[신계숙의 맛터사이클 다이어리] Chinatown edition ‘Seoul Daelim Jungang Market, Incheon-Hongdubyeong, Sea Cucumber Juice’

[한국강사신문 정헌희 기자] Today 13th (Sat) 17:50 at EBS1 <신계숙의 맛터사이클 다이어리> “Chinatown in China – Seoul, Incheon” will be rebroadcast.

Chinese chef Shin Gye-sook rushes to Chinatown in search of her own soul food. Our first destination is Daelim Jungang Market in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The alleys of Daelim Central Market, where the conversations and signs of the merchants are mostly in Chinese and Chinese, are called ‘Little China in Seoul’.

At Daelim Central Market, it is the street food that attracts customers. Gye-sook starts this foodie tour by looking for ‘youtiao’, a food that brings back the nostalgia of living in China. Youtiao, which is a light soybean soup made from fried wheat flour in oil, is a typical breakfast enjoyed by Chinese people. Although the Chinese enjoy such a simple breakfast, the variety of food is unmatched.

In China, there are more than 40 kinds of tofu, including all kinds of tofu, soft tofu, bean curd, noodle tofu, and five flavored dried tofu. In this way, the unusual love of tofu and creative change of the Chinese inspires those who seek it. It’s not just tofu. A duck restaurant of three sisters, said to have settled in Daelim Jungang Market a year ago. The duck food here defies our common sense.

Unlike us, who mainly enjoy the flesh of the torso, the parts sold here include the head, neck, intestines, and even the tongue. In addition to these, Chinese dumplings and mamyeon are popular among Koreans these days. Hot pot, lamb skewers and whole roast. As such, Daelim Jungang Market is not lit until late at night because of the numerous foods.

Leaving Daelim Jungang Market, Gye-sook visited Incheon’s Chinatown, where the largest number of overseas Chinese live in Korea. It is also the birthplace of jajangmyeon. When Incheon Port was opened by the Treaty of Jemulpo in 1882, numerous power struggles began in the vicinity of Incheon Port. Among them, Japan and Qing dynasty prepared their own land as if they were competing with each other by setting up an alley between them.

This place is mostly occupied by 2-3 generations of early settlers. The first place Gye-sook visited was a Chinese restaurant that has been running for 5 generations. The pride of this house is ‘Soyangdonggo’, which is fried pork balls wrapped in shiitake mushrooms. President Jojimi said that he learned the secret of this dish from his grandfather. After enjoying the street food ‘Hongdubyeong’, I went to another restaurant that is said to be the oldest in Chinatown.

With the interior decoration of southern China, this restaurant offers ‘sea cucumber juice’ with a unique texture. The word ‘juice’ here is the Chinese pronunciation of ‘jokbal’, not drinking juice. Therefore, the hidden cards of this house are sea cucumber and pig’s feet. What kind of food can a chef with 20 years of experience create using sea cucumber and pork feet? People who come and settle in unfamiliar places with a desire for success.

Chinatown is a place where they have preserved their own culture, traditions and food, and it is also a place where they merge with our culture. It is a time when you can’t even dream of traveling abroad due to COVID-19. A place filled with curiosity where you can feel China without going to China. What kind of food did Shin Gye-suk really feel his soul through?

Meanwhile, middle-aged professor Shin Gye-sook was born in 1964 in Hapdeok-eup, Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do. When I was 14, I left my hometown and came to Seoul to study. After graduating from Dankook University’s Department of Chinese Language and Literature, he worked as a chef for 8 years at Hyangwon, a Chinese restaurant led by a Chinese culinary researcher, Hyangbang Lee. He studied cooking in Taiwan and Shanghai, and taught Chinese cuisine at the Samsung Living Culture Center for two years.

After receiving her master’s and doctoral degrees in food science from Ewha Womans University, and serving as a professor of Chinese interpretation and translation at Baehwa Women’s University since 1998, she is now a professor of traditional culinary arts. His books include 『Shin Gye-sook’s Life Once Upon a Time (Cooking and Life Made It So)』, 『Chinese Cooking Journey』 (co-authored) and 『Chinese Food from History』, and a cookbook written by Qing dynasty writer Wonmae 袁枚, 『Suwon Sikdan』 Translated into Korean.

※EBS <신계숙의 맛터사이클 다이어리> Information: For the Korean people who are interested in gastronomy, Professor Shin Gye-sook rides a motorcycle to every corner and tells the story and taste that he found. It is a real travel story that conveys information on local specialties and the heart of the people. The cast is Professor Shin Gye-sook.