Delicious delicacies from Korea with love
 Provided to China Daily |
The restaurant cooperates with The Pro Soy Crab, a Korean company with 34 years of history. The company uses only the freshest swimming crabs in March and April, which are full of roe.
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The sea crab is imported from South Korea, and marinated in soy sauce for two days by The Pro's specialist. As a result the crab looks very tempting with orange roe and snow-white flesh. The crab is eaten without further processing, tasting tenderer and fresher than any sashimi. But it has a slight saltiness from the soy sauce and a sweet aftertaste because the crab is very fresh. There is an apparent soy fragrance in the mouth and on the nose.
Beijing-based gourmet Dong Keping says Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province has a similar marinated crab. "The Korean soy crab is of very high quality, judged by Chinese standards," he says.
Jiangsu and Anhui provinces make a "drunken crab" marinated with soy sauce and rice wine. That drunken crab is marinated for three or four days, a bit longer than the Korean soy crab. Therefore it tastes a bit salty. Also, the crab used is river crab.
Spring and autumn are when sea crabs lay eggs. Therefore they contain a lot of roe and taste the best, according to Song Hoon-chon. They are rich in protein and vitamins, apart from being a gourmet treat.
Secret Garden Korean Restaurant is a popular hangout for Korean businesspeople and foreign diplomats because it is near the embassy area. It has a good name among Chinese people for offering authentic Korean fare.
A bottle of Korean soju is a necessity to pair with the soy crab. So is a bowl of kimchi and bean sprout soup, which warms up the belly.
Soy crab is called a "rice killer" in South Korea, because it is tasty and to pair with steamed rice. The best way to do it is to put rice in the shell of the crab, so that it can get the taste of the crab.
In between, one can try the restaurant's grilled meats, grilled vegetables and fried starch noodles with vegetables. There are side dishes for free, including kimchi and marinated turnips.
The managers are Korean. It is said many Korean people will come in the evening for a drink over sashimi.
For people of other nationalities, it is a good spot to try authentic Korean food, and explore more about Korean delicacies and culture.
