Sinseollo or yeolguja tang is an elaborate dish consisting of meatball

Meatball

A meatball is made from an amount of ground meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, minced onion, spices, and possibly eggs...

s, small and round jeonyueo (전유어), mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a rich broth

Broth

Broth is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, in which bones, meat, fish, cereal grains, or vegetables have been simmered. Broth is used as a basis for other edible liquids such as soup, gravy, or sauce. It can be eaten alone or with garnish...

 in Korean royal court cuisine

Korean royal court cuisine

Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...

. The dish is a form of jeongol

Jeongol

Jeongol is a category of elaborate stews or casseroles in Korean cuisine. It is similar to the category of Korean stews called jjigae, with the main difference being that jjigae are generally made with only a single main ingredient, and named after that ingredient , while jeongol usually contain a...

(elaborate chowder-like stew). It is served in a large silver vessel with a hole in the center, in which hot embers are placed to keep the dish hot throughout the meal.

Etymology and history

Sinseollo is the proper name for the cooking vessel in which this dish is served, which has become to mean the actual dish as well. Sinseollo is a composite word of sinseon (hangul:신선, hanja:神仙), "Taoist immortal spirit

Xian (Taoism)

Xian is a Chinese word for an enlightened person, translatable in English as:*"spiritually immortal; transcendent; super-human; celestial being"...

" and ro (hangul:로, hanja:爐), brazier

Brazier

A brazier is a container for fire, generally taking the form of an upright standing or hanging metal bowl or box. Used for holding burning coal as well as fires, a brazier allows for a source of light, heat, or cooking...

. Jeong Hee-Ryang (정희량), a scholar in the court of Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

's King Yeonsan, turned to a hermit-like life in the mountains after being exiled and disillusioned from politics. He made a small brazier to cook his meals, a portable cooking vessel that would cook various vegetables in a single pot. He disappeared in the mountains and legend says he became a sinseon, so the cooking vessel was named "brazier for a sinseon".

Sinseollo is also called yeolguja tang, which literally means "a tang

Guk

Guk , also sometimes known as Tang , is a class of soup-like dishes in Korean cuisine. Guk and tang are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although guk is more watery and a basic dish for the Korean table setting, and is usually eaten at home...

(soup) that makes a mouth happy".

Preparation and serving

Although the origin of the dish was based on vegetables, meat and fish were added in later years. Up to 25 ingredients may be used in making the dish, such as beef, pork, chicken, pheasant, fish, abalone, sea cucumbers, and various vegetables. Boiled beef and sliced mu

Daikon

Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...

are placed in the dish with seasoned beef and the seafood. Mushrooms, carrots and other vegetables are placed next, with meatballs, walnuts, pine nuts, ginkgo nuts, and finely shredded red pepper used as garnish to create a colorful balance. Soup stock is poured over and then the dish is cooked with charcoal in the burner.

See also

• Gujeolpan
  Gujeolpan
  Gujeolpan refers to either an elaborate Korean dish consisting of nine different foods assorted on a wooden plate with nine divided sections in an octagon shape or the plate itself. The name is composed of three hanja words: gu , jeol , and pan in Korean...
  
  
• Korean royal court cuisine
  Korean royal court cuisine
  Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
  
  
• List of soups
• Korean cuisine
• Dae Jang Geum
  Dae Jang Geum
  Dae Jang Geum is a 2003 epic South Korean television series directed by Lee Byung Hoon and produced by MBC. Starring Lee Young Ae, it tells the tale of an orphaned kitchen cook who went on to become the king's first female physician...
  
  

External links

• Information and recipe of sinseollo from Korea Foundation
• Best Culinary Day Tour in Seoul from Korea Tourism Organization
• General information on Korean cuisine and recipe from Seoul city official website Information about Korean royal court cuisine and sinseollo Information about sinseollo Information about sinseollo Origin of sinseollo from Korean Culture Dictionary