Hello everyone! 안녕하세요! We’re proud to present our special series on Halal makan places we visited during our recent trip to Seoul! This round is a fan favourite – Maji 마지!
We were extremely honoured to be invited by the Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia) to visit South Korea again (we went to Busan and Jeju the last time) and also be a part of the launch of Halal Restaurant Week Korea 2019! More information about that at the end of the post so let’s start on the makan now – 나 배고파!! 
(BTW – head down to our Instagram profile page and watch all the IG Stories from the trip!) 
I knew I’d probably be having some new experience(s) during my first trip to Seoul… But even I could not foresee that I’d be having a fully vegetarian meal much less enjoy it. But honestly – this was one of the BEST meals I had while I was in Seoul!
Maji 마지 is a vegetarian restaurant. It serves purely vegetables (there’s no meat, fish nor eggs) and despite excluding the “5 pungent vegetables” (namely onions, scallions, garlic, wild chives, and chives), their food is anything but bland.
And I know you might be thinking – why are we featuring a place called ‘Maji Temple Food’ anyways? Well, it’s called ‘temple food’ because it’s vegetarian food that you’d commonly see served in temples. But it IS vegetarian food and suitable for our consumption 🙂 In fact, it’s even verified as Muslim-Friendly by Korea Tourism Organization!
I’ll let the food speak for itself. The Appetizers and Side Dishes were amazing… even the ones I’d never even heard of!
Along with the Banchan (side dishes) came 2 other pretty exceptional offerings. The first being Deodeok (더덕) which is kinda like a root. The texture was very fibrous and it had been marinated in some spices for a very interesting flavour. The Salad with Citron Sauce was more familiar with a tangy flavour accompanying the crisp greens 😀
But now, onto the Banchan!
While the dishes (including the Banchan) are seasoned very lightly, that does not take away from their flavour. In fact, besides the natural flavours of the ingredients, I’d say that these dishes actually had a very distinct taste. To put it simply, they are a lot tastier than I’d expected mainly because I seldom eat purely vegetarian food 🙂
Even for the Jeon (Korean Pancake), you’d still enjoy the flavours you’d normally associate with your favourite non-vegetarian version of this dish. This, despite the absence of ingredients like eggs and scallions! You’ll have to taste if for yourselves to know what I’m talking about ah 😛
But before I get to the rest of the dishes, I wanna show y’all the part where we dined like royalty –
Gujeolpan (구절판) was literally enjoyed by royalty in the past! The word ‘Gujeolpan’ literally translates to ‘Nine Section Plate) and refers to the ornate serving dish which has.. nine (duh!).. sections. The serving dish itself can be very decorative with intricate carvings etc while the dishes being served upon it may also vary.
Some versions include meats and the such but as Maji 마지 is purely vegetarian, everything has been adjusted accordingly. This means fresh vegetables, some dried/preserved, are shredded and arranged around the star of the dish – the Miljeonbyeong (밀전병).
The Miljeonbyeong (밀전병) is a pancake that’s made of sticky rice flour. Somehow, it’s thick yet delicate (does that make sense??) and does a mighty good job of holding the ingredients and sauce in. Flavour-wise it’s very plain but I guess that’s because it’s so pure. I mean, even it’s pure white colour is a giveaway that this is probably the ‘purest’ pancake you’ll ever come across 😀
So you stack in the vegetables on the serving dish, which includes carrots, beetroot and radish among others, along with some Mustard sauce and wrap it up. The sauce doesn’t really taste like mustard lah to be honest and has a slight hint of sweetness actually.
You can take a few nibbles if you’d like but I recommend you one-bite this baby. Shove the whole thing in your mouth so you enjoy all the goodness as chomp down on everything at once. This ‘Platter of Nine Delicacies’ used to be reserved for nobility and I can see why.
Essentially, the Cold Noodles with Pear Sauce is Maji’s version of the popular Japchae! You all know those noodles made of sweet potato flour right? This version is the same and also has shredded vegetables mixed in too! The twist is the sauce…
You many notice this version is a little ‘wetter’ than most and that’s because of the Pear Sauce. It gives a natural sweetness and flavour to the dish. I actually really liked it and you’ll find yourself slurping it up too 😀
At this point, I would normally say something like “last but not least” or maybe “save the best for the last”… But that would not be entirely true because pretty much everything we ate at Maji was amazing.
The Sweet & Sour Shiitake was not actually sweet nor sour actually. Well, not the ‘sweet & sour’ that we are used to anyways. The dish is brimming with that great earthy flavour thanks to the mushrooms. If you’re lover of mushrooms, you’re gonna be a lover of this one for sure.
The Lotus Leaf Steamed Rice is basically just that – rice that’s been steamed in a lotus leaf. For something so simple, it was REALLY impressive. It’s got a subtle flavour but I think what I loved most about it that is was soft. When I say soft, I don’t mean mushy or anything like that. It was more of a ‘lembut’ soft and er-pliable. Best enjoyed with – you guessed it – The Sweet & Sour Shiitake 😀
For someone like me, it’s really quite amazing that I enjoyed this Vegetarian dining experience so much. I’m not saying that all vegetarian food is going to be nice to me. But I will say that I guess it had to be at Maji 마지 in South Korea that showed me how delicious it can be ❤
A Quick Word About Halal Food In South Korea
So in case you’re wondering, it’s (thankfully) getting easier to find Halal food in South Korea these days. Across the country, Halal food and Muslim-friendly options are becoming more readily available. This is in part thanks to the efforts from organizations and events like Korea Tourism Organization and Halal Restaurant Week Korea!
You may see some of these labels when you visit restaurants that are suitable for Muslims to visit. They have 4 main categories that determine the ‘Halal-ness’ of an eatery. This is to be expected lah I guess especially where the Halal food scene is still developing and depending on which part of South Korea you’re visiting.
The 4 categories are;
- Halal-certified (safest as the eatery is certified Halal by the Korea Muslim Federation)
- Self-certified (basically means eatery is Muslim-owned)
- Muslim-Friendly (serves Halal food but may serve alcoholic beverages) *most common*
- Pork Free (eatery does not have Pork but may serve non-Halal meat and/or alcoholic beverages)
It may seem complicated with 4 categories but as always, we can simplify it. Do your due diligence and do not be afraid to #AskTheQuestion especially since you’re travelling. Halal is an individual responsibility so get the info and make an informed decision. Look for these labels at the door. If there is any doubt at all, best to give it a miss 
Our advice is to check out the Halal Restaurant Week Korea website where you can not only find a listing of Halal/Muslim-friendly eating options in South Korea but also enjoy some perks and discounts too! This year’s Halal Restaurant Week Korea 2019 is being held from 1st September til 31st October (longer than a week lah :P).
Check out this handy micro-site – www.hrwkorea.or.kr/coupons/coupons.php – for more details on how to get your coupons okay! Thank you Korea Tourism Organization for taking the initiative to spread more information about Halal / Muslim-travel in South Korea! ??
Maji 마지
19, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Sajik-dong,
Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82-10-4062-2263
www.templefood.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/maji.templefood
Instagram: www.instagram.com/majitemplefood
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Fridays 12.00pm til 9.00pm
Saturdays & Sundays 11.30am til 10.00pm
Break time 3.30pm til 5.00pm
This meal was part of a trip organized by the Korea Tourism Organization (Malaysia). We visited all kinds of cool places and plenty of Halal makan places including this one! All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. All photos used in this site are property of The Halal Food Blog unless stated otherwise.
