Cycle 4 – Item 12
17 (Thu) January 2013
Eobok Jaengban
2.0
at Bonghwa
-Cheongdam, Gangnam, Seoul, Republic of Korea-
with KHJ, PHY
Eobok Jaengban (어복쟁반) is a Korean dish. It’s a jeongol-type hotpot typically consisting of beef stock with sliced beef, boiled eggs, assorted mushrooms and vegetables, and sometimes buckwheat noodles. Hardcore versions may also include a few pieces of various jeon, an odd yet common feature of certain North Korean soup dishes. Though the etymology of the term “eobok (어복)” is unknown for sure, one theory holds that it derives from a dialectal pronunciation of “ubok (우복),” which means “cow’s belly,” perhaps in reference to the cut of meat – somewhere down below (e.g., brisket) -traditionally used in the dish. The “jaengban (쟁반)” means “tray/platter,” even though the ingredients are simmered slowly in a shallow pan at the table. The dish is essentially a larger version of sinseollo, another famous northern hot pot, which is served individually.
The eobok jaengban here was okay. While the restaurant claimed to specialize in North Korean cuisine, it didn’t, not really, neither by menu design nor by style (I’ll spare the details); reliably, Gangnam eateries can always be trusted to fudge authenticity. The food overall was decent, just more Southern than Northern in execution.
(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)
(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)
