About Korean food

Korean rose tteokbokki has been my favorite recipe to make lately. It combines a creamy heavy cream, milk, and your standard tteokbokki sauce. My mom doesn't like it because she say's it's too creamy but I prefer the Rose recipe over the standard. When I went to the restaurant BonChon I saw Tteokbokki for about $17, which is outrageous. I mean, if I could afford it, I guess I'd try it but it was definitely overpriced there. This morning, I went to the local Asian market and bought a bag of rice cakes (tteok/dduk), which was priced a little over $7 for the bag that serves more than 1 person or 1 serving. 

When I studied abroad in Seoul, I saw a bunch of street food stands and one of the common items that they sell is Korean tteokbokki. Back then, I didn't like tteokbokki too much, but as I've gotten older, I've grown a liking for it especially if its made a bit sweet. The paste that's used is Korean gochujang which is made from Korean chili peppers. 

Since I don't have the convenience of getting Korean tteokbokki like I would in a metro area like Los Angeles, San Jose, or New York City where there are Koreatowns, I have to make myself the dish. In Fresno, there are a few places where you can get it. 

As I get into cooking, I notice what differentiates Korean from Japanese from Chinese food. A lot of Japan's food is based on the sushi, possibly because they live near ocean water. A lot of Korean food is based on the Korean gochujang paste and dwenjang paste. Japanese have a rice seasoning that makes their rice a bit sweeter for sushi rice. Koreans on the other hand use sesame oil for their Korean gim-bap. 

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