Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

44 – The combination of green onion kimchi and charcoal-grilled Eonyang bulgogi is on par with green onion kimchi and black bean noodles.

Personally, I really prefer green onion kimchi among all types of kimchi.

The spiciness of the green onions made it a love-it-or-hate-it type of kimchi.

‘It’s the most delicious kimchi in the world!’

It wasn’t exactly like that, but at least it always left a deep impression on me every time I ate it.

The slightly bitter taste of green onions felt between the stimulating salty and red pepper powder flavors of the kimchi seasoning.

The different kind of spiciness that made my tongue tingle would make me finish a bowl of rice in no time.

Even without any special side dishes, a meal with just green onion kimchi was quite satisfying on its own.

When I woke up in the morning and had green onion kimchi with a fried egg and dried seaweed, there was nothing more perfect than that.

Except, of course, for the terrible green onion smell that lingered in my mouth after eating it.

The red seasoning spread on top of long green onion leaves.

When you take a bite of the shy green onion wearing a red dress on its pale skin, the crunchy sound and the chewy texture of the green onion explode in your mouth.

After you finish eating, the remaining sesame seeds and red pepper powder leave a pleasantly spicy and savory aftertaste.

“Ah, I want to eat it already.”

Andrea furrowed her eyebrows at my words.

“You make kimchi with this? Spreading spicy seasoning on already spicy vegetables?”

“Sounds unappealing?”

“Of course!”

“This is the best match for the meat you like so much.”

When you wrap green onion kimchi with pork belly and take a bite, you can taste the perfect harmony of spicy and salty flavors.

I understand.

An elf who knows nothing but meat can’t know the taste of green onion kimchi.

Ah, poor you, who don’t know green onion kimchi.

“… Personally, I prefer eating it straight rather than wrapping it with leafy vegetables. Why do I have to fill my stomach with vegetables of all things? I just can’t understand it.”

“I knew you’d say something like that.”

Since she’s so obsessed with meat, after all.

“Once you try it, you’ll change your mind.”

This guy never let things end just okay when he was serious.

I trimmed the spring onions.

I cut off the roots, peeled off the dirt-covered outer layer, and piled them neatly.

The amount of spring onion kimchi I prepared was enough for two jars.

One jar was for me, and the other was for the guests.

It wasn’t for every guest, but for the regulars or those who I thought would like spring onions.

As I said, spring onion kimchi has a particularly strong preference.

“While I trim the onions, cut the ginger into small pieces, and grind the onions finely. Also, take out the glutinous rice and grind it into powder.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Make sure you thread it on the black string! You got it?”

“Yes.”

Andrea, seemingly a little dissatisfied, thinly sliced ginger with a kitchen knife and ground the glutinous rice.

She probably thought that there would be nothing but trivial dishes on the menu today.

‘What they don’t know.’

Spring onion kimchi is made to be eaten with meat.

Just like making boiled pork when making kimjang kimchi, adding a suitable meat dish when making spring onion kimchi is a good idea.

Although it is a perfect dish by itself, it is a little low in calories to eat before starting work.

I trimmed all the green onions and washed them once.

Soaking the green onions can be done according to the situation.

If you want to eat them right away, soak the white part of the green onion in salt water for about 20 minutes, and if you don’t have to eat them right away, there’s no need to soak them in salt.

It’s good to just make it without soaking the entire green onion in salt, as it loses its crispiness and absorbs too much salt, making it too salty.

Since I was going to eat it right away, I soaked only the white part in salt water a little.

“Boss, here it is.”

With her lips poked out, she offered me the minced ginger, onions, and finely ground glutinous rice powder.

Though he talked like that, he was definitely good at his job.

“Well done.”

“Don’t think I enjoy being praised like that!”

“What if I told you we can eat meat too?”

“……I do like that.”

“Actually, it’s a lie. We won’t eat any meat.”

“What? Are we really not eating any?”

Lately, Andrea’s mood seemed to have softened quite a bit.

People really should eat a lot to feel better.

Perhaps it’s because of the carbohydrates.

The color returned to her face.

I covered my lips with my finger as she clung to me with a puzzled look on her face, asking questions.

“It’s a secret.”

“Boss, please tell me! I’ll faint if I don’t eat meat and work!”

It definitely became more enjoyable to tease her.

In the past, she would surely have glared at me if I said something like this.

I wasn’t sure if it was because I was now her boss, but her softening mood seemed to go beyond her expressions.

“Bring red pepper powder, fish sauce, honey, and sesame seeds too.”

“Ugh.”

As Andrea went to fetch the ingredients I asked for, I began to make the paste by dissolving glutinous rice powder in water.

The most important ingredient in making the seasoning sauce was this paste.

I boiled the glutinous rice water and simmered it gently until it became slightly murky.

While it was boiling, I lightly stirred it with a spoon.

It would be troublesome if it stuck to the bottom for no reason.

I poured the appropriately dissolved glutinous rice paste into a large bowl.

On top of that, finely chopped onions and ginger were sprinkled, along with the red pepper powder and fish sauce that Andrea had brought, and even honey was added.

Some people also put in sugar or plum syrup according to their taste.

‘It’s a matter of personal preference.’

I liked the honey the most.

The honey made by bees on the mainland was definitely of higher quality.

‘Soon, I’ll have to find some honeybees. I’m almost out of honey.’

After putting all the ingredients into a large bowl for kimchi making, I stirred it vigorously with my hands wearing rubber gloves so that it would mix well.

Squish, squelch.

The slapping sound was made due to the fish sauce and glutinous rice paste.

‘It’s pleasant to hear.’

I hummed a tune while stirring until the ingredients were well mixed, enjoying the pleasant melody.

“What’s so good about it….”

Ignoring Andrea’s grumbling, I put the well-pickled green onions into the seasoning sauce I had prepared for green onion kimchi.

Whoosh!

The lightly salted green onions poured out.

The seasoning was applied evenly to the green onions.

Slowly, the aroma began to fill the air.

The pleasant scent of well-pickled green onions mixed with kimchi seasoning.

My nose felt numb from the sharp, stimulating aroma.

Still, I was happy.

‘It would have been really nice if I had jajang ramen.’

Putting green onion kimchi on top of jajang ramen and swirling it together with chopsticks!

Ah, amazing.

Personally, it was the food that went best with green onion kimchi.

“A strong smell……”

Andrea looked at me, covering her nose as if she didn’t like the smell.

“Are you making it again?”

“Bring two kimchi containers and wash them once. They should be in the inner storage room.”

“Yes.”

With a nasal voice, she asked and wiped the kimchi containers she brought out.

She’s getting the hang of it now.

Well, it’s been almost a month, so it’s time to get used to it.

Now, I put the reddened, soaked green onions into the kimchi containers that Andrea brought.

The two red kimchi containers were filled with green onion kimchi.

“Can we eat it now?”

“I’ll leave it in the shade for about two hours. Then you can eat it.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you seem disappointed?”

“No, no. I just…… I think it’ll be delicious. Ha, hahaha.”

“Your lie is showing.”

“……”

It definitely got milder.

Delicious food makes people happy.

I should stop teasing her now.

Otherwise, she might really get angry.

“We’re going to eat meat too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

I took out the meat that I had seasoned before she went to work.

“Bulgogi, right?”

“It’s different from regular bulgogi.”

“Different? It looks the same, though?”

At a glance, it does look the same as regular bulgogi with the sauce spread on it.

Because the base of the sauce is similar.

However, unlike regular bulgogi, it has the characteristic of not marinating for a long time in the sauce, and the unique point of this bulgogi was that it was quickly grilled over charcoal fire on a stone plate instead of a grill.

Because the sauce wasn’t marinated for long, it had a reddish hue.

“This is Eonyang bulgogi.”

“Is it different?”

“Yes, it’s different. You grill this one much more crisply than the previous bulgogi.”

She blinked her eyes as if cluelessly wondering what’s going on.

Her face seemed to say: isn’t it all the same if you just eat the meat?

“Alright. There’s no point in explaining more. You’ll understand better by just seeing it. But before that.”

“Before?”

“Let’s prepare the ingredients for the dishes we’ll have for lunch today.”

We needed time to wait until the green onion kimchi was properly seasoned.

“Alright!”

Andrea, who had now discovered that she could eat meat for brunch, imbued mana into her sword with burning enthusiasm.

Woooong!

She skillfully infused mana into her sword and quickly trimmed the ingredients.

Lettuce for the pork cutlet.

Tofu and pumpkin for the bean paste stew.

Even garlic for various sauces was crushed with her mana-infused sword.

She even meticulously sliced the meat.

“But, Mr. Owner, do I really have to use my sword to cut everything?”

“We’ve disinfected it thoroughly with mana, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Then it’s fine.”

“No, that’s not the problem…”

I looked at her, who was acting petulantly.

“So, do you want to cut someone with it?”

Andrea shook her head.

“Uh, not really?”

“Then are you going to use it for cooking soup later?”

“No, that’s not it either.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for the sword to be used as a kitchen knife than just rotting in the storage room?”

“Well… I guess you’re right?”

“Then go ahead and chop.”

“…Okay.”

One could shed tears at the sight of the sword that had once protected the elves now chopping garlic and onions, but that would be because of the onions and garlic.

Tears come naturally when chopping onions.

After finishing the preparation of ingredients, I finally lit the charcoal fire in the small furnace in the backyard and called out to Andrea.

“Come and eat.”

“Yes…”

The tired girl, drained from her new morning chores, slowly emerged, dragging her kimchi-filled body.

She, who had declared that she would move a lot in exchange for eating a lot, brought the kimchi and seasoned meat to the table.

She was quite active.

“You’ve packed the kimchi very nicely.”

I’m pleased.

Very pleased.

Meanwhile, the charcoal turned white.

Gently seasoned, the thinly sliced bulgogi with a subtle reddish tint was placed on the silver grill.

As the bulgogi was spread out on the grill, it was left to cook quietly over the charcoal fire.

Sizzling.

Crackling.

They listened carefully to the sound of the meat grilling over the charcoal fire.

As the oil flowed between the grill and dropped onto the charcoal fire, the flames flickered and roared.

Whoosh.

“Sniff, sniff.”

Andrea sniffed the aroma and smiled happily.

“It’s so good just to smell it.”

“My mouth is watering.”

“Hehehe.”

As the meat turned a light brown, and the parts touching the charcoal fire turned a darker brown, they flipped it over while pressing both sides with the grill.

Hiss!

They could see the oil boiling on the surface of the meat.

“Nice.”

The smell was good.

The sound was good.

The characteristic of this Unyang Bulgogi was to grill it until the marinade was reduced just right.

Although it was possible to make the bulgogi by simply grilling it, the taste could not be matched when it was grilled over charcoal fire using a stone grill.

‘Even if you use a torch to add a smoky flavor, there’s a limit.’

The taste that charcoal fire could produce was unmatched.

They cooked the meat until the surface was cooked enough for the Maillard reaction to occur.

Different from other bulgogis with remaining marinade, the uniqueness of this Unyang Bulgogi was to fully cook the bulgogi, bringing out the maximum Maillard reaction.

“The meat must be Maillard.”

White smoke gently rose from the meat.

The surface of the Bulgogi bloomed with appetizing dark brown flowers due to the Maillard reaction, as the oil bubbled.

The delicious aroma filled the air.

I placed the meat on the plate, right off the grill.

Simply putting the meat in a bowl is a rookie move.

If you put it on a cold plate, the meat quickly gets cold.

The most delicious state is when it has a moderate amount of heat.

Andrea, who had set the side dishes while I grilled the meat, admired the perfectly grilled Eonyang Bulgogi.

“It’s definitely different! It’s completely… thoroughly cooked.”

At first glance, it looks similar to Tteokgalbi, but there’s a big difference.

What’s the difference?

You’ll know when you taste it.

It’s a bit difficult to explain in words how everything from the fundamental texture to the taste is different between Bulgogi and Tteokgalbi.

Anyway, the perfectly grilled Eonyang Bulgogi and freshly made green onion kimchi.

That was today’s breakfast menu.

“You can eat it now.”

“Thank you for the food!”

“Wait, the first bite must be wrapped with kimchi.”

“Do I really… have to?”

“If you don’t, don’t eat.”

“But…”

Thoroughly disappointed, she picked up her chopsticks and placed the meat and green onion kimchi on top of her rice.

The ratio was 8 parts meat, 2 parts kimchi, but I didn’t bother to nitpick.

That alone was enough.

Too much green onion kimchi will overpower the taste of the bulgogi.

One bite and you’ll understand why.

Why I insisted on eating them together.

I took a big bite of the meat and green onions with my chopsticks, as if wrapping them in rice.

“Yum.”

Andrea took a huge bite and chewed on it thoughtfully.

Though cutting back on carbs would be needed to lose weight.

“….hmm?”

“Delicious, right?”

At first, her furrowed brows seemed surprised. As they gradually relaxed, her eyebrows slowly raised.

Her eyes were looking at me.

I could tell without even having to hear it.

The green onion kimchi left a deep impression on her.

I didn’t wait for her answer and picked up a piece of bulgogi.

The outside was well-cooked, while the inside was moist and with a hint of seasoning.

I put the meat and green onion kimchi on top of the rice and ate them together.

“Ah.”

This is it.

The initial strong taste of the green onion kimchi hit my palate. At the same time, the savory taste of the bulgogi followed. The taste of the meat and soy sauce that was drawn to its extreme through the Maillard reaction chased after it.

The white rice neutralized the strong, slightly salty taste that would have been overwhelming without it.

The green onions burst open once more, asserting their presence.

This is it. This is the thing.

No wonder I can’t help but love green onion kimchi.

Of course, bulgogi has to be delicious.

How could it not taste good, grilled to perfection like this?

The taste of the green onion kimchi, which exuded its own presence without being overshadowed by the taste of Eonyang bulgogi, was incredibly fantastic.

“Boss, this is really delicious!”

She pointed to the green onion kimchi.

“Is it to your taste? It might have been a bit spicy.”

“No, it’s really delicious.”

This time, she added a little more green onion kimchi and ate it with the meat.

It must have been quite spicy like that.

“Cough! Cough!”

As expected.

She couldn’t handle the sharp spiciness of the green onion kimchi and ended up coughing.

“From now on, just take one strip of green onion kimchi and eat it.”

“Ugh, I guess I should.”

Her face was flushed red as she replied with tearful eyes.

Nevertheless, her chopsticks kept moving.