Korea.net Honorary Reporter John Paul Vergonia from the Philippines runs Hanbap, a Korean lunchbox delivery venture in Pangasinan Province. Here he shares his love for Korean cuisine and his passion to promote Korea through his cooking.

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter John Paul Vergonia from the Philippines
Photos = John Paul Vergonia



Although there are so many from which to choose, two of the most beautiful Korean dishes you can consider for a bounteous meal are the famed bulgogi and galbijjim, which are both prepared with beef. The only difference between the two meat dishes is that bulgogi is a savory and tender beef barbecue that's marinated first with a special soy sauce mixture and then cooked by grilling the thin slices of meat over an open flame. Galbijjim is prepared by braising steamed beef short ribs, sometimes of pork, with a soy sauce-based seasoning along with vegetables such as carrots, potatoes or chestnuts.

Cooking your favorite Korean food in the comfort of your own home is definitely a fun-filled kitchen experience that will later give you a fulfilling feeling, as it's beyond the things you usually do. With the sound created by each of the ingredients cooked in the pan, the delicious flavor that is unique to the dish, the beautiful presentation showcased at the dining table, and the happiness it can give you and the whole family, it's is definitely worth it, as it shows that you did your best to go beyond and present what you have for your loved ones.

Aside from the good dishes that I first learned, there are also some Korean favorites that I love to make to celebrate special occasions and holidays, particularly tteok sweet and chewy rice cakes. Rice is also a staple on the Philippine table, and making other delicacies out of the white grain is quite the same and as easy as the famous sweet songpyeon and yaksik rice cakes. Moon-shape, sweet songpyeon are yet another favorite of the family that we would love to have and eat again and again.

The first time I made some of these was when we had a housewarming party in our new apartment. I still remember that instead of using pine needles to add an aroma to the rice cakes, I used some banana leaf as an alternative to cook with songpyeon, which in the end turned out to be pretty good.

Besides, there is also the yaksik that is considered medicinal. With the sweet rice steamed until it becomes soft and sticky, and then mixed along with honey, sesame oil, soy sauce and various dried fruits and nuts, this kind of rice cake is as good as a comfort food, especially if it is paired with your favorite tea or other confectionaries, such as yakgwa fried honey cookies or maejakgwa ginger cookies.



Cooking Korean food can sometimes be a bit complicated and quite hard to prepare. Noodle dishes, soups and casseroles for me are the most challenging to cook compared to all the other Korean dishes I have talked about. It takes a long time and practice to finally perfect a dish that falls in this category. Although Korean noodles can be prepared quickly where some of our favorite noodle soups can be eaten and prepared instantly, from scratch it requires patience to do, like if you're making naengmyeon cold buckwheat noodles, kalguksu noodles soup or jjajangmyeon specialty noodles topped with sautéed black soybean paste.

From the selection of ingredients, making a tasty broth and getting the right noodles for the dish can take so much time and preparation. Additionally, stews, soups and casseroles, such as the spicy yet energizing kimchi jjigae stew, yukgaejang spicy beef soup, beoseot jeongol mushroom casserole or maeuntang spicy fish stew, can be hard to do since not all of the key ingredients are available in Philippine markets. They are difficult to cook and to prepare as authentically as possible.





In one recent food project in which I got involved, I was tasked to cook at least three Korean dishes per week, both the popular and the unknown ones, to make them into recipes exclusively for a content website. I have experienced a lot of difficulty in preparing and making Korean soups and casseroles. Although the culinary journey for me is one of the hardest projects I have had, trying out a number of dishes has taught me a lot about the world of Korean cuisine and it was fulfilling my part, as it did give me new experiences to improve my craft in cooking Korean food.

Preparing Korean food is also a whole lot of fun, especially if you are doing it with so much love. Though sometimes you get to spend long hours in the kitchen, just like wrapping up a bunch of dumplings or pot stickers, or rolling the bamboo mat perfectly to make some delicious gimbap rice rolls, through cooking you will be able to showcase your love and care. Remember that you have to prepare everything with a lot of passion so that the food you'll be cooking will later bring great delight on the dining table.

Korean cuisine has been shown to be popular across the globe. Even though it has evolved from the ordinary, people still pay special attention to the customs. This is coupled with the simplicity of everyday dining habits that are still appreciated by many people today. Cooking Korean food for your family is a rewarding experience, especially if they all love what you do for them in terms of the meal and cooking, and as long as your skills are determinedly improving. With my passion for cooking Korean food, I want to take part in this lifetime culinary journey to promote Korean cuisine. All of the food I've learned to love and share, I do as much as I can in my own ways and start in my own little home.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.