Meats and Poultry

Traditionally, meat and poultry were very expensive and eaten only during special occasions. When they were eaten, nothing went to waste. Westerns may be surprised at how everything gets used when cows, pigs, or chickens are used for food. Almost every bit of the animal eventually gets broiled, fried, boiled, stewed, or otherwise used in some sort of recipe.

Bulgogi(불고기)
Pulgogi is one of Korea's most famous grilled dishes. It is made from sirloin or another prime cut of beef (such as top round), cut into thin strips. For an outside barbecue, the meat is marinated for at least four hours to enhance the flavor and to tenderize it in a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, sugar, onions, ginger, and wine. The marinated beef is cooked on a metal dish over the burner. Whole cloves of garlic, sliced onions, and chopped green peppers are often grilled at the same time.
To eat, select a pice of cooked beef, and wrap it in lettuce with rice, kimchi, shredded vegetables, or a number of other garnishes on the table. You can also add doenjang (bean paste) for flavor. Dwaeji pulgogi is a pork version of this dish.

Galbi(갈비)
Galbi is one of Korea's most famous grilled dishes. Beef short ribs are marinated overnight in a mixture of green onions, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Rice wine and oriental pear slices can be added for extra flavor. The marinade tenderizes the meat which is grilled over charcoal or gas right at the table. A variation, dwaeji kalbi-gui (broiled pork spareribs), uses pork seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, and boiled ginger juice before grilling.


Samgye-tang(삼계탕)
The body cavity of a small chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, young ginseng shoots, and jujubes. The chicken is then boiled in a clear stock and served in an individual earthenware pot. It is highly recommended for those new to Korean food.
This dish is famous as summer dish. Koreans try to survive the summer heat with hot stamina food. This wonderful dish is gradually being recognized by the rest of the world. Even if you are skeptical about the properties attributed to ginseng, you will enjoy this dish which is said to give stamina during the steamy Korean summers.
How to eat: Taste the soup first. If it tastes too plain, you can add salt. When you eat chicken meat, use salt and pepper on the table for seasoning.