Cali Kimchi Kitchen

Happy New Year y’all! We just smashed my traditional Korean spread! It is tradition to eat (rice cake soup), tteokguk (떡국), on New Year's Day because it is believed to grant the people good luck for the year and gain a year of age. I also made Gujoelpan for my first time on my own and it turned out amazing! Gujeolpan follows the traditional principles of objangsaek. The ancient Chinese philosophy that was adopted by Koreans during the Yi Dynasty. As with many Korean dishes, gujeolpan reflects 5 Korean traditional colors, obangsaek (오방색), — white, black, red, yellow, and blue (green in terms of food) which represent hope and longevity. Gujeolpan refers to a platter with nine sections that’s used to serve traditional delicacies. “Gu” means number 9, “jeol” sectioned, and “pan” a tray or a platter. In Asian culture, the number nine holds a symbolic meaning of fullness and harmony. Thankful I had family and friends to share this spread with! 🎉