Honey, naturally

I just happened to be out and about, running errands while listening to Stateside and came across Honey at Big Rock interview.

having recently heard about beneficial properties of natural honey mead (read it on fb but can't find the link right now..)

so I thought i'd chime in.

I want to check out the Big Rock restaurant (for the first time) and see how the honey bee thing works. VERY curious :D

-end of short post.

Scallions vs Green Onions

https://sontran193.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/green-onion.jpg

Ah Green Onions..

Although some people hate them (not as much as cilantro), they add a subtle flavor as a garnish. (also works as a sub ingredient)

but it also goes by another name: scallions. I always thought they were interchangeable, but finally turned to the experts

and it turns out, experts agree. :D



chow.com article
illinoistimes.com article needs to learn how to format their paragraphs.. :/

recap:
Green onions / Scallions - skinny, long green topped onions with white bottom with few whiskers as roots.

not to be confused with shallots


잘 먹겠습니다.
Bon Appetit

스팸 김치찌개 Spam Kimchi Stew http://blog.daum.net/kimsun1035/14

So a customer came in and...

02/28/2015

customer: Do you carry General Tsao Chicken sauce?

me: uh..... (have i ever seen one before? . .  .   .   . ...) ... i'm sorry, but, no.. we do not :(

customer: What? isn't that Chinese?

me: well... (1. we are not a Chinese store per say... but more importantly 2.) "General Tsao's chicken is not Chinese, but New York". 

customer: Huh? then where can u get it?

as it turns out.. Googling turned up, wait-for-it.. Walmart! (I guess the sauce must me made in China at least... :p)

And I proceeded to explain what i heard on NPR

i dont think any of my vendors carry it.. 

this was a weird one.. cant find a sauce to good ole #AmericanChineseCusine at an Asian grocery store :p

But what can you expect, when the said dish originated, not from China, but from NYC

oh, and found this during my search ;)

amazon link

Sheep by any other name.. 2015, the year of 羊

picture ripped from World in Canada site

새해 복 많이 받으세요~
Sae Hae Bok Mani Ba Deu Se Yo (ie, happy (Lunar) New Year!)

So this is the year of 羊..

pic from here

or is it? o.O??

Leave it to the BBC (will need flash player) to explain it to us :p

being Korean American and never even having to thought about what Chinese character 羊 (양 pronounced Yang or ya-a-ng in Korean). 
If you look up the Chinese character Yang 羊 in Korean dictionary, it reads: Yang, Yang. meaning the character Yang stands for Yang, which is sheep in Korean. 
But I've been made aware of the fact that in original Chinese, the character 羊 stands for a horned animal, ie: Sheep, Goat or a Ram..

leave it to Brits to figure out this very Chinese issue :p  


and of course, seemingly every media outlet (NBC, NPR, etc.. ) is jumping on this bandwagon and bringing out the weirdos, as showcased by NPR

"A female year tends to be much more sort of peaceful than say male," he says. "Male is aggressive, and female will be more calm."

really? o.O?? i'll pass on that :p

*random clip while I was looking at different links: well this male sheep featured in Animal Farm on SBS is pretty aggressive. (for those that don't understand Korean, bottom line: sexual frustration makes the said male sheep aggressive)



ANYWAY, at the end of the day: a Sheep by any other name...

delicious looking lamb skewers from this blog

will be just as TASTY!! 


whether it be the year of Sheep, GoaT, or a Ram, have a happy 2015!! ^^

김 Laver, Nori, brown algae, Black paper? better known as Seaweed

Seaweed: Any of various red, green or brown algae that live in ocean waters.

doesn't really make you salivate does it? :p

We sell a ton of it, both the seasoned kind and plain roasted for Gimbop or Sushi, at our store.

For Koreans, it comes in 3 major varieties, 재래 (Jarae), 돌 (Dol), and 파래 (Parae), but what does it even mean?

We sell the stuff, but I never really knew, so I thought I’d get to the bottom of it, one internet link at a time ;)

History (Korean version anyway, thanks to http://blog.pulmuone.com/727

It dates back 700 years, 삼국유사 (History of Korean Three Kingdoms) is the first place the weed from the sea makes an appearance in Korean literature. it depicts characters venturing out to sea to collect/ harvest seaweed.

For a while, the green stuff from the sea was merely collected or harvested. Cultivation came much later.

Among historic theories, the most credible one puts mr. KIM Yeo-Ik cultivating and drying seaweed in today’s flat form. (more on the historical background, check the link) 

*according to Wikipedia entry for laver, First recording of Laver in English text dates back to the 17th century.

Is it good?
-Taste: mostly :D due to all the seasoning, although i've just recently gotten used to an all-natural variety, which is both pricey, and not as tasty.(it expired on us, but I'm still enjoying it :p)
this will be a running theme: "it is good?" is the WORST question! everyone has a different pallet, one must figure it out on their own ;)

-Good for you?
Laver has a high content of dietary minerals, particularly iodine and iron. The high iodine content gives the seaweed a distinctive flavor in common with olives and oysters

Who are you?

Back to the question at hand, “What is the difference between Jarae, Dol and Parae Gim?

Actually, seaweed has 5 major academic classifications according to shape and where it was grown. Koreans are more familiar with Jarae, Dol, Parae and Gimbop Gim (seaweed for Gimbop rolls)

Types of Seaweed used to make Gim (Nori / roasted seaweed)
참김 Porphyra Tenera, 방사무늬김 Porphyra Yezoensis, 모무늬 돌김 Porphyra Seriata, 잇바디 돌김 Porphyra dentata Kjellman

picture courtesy of Asia Economy

Jarae – made mostly with seaweed with plum or wine-colored leaves that get wider as it gets to the top. Typically processed into a square and has a light color. Lightly roasted and dipped in soy sauce.

Seaweed for Gimbop (Sushi Nori)

Made using Porphyra tenera (참김), which are longer and softer. In order to prevent the seaweed from tearing as you make the roll, it is reinforced with more layers than typical dried seaweed. It appears darker due to thickness.

Dolgim – Porphyra dentata Kjellman(잇바디 돌김) Porphyra Seriata (모 무늬 돌김): rough texture. 
Typically mixed with Prophyra yezoensis (방사무늬김) type to ensure softer texture (otherwise, it can cut the inside of your mouth). Dolgim has the shortest history among major seaweed types in Korea.

Parae – dried seaweed produced by mixing seaweed and Parae. Parae is considered a “weed” or inferior in the seaweed cultivation business. (seaweed really ought to be called sea-grass for this “weed” analogy to work, but whatever) If harvested seaweed contains Parae, it lowers the quality, but if the Parae is mixed during the dried seaweed making process, it offers a unique taste, which helped gain popularity.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/21/superfood-seaweed-health-benefits_n_3786076.html

Used for...

side dish with a rice meal,

wrap seaweed rolls,

side dish for beer.

What does it all mean?

Jarae is the original type

Dol is the newest comer, is rougher and offers a different flavor.

Parae is a mix of higher quality laver and "weed". it offers a unique flavor.

but no matter what, it has a lot of iodine and iron

So.. give it a shot! :D

Of course, I only highlighted the basic difference in the main ingredient and didn't even get into the roasting process: olive oil, canola oil, grape seed oil, green tea powder, etc... the list just goes on.

my recommendation

You will hear me say this often: there is no recommendation! Try a few and see if you like it or not. ;)

while working at our grocery store, It was SUPER surprising to learn that some American children of all ethnic/cultural backgrounds take roasted seaweed to school to complement their lunch. i guess the popularity is growing :D

enjoy~ ^^

Hansik Gorilla 한식 고릴라

Hansik, Han (Korean) Sik (Food)

Gorilla, largest living primate (dream of being that 800 pound Juggernaut 

한식 고릴라.

Hansik Gorilla: food blog that centers around, but not limited to Korean food and its dissemination in various cultures (mainly American).

I'll always sign off with a VERY original, 잘 먹겠습니다~ Jal Muk Get Seum Ni Da  (literally means I'll very eat well. used to show appreciation for the meal you are about to have. google respells it as: Jal Mug Get Sum Ni Da, but to my American English speaking mind, i prefer my spelling.)

v 0.1 - getting it launched is half the battle. 2014.12.23

by a Korean American boy in his 30s..