How to Make Korean Soybean Soup Doenjangjjigae (됀장찌개 만들기)

I have always been a fan of Baek Jong Won (백종원) and his recipe for 됀장찌개 didn't disappoint. It's a simple recipe worth trying even for noobs. Will definitely make this again.

Ingredients (for 2):
500ml rice water (soak rice in water till it turns milky, filter and collect the water)
100g shabu pork
2 slices of raddish about 0.5cm thick (ok to add more)
2 tbsp soybean paste (doenjang)
0.5 tbsp pepper paste (gochujang)
0.3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 zucchini
Chopped spring onion

Method:
1) Prepare the ingredients by cutting the pork slices into smaller pieces, cutting raddish into long stripes and cutting zucchini into quarter cube.

2) Add some oil to a pot and stir fry the pork until it is cooked. Then, add in raddish and cook till it wilts.

3) Pour in the rice water and continue boiling. When it starts to bubble, add in the soybean paste, pepper paste, sugar and garlic. Wait till it boils then add in zucchini. Continue boiling for another 5 minutes or until the zucchini softens. Add chopped spring onion.

Above photo is for a serving of 4 person

I have transferred the contents into a Korean pot, which I bought from a Korean mart at $6.90, and heating it up  just before serving. This step is optional. The original recipe that Mr Baek did was for 1 serving and he cooked it in this traditional Korean pot.

Seoul Summer 2016 - Latest Trend and Tips (Sheraton Walkerhill, rash guard, grapes, sparkling water, lotte duty free shopping)

The bf made a reservation at the Sheratin Grande Walkerhill hotel. For those familiar with kpop, you will know that many Korean artistes choose to hold their wedding here, at Astons house.

I had very high expectation of this hotel but was quite disappointed. There are still some pros about this hotel.

Our booking was at Douglous house which had a separate check-in area. The hotel receptionist was waiting at the lobby door and guided us on the hotel facilities and services. The check-in process was smooth and at the end of it, the bell boy helped us with our luggage. I would say that the service here is top notch.

The room is clean and comfortable however, the toilet is a little dated. They had free flow coffee at the lounge.

There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. We went to both but only managed to snap photo of the indoor one. If you are not a hotel guest, you have to spend more than SGD100 to get in to their outdoor riverpark. It consists of a lazy river (water is quite still though), a jaccuzzi (crowded), kids pool (with slides and all) and a main pool (filled with people playing beach balls). It was the worst pool I have ever visited and until now, I can't comprehend the high entrace fees. Worst of all, if you need to use the sunbed, you need to pay krw50,000. We had no choice but to place our belongings on the floor beside the sunbed. We got out in less than 30 minutes and headed to the indoor pool which was much better. But the pool was quite small and we were under the watchful eyes of hotel staff who had to explain the rules (if you are not swimming, keep to lane 1 etc) to every guest entering the area.

Summer is a good time to enjoy a dip in the pool. Almost everyone had rash guard on and many shops (including major brands like SPAO, who r u, 8seconds etc) were selling them as well. Got mine from who r u at krw29,000. Supposed to protect you from the harmful uv rays. I didn't stay in the sun long enough to test it out but feels great to have those belly fats covered.

Next, we visited one of the wedding venue, vista hall. There were many curious couples there. Without any deco, the place looked so average, different from their advertisement photos. The view from the ballroom was great though - overlooking han river.

Most artistes had their wedding at Astons house, outdoor wedding venue. Couldn't access the area, drove through the place instead and snapped some photos of their villa.

Our room came with free breakfast which was good and had great variety but still lost out to Conrad and Shilla.

If you are in Korea for summer, you have to try their grapes. One box like the one below costs krw9,900. It's seedless and really sweet. We usually eat the grapes without the skin; only popping out the flesh.

My other loots(honey butter chips, honey butter almond, market o cheese chips etc) from the supermarket. Stay away from the churros almond (bottom right).

Another trend in Korea is carbonated/sparkling water, to drink and to rinse. Due to its slightly acidic properties, it is said to be good for the skin and scalp. Many beauty programmes are introducing it as facial/scalp wash for detox. The brand below is quite popular in Korea, selling at krw1,000, cheaper than perrier.

After so many trips to Korea, found out that I have been purchasing cosmetics via the wrong channel. I used to purchase cosmetics off shelves in Myeongdong but the Lotte Duty Free app has changed my perception of duty free shopping. Lotte duty free shopping app is not just about purchasing products tax free. The discount coupons and discount events can reap substantial savings. Link to English version.

How cheap is it? Using the Laneige purchase below, waterbank gel cream is sold at KRW 37,000 and waterbank essence is sold at KRW 40,000 on Laneige official website. However, Lotte duty free is only selling it at KRW 29,886 and KRW 30,996 respectively, almost 20% discount. Other brands might have even higher discounts.

From Laneige website

From Laneige website

From Lotte duty free app

After you make your purchase, follow the instruction and collect it at the airport (after clearing immigration). Your products will be properly packed into a bag and once your number is called, the bag will be handed over to you. Simple and cheap. Be sure to click on every event to get discount coupons.

Short Trip to Busan - Highlights

I have been to Busan thrice and would love to visit the city again. Similar to Jeju, it has lovely beaches and fresh seafood. If you need help with your planning or require an itinerary, just leave a comment below with your email. I will try my best to help you find out what you need to know.

How to get to Busan from Seoul?
The easiest and fastest way to get to Busan is by air. It costs around 70,000 won one way and it takes around 1 hour (one way). A cheaper and fuss free alternative is KTX. One way trip costs 59,800 won and it takes about 2 hours 40 minute. Board from Seoul Station and alight at Busan. The KTX trips are quite frequent and the ride is comfortable.

Similar to the shinkansen

You can buy lots of snack at Seoul station beforehand to last you the entire journey.

Once you have reached there, you can either rent a car or take the subway. However, before that, you need to book a hotel.

Hotel Accommodation
I have introduced this hotel in my Seoul blog post, it is none other than Toyoko Inn Haeundae Busan. There are 5 branches in Busan (they sure are expanding fast). This hotel is cheap and good, provides free breakfast too.

If you don't have a car, recommend staying near Busan Station (Toyoko Inn Busan Station No. 1). The KTX from Seoul will bring you to the doorstep of your hotel. If you intend to spend more time at the beach, you can try the Haeundae branch (2 branches there, 1 of them opened on 23 Jan 2016). They are 10 minutes walk from Haeundae subway station though.

What to eat in Busan?
Our first breakfast will always be to 원조전복죽 (pronounced as won jo jon bok juk), a 24 hour restaurant that sells abalone porridge. It is located in the Pale De Cz building opposite Toyoko Inn Busan Haeundae No. 1. We have gone back to this place thrice, so you know how delicious it is.

This costs 12,000 won and is really worth it.

Abalone bibimbap which costs same as the porridge.

It is about a 15 minute walk from Haeundae Beach subway station. Take exit 5 or 3 and walk towards the beach.

Next recommendation, head over to Gukje Market (국제시장) near BIFF. The nearest station is 자갈치역 (Jagalchi station). Take exit 7 and walk down the main road. This is by far, the best spicy rice cake that I have tasted. You can see that the rice cake is different from those you see at road side stalls. It is longer. This is made of rice instead of mixing flour into it. Busan is famous for their rice cake and fish cake.
This is purchased from 소문난분식 (pronounced as So Mun Nan Bun Sik).

떡볶이 (pronounced as tteokbokki) costs 3,000 won for 1 pax portion

This is somewhat popular in this Busan. It is supposed to be spicy, you can add the chilli sauce to your liking and mix.

Bibim glass noodle (비빔당면 pronounced as bibim dangmyeon) costs 4,000 won

3 sticks of fish cake (어목꼬지 pronounced as omok kkoji) costs 2,000 won

I don't have a picture of the kimbap but I did order it. It costs 3,000 won for 2 rolls.

If you can't find this store, fret not. There is another in the same market that was featured on Korean Culinary Show called 이가네 (pronounced as E Ga Ne). Look for the store with the most people and you probably got it. The shop sells hotdog as well.

How can you not eat seafood when you are near the beach? The one we went to is near Gwanganri beach where you get to see night view of Gwangandae bridge. It is located on the 6th floor of the building called 통영횟집 (pronounced as tong yeong hui jib). You can either go for their set menu (highly recommended if you can't speak Korea, just say A/B/C course) or choose your seafood at the first floor (segregated by restaurant) then take the lift with your live seafood in a bucket up to the restaurant. Be sure to ask about the price before you choose.

Located in a building right next to the beach.

Doesn't look impressive but is fresh and reasonably priced.

However, I have other recommendations for seafood (live octopus etc). You can head to 민락횟타운  (pronounced as minrak hui town) and choose their C course (30,000 won for one person). I have not been there before but I have seen many good reviews on naver (reviewed by Koreans). To order, just say "C course juseyo". It consists of abalone, octopus (raw and cooked), sushi, side dishes, steamed egg, one plate of sashimi etc.

What to do in Busan?

Head to Tae Jong Dae (태종대) park. If you don't have a car, getting there can be tricky. You will have to take the subway (line 1) to Nampodong (남포동), exit from exit 6 and you will find a bus stop. You can either board bus number 8, 30 or 88. It takes about 30 minutes. If boarding from Busan station, take bus 101.

You can purchase tickets for train ride (다누비 pronounced as Danubi) that will bring you to a few scenic spots. You can just get on and off at any stops. It costs 2,000 won per person but definitely worth it.

Yeongdo Lighthouse (영도등대)

Observatory (전망대)

Another sightseeing spot you can't miss is the Gwangandaegyo which means Gwangan bridge. Catch the night view of the bridge dazzling with lights. Sometimes, you will see peddlers selling fireworks near the beach.

Next, have a walk down Haeundae Dongbaekseom. From Haeundae beach (facing the beach), walk to the right and you will see Chosun Westin Hotel. From there, take the trail that leads to Dongbaekseom.

Tired from a day of walking? Head to Shinsege Centum City Spaland to relax. The Spaland is filled with facilities (movie room, rest area, restaurant, sauna) and is nicely done up. It is open from 6am till 12am (last entrance at 10:30pm). Entrance fee is 15,000 won on weekdays and 18,000 won on weekends/public holidays. Each person is limited to stay in there for 4 hours.

There is an outdoor area for you to soak your feet. If you need some privacy, you can head to the cubicles at the back of the picture below.

Of course, there are lots of places for you to sweat it out.

On the to visit list is Haedong Yonggungsa. I think I lost all my pictures taken there. It is actually a temple located on the cliffs. It is quite a scenic spot thus, don't give it a miss even though you are not Buddhist.

What to buy in Busan?
If you are interested in getting some hanbok, can walk around the market to look for good deal. This was purchased at the market at around SGD50 or so. The real hanbok usually costs much more than this.

How to make Korean zucchini pancake 애호박전

This is something that Koreans will prepare during festive period like Chuseok. I personally enjoy this snack alot and it is easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 zucchini
1 egg (beaten)
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp oil

Slice the zucchini into 5mm thick slices. Lay them on a tray with paper towel and sprinkle some salt over them. Let it dry for 10 minutes. This step is important to get rid of excess water to prevent oil splatter when frying.

Then use another paper towel to dab and get rid of excess water. Coat the zucchini slices with thin layer of flour then coat it with egg wash.

Heat a frying pan using medium heat and add 2 tbsp of oil. Fry the zucchini until golden brown.

Recent Travel To Jeju - Full Itinerary

This trip will be my 5th trip to Jeju. Since we have already visited most of the attractions there and coupled with the bad weather, we didn't do much this time round except to chill in the hotel and enjoy the good food here. For more details on Jeju travel, visit my previous post here.

We took Jeju Air which departs from Gimpo Airport. During this non peak season, it costs less than KRW50,000 for a one way trip. It's a B737, 6 seats abreast.

I am fascinated with how busy Jeju airport always is. No matter which season (been there in summer, autumn and winter), the flights are almost always full.

After alighting and getting our luggage, first task is to visit the car rental counter. KT Kumho has been bought over by Lotte and it is now called Lotte Rent Car. The counter staff will direct you to the gate where the bus is waiting.

Car rental centre where they process your booking, check your driving license, passport etc

After you are done with the administrative stuff, the staff will bring you to your car. If you have rented a Korean made car and purchased insurance, there is not much to worry about checking and reporting defects/scratches to the staff. For safety sake, you should still do a basic check. If you have rented a non Korean made car, insurance will not give you a 100% protection. If I am not wrong, it only insures you up to 40%? Thus, it is very important for you to report the defects to the staff before moving off.

This time round, we have rented the all new Avante. It costs around KRW150,000 for 4 days rental. This car has only travelled 2,600km so it is pretty new. PPK is a car enthusiast thus we are always trying out new models.

Our first stop is none other than jeju black pork restaurant. This time round, we have chosen Seongeup Chilsipri Sikdang (성읍 칠십리 식당) which was featured in Korea culinary program.

What is so special about this restaurant is that they used Jeju's speciality, Jeju tangerine, to barbecue their pork. The pork is barbecued with the tangerine before it is served (to be barbecued a second time).

Kimchi fermented with tangerine (find it quite refreshing although wouldn't classify it as delicious) 

So, after first round of barbecue outside by the staff, the black pork is served (can still see the black hair which authenticates it, don't worry, the hair will drop off once grilled). The restaurant basically only has 2 main menu, once seated, they will ask whether you want the ogyeapsal (belly) or normal meat (neck and leg).

This is the ogyeopsal (오겹살) which costs KRW18,000 per person. The normal one costs KRW13,000 per person.

To be barbecued with gosari (고사리) which is a kind of herb (on the left in the picture above), garlic and kimchi

You can add on fried rice (볶음밥 pronounced as bokkeumbap) but we were too full after 2 servings of ogyeopsal and 1 serving of normal meat. I don't really like black pork but I must say that this one taste good. However, one thing I do not like about this restaurant is the hygiene. The cutlery feels oily, the table is dirty etc.

In case you are interested to visit, the address is as follow:
74 Seongeupjeonguihyeon-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo, Jeju-do, South Korea

I have been eyeing this coat since my last visit during Christmas. When I have finally decided to get it, I was told by the shop assistant that the size and colour I was looking for has already been sold out in the whole of Seoul. PPK was quite determined to help me get hold of this coat despite the shop assistant advice. He called almost every branch he could get hold of and finally, we found 1 last piece in Jeju. It must be fate. This is from a well known local brand called Soup (can be found in most departmental store). It is made in Korea (checked the label) and costs KRW230,000. Have always been looking for a coat with hoodie and thanks to PPK's mum for paying the bill.

Our first hotel for the night is Boo Young hotel. It is quite new and is located near to duty free shopping. We have stayed in so many hotel and one rule of thumb is to filter for the new hotels first. These hotels are usually cheaper when they first open for business. How you locate new hotel is by filtering for one with most stars but least number of review.

There is free underground parking in this hotel. One night costs us around KRW120,000. I don't think I will go back to this hotel again.

Very average hotel room, clean of course. This hotel feels more like an apartment

The next morning, we woke up late and headed directly to our favourite restaurant 춘심이네 (Chun Shim E Ne). You can find more information about this restaurant in my previous blog here.

As always, this restaurant is full of people

This time round, we ordered the Galchi Jorim (갈치조림) which is a kind of stewed fish. This costs KRW60,000 for 2 person. Like always, impressed by their side dishes.

This is the stew

Grilled saba fish that comes together with the order

This tastes heavenly

After lunch, we checked into our second hotel, Shilla Hotel. This is one of the few hotels that we have stayed for a second occasion in Jeju. We are really impressed with this hotel, if only it could be cheaper. We paid around SGD312 a night, inclusive of breakfast.

They actually have a designated check in reception area where the staff will lead you to a seat, ask for your name and handle all the administrative work while you enjoy the tangerine tea. They will bring the key to you and lead you to your room. Now you know what you are paying for.

The room still looks the same as my last post. They offer a complimentary dried tangerine snack which I really like (can be bought at the gift shop in the hotel).

The bathroom is huge and they offer molton brown amenities.

Even in winter (at -10 deg celcius), the heated pool (can see steam) is filled with people. There is a large screen showing movies which you can watch when taking a swim. The outdoor pool is connected to the indoor pool. You can warm yourself up at the fireplace or the sauna room.

After checking in, we went to Osulloc to help my sister get her green tea milk spread (costs KRW8.500) Heard that it was selling in SG at twice the price.

No trip to Osulloc is complete without ordering at the cafe. We had a hard time trying to look for seats, thought there will be less people in this chilly weather but we were wrong.

Green Tea O Fredo (KRW7,000) and green tea roll (KRW5,000)

We tried the black pork sausage on our last trip and just couldn't give it a miss since we are here. I have taken a photo of the menu at Innisfree Jeju House.

This time round we ordered the same black pork sausage (for takeaway), carrot soup (does not have the carrot taste, I hate carrot but this is good) and Harabong blender (my absolute favourite).

Carrot soup costs KRW5,000 and the blender costs KRW6,000

Ordered this as takeaway, costs KRW8,000

It was really too cold to venture out at night and we had a heavy lunch/high tea thus decided to pack dinner from Mcdonald. Surprised to find Mcdonald selling decent tasting churros at KRW1,500.

The main highlight for us at this hotel is the breakfast buffet. What I really like about the breakfast is their pastry.

Pineapple is sweet and juicy

Croissant tastes as good as the ones from France, no joke

They serve cappuccino

You can order coffee takeaway as well from their coffee corner before you leave.

This is the view from the mountain view room. It was snowing.

The weather was really bad and usually we don't expect such weather in Jeju. Strong wind coupled with intermittent snowing. It can be sunny for the first 30 min and then snowing for the next 30 min. This continues throughout the day. Thought of visiting Yongyeon pond/lake but had to ditch this plan due to the weather.

Once again, we visited my favourite place, Woljeongri beach. This beach really looks different during summer and winter.

This was taken on the way to Woljeongri beach

The wind was too strong and we had to seek shelter at M Churro, which has a great view of the Woljeongri beach.

Free parking infront of the building

Chose a seat with a clear view of the beach. There were actually people surfing in this weather.

My must order Yuzu drink, even during winter

Enjoying churros with a sea view

We then checked in at KAL hotel located near Jeju City (near to the airport as well). This is because we have a flight to catch the next day. I don't like the hotel at all. It is cheap, costs around SGD90 a night. However, there is no free wifi. The hotel is jaded but still considered clean. There is cable tv.

The room is good for 3, one single bed and one queen size bed. You can see planes taking off from a distance. We had to constantly look out for planes to assure ourselves of the flight status. The wind was at 30 knots which endangers takeoff/landing. 

Every trip to Jeju, we can't give sashimi a miss. Once again, we visited the restaurant at Dong Mun Market. This time round, we decided to takeaway. We do see stalls selling cheaper sashimi as compared to this stall but what is baffling is the crowd at this store. Almost everyone in the market congregate at this stall. PKK says it is because the quality of the seafood at this stall can be trusted. It seems like the chef mastered their skill in Japan as their outfit is very Japan-like. The stall is definitely clean.

We ordered sashimi and sashimi don. Somehow, the sashimi in the sashimi don (KRW7,000) tastes better. This is really cheap and good. The sashimi costs us KRW20,000.

The next morning, we woke up late and checked out only at 12pm. We had to return our car at 1pm. Feeling hungry and having a craving for rice cake, we headed out to V Tteokbokki shop after searching for recommendations on naver (naver recommendations never fail). This shop is located opposite Sahara hotel.

It is a shop with small seating capacity, they do alot of takeaway though.

We ordered 1 serving of rice cake (1 serving is already alot), 1 serving of fried cuttlefish (leg only) and 1 serving of potato wedges. Unfortunately, they do not have English menu but fortunately, they have pictures on their menu. I fell in love with their fried cuttlefish. If we were to visit again (definitely will), we will try out their gorgonzola pizza (a hit item in Korea, first pizza in the menu above).

After a satisfying brunch, we headed back to the car rental centre. Before returning, we had to make a stop at the petrol kiosk. One thing good about the navigation system is that it shows the price of petrol at each station. We called the car rental centre and they informed us that each litre will be charged at KRW1,375. We found a petrol kiosk near the centre that was charging at KRW1,360.

The shuttle will take you back to the airport.