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Samgyetang |
Samgyetang (pronounced [samgjeta©¯]),
sometimes called chicken ginseng soup, is a Korean soup-based
dish. It is basically a whole young chicken stuffed with
glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng,
dried seeded jujube fruits, garlic, and ginger. Depending
on the recipe, other medicinal herbs such as wolfberry
(gugija), Codonopsis pilosula (dangsam), and Angelica
sinensis (danggwi) may also be added. The dish's name
literally means "ginseng chicken soup."
Samgyetang is traditionally served in the summer for its
supposed nutrients, which replaces those lost through
excessive sweating and physical exertion during the hot
summers in Korea. Many Koreans enjoy it on three specific
days in summer, "Chobok", "Jungbok" and "Malbok", which
Koreans believe to be the hottest and most sultry of the
year.
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Like chicken soup, which is
thought to help common sicknesses in the West, samgyetang
is held in Korea to be not only a cure for physical
ailments but a preventer of sickness. Proteins, minerals
and hormones from the whole chicken mixed with the beneficial
properties of the ingredients combined in the dish makes
it a revered culinary item in South Korea. Only whole
uncut ingredients are used for the dish, as they preserve
the maximum amount of nutrients.
Specialty restaurants common in Korea serve nothing
but samgyetang, having gained local popularity through
their special recipe for the dish which are often kept
secret. The dish is usually accompanied by side dishes
and, in some restaurants, a small complementary bottle
of ginseng wine is included. |
| Bibimbap
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Bibimbap
is a popular Korean dish. The word literally means
"stirred/mixed rice" or "stirred/mixed meal." (It
is also sometimes spelled "bibimba," "bibimbab,"b-bop"
or "bibimbop").
Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped
with namul (sauteed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang
(chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced
meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients
are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.
It can be served either cold or hot.
Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned
cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji
(bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean
sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern stems). Dubu (tofu),
either plain or sauteed, or a leaf of lettuce may
be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted
for beef. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often
placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.
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