Image Credit: 종가집
Sso-Ya is a Korean style stir-fried sausage that is popularly sold in the streets of Korea. If you haven’t been to Korea, this dish is sure to be seen in Korean dramas, food documentaries and food fairs in Malaysia.
It is one of those hearty, guilty pleasures that are too good to resist, especially when you’re just looking for something quick to snack on. Plus, it’s also a side dish that goes well with a bowl of rice, and it is definitely filling.
What is Sso-Ya
The Sso-Ya, also known by Koreans as Yachae Bokkeum is basically a dish made up of stir-fried Vienna sausages with capsicum, sesame seed, sesame sauce and a thick soy sauce. It is typically served in lunch boxes for school kids or working adults. Nowadays, it is also widely accepted as popular street food that’s great on its own.
A typical Sso-Ya would have three different kinds of capsicum – yellow, red and green capsicum to give extra colour and different levels of sweetness to the dish.
The History of Sso-Ya
Sso-Ya is one of the many examples of American influence in Korean cuisine apart from spam meat. American food was introduced to the Koreans during the Korean War. During those times, it was hard to find food and getting meat was especially hard. Because of that, people used to smuggle spam, sausages and bacon from the American military base to locals that were living nearby.
Families and restaurant owners would then come up with recipes that use these western ingredients by turning them into a stew, stir-frying the meat and having them with rice. Spam and sausages were seen as luxury food as it was hard to get a hold of, and Koreans would only get what was left from the American army.
Although the war is over now, the ingredients like spam and sausages maintained its popularity amongst Korean cuisine. The cuisine is a symbol of the historical event that happened during the war. Today, it is a huge part of Korean food culture and you would often see sausages and spam still being used with traditional Korean ingredients like kimchi and gochujang.
Different Ways of Enjoying Sso-Ya
Sso-Ya may have started from the war, but today it is seen as one of the simplest Korean dishes to make hence why it is widely popular as part of a lunchbox menu.
It is also a common snack to go along with a glass of beer after work. If you visit a street festival in Korea, it will be easy to spot a Sso-Ya store.
Where to get Sso-Ya in Malaysia
Sso-Ya is a great dish to have at any time of the day, and it is a favourite amongst kids. Bring your family to Namoo Korean Dessert Café located in Solaris Dutamas for their Sso-Ya that costs only RM10. You can pair the dish with other Korean side dishes and a bowl of rice.
You can also try the Spicy Sausage Stew from the Matjib Restaurant in KL for something a little bigger. Otherwise, you can scroll through the foodpanda app for your choices of different Korean dishes that suits your tastebuds.