Kimchi kongnamul guk

Published : 2013-02-22 20:11
Updated : 2013-02-22 20:12

Kimchi kongnamul guk (Korean Bapsang)

Kimchi kongnamul guk is a variation of kongnamul guk, a soup made with kongnamul (soybean sprouts). Kongnamul is high in B vitamins, vitamin C and protein. This explains why kongnamul guk is a popular home remedy for common colds and hangovers in Korea. The addition of kimchi takes the soup to another level, with a spicy kick that’s strong enough to clear your sinuses. When my kids were growing up, I made this soup for them when they had a cold, just like my mother did when I was growing up. It’s best made with an anchovy stock base, but you can use beef broth or water. You should use fully fermented kimchi for this soup. The older the kimchi is, the better. Serve it separately, or over the rice to make guk bap ― a soup with rice in it.

4 servings

Ingredients:
● 10 ― 12 medium to large dried anchovies

● 280 grams soybean sprouts (kongnamul)

● 230 grams fully fermented kimchi

● 1/4 cup juice from kimchi

● 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes (guchugaru) ― omit for a less spicy soup

● 2 teaspoons soup soy sauce (or 1 teaspoon saeu jeot ―salted shrimp)

● 1 teaspoon minced garlic

● 1 scallion, roughly chopped

● salt and pepper

Remove the guts of the anchovies. Soak in 8 cups of water for at least 20 minutes. Then bring it to a boil, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the anchovies.

Rinse the soybean sprouts a couple of times, discarding any skins that are floating. Thinly slice the kimchi into strips about 1―2 centimeters wide.

Add the sliced kimchi, kimchi juice, gochugaru and the soup soy sauce (or salted shrimp) to the anchovy broth. Bring it to a boil. Cook over medium high heat until the kimchi turns translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the bean sprouts and garlic. Cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes. Do not open the lid while the bean sprouts are being cooked, or the raw bean smell will linger even after cooked. Once the bean sprouts are cooked, taste for salt and pepper. Add the scallions and boil for another minute. Serve separately with a bowl of rice, or serve it over the rice in a bowl. 

A Petition to the United Nations to Investigate the Election Fraud in the South Korean Presidential Election

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A Petition to the United Nations to Investigate the Election Fraud in the South Korean Presidential Election

We, the South Koreans undersigned, plead to the United Nations for an investigation into the election fraud in the

18th presidential election on December 19th, 2012.

The National Election Commission (NEC) failed to manage the election impartially through a neutral position to be in accordance with current laws. The NEC has repeatedly claimed that the ballot counting had been done by hand. However, evidence was found by many observers at the counting offices proving that hand counting was rarely done. It was also observed that some votes were incorrectly counted for a wrong candidate and some were thrown out in error due to computerized ballot counters. In some areas the number of votes surpassed the number of the total voters. In an attempt to appease the growing suspicions the NEC performed a 'demonstration of ballot counting' showing 6000 sample votes being counted by hand and then through computerized means. However, based on the time spent counting samples for the demonstration it was proven that the ballot counting time during the election had been far too short for this method to have been performed.

There were times when some of the details of the ballots counted, that were being counted by the Election Commission, would be broad-casted on TV networks earlier than the reports the Election Commission themselves were releasing. The media also declared a candidate of the ruling party to be 'likely' to win only after approximately 20% of the votes had been counted when at the time the difference was only 3% between the two leading candidates. The difference of 3% stayed throughout the entire race until Park Geun-Hye, the candidate of the ruling party was announced to be a winner. Based on this fact many people believe that the election result had been decided before the election and had been programmed into the computerized ballot counters. Twenty five thousand voters, domestically and abroad, signed a petition in January demanding a recount by hand, but their demand has been ignored by the election officials and the Parliament. A suit was filed by thousands of Korean voters to null the election and to demand a recount, yet a trial date has still not been set. If the court or the Parliament does not take any action on this matter the votes will never have a chance to be recounted.

Another major ground for suspicion of the election fraud is the fact that the National Intelligence Services (NIS) intervened in the election. As a state agency, the NIS strictly prohibits its members from getting involved in an election by law. However, shortly before the election day the opposing party exposed a female NIS agent using internet postings to sway public opinions against the candidate of the opposing party while on duty. She used 16 different user IDs to post her writings slandering Moon Jae-In and to recommend her own writings multiple times. The police initially reported the agent was not guilty of any such acts. Further investigation into her case was demanded because citizens kept uncovering more proof against her.

The NIS initially denied all charges and claimed that the agent was pursuing her own political interest as an individual. However, judging from the number of postings, replies, and the number of hours she spent on this it is highly unlikely that it was just one individual's leisure time activity. Soon after, the police found a second and a third accomplice to her acts as well. What the first female agent on duty did was indeed a serious crime and likely a small part of a larger organized action by the agency. If it is true that it was done systematically by the agency, the election results should be pronounced invalid. The responsibility for these illegal acts falls on the NIS, as well as on the current administration,

and ultimately on Park Geun-Hye, the Elect from the same party.

The plea of the people demanding to resolve all suspicions related to the election fraud has been bluntly ignored by the South Korean officials. The major media outlets, mostly controlled by the current administration, have also stayed quiet regarding these matters. Thousands of South Korean people have had many candle-light protests in the streets on these cold winter nights demanding a parliamentary investigation into the NIS' involvement in the election and a recount by hand. The overseas voters have published 5 statements to expose the election fraud, both domestically and abroad. It is doubtful that a parliamentary investigation would resolve these issues even if it gets accepted since the ruling party occupies more than half the parliamentary seats.

We hereby plead to the United Nations to form a committee to investigate the fraudulent ballot counting and the involvement of the NIS in the presidential election in South Korea as soon as possible. We, the South Korean people, are struggling to fight against a party with enormous power and influence. If an immediate action is not taken, our demands will be ignored and forgotten forever. Therefore, we plead to the United Nation to assist our country in exposing the truth surrounding our recent presidential election and help establish a true democracy in South Korea. Thank you.

S. Korea National Intelligence Service Agent's Suspected Activity During Presidential Race

In S. Korea, the election is called the flower of democracy, since it's a chance for citizens to choose the direction that the country will head in the future. Hence, fairness in the election is essential to accurately represent public opinion. On Dec. 11, 2012, just eight days before the election, a report was received by police that a suspect was publishing comments on a website that denounced Jae-In Moon, the presidential candidate for the opposing Democratic party.

The police officers at the Suseo Police Station and officials at the National Election Committee in Seoul were quickly dispatched to investigate this report. The suspect whose last name is known as Kim was officially identified as a National Intelligence Service (NIS) employee. When the police asked Kim to turn in all of her personal computers for investigation, she denied all claims and refused to surrender her computers without a proper warrant. It was only after two days that Kim submitted her laptop and the desktop computers at her home to police.

Initially police announced that it would take up to one week to analyze Kim's computers. This event was one of the hot topics during the last presidential debate between Guen-hye Park (the current President-elected) from the ruling party and Jae-In Moon. The debate was broadcasted by major media channels KBS-MBC-SBS on Dec. 16, 2012, just 3 days before election. Unexpected captioning appeared on the TV screen just after the final round of the debate: the police had found around 40 IDs and nicknames on Kim's computers, but didn't find any evidence to support her involvement in the negative comments that appeared on the website. However, the website's server should have been properly investigated as well. The preliminary report of the police was premature since only Kim's personal computers were analyzed.

On January 3, 2013, fifteen days after the election, police officially announced that Kim had created 16 IDs, and expressed her "recommendation" or "disapproval" 288 times on one progressive website from Aug. 2012 to Dec. 2012. Kim's activity on this website showed certain trends: agreement with writings that supported Park and disagreements with writings that supported Moon, for a total of 99 writings. Kim claimed that her acts were simply personal expressions of her opinions, however, her assertion is absolutely unreasonable, since her activities were conducted during work hours for months. By January 25, 2013, police had investigated Kim three times.

Last week NIS sued Chang-won Pyo, an ex-professor at the Korean National Police University, for defamation of NIS saying his assertion gave negative impression of NIS. Some lawyers insist that Pyo should not be charged with the above mentioned defamation. Many Koreans living in Korea and overseas are asking the National Assembly to investigate this case through parliamentary inspection and are requesting a hearing to determine whether or not the NIS unfairly influenced the presidential election.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/S-Korea-National-Intellig-by-Hyun-Song-130128-502.html

Tteokguk (Rice cake soup)

Published : 2013-02-07 20:57
Updated : 2013-02-07 20:57

Tteokguk (Rice cake soup) (Korean Bapsang)

Tteokguk is a soup made with sliced rice cakes, usually in beef broth. It’s a traditional New Year’s dish made with garaetteok, which is unsweetened and shaped like a long cylinder. For the soup, garaetteok is sliced into thin oval shapes. The white oval shape symbolizes a bright and prosperous new year. Growing up, I always loved to eat long steaming garaetteok my mother would bring home from a rice cake mill in preparation for the New Year’s feast. She would wait a couple of days for the garaetteok to turn hard before slicing them into thin oval slices. These days, pre-sliced garaetteok is widely available all year around, making the soup preparation much easier.

4 servings

Ingredients:

Beef Broth:

● 230 grams beef brisket

● 1/2 medium onion

● 5-6 cloves of garlic

● 3 scallions ― white parts

● 1-2 tablespoons soup soy sauce

● Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

● Beef removed from the broth

● 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

● 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil salt and pepper

● 1 egg

● 1 scallion

● 1/2 sheet gim (nori)

● 4 ― 5 cups sliced garaetteok (rice cake)

(Soak in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes if hardened.)

In a large pot, bring the meat, onion, scallions and garlic to a boil in 14 cups of water. Reduce the heat to medium low, and skim off the scum. Simmer, covered, until the meat is tender enough for shredding, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove the meat and cool. Discard the vegetables. Stir in soup soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

To make egg garnish (jidan), separate the egg. Lightly beat the white by gently cutting it a spoon. (Try not to create foam.) Stir the yoke with a spoon until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Pour each egg part into a thin layer, tilting the skillet and/or spreading with a spoon. Cook each side briefly until no visible liquid remains. (Do not brown the egg.) Slice into short thin strips.

Shred the cooled beef into thin bite size strips and combine well with garlic, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Slice the scallion diagonally into thin strips. Roast the gim on a hot skillet. Cut into thin strips with kitchen shears or simply crush it with hands.

Return the broth to a boil. Add the rice cake slices and boil over medium high heat until soft, usually about 5 - 8 minutes. Ladle the steaming soup into individual bowls and garnish with the shredded beef, egg, scallion and gim.

Tips:

Although egg jidan is a classic garnish for tteokguk, a common alternative is to drizzle a lightly beaten egg over the boiling soup right before turning the heat off.

If you want to add some mandu, you can drop them in, along with the rice cake slices, stirring gently so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil until all of them float, and continue to cook for another minute or two. You can also cook mandu in boiling water separately, and then add to the soup when the rice cake is softened. (For the recipe for mandu, visit koreanbapsang.com)

Korean-flavored chicken wings

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner in the U.S. I am not a football fan, but I enjoy hosting a small party. It’s always fun to get together with family and friends to watch the big game, as we cheer for our favorite team. 

This time, it will be the Baltimore Ravens for my family. Besides the geographic proximity to the Washington D.C. area, where we live, it’s the city where we began our immigrant lives a long time ago. It’s also the city where my son was born. For some of our friends, the best part of the evening seems to be the food. My favorite Super Bowl food is definitely chicken wings. Here, I made two different flavors ― spicy, and sweet and savory. These finger-licking delicious chicken wings will surely be a crowd pleaser! 

Ingredients:
● 24 wing pieces (about 1.5 kg) for each marinade

Spicy marinade:
● 1/3 cup gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)

● 1/3 cup barbecue sauce (any type)

● 2 tablespoons soy sauce

● 2 tablespoons rice wine (or mirim)

● 1 tablespoon sesame oil

● 1-2 tablespoons honey

● 1 tablespoon minced garlic

● 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

● 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Sweet and savory marinade:
● 1/2 cup soy sauce

● 3 tablespoons rice wine (or mirim)

● 1 tablespoon lemon juice

● 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

● 2 tablespoons honey

● 1 tablespoon brown sugar

● 1 tablespoon minced garlic

● 2 teaspoons grated ginger

● 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Rinse the chicken wings. Drain well (or pat dry). For each marinade, combine all the ingredients, and mix well. Pour the sauce over the chicken, and massage the chicken pieces to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours (overnight for best results). 

Before cooking, let the chicken wings sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (425 Fahrenheit). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the chicken wings in a single layer, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn them over halfway during baking, and baste with the marinade.

Japchae, (Stir-fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables)

Published : 2013-01-25 19:57
Updated : 2013-01-28 14:10

Japchae (Korean Bapsang)

Japchae is a noodle dish made with sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon), also known as glass noodles. The chewy and stringy noodles are nicely paired with thin strips of beef and various vegetables such as carrots, spinach, onions and mushrooms. All of the ingredients, separately cooked to develop the layers of flavor, are combined at the end into a deliciously colorful dish with a smooth balance of sweet and savory flavors. This classic method is what makes this dish special and a Korean favorite for special occasions and traditional holidays. Serve it as a first course or side dish or over a bed of rice to make it a main dish.

4 Servings

Ingredients:
● 170 grams dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles)

● 4-5 dried pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms, soaked until plump

● 110 grams lean beef, such as sirloin or rib eye

● 170 grams fresh spinach

● 1 small carrot

● 1 small sweet onion

● 2 scallions

● Vegetable oil for stir-frying

● Salt and pepper

Sauce:
● 3 tablespoons soy sauce

● 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar

● 2 tablespoons sesame oil

● 2 teaspoons minced garlic

● 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Thinly slice the beef into thin 5-cm-long strips. Mix with 1 tablespoon of the prepared sauce in a small bowl.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and slice into about 1/2-cm-thin strips. Mix with 1 tablespoon of the sauce in a small bowl.

Cut the carrot into match sticks. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the scallions into similar lengths.

Bring a pot of water to boil, and cook the noodles according to the package directions (usually 6-7 minutes). Rinse in cold water and drain. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears or a knife into pieces about 15 cm in length. Mix with 2 tablespoons of the sauce in a large bowl.

Bring another pot of water to a boil, and blanch the spinach in boiling water only until wilted. Drain quickly, and shock in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, cut into about 5-cm-long pieces, and lightly season with salt and pepper.

In a large non-stick skillet, stir-fry the noodles over medium heat, stirring frequently, until translucent and a bit sticky (about 3-4 minutes). Transfer back to the large bowl. Stir-fry each vegetable (except the spinach) separately with 1 teaspoon of oil over medium-high heat, lightly sprinkling with salt and pepper, about 1-2 minutes. (Do not overcook. The vegetables should be crisp.) Stir fry the beef, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer the vegetables and beef to the large bowl with the noodles as each is cooked.

Combine all the ingredients and the remaining sauce. Toss well by hand. Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding more soy sauce and/or sugar.

Tips:
Leftover japchae should be kept refrigerated. Japchae reheats well in the microwave. The noodles will get soft and chewy again.