Spirited Taste of Korea
South Korea is known for its drinking culture, as evident by its bustling nightlife in the urban cities. Restaurants, pubs, and bars are constantly filled with people seeking a good drink to end the day after work. And almost always, these drinks are accompanied by food.
There are two main reasons for this. One, rather than drinking to get drunk, most people often drink as a means of socializing with others. Two, Koreans love and hold immense pride in their food and cuisine. Pairing alcohol with food allows people to enjoy a more casual drinking setting. With the consumption of food, people are less likely to get drunk easily — ensuring a long night of fun. Ultimately, the Koreans’ love for food and drinking serves to bring people together.
In this paper, I would like to bring you the experience of this Korean nightlife through three famous food-drink pairs in Korea. I hope to introduce the Korean food and drinking culture and encourage you to enjoy these pairings at home in bringing friends and family together.
차 indicates a round. For example, 1차 means round one.
1차: Chimaek (chicken + beer)
Fried chicken
Pickled Radish
Beer
Chimaek is a very classic pairing — so classic that it has its own name! Chimaek was coined by combining the words Chikin (chicken) and Maekju (beer). Chimaek is an essential meal when watching a sports game at home. On the days of the Korean national soccer team’s matches, the Korean fried chicken restaurants are always overflowing with delivery orders.
Although my goal was to explore the recipes by cooking this meal myself, I strongly believe that this pairing is the best when ordered from a specialized restaurant.
2차: Pajeon + makgeolli (Korean pancake + rice wine)
Ingredients:
Small green onions
Korean pancake mix
Squid
Shrimp
Soy sauce
Vinegar
Sesame seeds
Korean rice wine
Recipe:
1. Mix 2 cups of the pancake mix with 1 cup water and one tablespoon of soy sauce.
2. Optional: add ice to the mixture to lower the temperature.
3. Wash and cut the green onions.
a. Cut the green onions in 1/3 lengths and cut the white end part in half vertically.
4. Add the green onions and seafood mix into the batter.
5. Now let’s make the dipping sauce. Mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds. While optional, add a pinch of gochugaru (Korean chili powder) for some spice.
Pajeon — a Korean green onion pancake dish — is a perfect snack for a rainy day, as the sound of the rain hitting the ground resembles the sound of an oil-covered pajeon sizzling on a hot pan. So although the constant rain in Los Angeles this past month was unexpected, it was great timing for a day of pajeon and makgeolli.
Makgeolli is a Korean rice wine that is often made from rice, barley, wheat, and water. This drink was initially consumed by farmers as a means to maximize the use of their surplus in rice and barley. As a result, the drink originally had the reputation of a “working-class alcohol,” but it is a very loved and popular drink in Korea nowadays.
The pajeon and makgeolli work together harmoniously as the creamy yet light makgeolli balances out the umami-rich and oily pajeon. Beyond just the flavors, the contrast in the texture of the pairing allows for perfect partners; the creaminess of the makgeolli in conjunction with the crispy yet chewy pajeon enhances both the consumption of the dish and the drink.
3차: Samgyupsal + soju (Korean bbq pork belly + soju)
Ingredients:
Pork belly
Garlic
Onions
Lettuce
Ssamjang
Kimchi
Rice
Soy sauce
Sugar
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
Vinegar
Soju
Recipe:
1. First prep the vegetables
a. Peel and cut the garlic. We will be panfrying the garlic, so do not cut the small garlic. For big ones, cut them in half vertically.
b. Peel and cut the onions. For some of the onions, cut through the cross section and maintain the ring formation. For the other onions, julienne into strips to be used in the salad. Submerge the strips in water for 10 minutes to remove the spiciness.
c. Wash the lettuce. Some will be used as wraps (called ssam in Korean) for the meat. Some will be used for the salad. For the salad, cut the lettuce into small blocks.
2. Salad
a. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of soy sauce with 1 teaspoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of gochugaru, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds.
b. When the onions have been submerged, mix the onions, lettuce, and salad sauce in one big bowl. Use your hands (with a plastic glove if you would like) to mix the salad. Your hands are the best tools for mixing ingredients for any Korean dish!
3. Now to the pan.
a. Pre-heat the pan with medium-high heat. Once the desired temperature is reached, lay strips of pork belly. Salt the side facing upwards.
b. Once the bottom side is brown and almost crispy, flip the pork belly. Salt the top side once again.
c. When the bottom is no longer pink, cut the pork belly into smaller strips.
d. Fry and flip as needed for the preferred amount of crispiness.
e. After the pork belly is cooked, there is a lot of fat from the meat. We will be using this to cook the vegetables.
f. Bring the heat to a medium, and put onions, garlic, and kimchi on the pan. Flip when the bottom side is brown, and serve.
4. Optional: fried rice
a. Add leftover meat, onions, garlic, and kimchi on the pan with rice.
b. Bring the heat to a medium-high for the pan.
c. Drizzle sesame oil and some soy sauce.
d. Add seaweed bits or furikake as preferred.
e. Mix the ingredients and press down on the rice for crispiness.
Soju is a harder liquor than the previously mentioned ones with a proof of around 40. Hard liquors are often paired with oily dishes as the alcohol acts as a palette cleanser. While soju comes in different flavors (i.e. strawberry, grape, peach, and yogurt), I recommend pairing the pork belly with the original flavor for the best palette-cleansing experience. The fatty, filling pork belly and the clean, water-like soju makes this combination irresistible.
Fried rice is the ultimate Korean dessert. After a meal of KBBQ or shabu shabu, it is crucial for a Korean to end the day with rice. In fact, the fried rice uses the leftovers from the meals to minimize food waste while maximizing the satisfaction of your taste buds!
