Busan Street Food - Part 1 - Ivan Teh

Busan Street Food - Part 1

Busan Street Food is part of the larger tapestry of Korean cuisine in South Korea. Unique for being a largely standalone cuisine, with little outside influence, Korean cuisine originated from an agricultural society, and through interaction with the natural environment. The Yeongnam region in particular is known for its fish and fish cake items, as such, Busan Street Food features a large variety of dishes where fish cake is incorporated into the dish. The area is also known for its regional specialities of noodles and soups.

Haemul Pajeon / Seafood Pancake

Food in Busan can be found along the streets in pushcarts or small cafes, in mid-range restaurants, and fine-dining establishments. Korean cuisine is largely based on rice and legumes, with dishes being heavy on seasoning, and usually include fermented items. As a result, many dishes taste tangy, salty, sour, or spicy. Common ingredients used in many Busan and South Korea dishes include white rice, soybeans, tofu / beancurd, Tteok / Dduk / rice cakes, sesame oil, doenjang / fermented soybean paste, soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, gochujang / fermented red chili paste, cabbage, barley, buckwheat, mung beans, adzuki red beans, vinegar, onions, beef, chicken, pork, mackerel fish, hairtail fish, Pacific herring fish, anchovies, shrimp / prawns, cuttlefish, squid, cucumber, potato, sweet potato, spinach, bean sprouts, seaweed, zucchini, mushrooms, chili and more.

As a port town, the city gets a lot of fresh fish and seafood. Snacking is fairly common, and the growing international community here means cuisine from other parts of the world is more readily available. Meals in Busan follow the same Korean etiquette, with the eldest normally being served first, dishes laid out on the table in a specific order, and meals eaten in silence.

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The Beer Cass is a popular South Korean beer, a non-pasteurized lager style beer, brewed by Oriental Brewery in Gangnam district, Seoul, South Korea. It has a bright straw golden colour, with aromas of hay, white rice, corn, and grass. The body is light, crisp, and dry, with moderate amount of carbonation, and tastes of wheat, cornflakes, biscuits, and malt. Has a refreshing grainy sweet flavour, with a dry finish. A popular manner of drinking this is to mix it with plain soju.

Beer Cass

The Bibim-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Spicy Gravy features a bowl of long thin silky buckwheat noodles, juicy cucumber, soft boiled egg, juicy pear, crunchy Kimchi Kkakdugi / Kimchi Pickled Daikon Radish, thin white vinegar, tender pork loin or pork belly, ginger, and garlic. A final touch of thick gochujang / fermented red chili paste completes it. When mixed together, it has a refreshing cool feel, with a bright vegetal grainy meaty sweet sour spicy flavour. This has a clean-tasting 'pure' flavour.

Bibim-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Spicy Gravy

Bibim-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Spicy Gravy

Bibim-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Spicy Gravy

The Mul-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Soup features a rich, robust, chilled soup / broth made from boiling beef bones, garnished with long thin silky buckwheat noodles, juicy cucumber, soft boiled egg, juicy pear, crunchy Kimchi Kkakdugi / Kimchi Pickled Daikon Radish, thin white vinegar, tender pork loin or pork belly, ginger, and garlic. A final touch of thick gochujang / fermented red chili paste completes it. This has a refreshing cool feel, with a bright vegetal grainy meaty sweet sour herbal spicy flavour.

Mul-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Soup

Mul-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Soup

Mul-Milmyeon / Cold Wheat Noodles Soup

The Onmyeon / Hot Wheat Noodles Soup features a rich, robust, warm soup / broth made from boiling beef bones, garnished with long thin silky buckwheat noodles, juicy cucumber, soft boiled egg, juicy pear, crunchy Kimchi Kkakdugi / Kimchi Pickled Daikon Radish, thin white vinegar, tender pork loin or pork belly, ginger, and garlic. A final touch of thick gochujang / fermented red chili paste completes it. When mixed together, it has a warming comforting feel, with a deep vegetal grainy meaty sweet sour earthy spicy flavour.

Onmyeon / Hot Wheat Noodles Soup

Onmyeon / Hot Wheat Noodles Soup

While Choco Pie is reowned as a brand, the name has become synonymous with a confectionery snack cake consisting of two small round layers of butter sponge cake, with marshmallow filling and chocolate coat glaze. It has since entered the common lexicon and become a generic term that refers to all manner of this dessert confectionery. This popular treat has a spongy soft airy texture, with layered sweet flavour.

Choco Pie

The Crab Meat In Black Sesame Sauce is a seafood Banchan / side dish, more commonly served in the coastal areas, such as in Busan, Yeongnam, South Korea. It features shredded deshelled crab meat, chilled, coated in a rich, thick, fragrant black sesame seed sauce. It's chewy in texture, very appetizing with its sweet savoury nutty flavours, and slight hint of briny salty taste.

Crab Meat In Black Sesame Sauce

The Gamja Salad / Mashed Potato Salad features creamy smooth mashed potatoes, mixed together with a little egg, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and chopped carrots. The carrots lend a contrasting crunch to texture, and the overall dish is nicely starchy sweet in flavour.

Gamja Salad / Mashed Potato Salad

The Korean Coleslaw features fresh, shredded white cabbage, red cabbage, and onions, all coated in a mix of mayonnaise, white vinegar, light soy sauce, and sesame oil. Nice crunchy texture, light vegetal sweet flavour, lacking any bitter flavour. Very fragrant and enticing.

Korean Coleslaw

Considered among the world's healthiest foods, and said to even prevent stomach cancer, Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage is more than just a tasty Banchan / side dish, but is also a versatile ingredient incorporated into many Korean dishes. It's made with napa cabbage rubbed with sea salt; seasoned with a paste made from scallions, ginger, daikon radish, garlic, glutinous rice, saeujeot / fermented shrimp sauce, aekjeot / fish sauce, eoriguljeot / oyster sauce, and chili; then left to ferment in a brine of white vinegar and water. The most iconic national dish of South Korea, this is commonly served at every meal in Busan, and has a sharp vegetal sour sweet spicy taste, with a crisp juicy texture.

Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage

Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage

Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage

Kimchi Baechu / Kimchi Pickled Cabbage

The Kkakdugi / Pickled Daikon Radish is a banchan / side dish that is typically consumed chilled, and has a sharp sour sweet vegetal flavour with a crisp crunchy texture. The daikon radish is usually brined in white vinegar, paired with full-flavoured or fried food such as fried chicken. It helps to refresh the palate as part of the meal.

Kkakdugi / Pickled Daikon Radish

Kkakdugi / Pickled Daikon Radish

Kkakdugi / Pickled Daikon Radish

Kkakdugi / Pickled Daikon Radish

The Golbaengi-Muchim / Moon Snail Salad is a unique salad where deshelled moon snails are boiled, and mixed with a medley of vegetables including cucumber, white onions, spring onions, and carrots. Seasoned with light soy sauce, white vinegar, garlic, gochujang / fermented red chili paste, and sesame oil, before being served. It has an alternating chewy crunchy texture, with an earthy vegetal sweet spicy flavour.

Golbaengi-Muchim / Moon Snail Salad

The Japgokbap / Multigrain Rice is a healthier alternative for a staple, and features a mix of white rice, brown rice, red rice / black rice, barley, black beans, and sometimes, green peas. Packed with vitamins and nutrients, it's said to aid digestion and blood circulation.

Japgokbap / Multigrain Rice

The Dak Kkochi / Marinated Chicken Skewer is a common street snack sold by vendors. Chunks of tender moist boneless chicken thigh with bits of fat are glazed with thin light soy sauce, thick tomato ketchup, rich honey or fine white sugar, thick gochujang / fermented red chili paste, sticky corn starch or potato starch, garlic, and sometimes chili powder, then roasted on skewers over hot charcoal. Has a meaty savoury sweet salty spicy flavour, and is rather good value for money as the portion is large.

Dak Kkochi / Marinated Chicken Skewer

Dak Kkochi / Marinated Chicken Skewer

Dak Kkochi / Marinated Chicken Skewer

The Dan Hobakjuk / Sweet Pumpkin Porridge is a warm, comforting dessert. Made from mashed pumpkin / kabocha squash, chestnuts, sugar, salt, water, glutinous rice flour, and kidney beans. It has a rich, thick, sticky texture, with a fruity floral sweet flavour.

Dan Hobakjuk / Sweet Pumpkin Porridge

Dan Hobakjuk / Sweet Pumpkin Porridge

The Dan Patjuk / Sweet Red Bean Porridge is a warm, comforting dessert. Made from mashed red beans / adzuki beans, sugar, salt, water, glutinous rice flour, honey, and pine nuts. It has a rich, thick, sticky texture, with a bold earthy sweet flavour.

Dan Patjuk / Sweet Red Bean Porridge

Dan Patjuk / Sweet Red Bean Porridge

The Dwaeji Gukbap / Pork Soup And Rice is an iconic dish of Busan, closely associated with the Yeongnam region of South Korea. A delicious, hearty savoury sweet soup / broth with a light milky colour is the star, made by boiling pork bones over hours. It's garnished with sliced pork loin, pork belly, light soy sauce, rice wine, miso paste, and sesame oil. A bowl of fluffy white rice, along with crunchy leeks or crisp green onions marinated in thick gochujang / fermented red chili paste, is emptied into the soup / broth, before being eaten. Nicely savoury sweet salty herbal spicy in flavour with tender chewy textures, while the tasty soup / broth makes you want to keep drinking more. Said to be a traditional aid for fortifiying the female body after giving birth. There are 4 versions of this dish, with the 1st version being the original.

Dwaeji Gukbap / Pork Soup And Rice

Dwaeji Gukbap / Pork Soup And Rice

Dwaeji Gukbap / Pork Soup And Rice

The Dwaeji Gukbap Peulimieom Sunjinhan / Pork Soup And Rice Premium Measly is the 2nd version. While all the ingredients remain the same, here, it's served separately from the soup / broth, allowing diners to sample the 'pure' taste first. Considered a more luxurious manner of eating, as it allows diners to control how much seasoning and pork they wish to add.

Dwaeji Gukbap Peulimieom Sunjinhan / Pork Soup And Rice Premium Measly

Dwaeji Gukbap Peulimieom Sunjinhan / Pork Soup And Rice Premium Measly

The 3rd version is the Soondae Chapssal Gukbap / Blood Sausage With Glutinous Rice Soup And Rice. Here, the only additional ingredient is the blood sausage filled with glutinous rice, lending an earthy savoury mineral flavour to the overall dish.

Soondae Chapssal Gukbap / Blood Sausage With Glutinous Rice Soup And Rice

Soondae Chapssal Gukbap / Blood Sausage With Glutinous Rice Soup And Rice

The 4th version is the Naejang Gukbap / Tripe Soup And Rice. Here, the additional ingredient is pig's stomach / tripe, which is firm chewy in texture. This doesn't do much to enhance the already delicious soup / broth, but it allows for variety in ingredients.

Naejang Gukbap / Tripe Soup And Rice

Naejang Gukbap / Tripe Soup And Rice

The Eomuk / Fish Cake is a processed snack made from mashed white fish (cod, pollock, flounder, snapper), sugar, salt, onions, all-purpose flour, sweet potato / potato starch, water, and eggs. It has a bouncy soft texture, with a light savoury sweet flavour. Usually added as an ingredient to other dishes. As a signature dish of this city, there are many variations on it, and it serves as a base ingredient for more creative dishes.

Eomuk / Fish Cake

Eomuk / Fish Cake

Eomuk / Fish Cake

Eomuk / Fish Cake

Eomuk / Fish Cake

A hearty bowl of Galbitang / Beef Short Ribs Soup is pure comfort food. Featuring a robust soup / broth made from boiling beef short ribs over hours, then garnished with daikon radish, scallions, garlic, pepper, light soy sauce, and sesame oil. Sometimes, clear mung bean starch cellophane noodles are added. Once served to Korean royalty, today, it's customary to serve this at Korean weddings. This has tender soft chewy textures, with enticing meaty savoury vegetal herbal sweet nutty flavour.

Galbitang / Beef Short Ribs Soup

Galbitang / Beef Short Ribs Soup

Galbitang / Beef Short Ribs Soup

Galbitang / Beef Short Ribs Soup

The Hasdogeu / Corn Dog, also known as Gamja Hasdogeu / Potato Hot Dog, is similar to an American corn dog, but consists of a chicken hotdog sausage, fully enveloped in mashed potato, then crumb battered and deep-fried. Usually garnished with tomato ketchup before being served. It has a slightly crisp crunchy exterior, with a warm fluffy snappy interior, and a meaty savoury salty starchy flavour. With the Kogo / Potato Fries Hot Dog, the game is levelled up, rather than crumbs, it's battered in a crunchy layer of potato fries. The fries can be thin or thick cut, and this snack usually carries a more satisfiying crunch.

Hasdogeu / Corn Dog

Hasdogeu / Corn Dog

Hasdogeu / Corn Dog

Kogo / Potato Fries Hot Dog

Kogo / Potato Fries Hot Dog

Kogo / Potato Fries Hot Dog

The beauty of Huraideu Chikin / Fried Chicken is the tender, moist chicken meat which comes easily off the bone, is savoury sweet in taste, and yet has a crisp, non-greasy skin that is savoury salty and crunches in the mouth satisfyingly. This is normally achieved by flash frying the battered chicken, letting it rest awhile, and then frying it again (double frying technique). This main dish is often served along with refreshing types of Banchan / side dishes, and is eaten with the hands.