3.102
16 (Mon) April 2012
Yeongeun Jeon
1.0
by Nanny 6
at home
-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
with DJ
Yeongeun (연근) is lotus root.
At the hospital the other day (see 3.096 Postpartum Recovery Meal), I was pleasantly surprised to see yeongeun jeona among the side dishes served at dinner. DJ really enjoyed it, so I asked the nanny to make it at home.
Unfortunately, the experiment was a fail. One error was in employing the standard pancaking formula: dredge in flour, dip in egg wash, pan-fry in oil. The egg made the final coating thicker and softer, which is usually fine for other types of jeon, but here detracted from the root’s crunchiness, its primary attraction, leaving it somewhat mushy. By contrast, the jeon from the hospital had barely visible coating, maybe flour alone. Another error was in employing the standard seasoning formula: salt & pepper. Because the root is nearly flavorless, not much to enhance, the addition of salt just made it salty, while remaining insipid. By contrast, the hospital’s jeon contained more aggressive seasonings, probably some combination of soy sauce and sesame oil. Of course, jeon is usually served with a separate dipping sauce, based on some combination of soy sauce and sesame oil, but the dish that I was attempting to copy had been self-sufficient. Outdone by a hospital kitchen, how humiliating.
I realize the absurdity/audacity of offering tips on how to prepare a dish that turned out so awful. But, anticipating greatness, I went through the trouble of taking the photos – which turns out to be so much easier when I can order someone else to handle the actual cooking. And if the vegetable had been [anything else], then I’m sure that it would’ve worked out just fine.
(See also FOODS)
(See also PLACES)
