Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Kalbit'ang

This is a dish I have been eating very regularly and it's pronounced like Call-bee-tong, not Gal-bee-tang. I've been going to a restaurant near school pretty regularly. I go by myself and sit (on the floor of course) with my back against the wall, comfortably reading a book after ordering, "kalbit'ang hana juseyo". About 15 minutes later a huge tray of food comes out and it's all for me! My kalbit'ang is beef rib soup in a delicious clear, seasoned broth.
It has egg, short beef ribs, green onions, and super-thin rice noodles (a.k.a. cellophane noodles). It is SO good. It comes out boiling hot in this black, cauldron-like pot. And of course, since it's a Korean restaurant I get a variety of banchan (Korean side dishes). I usually get 6 side dishes every time I eat there - and that's when I go alone! Here are some of the ones I have eaten so far:

~cabbage kimchi
~radish kimchi
~fried zucchini (hobak gui)
~salted quail eggs (talgyal changjorim)
~cold bean sprouts with sesame oil (kongnamul)
~thin pancakes with green onion (pajeon)
~white radish strips in a vinegar sauce (Mu-saengchae)
~seasoned spinach (Shi-Geum-Chi)
~seasoned lotus roots (Yeun-Keun Jo-Rim) <-- these are incredible! I love them!
~whole grilled Corvina fish (Saeng-Sun Gui) <--another favorite. sooo delicious!

...and many more. I've eaten a lot of things here where I didn't (and still don't) know what I was eating - all part of the Korean adventure. :)

No comments: