Author Archives: Arirang Korean BBQ

Feeling Good Inside and Out with Korean Rice Wine

The Rise of the Korean Rice Wine

korean-rice-wine South Korea’s most popular alcoholic beverage is making a comeback among the young set when it used to be drank by the much older generation and by farmers.

The slightly sweet beverage is native to Korea that grows rice and wheat in abundance. Nuruk, a Korean fermentation starter, is added to rice or wheat, yeast and water.

Containing only 6 to 8% alcohol by volume, the milky off-white color drink was the filling substitute for food of a then impoverished nation.

When Korea started to modernize in the late 80s and beer, wine and imported whisky became popular, makgeolli almost disappeared, except among the poor rural folks. In 2010, an upbeat, trendy makgeolli bar, and later a brewery, appeared in Seoul and became an instant hit.

Kores’s oldest beverage have known health benefits. It is healthy alcohol that contains lactic acid bacteria and dietary fiber, good for the elderly. It also has squalene, famous as a deterrent to cancer growth, and farnesol with its antitumor properties.

It also lays claim to a variety of other health and wellness issues, such as it being a hangover relief, a fatigue-remover, a skin-whitening and regeneration drink, and an antioxidant. In other words, rice wine makes you feel good inside out.

Because of its lower alcohol content, more women find their Korean rice wine less harsh than other liquors. Makgeolli became fancier all the more as it goes well with Korean bar foods. Entertainment personalities even endorse the drink which created a wider following among fans.

Now there are many different types and flavors of makgeolli found all over Korea, in both high-and low-end versions. Korean restaurants in many parts of the world have this drink on their beverage list. Hence is the amazing journey of a once lowly alcohol drink.

Feeling Good with Makgeolli in Lynnwood

If you’re in Lynnwood, come over and dine Korean at Arirang Korean Barbeque and test your mettle with our makgeolli. Korean rice wine goes well with all our barbeque selections. Enjoy!

How Unique is Korean Cuisine?

Major Differences Between Korean and Western Food

Westerners have learned to love Korean food, but do not have much knowledge on the cuisine apart from kimchi and BBQ. A few tidbits might clear up certain aspects of this unique Asian cooking style.

Firstly, do you know that they treat food as medicine? Food is essential to one’s physical and emotional well-being. They keep the yin-yang balance in their foods by harmonizing the different ingredients. Korean cuisine is one of the world’s healthiest because of the wide use of natural and seasonal components of their food sources, like tofu, beans, garlic, and their all-natural kimchi.

Rice is a precious staple in the Korean diet, preferring the starchier short grain rice with its stickier texture. No Korean meal is complete without a bowl of steamed rice, and to waste even a single grain is anathema to their beliefs. Ever wondered why you are always served with almost an endless array of banchan (side dishes) when you eat at Korean restaurants? This is to make sure you do not waste your rice, or have rice leftovers. It means you didn’t like their food so that you left your rice unfinished.

Koreans go for the “all-in-one” meal, not the separate, multiple courses favored by Westerners. All their different dishes are served at once. You will have your own bowl of rice and soup. And for families, it’s customary to have 5 to 12 dishes of banchan with the main dishes served all together.

Another unique feature is that Korean food does not have any gravy component. They do serve soups and stews; they also serve porridge which is smooth and thick; even their stews have very little liquid in them. No gravy. Just lots of banchan.

Dessert? Ii’s alien to Koreans. There is no sweet conclusion to dining Korean. It is customary to finish with green tea or refreshing beverages such as sikhye (rice punch), hwachae (honeyed fruit punch) and ohmija (a mildly tangy five-flavor raspberry tea with pine nuts).

Korean Classics in a Western Setting in Lynnwood

Now you have a little more background on Korean food. The next best thing, of course, is to enjoy. When craving Korean, come to Arirang, your Lynnwood Korean BBQ restaurant.

Korea’s Hearty Bacon

Sam gyup sal, occasionally written as “samgyeopsal”, is one of the most popular meat dishes from traditional Korean cuisine. It’s made of fatty pork belly meat, cut into thin strips and grilled up for a truly tantalizing taste that is revered by lovers of barbecue throughout the world.

Though sam gyup sal is similar in many ways to conventional bacon, it is often considered a health food in Korea. Though it will likely never make the top of any “World’s Healthiest Foods” list, it does boast nutritional properties that put the more familiar varieties of bacon to shame. People in Korea will eat it to foster healthier skin, detoxify their systems, and prevent certain diseases. Though not all of these properties have yet been backed up by scientific studies, it is clear that the dish is a low cholesterol source of protein, rich in satisfying flavor. So if you’re looking for a savory and more guilt-free version of bacon, come give sam gyup sal a try at our Lynnwood Korean BBQ restaurant!

Different Barbecue in Asia

Barbecue Styles across Asia

In China, chuanr are small pieces of meat on skewers roasted over charcoal and a popular street food especially in the north. Traditionally, lamb is the preferred meat but other meats are used, and in tourist areas include bugs and birds.

In Hongkong, pork barbecue, known as char siu, is made with a marinade of honey and soy sauce, and cooked in long, narrow strips using long, hand-held forks. Corn and sweet potato are also cooked on hot coals and eaten after the barbecue. Outdoor barbecues are popular here and if sold in restaurants and night markets, they use skewers.

Japanese barbecue is also an outdoor activity, using more vegetables and seafood than their western counterpart, while soy sauce or soy-based sauces are preferred. Japanese-style fried noodle Yakisoba can be cooked as well. If you’re familiar with shish kebab, the Japanese equivalent is the yakitori. For barbecued spare ribs, chicken and steak, they use teriyaki sauce.

Taiwan also enjoys barbecue. They barbecue slices of marinated meat, which includes toast, by charcoal or logs. Before grilling vegetables and seafoods, they are seasoned and wrapped in foil first.

In Southeast Asia – Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines – satay is very popular. It consists of pieces of meat skewered on bamboo sticks marinated in a mixture of spices. While in India and Pakistan, tandoor is a form of barbecue, focused on baking. Their barbecue sauces are local spices with curry blends.

And in Korea, Bulgogi is common. It is thinly sliced beef, pork or chicken marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chili pepper, and cooked on a grill at the table. A main course, it’s served with rice and side dishes like Kimchi. The Galbi is also a popular Korean BBQ, which are marinated ribs.

Arirang brings Korean BBQ to Lynnwood

Experience classic bulgogi and galbi and other popular Korean dishes at Arirang. At your own table, we let you cook your barbecue with your choice accompaniments and sauces and enjoy the thrill of the grill.

The Origins of the Barbecue

A Brief Evolution of the Barbecue

Barbecue is both food and a style of cooking food. Either way, it is as old as the Stone Age; must have began when man domesticated fire some half a million years ago. However, grilling food in your backyard happened only fairly recently. Like, well into the 1940s barbecuing can be found in campsites and picnics. But after World War II, it became the rage as the suburbs filled up.

Barbecuing is extremely popular in many cultures, relatively inexpensive, and easy-as-pie to do. Barbeque varies by region in the world and yet it simply involves meat heated indirectly over open flame. A variety of meats can be used – pork, beef, lamb, or chicken, ranging from thin slices to chunks to blocks of meat, and in some places, a whole animal. By itself, the meat is without much flavor, hence, overtime an assortment of sauces, rubs, and other flavorings were added to enhance the taste.

Modern times saw how much more enjoyable barbecue can be in terms of taste depending on the point when the flavorings were added to the meat, the role smoke plays as enhancer, the cooking temperature and cooking time, and even what equipment and fuel are used. The meat may be ground or processed into sausage or kebabs, may be marinated or rubbed with spices before cooking. Sauce or oil is applied before, during or after cooking, or any combination of these.

Korean BBQ in Lynnwood

Americans are born to love barbecue and many flock to our Korean BBQ restaurant in Lynnwood for the adventure. If you are in Lynnwood and craving Asian barbecue for a change, a visit to Arirang Korean BBQ might just be the adventure you’re looking for.