Sinseollo facts for kids
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|
| Alternative names | Royal hot pot |
|---|---|
| Type | Jeongol |
| Place of origin | Korea |
| Main ingredients | Meat, fish, vegetables |
| Ingredients generally used | rock tripe, walnut, ginkgo, chestnut, pine nut, egg garnish, dried chili threads, jangguk (soup soy sauce broth) |
| 310 kcal (1298 kJ) | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
신선로
|
|---|---|
| Hanja |
神仙爐
|
| Revised Romanization | sinseollo |
| McCune–Reischauer | shinsŏllo |
| IPA | [ɕin.sʌl.lo] |
Sinseollo (Hangul: 신선로; Hanja: 神仙爐), also known as royal hot pot, is a special and fancy dish from Korean royal court cuisine. It is a type of stew called jeongol. This dish is packed with tasty ingredients like meatballs, small fried fish, mushrooms, and lots of vegetables. Everything is cooked together in a rich, flavorful broth.
What makes Sinseollo unique is how it's served. It comes in a special pot that looks a bit like a Bundt cake pan, with a hole in the middle. Hot charcoal embers are placed in this hole. This keeps the Sinseollo warm and bubbling throughout your entire meal!
Contents
What is Sinseollo and why is it special?
Sinseollo is not just a dish; it's also the name of the special cooking pot it's served in. The word Sinseollo comes from two Korean words: sinseon (신선), meaning "Taoist immortal spirit", and ro (로), meaning "brazier" or "stove". So, it means "brazier for an immortal spirit."
This dish is also called yeolguja tang. This name literally means "a soup that makes a mouth happy." It shows how delicious and enjoyable this royal dish is!
The interesting history of Sinseollo
The story of Sinseollo began with a scholar named Jeong Hee-Ryang. He lived during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. He was a scholar in the court of King Yeonsan.
Jeong Hee-Ryang became very sad and disappointed with politics. He decided to leave the court and live a quiet life in the mountains, like a hermit. To cook his simple meals, he created a small, portable brazier. This special pot allowed him to cook many different vegetables all at once.
Legend says that Jeong Hee-Ryang disappeared into the mountains and became a sinseon, an immortal spirit. Because of this, his unique cooking pot was named the "brazier for a sinseon." Over time, the name of the pot became the name of the delicious dish cooked in it.
How is Sinseollo made and served?
When Sinseollo was first created, it mainly used vegetables. But over the years, people started adding meat and fish to make it even richer. Today, a single Sinseollo dish can have up to 25 different ingredients!
Some common ingredients include:
- Beef
- Pork
- Chicken
- Pheasant
- Fish
- Abalone (a type of shellfish)
- Sea cucumbers
- Many kinds of fresh vegetables
To prepare it, boiled beef and sliced mu (Korean radish) are placed in the special pot first. Then, seasoned beef and seafood are added. Next come mushrooms, carrots, and other colorful vegetables. Small meatballs, walnuts, pine nuts, and ginkgo nuts are carefully arranged on top. Finally, finely shredded red pepper is used as a garnish. This makes the dish look beautiful and colorful.
After all the ingredients are in place, a rich soup stock is poured over everything. The pot is then placed over hot charcoal embers in its central burner. This cooks the dish slowly and keeps it warm throughout the meal, making it a truly royal experience!
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