Within Chodang Tofu Village ㅡ a town renowned for its unique tofu made with water from the East Sea ㅡ lies Owol-ae Chodang, a family-run farm restaurant most notable not for its tofu, but for its noodles and bossam.
In between the end of March and October, the family gathers and ferments sprouts, stems, roots, leaves, and fruits from the fields and mountains nearby to produce the natural cooking enzymes used to season their food. Likewise, they make their own sauces (“jang”), which can be seen aging in large earthenware beneath a persimmon tree by the field outside, where all of the fruits and vegetables they serve are planted and grown. The restaurant's wide window frames the beauty of this scenery into a beautiful pastoral painting to be appreciated as you savor the food prepared with the fruits of the land before you.
Noodles in anchovy broth with beef (쇠고고 멸치 국수)
Anchovies and big-eyed herring boiled in a large gamasot (iron pot) infuse the noodle broth with the refreshing flavors of the East Sea. Removing the fish oil that floats to the top results in a light and clean broth to which a special sauce made with house-made jang, natural enzymes, onions, and garlic is added to deepen its taste. The noodles are quickly boiled on high heat before being rinsed in ice water to remove the excess starch. They are served in a large bowl of the hot broth with beef, green onion, carrots, and thinly sliced egg and fried tofu.
Garlic bossam (마늘 보쌈)
Pork belly boiled to tenderness arrives in thick, juicy slices glazed with a sweet, garlic-mustard sauce accompanied by spicy dried radish and salad.
Squid bossam (오징어 보쌈)
Pork belly, squid fished from the East Sea, and fried tofu form this bossam trinity. The pork, like the squid (and pretty much everything else), is sourced locally.
The pork, like the squid (and pretty much everything else), is sourced locally. Soondubu (soft tofu), pickled radish and cucumbers, lettuce, perilla leaves, and various sauces complete the spread. Chodang Tofu Village is one of the most noteworthy culinary attractions of Gangneung, where the flavors and nutrients of the East Sea water are harnessed to make its widely-renowned tofu.
A variety of fruit packed into glass jars rests fermenting into wine on a shelf in a corner of the dining area.
Dried persimmons and radish leaves - the quintessential signs of winter in Korea -
sway in the cold breeze against the barren landscape. Only two months ago in October, the persimmons were likely plump with juice hanging heavily from verdant trees. What a feeling being able to return here seasonally to witness the transformations the land and its fruits.
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