Nothing fancy or multi-colored, nothing grilled or fried but there is something so comforting and deliciously pleasing about a properly prepared authentic Korean breakfast. In my opinion, this is what traditional Korean food tastes are all about. Every now and then I have complained about how Korean food has changed over the years and have lost a lot of the authentic traditional flavors in exchange for more instant flavors of hot spicy and sugary sweetness. Don’t get me wrong, I love sweet flavors but not when it’s just overpoweringly sweet. Much like everything else in life these days, the deeper, more subtle delicate flavors have been sacrificed for more quick, attention grabbing, stronger flavors that can instantly give one a false idea that the food tastes good.
- From left to right: 1st row: Kimchi, Zucchini Jeon(호박전 hobak jeon), Jangjorim(장조림), Cabbage Namul (배추나물 Baechoo Namul)
- 2nd row: mini sorghum bukkumi (수수뿌꾸미 susubukkumi), dipping sauce
The Zucchini Jeon was slightly scrunchy yet soft with the zucchini tasting almost sweet. The Jangorim was great too with just the right amount of saltiness and sweetness, not overpowering the meat flavor. The Baechoo Namul was my favorite – the seasoning was light enough for the sweet cabbage flavor to come through and then with the added sesame oil and seeds, there was a wonderful note of nuttiness at the end. I plan to work on the recipe of this dish and post sometime soon. After eating a very satisfying meal, I ended the meal with the mini sorghum rice dumpling (수수부꾸미 susubukkumi) with a surprise stuffing of pine nuts and dried jujubes.
This wonderful breakfast was part of our Bed & Breakfast stay at Gurume Resort (구름에 리조트) in Gyeongsangbuk-do Andong (경상북도 안동). Gurume(구름에) which means “into the clouds” is a resort that just opened this July and it consists of 7 different historical Korean homes (고택 Gotaek) with their ages ranging from 200-400 years old. Each home has been relocated from their original location to the resort as vacation villas for people to experience first hand how Korean scholars lived centuries ago.
My memorable trip to the past was only possible because I reconnected with one of my best friend from high school and it turns out we have lot of common interests. It was almost eerie to discover how similar our passions were – especially about farming and also about Korean traditional food and culture. I am so happy that I now have such a friend who is just as unusual as I am.. haha..
At her recommendation, I reserved the villa – imagining a trip just like this. The villas look and feel completely like homes from the old old days but with ultra modern interiors. Our villa was called Parkseon Jung (박선정) and it was built in the early 1600’s!! It contains 2 bedrooms and a middle hall between rooms that is totally open in the front and back. The picture below shows the backside window.
Another amazing feature are these glass doors that were built inside traditional wooden doors, coated with Korean rice paper (한지 Hanji). These glass doors even lock with a remote control!
In the morning, I woke up to this beautiful and peaceful view right outside our window!
Feeling the breeze through the windows and hearing the wind chime ringing..
I was taken to a totally different time and place. I was totally free from all the hustle and bustle of a large city like Seoul…
If you ever visit Korea, I hope you will get to visit and stay at a Korean traditional home and experience the same peace and tranquility that I experienced here.
Here are some additional snapshots from the resort.
Hope you enjoyed a trip to the past!
Take care,❤️
XOXO
JinJoo
I have just returned to the UK from Korea. I spent a month in Korea visiting friends. On my return to the UK I found that I had lost over 3kg in the month. I also found that my stomach is extremely unhappy with UK food now. I will be following your website, recipes and ideas with interest. I may need to eat Korean style food now. It suited me well.
Hi Angela, Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I also have a very good American friend who I met thru my blog and told me that she also feels so much better when she eats Korean food so you are not alone! So glad you found my site and if you want, you should subscribe to my blog and also to my Learn how to cook Korean food email series – I send you emails to guide you through cooking. or if you have trouble finding it, just send me email at jinjoo AT kimchimari.com and I can sign you up!
What are some other good places to stay in andong village? I plan to go there tomorrow but I saw the price and it is 300000 won a night at this place you posted.
Yes, that home is a bit pricy but is really nicely done. Unfortunately, I don’t know of other places..
what an amazing place to stay. Loved how they preserve their history (heck over 400 years) in their architecture.
So my question about the traditional Korean Breakfast is this. Is there a way you are supposed to eat it? Like do you pile it all over the rice and go to town in one big Korean Jambalaya or do you follow a pattern of flavors where you take a bite from each bowl allowing the previous to blend with the new??
So you stayed at this resort? It is absolutely stunning, isn’t it? There’s no specific order or way to eat it but piling it all over the rice like bibimbap is probably what I would do. The best way to enjoy it is to eat a small bit of rice and then choose to eat 1 or 2 of the side dishes each time and then perhaps washing it down a spoonful of the soup in between. You can also just put the rice in the soup and then eat rice+soup and then some side dishes. Because these are mild flavored dishes, I find that you can taste it best when it is tasted on its own or just with rice or some other dish. So create your own pattern of flavors as you eat each dish. I just realized what a brilliant way this would be to explain how Korean food should be eaten. I love to find different pairings within each meal – something savory + spicy, something savory + tangy, spicy + sweet, ..So glad you asked me and got me thinking. Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy your stay in Korea. Take care.