Dishes so Korean most Hongkongers have probably never tried them
Stinky stews, silkworm pupae, blood sausage, and rice cakes are among the homely fare beloved by natives, some of which now appear on Korean restaurant menus in Hong Kong
Last month my Korean family celebrated Father's Day at Jin Luo Bao Korean Restaurant for one key reason - its selection of stinky stews, or jjigae. The cheonggukjang stew is the smelliest of them all and is a rare treat for my mother. The fermented soya bean paste stew with tofu, chillis, zucchini slices and uncrushed soya beans is a pungent classic available in Hong Kong only at this establishment.
Like most fermented fare, the food's assertive aroma is polarising for diners, but for natives accustomed to such qualities this is comfort food as ubiquitous as barbecues in the south of the Korean peninsula.
As much as some Hongkongers love their fried chicken, there remain areas of the Korean menu that are unexplored. It doesn't have to be that way, even if the untried dishes can seem a little off-putting at first.
Other comfort food that non-Koreans might find disconcerting includes beondegi (silkworm pupae). The ingredient is available in cans from Korean grocery stores and is prepared in another stew at restaurants. Try it at any branch of Chicken Hof & Soju (the Korean fried chicken restaurant with outlets in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai).
Hongkongers are reluctant to order the dish, but for older Koreans it's a reminder of a time when the country was less developed and people were more open to eating whatever was available. Younger Koreans are also not so keen on the dish.
Soondae is another beloved Korean delicacy rarely enjoyed by Hongkongers. It is the Korean equivalent of blood sausage; in Seoul, it is steamed and served with cuts of pork lung and ear or other innards, accompanied with chilli-specked coarse salt.