Kimchee! A Trip To Niles.

안녕하세요! or in other words hello in Korean! Today, Emma and I went to H-Mart in Niles, IL to grab some Korean food. Technically, this blog post doesn't count since it's not really a new restaurant and we just ate at the cafe.  But at the same time we tried some yummy stuff so we thought we'd share.

Emma got Yukgaejang (육개장) and I got Bulgogi (불고기). Yuk gae jang is a spicy beef and vegetable soup. It could have used a bit more spice but hey Emma got full from it. The rice in the broth was my personal favorite part while eating kimchee with it. My Bulgogi was something to cherish. I love my marinated meats 

 

Yukgaejang

 

Bulgogi

 

Someone did an awesome park job next to us in the parking lot.

We also bought some yummy snacks. I decided to try Ojingeo & Ttangkong (오징어 땅콩). I found out that it is dried roasted squid with roasted peanuts but I still really like it. It's really nutty and crunchy. It sort of reminds me of Captain Crunch. We did some research and found out that it's a popular snack in Korea to pair with alcoholic drinks.  

We also got a snack called Cereal Choco (쌔리얼 초코). Emma really likes them. She told me that it's like an oat kind of cereal with chocolate inside. 

Emma also got Sweet Potato snack. They're really crunchy yet light (airy). We found that the sweet potato flavor is not over powering plus they have black sesame seeds.

We also got Chilsung Cider. Chilsung Cider is kind of like Seven-Up but not as fizzy and a little sweeter. 

Then at whim, we also got this random Japanese snack that basically is a Starburst with a gummy inside. Emma decided to get it because the front of the bag looked so happy.  The candy settles in your mouth and gets the juices flowing with some a fruity burst. Then when you begin to chew it you notice the gummy inside. Really it is my dentist's worst nightmare.

H-Mart (aka "Asian Whole Foods") is more than a place to get good food. It is a place where Korean immigrants can come and share some of the food they had growing up with their own children. As Emma was eating her food, I could not help but notice the smile on her face as she was eating food that reminded her of when she was Korea.  Later for dinner we made some stir-fry from PF Chang's and Emma made Apricot Gotgamssam (곶감쌈) which is walnuts wrapped in dried apricots. It's usually made with dried Korean persimmons but we decided to try apricots instead. Persimmons are a sweet and a little tangy fruit that is commonly used in South Korea but also in many other countries. The recipe Emma used is from this website. 

The stir-fry, which was frozen, actually turned out pretty well for a frozen dish. There were enough peppers to spice up the dish and provide a substantial amount of flavor. Definitely better than other frozen Asian dishes. For dessert we had the Gotgamssam and tea. The Gotgamssam wasn't heavy and the dry apricot mixed with the walnut was a great blend to cap off this fun-filled day. Stay tuned as we'll be going to Lincoln Square next!

"The Couple that Grubs Together Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-