Dak Yukkaejang

Two weeks ago, my hairdresser and I went to a trance club in Hongdae.  Hongdae is party central in Seoul.  It is near an Art College and the prestigious Ewha Women's University.  People party until the sun comes up.  The streets get littered, but come next afternoon the street cleaners do a thorough job.  It's like a bunch of kids playing and then afterward, the parents come to clean up after their shit.  Anyways, J and I decided to get a quick bite at a soup restaurant.  It was about 2 degrees C on this fine evening.  We went to a dope spot, which I forgot the name of (gosh doon-it) and low and behold, on the menu there is Yukkaejang.

It was then I understood how to make Yukkaejang.  Eating it was like running a mile, I was sweating so much.  The region of the Philippines where my family is from is Bicol.  It's a region known for their spicy fare.  I grew up with the tolerance.  But I still sweat.  Anyways, the ajuma at the restaurant added vermicelli noodles and eggplant.  These two ingredients are not mentioned in Mrs. Chang's recipe.

For the past two days, I've made variations to the dish.  Instead of using brisket, I used chicken.  This variation is called Dak (chicken) Yukkaejang.  Strips of beef can be added, but I find chicken does the trick just fine.  My yukkaejang now is delicious.  I can honestly say that I can make this dish without any measurements.  And if someone says that my Yukkaejang is too spicy, well then I can say that you aren't used to Korean or Bicolano food, ha!