"A third flavor, not pork" The twist of Yongsan's hangjeongsal tasted by Jeon So-min

In a back alley of Yongsan, at a restaurant responsible for the commute home of office workers, a new side of hangjeongsal has been revealed. This restaurant, introduced through TV CHOSUN's 'Home-Style Meal Travels', calls hangjeongsal 'hwangjisal' in the Chungcheong-do dialect and showcases its own unique preparation method. Known as a place where office workers stop before heading home to relieve the day's fatigue, many people visit this place through word of mouth.

The texture of round-rolled 'hwangjisal', a clean taste with less fat

The main menu here, hangjeongsal, takes on a shape as if a flower is blooming on the grill. The meat is provided in a form where it is rolled into a circle and flash-frozen, and as it grills, the rolled shape unfurls, providing visual enjoyment. The restaurant chooses a method of receiving only enough meat for one day's business, preparing it, and then flash-freezing it. The key is to undergo a short flash-freezing process to maintain moisture and meat quality.

A particularly notable point is the fat processing method. By appropriately removing the rich fat layer characteristic of hangjeongsal, they preserve the meat's natural nuttiness while reducing greasiness. After tasting the grilled meat, Jeon So-min mentioned, "It's not pork, but a third flavor," noting the bouncy and crunchy texture that remains despite the flash-freezing process. The meat is served with pickled garlic leaves, anchovy jeotgal, and aged kimchi, where the fermented jeotgal and aged kimchi play the role of cutting through the meat's richness. Jeon So-min evaluated that the clean taste of the aged kimchi helps eliminate any remaining greasiness.

Rice noodles instead of somyeon, the exotic dessert 'Oiji Naengguksu'

The menu that decorates the end of the meal is 'Oiji Naengguksu' (cold noodles with pickled cucumbers). Unlike typical cold noodles, it differentiates itself in the type of noodles used. Instead of somyeon, it uses flat rice noodles to maximize the smooth sensation as they go down the throat. The harmony of the cool, sweet broth and the pickled cucumbers serves to refresh the palate after eating the meat.

Jeon So-min pointed out the characteristic of the menu, saying regarding the reason for choosing rice noodles, "I think it's because of the smooth texture as they go down." In the restaurant containing the atmosphere of a Yongsan back alley, the transformation of hangjeongsal and the exotic dessert increased the completeness of the meal.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)