Blood sausages: delicacy or disgusting? Try these two recipes and see for yourself
If the idea of eating blood sausages turns you off, these two recipes from Susan Jung might just change your mind
Blood is eaten in many cultures, mostly in the form of sausages: boudin noir in France, soondae in Korea, black pudding in Britain, morcilla in Spain. If you eat it with an open mind (and perhaps, closed eyes – I’ll admit, it’s not pretty), you’ll probably find it delicious.
Soondae bokeum
Korean blood sausage is quite light because it contains sweet potato starch vermicelli or rice, vegetables and, sometimes, ground nuts, in addition to the spices. You can find it in the frozen and chilled sections of some of the Korean shops on Kimberley Street, in Tsim Sha Tsui, and it’s there that you can also pick up banchan (side dishes) to serve with the soondae.
If you like, use 200 grams of soondae and add a pig’s ear that’s been boiled until tender, then cut into 5mm-wide strips.
400 grams soondae
15 grams gochujang (Korean chilli paste)
15 grams corn syrup
15ml light soy sauce
10ml sesame oil
5 grams gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
5 grams salt
1 carrot, about 150 grams
½ a Korean zucchini
1 onion, about 200 grams
4 garlic cloves
6 red or green banana chillies, or a mixture of both
About 20ml cooking oil
Toasted sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Slice the soondae into rounds about 6mm thick. Put the gochujang in a bowl and add the corn syrup, light soy sauce, sesame oil, gochugaru and salt and stir to combine. Cut the carrot into thick batons. Slice the Korean zucchini in half lengthwise, then into half-circles about 4mm thick. Halve the onion then cut it into slices about 5mm thick. Cut the banana chillies into 5mm-thick rings. Slice the garlic cloves.
Heat a wok over a high flame, then add 10ml of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the carrot and cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini, onion and garlic and cook until the onion is slightly softened; drizzle in a little more oil if the vegetables stick to the wok. Add the banana chillies and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, then transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl.
