Tag Archives: Lynnwood Korean BBQ Restaurant

The Rise of the 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!

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!

Are you looking for something different in your pasta? Try some jap chae at our Lynnwood Korean BBQ restaurant. Made from sweet potato starch, these noodles take on a fascinating glass-like transparency when they are cooked, earning them the nickname “glass noodles”. They are characteristic of a rubbery texture and a mild taste, and readily absorb the flavors of the meats and vegetables they are served with. If you are gluten-intolerant, they also represent a satisfying alternative to wheat-based pasta.

At Arirang, you can enjoy jap chae in classic Korean style. We fry our noodles with an assortment of vegetables and grilled meat. A delicious part of any Korean barbecue meal!

Modern kimchi can be traced back to something that the ancient Korean people knew as ji. This dish was similar to the most common varieties of kimchi we see today in that it came in the form of pickled napa cabbage. It was mostly a practicality, in that the lack of sophisticated refrigeration made the preservation of vegetables difficult.

This early kimchi remained more or less the same until the twelfth century. It was around this time that people began to experiment with adding new ingredients to their recipes. The most significant of these innovations came about in the seventeenth century, when traders from Portugal finally brought the Brazilian red pepper to Korea. This would lead to the gochujang red pepper paste that has become such a significant fixture in Korean cooking, and is responsible for the distinctive red coloration that most kimchi has today.

Today, Korean historians have identified nearly two hundred distinct varieties of this ancient favorite, encompassing regional recipes and innovations from throughout the ages. If you’ll like to get a taste of this treasure of Korean culture, come and visit us at our Lynnwood Korean BBQ.

Soju is an ancient Korean liquor, coming in the form of a clear wine made from fermented rice, wheat, barley, and tapioca. It is akin in many ways to the more familiar Japanese sake, but different in that it contains grains other than rice. Soju also has a higher alcohol content than other rice wines, generally falling between twenty and thirty-five percent. Many people describe the taste of soju as resembling that of vodka, though with a sweeter finish.

In South Korea, soju has been one of the country’s favorite drinks for a long time. The sheer demand for this liquor has allowed it to be one of the country’s most affordable varieties of alcohol. Koreans will generally enjoy it in a group setting, serving it up in small shot glasses or using it to make mixed drinks. Soju mixed with lemon-lime flavored soda is a particular favorite among the younger drinkers.

At our Lynnwood Korean BBQ restaurant, you can try this ancient classic for yourself. Come and share a bottle with your friends at Arirang tonight!