Eating lamb in South Korea - Vol 24 part II
Vol 24 part II - This week I continue to look at tasty lamb in South Korea. How to order and what is the perfect beer to enjoy.
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안녕하세요, Kia Orana, Welcome
In the previous newsletter I discussed the brief history of lamb in South Korea and the differences with the history, approach, and preparation of New Zealand lamb.
This week I will explain how to order and cook the tasty lamb sticks and what is a great beer to accompany the lamb.
Firstly, we need to find a restaurant. I found this lovely place outside of Seoul. The Korean characters might seem confusing so keep your eye out for a picture of sheep somewhere on the signs.
You are also looking for these Korea characters 양꼬치 Yanggochi. These signs demonstrate that its a Korean lamb restaurant. According to recent surveys Australia is the source of 94% of South Korea's sheep meat which demonstrates the limited local production.
Once you get inside the staff will ask you how many people are attending and direct you to a table. Some restaurants even have tables outside on the sidewalk which is an awesome experience.
Now we get to the exciting part as we check the menu. There are so many kinds of lamb sticks. Some are spicy, some fatty, and some normal so the choice is up to you. You order by the person so order for 2 people, 3 people etc. One serving might be 10 sticks of yummy lamb.
You can even order sets of lamb and various other dishes if you are in a group.
Once the order is in get ready as they set up your fire and sticks for cooking.
In some restaurants we have to turn the sticks manually. However, many now have automatic turners that make sure the lamb is cooked perfectly. The staff will usually give you some advice or move the sticks if they start to burn.
Once the skewers are cooked, they're placed on a rack above the heat to cool, then dipped in a seasoning of red pepper, cumin, parilla, mustard seed and other spices. There is a bevy of side dishes that can go with it, including steamed dumplings, mapo tofu in hot and sour sauce, peanuts, cubes of radish kimchi, and thick sliced tofu with chilli sauce.1
We can also order a number of dishes from the menu that include vegetable, lamb, fish, and soups. I highly recommend this part of the menu as these dishes are authentic and really tasty.
BEER & LAMB
Sometimes a beer would be great to accompany these tasty lamb sticks. There are usually 3 or 4 brands but the one that seems to work well is Tsingtao in the large green bottles. From the Tsingtao region of China, just make sure they are cold.^^
Overall this type of dinner might set you back about $15 - $20 per person. If you ever get a chance enjoy tasty South Korean lamb and beer.
“Feed your focus, starve your distractions.”
https://www.agweek.com/business/south-koreas-latest-food-craze-bbq-lamb-skewers
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