I still remember that Gochujang Bulgogi was the first dish I ate outside in Korea. When I was going to my friend’s father’s house to take stuffs, his father invited us to nearby restaurant and have some food.
He asked me whether or not I could eat spicy food.
I said yes.
Of course. I came from the area in Vietnam which is really famous with spicy food. And I also ate a lot of Korean food in Vietnam before. So spicy food is not a big deal with me.
The he ordered Gochujang Bulgogi for us. This dish is a combination between Gochujang - a kind of traditional sauce that you can find out in every Korean family, and Bulgogi - a kind of meat cooked with Korean style.
When they served food, that dish looked so big with a lot of meat. Smell, look,... everything seemed so attractive and mouthwatering.
But. It is too spicy.
I dont feel much at the first bite. But its spice gradually attached my mouth. Since I was too confident at eating spicy food, I couldn’t whine even though I almost got my limitation. lol.
However, honestly, It was really delicious. Even It was hot because of Gochujang sauce but I kept eating. I felt like I tasted sweet and hot at the same time. It made good balance in term of flavor.
I need to eat with vegetable to reduce spicy taste
And I also realized that the Korean spicy flavor was totally different with Vietnamese spicy flavor. Korean style is spicier but it doesn’t last long in your mouth. If you drink water, every spicy taste will vanish right away.
But with Vietnamese style, spicy taste coming from chilli and pepper, it will exist in your mouth, you tongue for a while no matter what you do.
