I made gujeolpan (platter of 9 delicacies), tteokgalbi (reconstructed short ribs) and jeonbakcho (braised abalone), sinsello (royal hotpot), Gujeolpan 구절판 was one of the ancient Korean royal dishes, served to the king. The name, gujeolpan, originated from a wooden tray with 9 compartments. This tray was used to serve a dish with 8 different fillings and small thin wraps. Number 9 has a meaning of “all” and was believed to bring good luck. Today the word gujeolpan is used to refer to the food rather than the tray. Tteok galbi 떡갈비 was invented for the king so he could enjoy the premium rib meat without using his fingers or biting meat off the bone. It is not only easy to eat, but when made with rib meat the texture and flavor are superb. Premium short rib meat is removed from the bones, chopped, seasoned and made into patties. Then the patties are placed back on the bones. The name “tteokgalbi" literally means "rice cake rib" (tteok: rice cake, galbi: rib). This is not because it contains rice or rice cake, but because it is shaped by smacking the meat with one's palm, similar to the method of making rice cake. Sinseollo 신선로 also known as yeol-gu-ja-tang (열구자탕) is a hot pot that used to be served to a Korean king. It can include as many as 25 toppings such as egg battered and pan-fried fish, minari (water parsley), mushrooms, carrots, radish, beef, meat balls, tripes, eggs, nuts etc. My mom’s mom (grandma) used to make this for every special occasion and my mom kept her cookware which is also called sinseollo. I’ve never met my grandma because she passed away early but her legacy continues through this beautiful dish. Jeonbakcho 전복초 is a abalones braised in sweet soy sauce based seasoning. Abalone was considered one of the most precious seafoods and was known as a health food due to its high protein content. So of course it was a popular dish for kings.
#koreanfood #korean #kdrama #galbi