I'm cookin in Korean...!

Mark bought a Korean cook book, and I have recently been having a lot of fun cooking Korean food from it. OK, I'll wait while you get up from the floor, where you have no doubt fallen in surprise at the thought of me cooking. Now, I always thought Korean cooking was very complicated, and it is sometimes, but living here means I can get the ingredients easily and it isn't nearly as hard as I thought! And it is very, very good for you.

I was so proud of myself I took pictures, mostly because the ingredients are fun. I need to do a photo-post of the grocery shopping experience, because it is as much fun as cooking! The dates and ginseng are from an alley way market stuffed with herbs, vegetables and squirming fish. Even the regular ol grocery store, eMart, is a total hoot- they sample everything, with uniformed Official Samplers handing it out. They even sample beer!

This particular Korean cooking experience was SamGaeTang, a summer dish that is ginseng chicken soup. Not spicy at all, but very flavorful from the herbs and ginseng. I got a seasoning packet from eMart first, then added ingredients to make it more flavorful.

The stick looking things are some sort of herb, and of course garlic, green onion, and ginseng and the dates. I used cornish game hens instead of a whole chicken. You stuff the hens with rice mixed with garlic cloves, chestnuts and dates. Plus stuff some ginseng in there too, and seal the hens up.
Then you put the hen(s) in the pot and add chicken stock, more herbs, more ginseng, and some more dates and let it boil a good long time.

It smells just awesome, and though it is a summer food in Korea, I think its best on cold winter nights. Its Gryphon's favorite Korean food.
Add some green onions, salt and pepper, and it makes an awesome meal!

If you want to try Korean cooking, this is a great blog with recipes: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tofu-stew-doenjang-chigae I recently made the Dwaengjang Chigae from it for Rowan, our book doesn't have a recipe for it. Let me know if you try any of the recipes!