Korean Palace Staple: Sinseollo, a Luxurious Royal Dish
Take a Journey to Korea's Rich flavors with Sinseollo
Ahoy there, food enthusiasts! Let's dive into another delectable dish from the Royal Court of Korea - Sinseollo, also known as the Pot or Food of the Mountain Gods. This bad boy requires a special cooking pot that combines a stove and a pot in one, with a hole in the center for hot coals or stones. But don't sweat it, later versions were adapted for gas burners or sterno-like containers. So, buckle up and get ready to feast your senses!
Yielding 4 servings and taking approximately an hour to whip up, let's get a load of what you'll need:
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 bunch Korean parsley
- 1/2 medium Onion
- 4 ounces beef
- 4 ounces cod
- 6 leeks
- 4 eggs
- 12 Pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms
- 15 shelled/peeled Ginkgo nuts
We've got meatballs, cod seasoning, broth/soup, and a whole lotta meat and veggies. But fear not, for here's the lowdown:
Meat Balls- 4 ounces finely chopped Beef- 3 tablespoons flour- 1 egg- salt- pepper
Cod Seasoning- 2 tablespoons flour- 2 eggs- salt- pepper
Broth/Soup- 4 ounces beef- 1/2 medium onion- 4 cloves fresh garlic- 2 Cups beef stock
Now, let's get cooking!
- Preparation
- Sprinkle beef and sliced cod very lightly with salt and pepper.
- Cut Pyogo mushroom and carrot into 1/8 by 1 1/2 inch strips.
- Remove leaves from parsley and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths.
- Cut onion in half from top to bottom.
- Make Meat Balls
- Combine chopped beef, flour, egg, salt, and pepper, mix well and shape into balls.
- Fry until well browned.
- Onion
- Thin slice 1/2 onion and quickly brown in a hot, lightly oiled pan.
- Beef
- Thin slice 4 ounces of beef, then cut each slice into strips about 1/8 inch thick by 1 1/12 inch long.
- Fry until just browned.
- Cod
- Beat egg.
- Thin slice the cod, then dredge each slice through flour, dip in egg, and quickly fry in a hot, lightly oiled pan until golden brown.
- Eggs
- Separate yolks from whites.
- Whip yolks, then cook until lightly browned on both sides and cut into roughly 1/8 wide strips, then cut the strips into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Repeat with egg whites.
- Leeks
- Cut in half from bottom to top, then cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths.
- Broth
- Thin slice the beef.
- Thin slice onion half from top to bottom.
- Thin slice garlic from top to bottom.
- Add sliced beef, garlic, and onion to the beef broth in a pot. Bring to a slow boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and cook for ten minutes. Remove beef from the stock.
- Final
- In a large round pot, arrange ingredients lengthwise from the outside of the pot to the center: cod, leeks, mushrooms, egg white strips, parsley, carrot, onion, beef strips, egg yolk strips, and boiled beef slices, each ingredient slightly overlapping the other.
- Scatter Ginkgo and meatballs over the top. *Gently pour the stock into the pot and bring to a slow boil over medium heat without stirring.
- Remove from heat and serve hot with rice and ban chan.
There you have it - Sinseollo, fit for a king (or queen)! So, gather your loved ones, fire up that special pot, and get ready to indulge in this Royal dish. And remember, while this is just one version, there's a whole world of possibilities when it comes to ingredients, so feel free to experiment and make it your own!
Insider Tips:
- Adventurous eaters might be interested to know that Sinseollo traditionally includes expensive ingredients such as abalone, davle (spotted gizzard shad), and boxthorn fruit.
- The dish was typically served with various banchan, or side dishes, such as pickled vegetables and kimchi.
- Some modern versions might omit the beef broth entirely and replace it with vegetable broth or even a spicy broth made with gochujang (Korean chili paste). Go wild, my friends!
Happy cooking!
- The delectable Korean dish, Sinseollo, is not only a treat for the taste buds but also a rich source of nutrition, making it ideal for health-conscious food enthusiasts.
- The Sinseollo recipe includes various ingredients such as meatballs, cod, broth, leeks, mushrooms, and Ginkgo nuts, all precisely prepared and artfully overlapped in the cooking process.
- To elevate your Sinseollo experience, consider incorporating traditional expensive ingredients like abalone, davle, and boxthorn fruit, or experiment with modern twists like replacing the beef broth with vegetable or spicy gochujang broth.