THE STIR FRY NOODLE SUPREME- JAPCHAE(잡채)

Ingredients:

• Starch noodles (“dangmyun”)
• 150 grams of beef
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 medium size carrot
• 1 medium size onion
• mushrooms (5 dried shiitake and 1 package of white mushrooms)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 7-8 green onions
• soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and sesame seeds

Makes 4 servings.

How to prepare your ingredients before stir frying:

1. Soak 5 dried shitake mushrooms in warm water for a few hours until they become soft. Squeeze the water out of them and slice thinly.
2. Slice a package of white mushrooms (2 cups’ worth).
3. Cut a carrot into thin matchstick-shaped pieces 5 cm long.
4. Cut 7 -8 green onions into 7 cm long pieces.
5. Slice one onion thinly.
6. Slice 150 grams of beef into thin strips.

Now let’s start!

1. Boil 2 bunches of noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 3 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
2. Cut the noodles several times by using scissors and add 1 tbsp. of soy sauce and 1 tbsp. of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside.
   *tip: Take one sample and taste it to see whether or not it’s cooked properly. If it feels soft, it’s finished.
3. In the boiling water, add a bunch of spinach and stir it gently for 1 minute. Then take it out and rinse it in cold water 3 times. Remove any grit or dead leaves thoroughly while rinsing. Squeeze it gently to get the water out, then cut it into 5 cm pieces.
4. Add ½ tbsp. soy sauce and ½ tbsp. sesame oil and mix it and place it onto the large bowl.
   *tip: When you drain the hot water from the pot, don’t discard the hot water. Put it back into the pot so you can cook your spinach quickly.
5. On a heated pan, put a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and stir it with a spatula for 30 seconds. Put it into the large bowl (don’t burn it!).
6. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your sliced onion. Stir it until the onion looks translucent. Put it into the large bowl with your carrots.
7. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add the sliced white mushrooms. Stir it for a bit and then put it in the large bowl.
8. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your green onions. Stir for 1 minute and put it into the large bowl.
9. Place a few drops of olive oil on the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 3 cloves of minced garlic, ½ tbsp. soy sauce and ½ tbsp. sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then put it into the large bowl.
10. Add 2 tbsp. of soy sauce, 3 tbsp. of sugar, 2 tbsp. of sesame oil, and 1 tsp. of ground pepper to the large bowl. Mix all ingredients, then sprinkle 1 tbsp. of toasted sesame seeds on the top.
11. Serve with rice and Kimchi, or as a side dish.

TOFU AS A SIDE DISH (두부)

Ok, so I am by no means a vegetarian but I did live with one for a about a year and in doing so I learned to really love tofu. Because of her I began my search for recipe’s we could both enjoy. Thankfully, I found this on Maangchi’s site (the Gods must have blessed her with quite a gift), and so made something we both enjoy to this day!

Two tofu side dishes.

Pan-fried tofu with spicy sauce
(두부 부침 양늄장)

Ingredients:

• Half package of tofu (about 10 oz.: 280 grams)
• soy sauce
• hot pepper flakes
• sugar
• green onion
• garlic
• sesame oil
• roasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Slice the tofu into bite size pieces (¼ inch thick rectangles). You should get 10 pieces. Towel off each piece with a paper towel.
2. Heat a pan with 1 to 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Add the tofu and lower the heat. Cook over low heat about 5-7 minutes.
3. When the bottom of the tofu looks golden brown, turn it over and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the cooked tofu to a serving plate.
5. Make your sauce in a small bowl by mixing these ingredients:
   1 clove of minced garlic, 1 chopped green onion, 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes, 1 tsp. sugar (or honey), 2 tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tsp. sesame oil
6. Spoon the sauce evenly over the tofu, and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds just before serving.
7. Serve with rice as a side dish

Pan-fried tofu in soy sauce
(도보 간장 조림)

Ingredients:

• Half package of tofu (about 10 oz.: 280 grams)
• garlic
• soy sauce
• corn syrup
• black sesame seeds.

Instruction:

1. Slice the tofu into bite size pieces (¼ inch thick rectangles). You should get 10 pieces. Towel off each piece with a paper towel.
2. Heat a pan with 1 to 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Add the tofu and lower the heat. Cook over low heat about 5-7 minutes.
3. When the bottom of the tofu looks golden brown, turn it over and cook another 5 minutes.
4. Add 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. corn syrup and stir it to caramelize the tofu.
5. Turn the heat off and transfer the cooked tofu to a serving plate.
6. Sprinkle some roasted black sesame seeds before serving.
7. Serve with rice as a side dish.
   *tip: you can use this dish as a side dish for your doshirak (Korean lunch box)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRADITIONAL RICE CAKE BALLS- GYEONGDAN (경단)

So if you don’t already know- I LOVE MAANGCHI! I really appreciate how simple she makes her recipes and her videos are great. When I make one of my own I hope they turn out as wonderful as hers.

Anyways enough about Maangchi. Today I was in serious mood for some rice cake balls, but I didn’t have any rice flour. The constant hunger pangs, however, have kept me from thinking of anything else. And so I thought – lets write this recipe down! In Korea rice cakes are everywhere, and come in all different ways! You can make them or buy them. And they are often made on special occasion year round.
I’ve made this recipe many times and each time I’ve changed up the ingredients I used to coke the balls (from cocoa powder to powdered sugar).  Take this recipe and make it your own!

Maangchi saves the day!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of sweet rice flour (Mochiko powder)
• 3/4 cup of boiling water (or 1 cup)
• salt, sugar, brown sugar
• 1 cups of red beans
• 1 tsp. of cinnamon powder
• black sesame seeds powder
• mugwort powder
• toasted yellow soy bean powder, and 1 or 2 cups of flour

Directions:

Step 1:
Make red bean paste (this recipe is solely intended for the rice balls, for amore general recipe go here.

1. In a pot, place 1 cup of washed red beans and 4 cups of water and heat it over high heat for 10 minutes.
2. Lower the heat to low medium and simmer for 50 minutes.
3. Check if the beans are cooked fully. Remove extra water from the beans and crush them with a wooden spoon.
4. Add 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp. of cinnamon powder into the red bean paste and set it aside.

Step 2:
Prepare 3 bowls where 3 different kinds of powder will be placed for the rice cake balls

1. Black sesame seeds:
   • Rinse and drain ½ cup of black sesame seeds in running water using a strainer.
   • Heat a pan over medium heat and pour in the sesame seeds.
   • Cook the sesame seeds by stirring with a wooden spoon.
   • The sesame seeds will pop, then lower the heat and keep stirring until they are crispy. (5- 10 minutes)
   • When the sesame seeds cool down, grind them with a coffee grinder.
   • Transfer the sesame seeds powder to a bowl and add 2 tbsp. sugar and a pinch of salt and mix it.
2. Put ½ cup of toasted soybean powder (kong gaa ru in Korean) in a bowl and add 2
   tbsp. of sugar and a pinch of salt and mix it.
3. Put ½ cup of mugwort powder (ssook gaa ru in Korean) in a bowl and add 2
   tbsp. of sugar and a pinch of salt and mix it

Step 3:
Make rice cake dough.

1. In a bowl, place 2 cups of sweet rice powder, 2 tbsp. of sugar, 1 tsp. of salt.
2. Pour 2/3 cup of hot water little by little while you are mixing it with a spoon
3. Mix the dough by hand.
   *Tip: if you feel the dough is too wet, add some plain flour
4. Put the rice cake dough into a plastic bag and set it aside

Step 4:
In a big pot, place a lot of water and boil it

Let’s make rice cake!

1. Take the rice cake dough out from the plastic bag and place it on the cutting board.
   Tip: To protect the dough from being stuck to the board, sprinkle some plain flour before placing the rich cake dough.
2. Divide the dough into 2 and roll each one to make cylinder shape and cut it into 18-20 pieces.
3. Roll each piece of rice dough with your hands and make a hole in the middle of the ball with your thumb. Then turn the ball into a cup.
   
4. Put the bean paste into the middle.
   
5. Close it tightly and place it on a plate.
   Tip: While you are making rice balls, the rest of dough may get dried, so cover them with wet cloth or paper towel.
6. Carefully put all the rice cake balls into boiling water. When the rice cake balls are cooked, they float. It will take about 3 -5 minutes until they float.
   
7. Prepare lots of cold water in a big bowl.
8. Put the cooked rice balls into cold water and drain them. 
9. Roll the cooked rice balls in the 3 different colors of powder and transfer them to a plate.

KIMCHI MADNESS! (김치 광기!)

So I have been having this incredible urge for Kimchi the past few weeks and- no joke– I have been eating at the Korean Restaurant (I really do love that place) for a week straight. Sadly, no matter how much I eat during the day, at around 2 am, a little man I’ve dubbed the Kimchi Monster (or KimMi for short), begins rumbling in my belly . KimMi  has been keeping me up all night and wont let up unless I have some Kimchi. Today I’ve decided ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I’ve hopped onto the almighty internet and procured several Kimchi recipe’s to try out. It is currently 6:21 A.M. and I’m off to purchase all the ingredients I will need. Once I know the results of my Kimchi Madness I will finish this entry and post it up with the best recipe.

---

Well ladies and gents I’ve spent the whole day making Kimchi and I have a few things to repost.

1. The recipe’s where easy.

2. But going over so many I’m WAY tired    and

3. Boy was I surprised with how amazing my Kimchi came out!

All of the recipe’s came out tasting pretty good but Maangachi’s was by far the best. I don’t think KimMi will protest again . To me, this recipe is perfect as it is and, as I’ve only made it once, I haven’t altered it at all (no need really). You should be warned, however, there a bazillion and one Kimchi recipes and some are easier than this one but I found  this one- out of the 5  I tried- to have the best flavor . Now, before we proceed, let us all please thank the lovely Maangachi!!

http://www.maangchi.com to view more AMAZING recipe’s.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size Napa cabbages and 2 Korean radishes
• salt, sweet rice flour, sugar, water
• 4- 6 cups of hot pepper flakes
• fish sauce, white onion, fresh garlic, ginger
• green onions, Asian chives, fresh oysters (optional)

How to handle cabbages and radish:

1. Cut the cabbages in half, and then slit each half through the core, but not through the rest of the leaves.
2. Soak each piece in cold water and sprinkle some salt (about ½ cup of salt per 1 medium size cabbage), and then set it aside for 2 hours.
   *tip: the stems should get more salt than the leaves
3. Skin 2 radishes and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Do this by cutting them into several disks, and then cutting horizontally, and then vertically. Put them in a big bowl and sprinkle them with ½ cup of salt. Then set these aside, too.
4. 2 hours later, turn the pieces of cabbage over so they get salted evenly. Turn the radishes as well.
5. Another 2 hours later, you will see the cabbage look softer than before, and it should have shrunk.

 
*the total salting process can take 4 hours as these are some VERY big cabbages.

1. Rinse the salted cabbage and radish with cold water 3 times.

Making Kimchi paste:

Make porridge

1. Put ½ cup of sweet rice flour (you can replace with plain flour) and 3 cups of water into a skillet and mix them up. Then cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
2. When you see some bubbles, pour 1/4 cup of sugar into the porridge and stir one more minute. Then cool it down.
3. Place the cold porridge into a big bowl. Now you will add all your ingredients one by one.
4. Add 1 cup of fish sauce, 4~6 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1 tbsp. of minced ginger, 1 medium size minced onion
   *tip: it’s much easier to use a food processor.
5. Add 7 diagonally-sliced green onions, 2 cups of Asian chives (cut into 2 inches in length), and 2 cups of shredded Korean radish.
6. Add  2 cups of frozen oysters, but this is optional. (I found out lots of people can’t eat them.)
7. Mix all ingredients well and your Kimchi paste is done.

 
Are you ready to spread our paste on the leaves and make your kaktugi?
* I recommend you wear rubber gloves so that you don’t irritate your skin.

1. Spread the Kimchi paste onto each leaf of the cabbage, and make a good shape out of the leaves by slightly pressing with both hands.
2. Put it into an air- tight sealed plastic container or glass jar. 
3. Mix your leftover paste with your radish cubes (this is kaktugi).

That’s all!

You can eat it fresh right after making or wait until it’s fermented. Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for 1 or 2 days and keep it in the refrigerator there after.

How do you know it’s fermented or not?

One or 2 days after, open the lid of the Kimchi container. You may see some bubbles with lots of liquids, or maybe sour smells. That means it’s already being fermented.

A STAPLE OF KOREAN DINING- THE EVER SWEET RED BEAN PASTE (거추창)

For some of you out there, sweet red bean paste may sound like an oddity. Coming from a strong Hispanic background, where red beans are most definitely not a sweet to be combined with pastry’s, I know I sure did. But, sweet red bean paste is one heck of a yummy dessert filling! Now seeing as I know so many dessert recipe’s with it (I pretty much love anything that has it in it!) I figured I’d dedicate an entry to it before I set off on posting about all the varied desserts filled with it.

Ok, so there 2 kinds of red bean paste out there- chunky and pureed (or smooth), so I’ll show you how to make both.

Note: Make sure to wash the red beans and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, drain, and discard the water. Continue with the instructions for either chunky or pureed red bean paste.

(Chunky)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (6.35 ounces / 180 grams) par-boiled red beans
• 1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add about 3 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled red beans.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce t medium, cover the pot, and let simmer until soft (45minutes t0 2 hours- water should mostly be absorbed)                                                                                                                                            Note: You should add water as needed while simmering to prevent the beans from being scorched.
3. Turn the heat t low and add one cup of sugar, then stir and mash against the side f the pot until water is no longer visible.
4. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. The paste should be thick with some whole and half-crushed red beans.

(Pureed)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (6.35 ounces / 180 grams) par-boiled red beans
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or to taste
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Add about 5 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled red beans.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer the red beans until soft (1 to 2 hours- there should be plenty of water left in the pot).
3. Drain out the water and pour the beans into a food processer. Process until smooth 
4. Press the pureed beans through a sieve to discard the skins.
5. Pour the puree onto a non-stick pan, add 1 1/2 cups of sugar (or more for added sweetness), and stir well over low heat until the sauce is dry.
6. Remove from heat add a pinch of salt and mix well. (The paste should have the consistency of mashed potatoes).