Korean Ginseng ~ KoreaTaste Gift

Hi everyone!,

As some of you already know, I'm a huge fan of Korean Food, I love eating it and cooking it, and KoreaTaste started their blogging contest on february, which was entered by default since I was already a member of the site, this only encourage me to blog more about food!

Last month the winners were announced and I got 3rd place (YAY!), and also got selected as a winner for being a "new" member, 2 weeks ago I received an email regarding my gift being sent and this Thursday I got a huge package on the mail!

The package had a Thank you letter from KoreaTaste, a Box of Seaweed (5 packages), 1 Box of Korean Red Ginseng Tea (it contains like 100 teabags) and a bottle of Korean Red Ginseng extract, of course I didn't know how to use this, so I asked some friends and checked some videos online to know more about it.



First, the Teabags, the ginseng comes in some sort of powder, there's no need of a Teabag or a Tea-spoon (is that how it's called? lol), you just pour it in warm water and that's it, I thought it was going to taste bad (I read about the bad taste somewhere), but no, the taste is a little bit sweet and it's very refreshing, anyway, I found out that Korean Ginseng is good to lower high blood pressure, helps Boost the immune system, helps treat Diabetes Mellitus and helps developing Brain efficency and also it has some effect on the eyes... I read you have to take about 600ml a day (2-3 cups) and after 2 weeks you have to take another week off of the tea, it's not recommended to drink it at night because it can cause insomnia, and I already have enough insomnia to add this to it :P. I just started taking it this weekend, so, let's see how it helps in the next couple of weeks!

The Korean Red Ginseng Extract helps:

 Relieve stress and fatigue since Ginseng works as a natural adaptogen in the body that allows the body to accommodate to stress in a natural manner (it is also said to work with the nervous system as a natural tranquilizer)

Boost mental efficency since it containg many gensenosides that are able to boost efficency in the brain and reduce mental fatigue.

Boost libido, this is one of the most widely-known bennefits of Red Ginseng ~Something I don't think I'll get to test~ lol

Boost immune system because of Ginseng's high amount of Vitamins and Minerals, it is believed to strength the body's immunity and it can also wok as a natural detoxifier.

Lower blood pressure. It is benneficial to those who suffer hypertension (Like me!)

Control blood sugar. Red Ginseng reduced cortisol levels in the bloodstream and helps promote insulin production. Helps manage or preven Diabetes.

Treat Arthritis, because of its anti-inflammatory properties is a great natural alternative to reducing the severity of rheumatoig arthritis.

Promote Bodily balance, all ginseng varieties are classified as adaptogens aka herbs that work addressing any imbalances you have in your body (includes infections, insomnia, stress, digestive issues, etc.

And I don't think I have to tell you what the Seaweed is used for, right? :)

There you have it, I guess I'll be posting more about this since I just started taking the Ginseng Tea and this week I'll try the Red Ginseng!

감사합니다!

I would like to thank KoreaTaste for the opportunity to blog for them and for the Healthy presents I got! 

-Gisela V.

**Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/benefits-korean-red-ginseng-10509853.html

I Like ___ Seoul! [Mission #1]

Hi Everyone!

Well, the 1st mission of the 2013 Global Seoul Mates is here and here are some of my favorite things about Seoul (Korea)

-Gisela V. 

Rush Ticket

Have you ever heard about "Rush ticket"?


Rush ticket enables you to watch the performance of the very day at reduced rates. There are many unique shows in Korea about martial arts, B-boying, traditional music, percussion and they offer up to 60% discount.

The Rush ticket website is still under construction, so it does not contains every performance, but here's a list of the performances you can watch!

JUMP
FANTASTICK
Action Drawing HERO
Ballerina who loves B-boy
Original Drawing Show
Drumcat
B-boy KUNG
SACHOOM
MI-SO
BIBAP
MISUDA
World Beat VINARI
Babbling perfordian show

-Gisela V.

Global Seoul Mate 2013!

By the way!!

The Julie Julia Gisela Project has been selected as a Global Seoul Mate "Grade-1" aka SUPER AWESOME! (ok no...haha) by http://english.seoul.go.kr

So, thank you readers for passing by :)

May blogging continue!!

-Gisela V.

SOREA Band

Photo taken from Sorea Group

SOREA Band is a modern Korean traditional music band.

Sorea Band was formed in 2005; the name is a compound word for ‘Soul of Korea’ and their intention is to share the Soul of Korea with global citizens. The band is a combination of world trends and Korean traditional instruments, generating a new Korean traditional value by developing creative performances.

In 2005 won the Gold Award in the Creative Korean Traditional Music competition and it then received the Best new Album Award from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary in 2006.

I had never hear of them until recently, a Korean friend of mine introduce me to Sorea Claiming they played Modern Korean music using Traditional Korean Instruments and had Bboys performances, I've talked about Bboys before and since I'm sort of a new Kpop fan I decided to check it out.

The 1st thing I did was check out their YouTube channel and watch some of their Videos. 

You can also watch an interview with Sorea's Producer/Creative Director Moon Ryu, it's an interview from Arirang's show "Heart to Heart", basically a short explanation of what SOREA is and what they do.

They also have a Facebook account where you can find more information about recent presentations or upcoming shows!

You can also follow them on Twitter. 

Follow Sorea Media at https://twitter.com/SOREAMedia

If you don't know anything about Korean Music and somehow you feel it's no fun, SOREA Band might change your mind about it, remember not everyone in Korea listens to Kpop and this is a great way to get to know a little bit more about Korean Traditional Music.

-Gisela V.

Kimchi V2.0

Good Morning Kimchi!, the earth says Hello!

For some reason I've been talking about Kimchi too much these last couple of days so I decided to Blog about it (yet, again), Last year I finally visited the "Kimchi Museum" located in COEX, it was a must since I'm such a Kimchi fan, we visited the Kimchi Museum on our 1st day in Korea for the WKB Tour back in Sept '12, don't ask me why but I like Kimchi, at least the few varieties I've tried, I love cooking 김치전.

My 1st lousy 김치전

A meal without Kimchi is not a meal in Korea, no matter if it's International food that you are having there will be something Pickled in your table, Kimchi also contains healthful properties, Vitamins, it helps the digestion and its also helpful in preventing various types of Cancers, recently a studio showed it's also helpful with Weight loss, it's said that the "Korean spirit is embedded in Kimchi, the care and devotion it takes to make this dish is an embodiment of the Soul of the entire Country"

Ok, so, let's talk about a few kinds of Kimchi!

통배추김치 or Tongbaechu Kimchi 

This kimchi is made with Chinese Cabbage and it's the most common Kimchi in Korea (and around the globe!), it's usually made during winter and it's included in every Korean Meal. 

나박김치 or Nabak Kimchi

Radish water Kimchi is made with Radishes and cabbages, it's usually made during the early months of Spring and is popular for its cold and invigorating broth.

Image: chowdivine.com

오이소박이 or Oisobagi

This Kimchi is made by stuffing Cucumbers, made with different seasonings, the Cucumbers are marinated in salt and also contains a refreshing broth.

Image: ifood.tv

총각김치 or Chonggak Kimchi

Whole radish Kimchi, this kimchi is made from small turnips with red pepper powder and seasonings, This Kimchi won't sour easily, even during the summer time.

깍두기 or Kkakdugi

깍두기 or Kkakdugi

Diced radish Kimchi, usually bite sized cubes of white radish are used to make it, it goes good with soups like Seolleongtang (ox bone soup) *Did you ever watched Kim Sam Soon?, after the fight between Henry and Samshik they eat this soup and att Kkakdugi kkk* 

Seolleongtang 

I think 4 kinds of Kimchi are enough for now. , Each season has it's own variety of Kimchi, Kimchi is so important that there are Special fridges for it, because it has to have certain temperature, there's bread made with Kimchi, Hot Dogs with Kimchi, and an infinity of recipes for everyone to try out!, I recently saw someone posting about "Scrambled Kimchi eggs", basically scrambled eggs with Kimchi, so... Yea, you can add Kimchi to anything and call it "Whatever Kimchi" I suppose.... 

Autumn Kimchi

Winter Kimchi

Summer Kimchi

Spring Kimchi

Korean Rice Cake

Tteok (떡) or Rice cake, is a traditional Korean Dessert, they are made for celebrations, festivities or it's very commonly used to make Tteokboki, there are way too many kinds of Tteok (sorry!, I don't know the exact number), last year when we visited the Tteok Museum I felt like I was in heaven (lol), there you can learn to make your own Tteok but we didn't do it for lack of time, but we made sure to spare some time to go to the Jilsiru café (inside the museum) to try a great variety of Rice Cakes.

My favorite sweet rice cake is the Mujigae-Tteok 무지개떡

Mujigae Tteok or Rainbow Rice cake is a multicolored layered ricecake, it's made with natural food coloring to achieve this effect, if you look at it it looks like a regular cake-bread, when you try it it has a very soft texture and it's chewy at the end.... I love every part of this cake, I tried making it once and Failed miserably. 

Maehwa Tteok is the pink one

Maehwa-Tteok 매화떡

The small white flowers of Maehwa (plum flower) have a sweet fragance, this Rice cake is one of Korea's traditional foods that mirrors the elegant image of the country. Mixed with natural dyes and shaped into a Plum flower it can also have bean paste, pine nuts or dried dates added.

Image: Corbisimages.com

Chapssal-Tteok  찹쌀떡

Chappsal Tteok is a Korean dessert rice cake filled with sweet bean paste, these are very similar to the Japanese Mochi, I've had this in Mexico many times and sometimes they make a green tea rice cake filled with the bean paste, this helps remove the sweetness of the bean paste and is another one of my favorites!



   

Image: wikimedia.com

Last but not least, is the Ingeolmi 인절미

This rice cake is a MUST during festivities, it's sof and people usually eat it as a snack, this rice cake is coated with soybean powder, it can also be coated with other ingredients powder such as sesame seads, dried jujube, etc.



Have you tried other Rice cakes?, I usually buy a small package but since my sister doesn't like'em I always have left overs and without a microwave is hard to re-heat them, do you have any advice for it?

-Gisela V.

P.s. I forgot!! You can also have Tteok with Patbingsu, it's the perfect WIN

Patbingsu we had in Jeonju = WIN

Korean Recipe: Japchae

I can honestly say Japchae is one of my favorite Korean dishes and just like Bibimbap is something quite easy to make.

Image: Maangchi.com

Japchae is made with potatoe noodles and vegetables, this dish is served during traditional Korean Festivities and if you have ever had Korean Food in Mexico you'll know this dish is part of the Banchan they usually serve you!

This recipe is very easy to follow, so here it goes:

1.- Cut the cucumber into thin slices, remove the seeds, marinate with salt and squeeze out the excess water,  pan-fry them for a minute

Image source: www.chow.com

2.- Cut the onion  into long, thin slices and pan-fry them
3.- Cut the carrots (lengthwise) into thin slices, season with salt and pan-fry them
4.- Cut the beef and mushrooms into thin slices and pan-fry them
5.- Beat one egg and fry into a thin layer, then cut it into thin layers.
6.- Boil cellophane noodles, the noodles should be soft but firm (Does that make sense?, check out the package instructions for better understanding!)
7.- Rinse the noodles in cold water, add soy sauce, sugar and seasame oil. Stir fry the mixture in a large pan using vegetable oit.
8.- Add the vegetables to the pan, mix and season with soy sauce, salt, sesame salt, sugar and sesame oil.
9.- Add the egg slices.

Even thou this is very easy to make, it involves too many steps and if you are lazy like me (sometimes),  you can also go to a Korean Store and buy it there :)

If you have any Korean Food recipes to share let me know!!, I'm always up to try to cook something new.

-Gisela V.

Let's talk Alcohol...

If you know anything about Korea you might be aware they like to drink a lot, so, why don't we talk a little bit about Korea's Alcoholic Beverages!

Soju

The most known being Soju.... yup, we have all seen or drank that green small bottle, that innocent looking bottle is the Favorite alcoholic drink among Koreans. It's clear like Vodka and is made from distilling fermented marsh of rice or sweet potatoes, Soju is CHEAP and available at most Korean restaurant and convenience stores. Soju goes well with everything raw fish, Barbecued meats and spicy food.




Makgeolli 

This is commonly referred to as the "Liquor of the common people", it has the longest history among Korean liquors and was highly popular among farmers. Makgeolli is made with fermented sweet rice, it looks like a very creamy milk and has a sweet/sour taste, the algocol content is very low and it also contains nutrients. Makgeolli goes well in Jeon (Korean Pancakes).

That's exactly the one I tried in Jeonju!

Moju 

Moju is a sweet and AMAZING beverage from Jeonju, I'm not quite sure you can find it anywhere else, but if you get a chance to try it DO IT!!, Moju is made by boiling Makgeolli with 8 medicinal herbs (Ginger, Jujube, Licorice root, Ginseng, Arrowroot and Cinammon Powder, I found the Cinammon being the strongest flavour when I tried it and I loved it, the level of alcohol is really low in Moju so don't worry about getting drunk ;)

Insamju

Insamju is a liquor made with Insam (Premium Korean Ginseng), and Koreans believe that liquor made with Medicinal herbs has health benefits if it's consumed daily in small portions over a long period of time (Why not!!), Insamju bottles usually come with a root inside and is one of the most popular souvenirs among foreigner visitors in Korea, Insamju goes well with Fruit, Samgyetang or Rice snacks.




Maesilju

This liquor is made with small, green plums that are matured for at least 5 years and is one of Korea's most popular fruit wine, the alcohol content is also very low and goes well with Bulgogi, grilled fish or sushi, I had it with Samgyetang and it was very good.





What's your favorite Korean Drink?

-Gisela V.

Bi-bim-bap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who doesn't like Bibimbap?....



Just last week I made some homemade Bibimbap and I realized I never posted the recipe here, this is pretty simple to make and you can basically just use left-over veggies, rice, an egg and Gochujang.


Bibimbap is a combination of Red pepper paste (Gochujang), Steamed rice and vegetables, this creates a very pleasant harmony, I was lucky enough to eat Jeonju's Bibimbap at  the Gajokhwoigwan Restaurant, Jeonju is famous for its Bibimbap and it's the only place where I've tried it with a raw egg yolk... anyway, here's the Recipe!




Ingredients (4 Portions):

800 grs. Steamed Rice
200grs.  Bean Srputs
100grs.  Spinach
3            Shiitake mushrooms
1/3         Carrot
3  tbsp   Sesame Oil
2  tbsp   Minced garlic
             Salt
2  tbsp  Vegetable Oil
3  tbsp  Gochujang (Red pepper paste)
4          Eggs

Wash the rice 3 times to remove the starch and place it in a thick pot with 3 cups of water, boil over high heat for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 more minutes, put a lid on the pot and don't open it until the rice is fully cooked!!

Parboil the bean sprouts and season with same oil, salt and minced garlic.

Bibimbap @ my Korean Air flight!

Boil the spinach, then rinse in cold water to avoid overcooking it, squeeze out the water and season with sesame oil and salt.

Grease the pan with sesame oil and parch the mushrooms.

Cut the carrot into a small, thin strips and pan-fry them.

Fry the eggs making sure the yolk doesn't break!!!

Finally, place the rice in a BIG bowl, add the veggies, add the Gochujang and place the egg on top of the rice and veggies.

As you can see it's pretty easy to make, if you don't have those veggies don't worry, go ahead and use whatever you have on your fridge, this is a perfect food for those days you feel like there's "nothing" to eat at home ;)

Have you ever had Bibimbap? How was it?

-Gisela V.

Jay Park: From K-pop to a New Breed

About a month ago I finally got Jay Park's "New Breed (Deluxe Edition", if you don't know who he is you can go here to read a little bit about his career with 2PM.

Jay Park is a Korean-American singer who came a long way ever since 2009,  I had heard some of his songs before and I loved the "Nothing on you" version he released back in 2010 and I gotta say this, quiting 2PM was definitely a good move, he went from a Kpop band to a style that fits him the most, dont you think?

Jay Park is also part of the B-boy group AOM (Art of Movement).

Photo credit: https://twitter.com/AOM_TJP

On April 2011 he released his 1st mini Album "Take a deeper Look" and released the video "Abandoned"

On February 2012 he released "New Breed" and this is where I got interested in Jay Park... I got the "New Breed - Deluxe Edition" CD with 18 songs, includes Girlfriend (one of my favorites), Clap ft. Tiger JK & Tasha (another one of my faves!) and 4 different versions of Know your Name, soon I got addicted to this album and loved the songs with Dok2 (Dok2 also collaborated with GD on his latest album among Tablo for the song Light it up ).

Just 2 days ago Jay Park announced the release of a new Song/MV on this Twitter account, the song is called Appetizer and was produced by Cha Cha Malone (Who is also part of AOM) and whom has worked with JPark with other Hits as Bestie and Spechless. 

Jay Park also has an online "reality" show on his YouTube Chanel called Jay Park TV where you can see him getting ready for Concerts, B-boys battles, Shows or hanging out with his Crew. 

Ayway, just wanted to share some info on Jay Park and show that I'm not just crazy about Kpop ;) lol

Here are some useful links:

Jay Park's website: http://www.jaypark.com/eng (English/Korean/Japanese/Chinese) 

Jay Park's Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/jaybumaom0425

Jay Park's Twitter Account: https://twitter.com/JAYBUMAOM

Jay Park's Facebook Account: http://www.facebook.com/jaypaom

Well... Clap clap clap!

-Gisela V. 

A little bit of Korea in Italy

As you might have read, my sister and I took a very nice vacation around Italy on November '12, and on my 1st day in Rome I discovered a Korean Restaurant! 

Santa Maria Magiore from Behind

Via Cavour

Just 1 block away from the famous Termini you'll find a small Korean restaurant, from that moment on I craved Korean food O_o, soon my good friend Foursquare told me there were other Korean Stores nearby, little did I know I was staying a few blocks away from Korea Town in Rome, is that destiny or what?, of course I wanted to go and find those stores but discovering Rome was top priority, good thing Rome is a small city and I found them by accident :), there's a Korean convenience store close to the Santa Maria Magiore Church, it's actually on the back street of the Church, the name is Via Cavour (close to Via Liberiana, You'll find a Korean Travel agency that offers mostly Flights to Asia and a Korean Market, obviously I was very excited and decided to buy some snacks for later... kkkk

Travel Agency

Korean Super Market

Yummy Products #1

Turns out a few days later those snacks were perfect since we didn't have food for our last night in Rome (not really the LAST one, we were coming back a week later). 

Being Gangnam Style in Italy!

 We then decided to pay a visit to the Pope, why not?, we were already there ;), we visited Vatican City and just 1 block away from the Vatican I saw the add for another Korean Restaurant, I didn't have time to look for it but if it wasn't for Venice I would say I found a Korean-something on every city I visited in Italy!.

After our Visit to the Vatican we met some friends and while waiting for them we found a nice souvenir store selling Psy souvenirs.... Why?... I have NO idea, but I bought a new iPhone case in there... kkk 

Sapori di Korea in Florence

At the next day we took the train to Florence :) and guess what I found on my 2nd day in Florence?... a Korean store :D (I just can't escape them...), we were with friends that day so I didn't go in ad much as I wanted but 2 days later I was exploring Florence on my own and decided to look for this store, this wasn't an easy task since it was raining and if you have ever been in Florence you''ll know it's fairly small and sort of complicated to navigate, but I found it just in time, I got Pepperos and Jjajangmyun and headed back to our B&B, 30 mins later we had a heavy rain and were unable to go out for the rest of the afternoon... Good thing I had bought those snacks!

A few days later we went back to Rome to spend our last night before we had to head back to Mexico and I was supposed to go have dinner at the Korean Restaurant near Termini (And just 2 blocks away from our B&B) but due to some problems with our Trains from Florence to Rome (11 hours on trains!!!) we ran into some problems with our B&B and didn't have enough time to go to the Korean restaurant anymore :(

Anyway, have you visited other K-towns around the world?, I was really amazed to find the one in Rome and to listen Gangnam Style on the Radio!

-Gisela V.

The Suck Up Project: Mr. XXX-Kisser

On my last trip (to Italy) I got to watch several movies since I was seating appart from my sister, I mostly watch TV shows in long flights but this time I ended up watching a Korean movie, the Tittle catched my attention and decided to give it a shot.

The Suck Up Project or Mr. XXX-Kisser is a pretty new movie, it was released on June 2012 (I watched it on December), the producers are Kim Jin-Young and Choi Tae-Young, it was Directed by Jung Seung-Gu and was written by Kim Sun-Young (Is it just me, or those are a lot of Young's? kkkk).

Anyway, the movie is a Drama/Comedy about Insurance worker Dong-Sik who learns the skill of "flattery" from THE master of Flattery Heo Go-Soo (Played by Sung Dong-Il - *Answer me 1997*), all this to become the King of Flattery of Insurance salesmen and pay his family debts.

Dong-sik has a hard time when he is transfered from the Insurance company Headquarters into the Sales Department, he tries to learn the secrets of Insurance Sales but in such a competitive enviroment no one wants to share their secrets, he then starts following the Top sales agent of the office and notices something weird, he has different personalities with each of his customers and one good day he finds a book belonging to the TOP sales agent and turns out this book was written by Heo Go-Soo, after some research he manages to find Heo Go-Soo and asks him to train him in the art of Flattery, of course Heo is hesitant and does not want to do it until he realizes the determination Dong-Sik has and he decides to take him as his apprentice.

Dong-sik then starts dealing with a Rich man who ends up being the brother of the Loan sharks whom Dong-sik's family owe money andwho by the way is Married to Dong-sik's ex-girlfriend.....

There you go, I gave most of the movie out (Sorry!), this is not THE best Korean movie, but it was a fine 2hour entertainment inflight :)

Just in case, here's the Trailer.

-Gisela V.