Cycle 4 – Item 127

12 (Sun) May 2013

Scallops in Egg Curry

1.5

by me

at home

-Oksu, Seongdong, Seoul, Republic of Korea-

with DJ, Nanny 8

After dinner at Sala Thai a few days ago (see 4.123 Poonim Phat Phong Kari), I’d taken home the leftover egg curry.  This is what I did with it.

It was my first experience working with Korean scallops.  Judging by their kidney shape, they appeared to be of a different type/species than the round sea scallops or bay scallops found in America.  Also, compared to their luxuriously soft American counterparts, the Korean ones are relatively tough, requiring them to be thinly sliced before cooking. And most tellingly, they’re a bit bitter, not at all sweet.  That’s probably why scallops aren’t as highly regarded in Korea as in America, even though dishes containing them can still command high prices at certain restaurants, likely cashing in on their global popularity.  Anyway, I found some cheap at our local supermarket.  Although aware of their less-than-desirable attributes, I was intrigued by the inclusion of all the guts, which the fishmonger told me would work really well as the basis of a stew.  Maybe scallop stew tomorrow.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)