(BAESOOK)
(YAKBAP OR YAKSHIK)
(SOOJONG GWA)
(SOOBAK HWACHAE)
(SAENG-GANG CHA)
TRADITIONAL KOREAN MEALS AREN’T SERVED IN COURSES BUT rather laid out all at once. Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any delectables to satisfy your sweet tooth. Koreans have long enjoyed rice cakes and other sweets for snacks and special occasions.
A variety of hot and chilled beverages are also a staple of Korean cuisine. In addition to tea (green and otherwise), there are dozens of special drinks made from everything from native citrus (yuja) to Korean plums (maeshil). There are also centuries-old traditions that go along with the drinking of tea and its rituals. Some of them are so formal that they seem odd to our modern sensibilities.
Today there are hundreds of small tea shops in Korea where you can take a break from everyday life and slow down for a lovely drink.
I’ve included updated versions of traditional favorites such as the Watermelon Punch (page 149) and Chilled Cinnamon-Ginger Tea (page 147), which make for lovely after-dinner beverages or even a nice group beverage for parties. I’ve also included some new soju cocktails and a couple of recipes that make wonderful desserts for even the fanciest of meals.
An updated version of a traditional Korean sweet, this is one of my favorite ways to top off a meal. If you want, you can serve the slices of pear with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a lovely cup of Hot Ginger Tea (page 150) or green tea. Asian pears are in season in late autumn.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
10 cups water
One 1-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
2 or 3 strips lemon zest
1 large Asian pear, or 2 smaller ones
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
5 or 6 whole cloves
1 tablespoon sugar
Pour the water into a large saucepan and add the ginger. Twist the strips of lemon zest and drop them in the water. Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, then strain, discarding the ginger and lemon zest.
In the meantime, peel and core the pear, then cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Add the pear, peppercorns, cloves, and sugar to the liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pear turns soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Spoon out the pear slices and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, arranged in individual dessert bowls.
This is a simplified version of a more complicated rice dish made for special occasions. Its a fragrant and delicious way to enjoy sticky rice. Although fresh chestnuts make their way into markets in the autumn, you can now find peeled chestnuts in the frozen section of most Korean markets all year. Jujubes can be found in the dried goods section of Korean and Chinese groceries.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice
5 chestnuts, peeled
5 jujubes/dried red dates (daechu), pitted
3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
Pine nuts for garnish
Cover the rice with water and soak for about 4 hours, then drain. Line a steamer with a wet cotton cloth, add the rice, cover and steam for 30 minutes over boiling water.
In the meantime, cut the chestnuts and jujubes into quarters.
Carefully transfer the rice to a large bowl (it’s still very hot!). Add the chestnuts, jujubes, brown sugar, soy sauce, cinnamon, sesame oil, and honey and toss to mix. Return the whole thing to the steamer and let steam for another 30 minutes.
Spoon the rice mixture into 4 individual bowls and sprinkle generously with pine nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Although this is a chilled beverage, it is traditionally enjoyed in the winter. The “fire” of the cinnamon and ginger is supposed to warm you up, while the coolness of the beverage balances the heat. Not being much of a traditionalist, I like to make it during the summer and keep pitchers of it available as an alternative to iced tea.
MAKES 15 TO 20 SERVINGS
1 gallon water
3 sticks cinnamon
One 2- to 3-inch piece ginger, sliced
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar
Pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Pour the water into a large pot. Add the cinnamon and ginger and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from the heat and carefully remove the cinnamon and ginger. Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool, then refrigerate for several hours (preferably overnight) until chilled.
If you wish, sprinkle a few pine nuts in each cup before serving.
Great for a summertime picnic, a backyard party, or just to cool off the family after a hot day. If you want to be fancy, you can cut the edges of the hollowed-out watermelon into zigzags (be careful with the knife!). Its best to use a watermelon that’s been chilled in the refrigerator, but you can just add extra ice if you didn’t plan ahead.
MAKES ABOUT 20 SERVINGS
1 small seedless watermelon (about 10 pounds)
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Lots of ice cubes
Pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Cut the watermelon about one-third from the top and trim a little bit off the bottom to make it sit flat.
Have a large bowl ready and scoop out the insides with a melon bailer or small spoon. Scrape out the remaining watermelon and reserve in a separate bowl. Using a piece of cheesecloth, squeeze out the juice from the remaining watermelon into the bowl with the watermelon balls.
Add the sugar and lemon juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add ice and let cool for a few minutes.
When you’re ready to serve, transfer the punch to the watermelon bowl, add more ice, and garnish with pine nuts if you wish.
VARIATIONS:
If you want, you can add other fruits to the punch. Good options are cantaloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, lychee, or Asian pears.
NOTE:
Traditional hwachae is made with sugar syrup, which can be made by mixing equal amounts of sugar and water and heating the mixture over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool completely before adding. Sugar syrup is great for iced tea, lemonade, or any number of chilled drinks.
Nothing warms you up like a hot cup of ginger tea. The warmth of the liquid and the spiciness don’t just taste great on a winter day, but ginger also helps warm up your hands and feet since it increases blood circulation. This spicy-sweet tea is supposed to be good for your digestion, too.
MAKES 2 SERVINGS
One 1-inch piece ginger, sliced
3 cups water
Pine nuts for garnish (optional)
Honey or sugar
Add the ginger and water to a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Discard the ginger.
Serve steaming hot, sprinkled with a few pine nuts if you wish. Provide some honey or sugar to sweeten to taste.
A distilled liquor made from potato, sweet potatoes, or yams, soju is historically the commoners drink in Korea. Many hip and happening joints have been serving soju beverages, not only because its a clean-tasting alcohol that’s easy to use for mixed drinks, but also because its relatively low alcohol content helps get around liquor laws in certain cities. Here are a few fun cocktails with an Asian twist.
The lemon is traditional, but the ginger adds an element of surprise. Use a vegetable peeler to make a long strip of lemon zest for garnish. To rim your glasses with sugar, rub the rim with a wedge of lemon, then dip the glass upside down in a plate of sugar.
MAKES 2 COCKTAILS
1/2 lemon
3 ounces soju
One 1-inch piece ginger, sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
Ice cubes
Squeeze the lemon juice into a cocktail shaker. Add the soju, ginger, sugar, and fill the shaker with ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain into two sugar-rimmed cocktail glasses. Garnish with strips of lemon zest, lemon wedges, sprigs of mint, or whatever you like.
This refreshing cocktail is perfect for those hot summer days. If you don’t have time to freeze the watermelon beforehand, just add some ice cubes before blending.
MAKES 3 OR 4 COCKTAILS
2 cups watermelon cubes, seeded
1/2 cup soju
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon sugar
Put the watermelon cubes in the freezer and freeze for an hour or two.
Put the watermelon, soju, lime juice, and sugar in a blender and blend until there are no chunks of ice left and it’s well blended. Pour into 3 or 4 cocktail glasses. Garnish with a slice of watermelon, a wedge of lime, or whatever you like.
This is a nice beverage to serve at a dinner party in the fall when both apples and pears are in season.
MAKES 12 COCKTAILS
1 Fuji apple
1 small Asian pear
3 cups soju
1 quart tonic water, chilled
Peel and core the apple and pear and cut into thin strips. Put the fruit in a pitcher and pour in the soju. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Fill 12 cocktail glasses with ice. Strain the soju into the glasses, dividing equally among them (about 1/4 cup in each glass). Add a couple of apple and pear pieces to each glass and top off each drink with tonic water. Garnish with wedges of lime.
An elegant drink any time of year, the mint adds a refreshing edge to this sweet and tart beverage.
MAKES 2 COCKTAILS
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons sugar
12 mint leaves
Ice cubes
1/2 cup soju
11/2 cups cranberry juice
Muddle the lime, sugar, and mint leaves together in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice cubes, then add the soju and cranberry juice. Shake vigorously.
Put a few cubes of ice into 2 cocktail glasses. Pour the drink into the glasses and garnish with wedges of lime or mint sprigs.
