

So far this summer, my tummy has gone down a little. I'm not sure how responsible the Pu-erh tea was for that. I've also been working out and cutting back on my beer intake.

But the tea is very good. It's nutty and a little earthy. Eun Jeong makes it very light, Asian style. Pu-erh is very expensive, but thankfully, only a dab'll do ya.

To prepare a gallon pot of tea, Eun Jeong just uses a half teaspoonful -- yes, half a teaspoonful -- of caked black tea leaves. The leaves should smell burned. She just boils a big ass teapot of water, steeps the tea, and refrigerates the tea in pitchers.

To make a cup of Pu-erh tea, use only a pinch per cup.

Since it is fermented, Pu-erh tea has a long, long shelf life. So a $50 cake of Pu-erh will last you maybe a few years. It's worth the investment.

Now here's the shameless marketing part. I've been working on ways to finally make some money for doing the Journal. And because of our legal problems with my ex-employer, we've been needing some money to help us during our court battles.

Nonetheless, I've been very picky about what affiliate programs to join and what new advertisers to add. Then I stumbled across Generation Tea. They have a great affiliate program, and their Chinese tea selection is remarkable. These guys are passionate tea! And they know what they're talking about.

They're also one of the few places where you can buy Pu-erh tea on the internet. They also have a lot of other fine Chinese teas and teaware.

So if you have the time and want to invest in some good teas, investigate this tea company. If you buy anything from them, it helps keep ZenKimchi financed -- and fed. Clicking on any Google ads also helps, even though you don't have to buy anything. And remember, there's always the Korean Fun Store, which is expanding all the time (I plan to sell Korean food from there soon).

Labels: Drink

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Wednesday, May 31, 2006

(Drink #1) Did I Hear 'Yogurt Soju?'

Soju. The national drink of Korea.

I think it's one of the biggest selling spirits in the world. The Thirsty Traveler said something akin to that.

I had mentioned before that I had discovered some great soju cocktails at Indio. Since then, I have successfully attempted to recreate them at home, particularly the yogurt soju cocktail.

It is built like a highball, meaning that the ingredients are poured directly into the glass in a certain order with no stirring or shaking.

1 shot of Soju
Fill glass 2/3 full with Drinkable Plain Yogurt
Top with Lemon Lime Soda (Sprite, Chilsung Cider, 7-Up)

I have always had it without ice, but I'm sure ice is a welcome option on a hot day. It's a very refreshing drink and not as high in alcohol as other highballs. This means you can drink a lot of these and not get dehydrated while having your summer BBQs.

Labels: Drink

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ZenKimchi Exclusive!

The ZenKimchi 식 Ruffians is a group dedicated to finding the sublime meal in Korea. "식" (Sik) is the Korean word for "cuisine." "Ruffians" is the term used for fans and followers of Anthony Bourdain's philosophy of experiencing the most a culture has to offer through its food.
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