Gul is Oyster in Korean
Koreans and the Japanese call oysters “milk of the sea” because of the calcium content and other nutrients. These mollusks are known for tiding over malnourished people in winter. The peak season for harvesting oysters in East Asia is from November to March.
The Korean word for oyster is 굴 (gul, pronounced “gool”). They are often served in shell and eaten raw in South Korea. A favorite way of cooking oysters is to simply dip them in batter, then fry. The dish is called 굴전 (gul-jeon, sometimes spelled gulcheon) — small oyster pancakes.
HOW TO PREPARE GULJEON / GULCHEON
Shuck about a dozen fresh oysters (or buy them frozen if you must) and mix with 1/3 cup of flour, an egg, a pinch of salt and chopped scallions. Add other spices to your liking like black or red pepper.
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Not too much — we’re not deep frying. Get one of those large flat Korean metal spoons. Scoop up as much of the batter as can fit onto the spoon. Drop the mixture into the hot oil in the frying pan.
After one side turns brown, flip it over with a pancake turner. With skill and to save time, you can have a few of these round patties cooking at the same time in one frying pan.