Dongdaemun Market Street Vendors, Seoul

Dongdaemun's food vendor alley is not the biggest in Seoul, but it does offer some unique treats at great prices...for the adventurous traveler. The most famous streets in the food vendor area of Dongdaemun are Saengseon-gui Alley & Dakhanmari Alley, named after two of the local specialties: Saengseon-gui & Dakhanmari.

Saengseon-gui is mackerel, purchased at the local market, allowed to "mature" for a day, then salted and grilled over real charcoal, not natural gas or propane. This gives the fish a deep, rich, smoky flavor.

Dakhanmari is translated to English to mean "one chicken." This chicken is a dish in which a whole chicken is boiled in a pot, then cut up with scissors and tongs as it cooked. Dakhanmari can be cooked with broth, noodles, tteok (sliced rice cakes), potatoes, mushrooms, green onions and other ingredients.

We searched out Dongdaemun's food vendor alley on our last day in Seoul. We hungry for any local specialty. After passing numerous grilled fish (Saengseon-gui), we spotting what looked to be haemultang (seafood soup). I asked the owner if this was haemultang, and he said no, it was haemul jjigae, seafood soup. Close enough for me. We ducked inside for lunch.

As the ajuma prepared our meal, we snacked on kimchi, potatoes, beans, and soju. The owner seemed surprised that us crazy Westerners liked soju. In fact, he seemed surprised that we wanted to try his stew... I'm guessing few Westerners ever stop here.

After a few minutes, he lit our table's gas burner, and he placed a massive bowl of stew on the fire. He told us it would be about 10 minutes until the food was ready. In the meantime, we continued to eat our side dishes and watch the steady stream of local workers and businessmen come in for stew.

Finally our stew arrived, and the first things we noticed were the fish head and the fish guts in the stew. We decided to dive in and L got a pile of guts, and I got the head. The flavor was delicious, even the fish eyes, cheeks, brains, and guts. The stew also contained shrimp, a variety of vegetables, and a few other odds and ends that I was unable to determine.

Excellent food, friendly service, and only 20,000 Won, ,including the soju.

I experienced a truly korean typical food, same where in Dong Dae Mun Market with a Korean girl that I knew in Changdeok Palace.
Thanks Lynn you make me felt like a dragon, just missing the fire balls, God so hot.
But anyway I enjoyed the kimchi.

Dondaemun Market street Vendors.
little fried-batter fish-shaped things, filled with sweat-bean paste...

Favorite Dish: Bunger Pang

Dondaemun Market street vendor.
Squished sweet batter things with cinnamony flavour in the middle.

Favorite Dish: Hoduck