Kimchi Bokeum Bap - Version 2.0 - (김치 볶음밥)

I know I posted kimchi fried rice before, but I thought I would post another version. This version is just SO much yummier....but what's yummy isn't necessarily GOOD for your health~ if you know what I mean.



Let's start with half a can of spam. Hey! At least I bought the one with less sodium.



Heat 3 TB of butter (unsalted) and about 1/2 TB of minced garlic in a pan.



Add the half can of spam (cut into bite size pieces) along with 1/2 an onion (chopped up). Then add about 2 TB of red pepper paste and mix everything around.



Add about 1 cup of kimchi (the more fermented the better) and about 5-6 TB of kimchi juice. Let everything cook for about 15 minutes or so.



Add your rice. This was about 5 cups of cooked rice.



Mix everything around and throw some sesame seeds on top and splash some sesame oil on it too at this point.



Mix everything around and throw some green onions on top. Plate it with an egg and add some Furikake for more yummy goodness~

Spaghetti Sauce - Version 1.0

For special occasions I like to make spaghetti sauce from ALMOST scratch. I'm not going to go and make my own tomato sauce just YET, but maybe one day. Go and grab two 29 oz. cans of tomato sauce.



I try and add as MANY vegetables as I can possibly find in my fridge. I normally also add jalapenos, but I kept them out this time because of the kiddos.



Begin by chopping up all your vegetables. I also added potatoes, but forgot to take a picture of if. =P



Splash some olive oil into a pot and add your beef. Instead of ground beef (since I had meatballs) I used top sirloin and cut it up into small pieces. I added the potatoes with the beef because it takes a bit longer to cook.



Then I threw in a mountain of seasonings. I threw in roughly 1TB of everything on my spice rack. There's no true recipe for this. =) Don't you just hate that? The key is to use the salt a little bit more liberally than the rest of your seasonings.



Then I added the rest of the vegetables and when it was done cooking I finally added the mushrooms.



I poured in the sauce~



Let it simmer for about 30 minutes (KEEP STIRRING! You don't want things to stick to the bottom) and then added some fresh parsley. At this point I added about 2 TB of sugar and lots of parmesan cheese.



When the meatballs were done, I added them directly to the sauce and let it cook even more. Yummy, yummy spaghetti that I can eat every day~ =)

Meatballs - Version 1.0

We had company over the weekend and I was kind of feeling lazy and didn't want to make Korean food. I decided to keep dinner simple and made spaghetti and meatballs instead. Here's a quick meatball recipe~



Get 1 lb. of ground beef and set it aside in a large mixing bowl.



Grab some onions, parsley, garlic, and basil and chop it up.



Add this to the ground beef.



Get some cheese (in this case I used parmesan reggiano), chop it up and place it into a food processor too.



I added some leftover parsley also.



I added all that cheese plus a bunch of different seasonings. I added more a less 1 TB each of garlic salt, dried basil, dried parsley, oregano, lemon salt, herbs de provence, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, tarragon and a pinch of cayenne pepper.



Then I added about 1/2 cup of panko flakes, 2 TB flour, and 1 whole egg.



Mix everything around as thoroughly as possible.



And shape them into 2 inch round meatballs and pan fry it on medium heat.



I then transferred it to a baking sheet and put it into the oven about 15 minutes at 375 degrees.



Tada! Yummy meatballs all ready to serve! I just add them directly into the spaghetti sauce for more flavor.

Bossam - Boiled Pork with Napa - (보쌈)

Remember that moo-che I made the other day?  I initially made it so that we can enjoy it with some bossam this week. I started STEP ONE of it tonight.         

 

Get a medium sized napa and cut all the leaves off and wash it well.



Get a little more than a full cup of salt (I added more salt after I took this picture) and mix it around with about 3 CUPS of hot water.  Use a whisk or chopsticks to make sure the salt dissolves thoroughly.



Then add 7 more cups of water and mix it around.



Cut the napa vertically into manageable pieces and add it to the salt water and let it sit for about 4-5 hours.



Eventually, it will shrivel up like shown in this picture. Grab the white part of the napa and when it's mushy to the touch...



....rinse it clean under cold water.



Clean each piece thoroughly in a tub of water to get the taste of salt out and then store it in a container for later use. I'm going to use it tomorrow! I just wanted to save a step in the morning...

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STEP TWO – MAKING BOSSAM

Get your bossam (basically a block of pork butt) and wash it thoroughly and then bring a pot of water to a boil.



Add 1 TB each of cofee and soy bean paste and add the pork and bring the water to a strong boil.


 
Meanwhile, ready your vegetables. I added green onions (I didn't have a whole one, otherwise I would have just added that), 1 serrano chile, and a handful of peppercorns into this tea bag.  I also added 1 small onion, about 10 whole garlic cloves, and a 3 inch sprig of ginger. If you have large green onions, add some of that too!



At this point, all the gunk should start rising to the top (15 minutes), remove from the heat.




Rinse the pot and pork clean and add new water along with all the vegetables.



Add 1/2 TB of soy bean paste and let everything boil for about 1.5 hours. Flip the pork over every 30 minutes or so to ensure even cooking and add more water if you feel you need to.



After it's done cooking, remove it from the heat and give it a quick rinse. Slice it up into thin pieces 1.5 inch wide or so.



Plate it and you're ready to serve!



Make sure you eat it with the napa and moo-cheh which was made earlier. You take the napa, place the pork and moo-cheh inside and wrap it up. You can add sliced garlic and jalapenos for more spice. =)  The MR likes eating it with salted shrimp jut paste.  I’ll post a recipe for that as well one day!  Until then, DIG IN!