CLOCKWISE: Apple and citrus
vinegar ageing in onggi buried
underground for 18 months;
Asparagus, green beans, white
sesame and pickled sansho
(pepper) wrapped in gamtae
(green laver naturally harvested
in winter) at Mingles in Seoul;
pumpkins grown at the farm.
Andsohereweare,ona missiontofindnewthings,armedwith
anitinerarythatzipsusaroundthecountryin justeightdays.The
firstofmanymemorabledishesiskimbap(a Koreanversionof
sushi)wrappedingamtae, longhair-likestrandsofgreenlaverthat
growonthepristinemudflatsofSeosan.They’rehand-harvested
bya producernamedBadasoopin thedeadof winter,noeasy
task,andarepartofanintricate11-coursedegustationat Mingles
in Gangnam.Aswearriveat SangchonontheoutskirtsofYongin,
a landscapedottedwithglossybrownonggiappears.The
traditionalporousclayvesselis usedtofermentbricksof
inoculatedsoybeanpulp(meju) tomakejangandsoysauce.
SangchonChairmanKiokKwonis oneofthenation’sfewgrand
mastersofKoreancuisine,andherhighlyprizedsoyandjangs,
basedonrecipesthatsprungfromhergreatgrandmother’s
positionin theRoyalPalace,areexclusivelyavailablein Australia
viaTable181.Aswewalkthroughthefieldofonggi, KiokKwon
opensoneforPete,herreflectionshiningontheliquid’sinky
surfaceassheoffershima spoonfulof16-year-oldsoy.“Major
umami,”saysthechef,lettingthesaucerollonhistongue.“Salty,
rich,earthy,mouthwateringandroundedwithsomuchcharacter.”
Evenmoreinterestingis a meat-and-fishsoy,a pungent,rich
condimentthatPaulfindsis “themostdifficultproduct”onthe
Table 181 productlisttoconvincechefs– includingPetera year
ago– tobuy.Itsflavouris strangeandstrikinglyunfamiliar,created
bylayeringhunksofKoreanbeef,chicken,tofu,threetypesof
semi-driedwhitefish,kelpandabalonein a salt-waterbrineand
storedundergroundforoneyeartoferment.Traditionally,it’sused
toenrichstockswithlayersofumami.Muchlikethebewitching
scentoftruffleortextureofcaviar,soythisspecialcan’tbe
replicated.It’sa productofplaceasmuchasit is technique,
makingthemostofthepurewaterfromthenearbymountain,rare
Koreansoybeansandthecleanairofthevalley.Suddenly,seeing
howit’susedontheKoreantable,Lee’sbottlesofsoyaren’t
lookingsoexpensive,andGilmorepondershowhecanharness
itspowerfulflavourbackhome,aswepassarounddishesofrich
stock-poachedbeefandtinybowlsofbanchan(smallsidedishes).
WecontinueourjourneyintoGyeongsangbukprovincethe
followingday,drivingpastfieldsofgoldenrice,wildcosmosand
blue-greenmountains,andpullupat anopen-airageingroom
studdedwith 510 onggiburiedin thestabletemperatureofthe
soil.ChoSanJungwasfoundedin 1946bythecurrentowner
SangJunHan’sgrandmother,andproducesbothgrainand
fruit-basedvinegars.“Koreanslovehot,sour,sweetandumami
flavours,”saysLee,“andsovinegaris a realpillarofflavourhere.”
Wetastea thick,syrupyvinegarmadefromcrushedlocalapples“KOREANS LOVE HOT,
SOUR, SWEET AND UMAMI
F L AVOU R S... A N D S OVINEGAR IS A PILLAR OF
FLAVOUR HERE.”delicious.com.au 125