The Princess turned her attention away from the glorious feast with its mile-high dumpling towers and baskets of freshly steamed mandoo. She had eyes only for the dancers, who had entered the pavilion in troupes of twenty, wearing blue, gold, and green silk costumes from their provinces. They wore different masks as well, angry red-faces…
Korean Seaweed Soup (Miyeok Guk, paleo, AIP)
The Princess glanced around at the red silk accoutrements of her chambers. One month, and she still hadn’t grown accustomed to the luxe – overdone, in her view – decor of the Red Palace. Nor was she enjoying the nightly banquets of greasy, oily dishes, as rich as the gold-enrobed scepters and ceremonial crowns that…
Vegetable Kimchi (paleo, AIP, vegan)
In three days, they docked on foreign shores, anchoring the panokseon in a crowded harbor filled with foreign war ships. The ship had endured three lightning storms and rough seas with only one crack in the second mast, which the crew would set about repairing while the rebels were on shore. For her part the…
Bulgogi (Korean marinated BBQ ribeye, paleo, AIP)
They continued on their way, moving swiftly, pursued by the King and the Prime Minister’s men. As they went north, the land grew increasingly rocky and mountainous, and soon they were in the highlands, breathing in the thin air of snowy peaks, looking at tiny temples and villages miles below. Intent on getting more clarity…
Bulgogi Japchae (Korean noodle dish, paleo, AIP)
They travelled fast through the long night. It was their best opportunity to put as much space as possible between them and the palace before the King and the others had awoken from their opium-induced stupor, in time to give orders for the pursuit. They had fled through the system of underground tunnels, of which…
Korean Beef Patties (paleo, AIP)
The Princess awoke the next morning wondering if her activities of the night before had in fact been just a dream. She found herself glancing over to where she had lifted the floorboards, but in the daylight everything looked normal. She drank her tea and ate her morning rice cakes, resisting the urge to run…
Potstickers! (paleo, AIP)
The Princess rolled over on her silk bed mat, and stared again at the letter in her hand. She should have destroyed it, to be safe – but it was cryptic enough that only she and the rebels would be able to decipher the instructions. And so – even though its contents were now indelibly…
Matcha Marshmallows (paleo)
The sounds of horse hooves echoed: ba doom ba doom. Ba doom ba doom. Like coconut shells, but a lot less funny. Thickets of wet leaves whipped past, shouts filled the burning forests, and she found herself slipping, thudding onto the hard ground, which gave way to a long, dark tunnel, the depths of which…
Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon) (paleo, AIP)
The King was descending the palace steps, clad in majestic silk robes, accompanied by his eunuchs and the booming of beating drums. At the foot of the steps he stopped and turned to the Princess. “Today, you shall marry,” he announced. “Here is your match.” The Prime Minister, hunched and lost in a pile of…
Korean Kimchi Pancake (kimchijeon) (paleo, AIP, vegan)
With the zing of cured winter kimchi still tingling their tastebuds, the Princess and the rebels made their way to a village on a high promontory where waves crashed far below and villagers traversed a hand-cut path down the cliff to harvest bivalves and crustaceans off the rocks. Condensation from the seafood stock which boiled continuously in…
Korean Kimchi (paleo, AIP)
The Princess was relishing her time on the coast, where the air was fresh and balmy. Each seaside village the ragged group of rebels visited invited them into their huts for meals and recountings of adventures on the sea. Here there was no sign of the war and hunger which ravaged the north. “Don’t get too excited,”…
Deep Fried Beef Tendon (paleo, AIP)
After fourteen days trekking through snow-covered mountain passes, the rebels and the Princess emerged on the eastern path leading down to the seaward fishing villages. As they descended towards the ocean, the snow began to melt, replaced by fragrant springs and budding wildflowers. The Princess breathed in deeply, rejuvenated by the balmy, salt air after the…
Kalbi Tang | Korean Short Rib Soup (paleo, AIP)
The Princess and the rebels made their way up into the mountains, forced to pass over a large, snow-covered range to reach the more temperate southern coast. As they led the horses between two steep mountain summits, the Princess shivered and looked up at the silent peaks towering over her. They were more imposing than any imperial building…
