Comfort food is a highly subjective matter. It's about what you find to be the dish that takes you back to a time where one simple meal could make you feel that this world isn't such a bad place after all. The food that mothers cook up effortlessly and without much thought, but tastes so hearty and delicious, beyond what any five-star hotel chef could provide. We all have different experiences and memories and upbringings, so naturally the foods that trigger such nostalgia could never be the same. But even so, I do believe that within a particular culture, certain comfort foods would apply to quite a large group of people.
Though I can't speak for most Koreans, I would say that jjigae (찌개) is probably a huge comfort food here; a soup/stew that is either savory/spicy, flavored with pepper paste or bean paste, and containing various ingredients including meat and vegetables (it sounds pretty vague if I say it like that, but I can't find a better way to explain). Every Korean grew up eating jjigae - I bet there isn't a single one who spent a big chunk of their lives here, who has never tried jjigae at home. Even expats living here for a couple of months have probably had it more than one time and have a favorite variant. Jjigae is available with most meaty meals, especially "Korean barbecue", and is often times just a meal in itself, with rice and banchan of course. My personal comfort food is kimchi jjigae (김치찌개), which I realized just the other weekend while I was having lunch at home.
The kimchi jjigae I have at home is just one of the many different ways to make it. Recipe is super simple: kimchi, water, meat, tofu, and some patience is all it takes. Just put everything in a pot and boil boil boil until it's just right. My idea of a perfect meal is just like the photo I took: rice, jjigae, a fried egg, and gim (김, seasoned laver). Sometimes I eat it separately, and sometimes I mix the jjigae with the rice and egg, and top each spoonful with the gim before taking a mega bite. It honestly tastes so good... I swear I could have the same exactly meal, three times a day, for days straight and I wouldn't get sick of it.
And I know this is utterly from my personal point of view, but my mom's kimchi jjigae is just the best (as what most other people would think of their own mothers' LOL). I've had it in plenty of other places, homes, and restaurants, but in all honesty nothing can compare. There is a special something about the thickness of each slice of pork, the amount of kimchi and water she uses, or maybe it's just the simplicity of her ingredients, I really don't know. All I can say is, if I were sentenced to death and had to request a last meal, this would be it. Kimchi jjigae made by my mom, with rice, egg, and gim.
I guess I am a Korean after all, heh. I tell myself I could picture myself in Europe for years without Korean food, the food there is so good... but one meal at home and I'm humbly reminded that nothing could beat this. My ultimate comfort food. :D
Though I can't speak for most Koreans, I would say that jjigae (찌개) is probably a huge comfort food here; a soup/stew that is either savory/spicy, flavored with pepper paste or bean paste, and containing various ingredients including meat and vegetables (it sounds pretty vague if I say it like that, but I can't find a better way to explain). Every Korean grew up eating jjigae - I bet there isn't a single one who spent a big chunk of their lives here, who has never tried jjigae at home. Even expats living here for a couple of months have probably had it more than one time and have a favorite variant. Jjigae is available with most meaty meals, especially "Korean barbecue", and is often times just a meal in itself, with rice and banchan of course. My personal comfort food is kimchi jjigae (김치찌개), which I realized just the other weekend while I was having lunch at home.
The kimchi jjigae I have at home is just one of the many different ways to make it. Recipe is super simple: kimchi, water, meat, tofu, and some patience is all it takes. Just put everything in a pot and boil boil boil until it's just right. My idea of a perfect meal is just like the photo I took: rice, jjigae, a fried egg, and gim (김, seasoned laver). Sometimes I eat it separately, and sometimes I mix the jjigae with the rice and egg, and top each spoonful with the gim before taking a mega bite. It honestly tastes so good... I swear I could have the same exactly meal, three times a day, for days straight and I wouldn't get sick of it.
And I know this is utterly from my personal point of view, but my mom's kimchi jjigae is just the best (as what most other people would think of their own mothers' LOL). I've had it in plenty of other places, homes, and restaurants, but in all honesty nothing can compare. There is a special something about the thickness of each slice of pork, the amount of kimchi and water she uses, or maybe it's just the simplicity of her ingredients, I really don't know. All I can say is, if I were sentenced to death and had to request a last meal, this would be it. Kimchi jjigae made by my mom, with rice, egg, and gim.
I guess I am a Korean after all, heh. I tell myself I could picture myself in Europe for years without Korean food, the food there is so good... but one meal at home and I'm humbly reminded that nothing could beat this. My ultimate comfort food. :D
Comments
Post a Comment