Meet two special Korean dishes - Sinseollo & Gujeolpan

The U.S. President Barack Obama enjoyed traditional Korean dish during his state visit to Korea from Nov. 18 to 19.

Among the notable dishes he had -bulgogi, marinated grilled beef; bibimbap, a rice dish with assorted vegetables and beef; japchae, glass noodles with assorted vegetables; and dubu-bugeotang, a dried pollack soup with tofu- sinseollo, a clear stock made up of nine pan-fried delicacies is the most typical dish of Korea's royal cuisine.

Ancient Korea's royal cuisine is known for having less fat, more vegetables and more balanced flavor than typical Korean dishes. This cuisine has been gaining popularity since the success of the mega-hit historical drama "Daejanggeum," a story about a legendary court cook who became the first female physician during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Known as "Jewel in the Palace" outside Korea, the drama has been a huge success across Asia in China, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Sinseollo literally means holy food of the mountain gods. Myths say the gods protect mountains, play Korean chess and sometimes make fools of ordinary people who peep at their lives. A more reliable tale tells that Sinseollo was the daily meal of a Joseon Dynasty government official who went away to deep in the mountains to live, avoiding a purge of scholars. In the mountain, he made a brazier and cooked assorted vegetables in it. After he died, the brazier that he invented was called Sinseollo. The container and the meal are called the same, according to the story.

The Sinseollo pot looks something like a pan used to cook a Bundt cake, but the hole in the center has a bottom and hot coals or stones are placed in the hole to heat the dish. Later variations were adapted for gas burners or other heating methods.
Sinseollo is cooked by putting various ingredients in the metal pot, pouring broth over them and boiling them together at the dining table. The ingredients are arranged in the pot in an aesthetically pleasing way according to their color. The food is similar to stew, but different in that stews mostly have one main ingredient, while sinseollo has a lot cooked together so that the diverse tastes from each ingredient can be enjoyed at one time.

Main ingredients include beef ribs, meat cakes made of chicken and pheasant, gray mullet, abalone, sea cucumber, green onions, scallion, radish roots, ginger, black pepper, dates, pine nuts and egg white.

When Sinseollo cannot satisfy your varied tastes for a meal, you can try another royal cuisine, Gujeolpan, along with Sinseollo.

Gujeolpan is not named for the food, but rather the dish it is served in. "Gu" means nine, "jeol" division and "pan" plate. Of the nine sections in a gujeolpan container, eight are used for the fillings, with the round section at the center being used for small wheat pancakes, which are thinner and softer than tortillas.

Around the center eight sections hold different fillings: usually beef, cucumbers, carrots, green bean sprouts, two kinds of mushrooms, and strips of fried egg yolk and white. These can vary depending upon individual preferences. Take a pancake on which you will place a small amount of some of the 8 fillings, and simply roll it up and enjoy the scrumptious dish with a bit of soy sauce or mustard.
The history of gujeolpan dates back as early as the 14th century. The octagonal dish can be made of wood or plastic, resembling a flower. It also can include elaborate carvings, gem encrustations and detailed drawings. Original royal gujeolpan platters can be seen in museums as featured artifacts in royal table setting reconstructions.

Gujeolpan is considered to be one of the most beautiful and colorful Korean dishes. The nine sections are carefully divided to make the dish colorful and aesthetically appealing. It has even been said that author Pearl Buck was so amazed by the beauty and colorful appearance of the dish that she refused to eat it as she did not want to destroy its beauty. Beautiful plates of gujeolpan are often seen nowadays at the banquets of traditional Korean wedding ceremonies.