Tangpyeong-chae[1] (탕평채, 蕩平菜) or mung bean jelly salad[1] is a Korean dish that was part of the Korean royal court cuisine. It is made by mixing julienned nokdumuk, mung bean sprouts, water dropwort, stir-fried shredded beef, thinly shredded red pepper and lightly broiled gim. Tangpyeongchae is seasoned with a sauce made with ganjang, vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds and sesame oil. The dish is most often eaten in late spring and summer.

Tangpyeong-chae
Alternative namesMung bean jelly salad
TypeNamul
Place of originKorea
Main ingredientsNokdumuk (mung bean jelly)
Ingredients generally usedMung bean sprouts, Java water dropwort, shredded meat (beef, pork, sea cucumber, or abalone)
Korean name
Hangul
탕평채 / 묵청포
Hanja
蕩平菜 / 묵淸泡
Revised Romanizationtangpyeong-chae / muk-cheongpo
McCune–Reischauert'angp'yŏng-ch'ae / muk-ch'ŏngp'o
IPA[tʰaŋ.pʰjʌŋ.tɕʰɛ̝] / [muk̚.tɕʰʌŋ.pʰo]

History

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According to Dongguksesigi (동국세시기; 東國歲時記), a book written in 1849, tangpyeongchae derived from a political situation.[2] King Yeongjo of the Joseon period was concerned about severe conflicts between political parties. Therefore, he tried to resolve the strife between major four parties by frequently holding feasts to make the mood friendly. The Tangpyeong policy (탕평책; 蕩平策) which literally means the policy for "harmony" and "meditation" is regarded as his greatest achievement. He selected people regardless of their party affiliation.

At the beginning of the feast, the king presented tangpyeongchae before the government officers and other politicians, and then said, "As you see, there are four different ingredients (nokdumuk, gim, beef and dropwort) that have four distinguishable colors and flavors. But they are harmonized so well that they taste beautiful together." His speech was a great lesson to all those who participated in that party.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b (in Korean) "주요 한식명(200개) 로마자 표기 및 번역(영, 중, 일) 표준안" [Standardized Romanizations and Translations (English, Chinese, and Japanese) of (200) Major Korean Dishes] (PDF). National Institute of Korean Language. 2014-07-30. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  2. ^ Kim Yang-hui (2007-05-24). "Tangpyeongchae, a dish emphasizing balance" (in Korean). Tongilnews.
  3. ^ "Tangpyeongchae". PrKorea. 2007-02-12.[permanent dead link]
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