Sunday, January 17, 2010

samgyetang lunch

A week ago, I had samgyetang for lunch, at a restaurant somewhat nearby. Unfortunately, I have no idea what the place is called, but I can at least find it again when my Seoul food guide leaves town in a month or so.

Samgyetang is chicken soup with ginseng root. The chicken (yes, a whole chicken) is stuffed with rice, ginseng root, and a few other things, such as a jujube (no, not the candy), a chestnut, a ginkgo nut, is in the bowl, filled with broth, with sesame seeds and sliced green onions scattered on top. Chickens here are normal size, meaning it fits in this bowl, which is really only about 6" or less across. If we buy a whole chicken in the Lotte Mart, and set it next to a whole chicken purchased at the commissary, the Korean chicken is about a quarter of the size of the American chicken. It's kind of eye-opening to see the difference between a normal chicken, and one that has been bred to have super-sized breasts.



A small bowl is provided that you pour salt in, then sprinkle some pepper on top. As you pull pieces of chicken off, you dip them in the salt before eating.

We also had a green onion or leek pancake. They place a layer of leeks down first, then pour the batter on top, and cook it in a skillet. There are usually small bits of octopus or squid mixed in. You take a piece, and dip it into a dish of soy sauce, then enjoy.

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