Ah hummus, there is nothing like a big tub with pita bread or chips while watching a movie. Sadly too many people in Korea, are living a life without hummus. I can’t bear to think about the suffering that some of you have to bear, constantly longing for this delicious yet healthy dip. For those living in and around Itaewon, finding hummus is no problem at all. You can even buy my hummus if you are lucky enough to live in Hae Bang Chon. But what about everyone else? You can make your own of course, check out my recipes here or here. But for some, all that soaking and blending is just too much hard work. You shouldn’t  be deprived  of all that chickpea goodness just because your lazy. Don’t worry salvation is here in the form of Hummus In Korea.

Hummus in Korea, delivers hummus directly to your door. Luckily for us delivery companies are setting up all the time, bringing us more and more of the foods  that we miss from home. So now you can have your hummus delivered, and eat it too. So it was about time I got to try some of this fabulous hummus. Coming in 6 delicious flavours (garlic, red pepper, olive, egg plant, jalapeno and spicy),  there is something for everyone. Prices vary between 5,550 – 7,000. You can buy packs of 4 (24,000) to save money or just choose your favourites.

I’m not going to lie, I tried five. After all, fat girls don’t get fat by just choosing one flavour. They were all good, but here are my favourite 3.

My top spot is a close call but I would have to give it to the roasted red pepper. A glorious orange colour and delicious taste of roasted red peppers throughout. Couldn’t get enough of this one. It was just as tasty as I hoped it would be.

Second place was surprisingly jalapeno heaven. It was the one I was least looking forward to, and thought I could just palm it off on my boyfriend. However after one fingerful, I knew he wouldn’t be getting any. It had the essence and flavour of jalapeno without being too hot or spicy. It was perfectly mild and delicious. In fact I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this one since and will have to try having a go at making my own. Be sure to add this one to your order.

My third favourite was probably the crazy for garlic. The regular hummus we all know and love with extra garlic. It was well balanced and the garlic was not at all over bearing, like some can be.

To make things even better for you, hummus in Korea sell pita bread too. Sold in packs of 1 for 1,500 or 3 for 4,000 don’t forget to add a few to your order.

Fat girl I hear you cry, how can we get our hands on this wondrous hummus? Well here’s how. Click here to get to the website, fill out the form and click place order. Do a simple bank transfer to pay and sit back and relax while you wait for your delicious delivery. Delivery costs 4,500 and they deliver  Tuesday- Friday and it generally takes between 24-48 hours. Pretty cool right. Visit the website for more details and to place orders.

I have been a fan of the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory since my very first week in Korea. I also enjoy  the name, there just aren’t enough restaurants that have the word refectory in the title. Back in my Cheongju days it was the restaurant to go to. Every birthday, leaving party, or visiting friend warranted a 20 strong posse descending onto our favourite restaurant. This was long before I had discovered the likes of Ho Lee Chow and it satisfied every craving I ever had for Chinese food. The food at the Mutton Refectory is Chinese style not Korean or Western, though the dishes we chose were always crowd-pleasers. So, after I moved away from Cheongju, I always missed it. That was until I found out that the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory is actually a chain restaurant.  Shockingly they have one in Dongdaemun! You would have thought that the name would have been a clue, but clearly I missed that (d’oh!)

Nestled in Dongdaemun, on a street practically brimming with Chinese restaurants offering lamb, is the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory. The menu is almost the same as my beloved Cheongju branch, although sadly they do not offer the amazing potatoes (감자탕수육). Deep-fried battered potatoes in a spicy sauce. You have to have tried them to know how good they are and it is a delicacy all Cheongjuers will remember fondly throughout their lives. Luckily they do have my other three favourite dishes on the menu.

One of the best things about this restaurant is the free side dishes. Chinese picked vegetables, salty sugar peanuts, and my absolute favourite, the tofu ribbons. I have never had tofu as good as this anywhere else in Korea (apart from my BBQ tofu wings.) I’m not sure how they even make these beautifully textured ribbons of tofu. But suffice it to say, they rock!

The first dish we ordered was the mixed vegetables  (삼색야채) 12,000. This dish is insanely good, it’s not just for the veggies and vegans. Potatoes, peppers, and aubergine in a sweet chinesy sauce, they are so soft and tasty. Everyone loved this dish, especially the men. We could never get enough of it.

Their specialty is lamb skewers (양꼬치) 10,000 for 10. Lamb was always very hard to get hold of in Cheongju and is still even considered a specialty meat four years later. Until it is sold on the shelves of Home-plus it will always be a treat for me. BBQ lamb skewers are always a winner for me. Every time I have visited this restaurant there has been a group of ladies sat at the table threading skewer after skewer. They clearly sell these by the truck load. You’re given the coals and you cook them yourself at the table. They also came with a delicious plate of mixed spices that is the perfect accompaniment. I’m not ashamed to say that I took my left over spices in an envelope home with me and will swiftly be using them to make some lamb meatballs.

Last up is the sweet and sour pork Beijing style(탕수육) 13,000. This has always been my favourite dish. Thin slices of pork in a light and crispy batter served with a sweet and sticky sauce. This is as close as you will get to those sweet and sour dishes from home but even better. This hits the spot every time.

The mutton refectory is located in Dongdaemun on the 2nd floor of Dok-il Yak gook(독일약국 pharmacy). To get there take a train to Dongdaemun Station (Lines 1&4) then come out of exit 4. The restaurant is just on your right on the second floor above the pharmacy. The door is located in the alley to the left, just after the restaurant. You can call them on 02-766-9388 if you require any further information.

Also for all you lucky ducks living in the Chungbuk province they have a branch in Cheongju.  It’s at Cheongju University intersection, so in a taxi, say 청주대사거리 (“Cheongju-day sah-guh-ree”). Look for the corner with Pizza Hut, and the restaurant is a few doors down to the right.

I’m off to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of OZ! I’m going to Vietnam tomorrow so thought I would squeeze in one more little post to keep you nourished whilst I am away. I will be far too busy getting drunk and stuffing my face to find the time to be blogging, so you will have to suffer without me for the next 9 days. Hard as it may be I’m sure you will all soldier on though.

As a parting gift I leave with you my hummus recipe, which is one of the things my friends bug me most to make. A quick trip to the foreign food mart to secure your chick peas and your on your way. When I lived in Cheongju I also saw them at the world food mart too.

Ingredients

300g dried chickpeas

3-5 tablespoons of Tahini (buy it at the foreign food mart in Itaewon or make your own, it’s really easy just blend sesame seeds with olive oil)

200 – 300ml Olive oil

3 – 5 cloves of garlic

The juice  and zest of 1 or 2 Lemons

2 -4 tablespoons of cumin (foreign food mart or Gmarket)

1-2 tablespoons of paprika (foreign food mart or Gmarket)

3 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional)

Directions

Soak your chick peas over night or for several hours in cold water, do not add any salt. Cook your chick peas in boiling water for 2-3 hours or until they mash easily with the back of a spoon. I use my rice cooker to cook them as you don’t have to worry about topping up the water, just give them a lot at the beginning and they will be fine.  Once your chick peas are done, strain them but reserve some of the water for later. Blend the chick peas in your blender with a little of the extra water, olive oil lemon and garlic do this until they start to resemble the consistency of hummus. Everyone has a different preference about how they like their hummus, some like the runny oily kind whilst others prefer it thick. It’s really up to you, whatever floats your boat, so add more or less oil as you need it. Then you can start to add your spices, a little at first stirring them in until you get the taste you want. You also might want to add more tahini and lemon juice too. Hummus is one of those recipes that is hard to pin down. I generally make it the same each time but the results always seem to vary. As long as you get all the basics in there though it should turn out well. I’ve read a lot of recipes which recommend using peanut butter in the place of tahini, I wasn’t too keen on this, but I liked the result when I added both so don’t be afraid to play around with it by adding different things. Serve with my homemade flat breads.  Happy eating and I’ll see you all soon.