Korean Job Discussion Forums

vdowd · Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Location: Iksan

I am hoping someone knows where I can purchase "mollasses" in Korea. I am going to be making Gingerbread Men for a project in Winter Camp but one of the primary ingredients is "mollassess". So far, I have found all the other ingredients - but I nned to find mollasses and if possible icing sugar.

I live in Taejeon and have friends who are going home for Christmas, so I can probably ask them to pick up the icing sugar but Mollassess is more difficulty - heavy to pack and messy if broken.

Does anyone here in Korea know where I might find mollasses? Not blackstrap but good cane mollasses for cooking?

This is urgent as I am going on vacation until the day before camp starts.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Victoria

JongnoGuru · Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: peeing on your doorstep

I'm an incorrigible cheat. Don't bother reading this unless you are, too.

If the project meant that much to me, I'd probably buy already-made gingerbread men from the hoity-toity bakery in one of Korea's many five-star deluxe-class foreign-owned hotels.

Once in the classroom, I'd go through the motions of "making & baking" (yeah, without the molasses) and while it's "baking", send the children on a wild-goose chase/treasure hunt/1-hour hide-&-seek game. While they're gone, you dump the false dough and whip out the gingerbread men from the bakery.

The children will come bounding in, and WOW!!! All the gingerbread men will be done! Ready to have their heads and arms and legs bitten off! For special effect, you can actually put one of the men in the oven and burn him a bit. The smell and look of the charred man should dispel any possible doubts.

Oh, and be sure to remove the "Lotte Hotel Bakery" wrappers from "your" gingerbread men.

If part of the project is having your students decorate the gingerbread men, well that's easy enough. Just scrape off any icing the bakery may have spread on them, and have the children adorn the men with the icing that you said you're friends should be able to get for you.

Alternative Solution: Make something else.

More Alternatively: Pray that a more honest and industrious poster reads this thread. Soon.

vdowd · Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Location: Iksan

Sorry, that is not a possibility - I don't like to cheat and I want the kids to use the cookie cutters and experience how to make them. I also want them to take this experience home and try to make it with their parents.

I work at an elementary school and teach this activity to each class - 8 total once a day for 80 minutes. I am able to do this because I have access to our Middle School home ec - cooking classroom during the vacation. That took a lot of negotiation and I want the experience to be authenitc.

You know - preparing the dough and in the fridge - where I have dough already waiting - you have to learn this from cooking shows on TV. Cut out the gingerbread men and put them in the ovens. Read the story and take out the men. Decorate and eat while enjoying hot chocolate. Perhaps make 2 per student so that one can go home to show everyone.

Anyone out there that can help!! Thanks.

krats1976 · Joined: 14 May 2003

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

I bought molasses a few years back from the ��빮 black market. Don't know whether they have it now or not. If they don't I'd imagine the Red Door in Itaewon either has it or can get it.

peppermint · Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject:

According to this website Giant index of ingredient subsitutions

you can substitute 1 cup of molasses with:

cutebecca · Joined: 08 Sep 2005

i've substituted brown sugar and honey for molasses. it works pretty well. im not sure about the proportion, but you can find it online.

are you interested in sharing any of those gingerbread men?

kermo · Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:38 pm Post subject:

Periwinkle would know better than any of us where to get it. Maybe send her a PM?

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

Does COSTCO have it? Anybody know?

krats1976 · Joined: 14 May 2003

I've never seen it there.

OiGirl · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Hoke-y-gun

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Good news.

You can make your own mollasses. I do it all the time for gingerbread.

If your recipe calls for 1 cup of molasses, measure out one cup of the really dark brown sugar, then start adding corn syrup to it. Stir and add more corn syrup till it has the consistency of molasses.

It works just fine in my gingerbread.

Dazed and Confused · Joined: 10 Jan 2003

I've used the Korean Rice Syrup when I make rye bread. It's dark brown. It doesn't have the tast of molasses but it does have a thick consistancy and it is sugary.

seethetraffic · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Location: Seoul

Try the basement level under the Namdaemun Market. I've recently discovered this place. They have all of the items you would find at the Red Door and then some. There are many individual booths/sellers. It was quite a surprise to find this road less-traveled under the main level of the west side of the market near the famous Namdaemun Gate.

vdowd · Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Location: Iksan

Thanks OiGirl and Ya-ta Boy and others for their suggestions.

I will give the dark sugar and corn syrup a try if I don't find molasses soon. Some further questions - do you heat this mixture, does it store well and how long does it take to make? I have to make enough for 8 days at about 3/4 cups a day.

Again thanks for the quick response.