day 1 in Seoul (rice)

I arrived at the Incheon Airport in South Korea last night, and am now sitting in a room at my Grandma’s house in Seoul.

short-grained rice

1. measure rice in a measuring cup, and put in a pot that has a tight fitting lid.
2. Rinse the rice multiple times by filling the pot with water and draining it out, until clear water starts to pour out.
3. fill new water 1.2 times the volume of the rice.
4. let the rice soak for 15 minutes.
5. cook the rice at medium-high heat with the lid on, until the water starts to boil.
6. lower the heat to a low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. open the lid and fold the whole potful of rice onto itself so that it fluffs up a bit.
8. with a spatula, spoon out rice into a bowl.

This morning, she served us a bowl of white rice and some dried pollack (fish) soup, and kimchi.
Her rice is the most delicious I have ever tasted in my life. The rice is moist but not too sticky nor too flaky. I can feel each elastic rice grain in my mouth when I chew.

Her kimchi, a traditional Korean pickled cabbage dish, is also the most delicious that I have ever tasted in my life. No doubt, the fermented taste has to be acquired to be enjoyable, but once you acquire it, you will love the subtle progression of tastes in each piece. The first bite starts out crisp and moist like biting into a pickled cabbage leaf, then there is a slight sour taste from the fermentation. Soon, the taste turns savory, kind of like the way a clove of baked garlic tastes rich. The making of good kimchi depends on many factors, such as the quality of cabbage, the temperature that you store the pickled cabbage in, and of course the seasoning you use. Grandma has honed her recipe for decades and I get to taste the culmination of her experiences.

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