Tag: dead body soup

  • Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: South Korea

    Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern: South Korea

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    We’re reaching the end of the hype week for the South Korea episode of “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.”

    This has all been in the works since we first got the call to help with the show back in August 2008.  I don’t think I have another Bizarre Foods post left in me.  By now, I think they’re scattered all over the place.  So I’ll link all the Bizarre Foods Posts here.

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    Behind-the-scenes with Bizarre Foods

    Part 1: Scouting Locations – We help come up with foods, restaurants and ideas for the show.

    Part 2: Getting Folks on Camera – Finding Koreans to speak English on TV is hard.

    Part 3: Noryangjin Fish Market – Chef Kim and Andrew wander a wonderland of seafood

    Part 4: The Blogger Outing – ZenKimchi’s time to represent

    Behind-the-scenes Pictures

    Food

    100 Korean Foods You Gotta Try

    15 Strangest Foods I’ve Tried Thus Far

    Gobchang Gui – Grilled beef intestines

    Hong-eo – Fermented skate

    Cheonggukjang – “Dead Body Stew”

    Gamjatang – “Potato Soup” but really pork spine soup

    Haejangguk – “Hangover Stew” with pork backbone, similar to Gamjatang

    Beondaeggi (Silkworm Larvae) and Roasted Crickets – at the end of the video

    Bog-eo – Blowfish

    Corn Ice Cream

    Baechu Kimchi – Cabbage Kimchi

    Hui – Korean sashimi with live octopus

    Jokbal – Pigs Feet

    Sundae – Gelatinous Blood and Noodle Sausage

    Budae Jjigae – “Army Base” Stew, traditionally including hot dogs and Spam

    Haemultang – Seafood Soup

    Chicken Galbi with Live Octopus

    Grilled Pork WITH SKIN (Ggeobdaegi Ogyeopsal 껍대기 오겹살)

    Smothered Raw Crabs

    Korean Fried Chicken

    Kids Love Squid

    Acorn Jelly Salad

    SundaeGuk – A big bowl of nasty

    Crunchy Baby Crabs

    Spicy Chicken Feet

    The Meat Buffet

    Andong Soju

    Yogurt Soju

    Strange Finds

    Other Links

    Bizarre Foods Video Central – Whatever videos we find, we post here

    “In Defense of Bizarre Foods” – My rant in response to a Village Voice blogger’s tirade against the show

    The Official Site for the South Korea Episode

    UPDATE: The South Korea episode is now available for purchase in iTunes.

  • CheongGukJang – Ultimate Stinky Ass Soup

    CheongGukJang – Ultimate Stinky Ass Soup

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    NOTE: This is the “Dead Body Soup” that Andrew Zimmern tried on Bizarre Foods. This name comes from an urban legend of Korean students in Germany making the soup and the German neighbors calling the police, fearing that there was a dead body in the apartment. To know more about the filming of the South Korea episode, the foods and the restaurants, click here.

    One of my favorite aspects of Korean cuisine is the stinky soybean pastes and soups, including Doenjang Jjigae, Ssamjang, and CheongGukJang 청국장. I had been wanting to figure out how to make this at home for a long time. I recently purchased some Korean cookbooks and thought I’d take the task of making a stinky soup. Besides, I finally had made my dashi.

    Earlier in the week at the store, I had found this package of extra stinky soybean paste in what looked like a yogurt container. The cashier laughed when she rang it up and showed it to her fellow cashier, saying what I’m sure was, “Look what this crazy foreigner is buying.”
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    This is a blurry picture of what the inside looks like.
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    Since I finally was going to make this soup, I made it special by cooking it directly in the bowl — another cool whacky Korean idea. I put some dashi in the bowl and set it on medium flame.
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    I then added some chopped onions.
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    When it started to boil, I added some kimchi.
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    Then maybe three tablespoons of CheongGukJang paste.

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    After smoothly boiling it for a while, I finished it off with some mushrooms, chopped green onion, and tofu. You can add salt to taste, but the CheongGukJang paste and kimchi add a lot of salt to the soup already.
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    I carefully placed the boiling soup bowl on my commemorative “Dokdo is Ours” towel on a tray. This soup/stew is so strong, you need a bowl of rice to balance it. It’s funny because it has no meat in it (unless you count the anchovy essence in the dashi) yet it tastes like a meaty soup, like a chili or cheese soup. I am far from being a vegetarian, yet it feels wholesome to not need a greasy slab of flesh with every meal.
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    ADDENDUM: I told my girlfriend about my soup. She suggested to also add a dab of gochujang (red pepper paste), and throw in some thinly sliced hot peppers and garlic at the end.

    The famous “dead body soup” from Korea (no dead bodies invoved–infact, it’s vegetarian)