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Feeling Good Inside and Out with Korean Rice Wine

The Rise of the Korean Rice Wine

korean-rice-wineSouth 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.

Unlimited Barbeque in Lynnwood Korean BBQ Restaurant

How the All-You-Can-Eat Started

Two countries were the first to formalize the buffet concept – Sweden and France. The Swedish food spread came about in the 16th century, just plain bread and butter, intended to feed hungry out-of-towners who show up unexpectedly. Later in the 18th century, now called smörgåsbord, it expanded to include salted fish, eggs and boiled vegetables. And much later, the display grew to include cold cuts, warm entrees, salads, and finishing with dessert and coffee. The star of the food spread was, however, vodka. The Swedes brought the smorgasbord to America at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, later inspiring buffet-style restaurants in the 1950s. The French, though, were slightly refined, offering lavish buffet tables as a manner of entertaining rather than cooking.

In America, in the 1940s, the guy who started it all was an El Rancho hotel Las Vegas employee named Herb McDonald, who decided that eating a meal takes too much time away from gambling. So he decided to lay out a spread – a Swedish smörgåsbord open for 24 hours for the hungry gambler- patrons, keeping them inside and gambling as long as possible. The entire eating frenzy just cost a dollar then. It was an instant hit, but the hotel soon lost money over it. Nonetheless, the concept grew all over Vegas and later the whole US. Now all over the world, you’d find many chain and franchised restaurants, even independent and specialty eateries, serving buffet-style where patrons pay, serve themselves and eat inside the restaurant.

You will also find many Asian restaurants in the US that have set aside an Eat-All-You-Can segment service for diners; some restaurants are totally devoted to the concept. Korean eateries are popular with the American dining public, especially loving Korean barbecue and seafoods.

The Unlimited Love Affair with Lynnwood Korean BBQ

When in Lynnwood, look no further than Arirang BBQ and their perfectly marinated meats. Eat all the BBQ you can and their other hearty classics anytime in Lynnwood.

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.