Korean Cuisine

Three

2011-11-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

Hello, KC readers. It has been awhile and I thought it was finally time to come back and say, "Yes, I'm still alive."I've been meaning to post for a long time but it gets hard sometimes. Every time I sit and try to write about the happenings lately - I tend to get emotional.I has been eight months since I've learned of my bone mets. I suppose I'm doing better than I thought I would be

Food from Gyeongju

2011-10-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time, no? We spent our summer in Seoul and despite my physical limitations, we were somehow able to travel to Busan, Gyeongju, and Andong. While in Gyeongju we didn’t book a hotel beforehand and ended up staying at a really dilapidated, stinky, gross hotel. I didn’t even want to dare try the food, so I made the MR drive us out onto a row of restaurants that we had passed by

Check it Out

2011-10-07T08:48:00.001-07:00

http://korean-cuisine.blogspot.com/p/recipes-by-pictures.html I’m still going to continue retooling this blog so it might go offline again in the future, but don’t fret. I will bring it back eventually. Hopefully new recipes are on the horizon. P.S. Yes, I’m still alive. Just in case you were wondering. P.P.S. Did you realize I have over 150 recipes up on this site? I sure didn’t! I might

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T21:26:00.001-07:00

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap

BYE!

2011-08-02T16:57:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to give readers a quick update. I was walking on crutches for about two weeks. Then I progressed to a cane for about a week. As of last week, I finally rid of the cane and have been walking on my own. I’m still limping but I don’t care – I’M WALKING AGAIN. My parents tell me my walking is better than before I started radiation. I feel pretty great and was able to go around town all

Falling Anger

2011-07-09T10:21:00.001-07:00

I fell. For any normal person a simple fall probably wouldn’t mean that much. For a person with a tumor pressing against the hip joint – a simple fall means now having to rely on crutches to walk. I feel so stupid. It was a freak accident. Earlier in the day, Munchkin had been running back and forth from the kitchen exclaiming he was going to make ice cream. I have no idea where he *learned*

Yook Gae Jang Broth

2011-05-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

While undergoing my latest treatments, our family decided to stay at my parent's house so that we can take advantage of the extra help with Munchkin and the YUMMY food. No matter that we've been married now for close to seven years, the MR will still say that my mom is undoubtedly a better cook than I am. I don't take any offense (not REALLY) since my mom has had a 30 year head start on me.

Miyuk Moochim with Mae-Shil

2011-04-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Coming soon! Hopefully in the next day or two, but hope you understand if that day or two ends up being a month or two. ;)I AM a little preoccupied with other things lately...

Andong Jjim Dak–Andong-Style Chicken

2011-02-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

While in Korea, my cousin made a delicious chicken recipe for me that I immediately asked her about. Of course she didn’t give me exact measurements, but I copied her dish to the best of my abilities and I think it came out pretty well. I have to admit though that my cousin’s tasted better. Maybe it’s just me, but I always prefer someone ELSE’S cooking to my own. =P Although I had half a

Olympic Kal Gook Soo

2011-01-19T10:12:00.001-08:00

We’re back in Los Angeles and I couldn’t be happier. The weather is awesome. On our trip back from Korea, I brought some fresh miyuk, fresh ground gochuggaru, dashima and a bunch of other things – much to the chagrin of the MR. =P He will never understand why I insist on bringing things they already sell here, but hey – it’s fresher! I promise. Although the food in Korea is amazing,

이남장 - Lee, Nam Jang or Nam Jang Lee

2010-12-26T18:01:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!I'm not doing much cooking out here in the Motherland only because I have a wonderful MIL who bans me from entering the kitchen. No, really. She doesn't let me cook at all. I <3 my MIL. Anyhow, let me begin this post by saying I am not in anyway affiliated with any of the restaurants I'm recommending. If I were - I'd be rich doncha think? =P These

Greetings from Korea

2010-12-23T14:58:00.001-08:00

Street Foods. You can't go wrong with this. =) Hope everyone has a very, Merry Christmas!

Cow Parts

2010-12-06T21:02:00.001-08:00

MOOOOOOO. That’s me being a cow. Hello all! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving break – yes I realize I’m a bit late. Anyhow, I thought I would do a short little blog on cow parts. I made beef tang no less than four times already this winter so I thought I would share some of the different parts of cow you can buy at the butcher shop so you can see what it looks like. Knee caps. If

Fresh Kimchi–Gut Jul Eeh Kimchi with Raw Oysters

2010-11-26T18:43:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I’m sure our dinner table isn’t much different from some of the other Korean-American dinner tables out there. For as long as I can remember we have always had Korean food on Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until I was old enough to learn how to roast a turkey that our family started having turkey on Thanksgiving. =P Now our tables look like a mix of the

Random…

2010-11-10T20:50:00.001-08:00

I made do-gan-neeh (basically same process as gom gook using different parts of the cow – in this case, cow knee bones) tang yesterday and added some beef eye of round into it as well. I took a big piece of beef eye of round and added it to the boiling broth. When it was just under two hours, I removed the beef and let it cool down. Once cooled, I took a large, sharp knife and sliced the beef

Ggak Ddoogi–(깍두기)–Version 2.0

2010-11-09T21:25:00.001-08:00

Is fall/winter (they sorta just blend in SoCal don’t they?) finally hitting SoCal? About time, eh? It has been hot for so long that I’m sort of welcoming this cold. SORT OF. I’ll always be a SoCal girl and that means my body can only tolerate so much cold. On a side note, the MR has been out of the country for almost a month now leaving our house feeling a bit empty. It has been just

Steamed Egg – (계란찜) - Version 3.0

2010-10-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

This California weather is sort of crazy, isn’t it? EARTHQUAKE weather for sure. =/ Growing up in Cali, I’m so used to earthquakes. I’ve been through quite a few of the big ones so they hardly bother me anymore – but still the thought of the next big one is pretty scary. =P The rain has made it a lazy day today. All of Munchkin’s sports activities this week have been cancelled due to rain.

Spicy Chicken Gizzards – 매운 닭똥집 볶음

2010-10-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

I started this recipe a couple weeks ago, but never had the time to finish up the post. I’ll attempt to finish it now from my memory. =P I’m reusing the pictures from my older post on Fried Chicken Gizzards because I completely forgot to take pictures during this stage. Basically, cut your gizzards up wash in some flour/salt and then boil it for about 10 minutes to rid of all impurities

Chicken Porridge with Vegetables

2010-09-29T23:20:00.001-07:00

I haven’t made this type of jook in so long…since Munchkin was a baby? Ingredients Needed: 1 small chicken breast 1/2 CUP white rice, 1/2 CUP sweet rice 6 CUPS of various chopped vegetables 1 can vegetable broth 1 32 OZ box of chicken broth 2-3 CUPS water We are a small family of three, so we hardly ever eat whole packs of any type of meat. As soon as I get

Spicy Chicken BBQ – Dak Galbi – 닭 갈비

2010-09-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

I had all the ingredients for Dak Galbi conveniently on hand, so I decided to give it a go tonight. I was going to save this post for later, but decided what the heck - I’ve been on a blogging binge eh? =P Ingredients Needed: 2 small chicken breasts - I buy the thin breast filets at Ralphs and saran wrap each individual breast and store them in bags in the freezer – I will take a

Choong Chun Dak Galbi - (Restaurant Review)

2010-09-27T13:27:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, nine women met up for some dak galbi at Choong Chun Dak Galbi in K-town. I know this place has been around for some time, but if you haven’t tried it yet – you should try it at least once. It’s not mind-blowing by any means, but it’s one of those restaurants I say you should try at least once. Anyhow, the reason I posted this picture up is because I plan on

Serrano Chilies in Vinegar Sauce

2010-09-27T12:11:00.001-07:00

I was at Bristol Farms a couple of weeks ago and saw that their Serrano chilies looked particularly fresh, so I picked up a bunch. At first, I was going to pickle them in soy sauce, but then I remembered the chilies they serve at Thai restaurants and decided to make those instead. Anyhow, here goes my rendition. I made this over the weekend and did a taste test today and so far, so good.

Spicy Serrano Chiles in Vinegar and Sugar

2010-09-25T22:29:00.001-07:00

Yup, an update will be coming soon.I promise.It's nothing fancy, but it's something in my fridge at the moment. =)I missed you all once again.Hope you have been well.

Chicken Gizzard Stir-fry - Dak Ddong Jjip - (닭똥집 볶음)

2010-09-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been so busy these last two weeks now that Munchkin is officially a Kindergartener. I know it’s such a cliché, but it seriously seems like just yesterday that he was born and look at him now - all grown up and going to school to LEARN. Munchkin has been in preschool since he was 2.5 years old, so this adjustment has been pretty easy for him…so far. He’s bringing home homework

Noo-Roong-Ji (누룽지) – Burnt Rice Snack (?)

2010-09-04T01:44:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! I know I’ve been MIA forever and ever. This blog is always in the back of my mind and I often think, “This is the week where I will finally update…” and then another week passes and I find myself doing other things. =/ So again – my apologies first. Life has been trudging along as usual. I’m quickly approaching my two-year cancer anniversary and it’s unbelievable how

Onion Salad

2010-07-19T22:36:00.001-07:00

Once again, I’ve been on a blogging hiatus and I apologize for that. The weather has been SOOOOOOOOOO hot here in SoCal that just the thought of going into the kitchen and turning up the heat was suffocating. I felt bad about not cooking more often, so this past weekend we headed to K-town and picked up some meat. On Sunday we had some yummy steaks and today we ate cha-dol-begi. Enough

100.000

2010-07-18T00:27:00.000-07:00

It's yet another sleepless night so I decided to check out my google analytics (really cool!) and found that I have had over 100,000 (103,702 to be exact! =P) unique visitors to this site.WOW! =OWho knew that Korean food could be so popular?!So I just wanted to say THANK YOU again to each and every one of you who visits this site. I'm sorry I don't update often, but like I say all the time

Mook Moochim – 묵무침

2010-06-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

EDIT: A reader informed me that I forgot to mention that I used red pepper powder. Oops. Yes, I did use red pepper powder and apparently forgot to write it down. Sorry! Recipe has been updated. There are many ways to eat mook. You can eat it straight, you can eat it with just sauce, you can eat mook bap, or you can make mook moochim! I had a lot of fresh vegetables in my fridge and

Mook – (묵) - Part 1

2010-06-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

I know I’ve been slacking off on the updating department again. Once I heard the news that my scans were clear, I no longer needed this blog as much. This blog takes up a lot of my time, so running a household, running a business and trying to update this regularly starts to become a little much sometimes. I’m working from home today, so I finally had the opportunity to sit down and update. I

Chicken with Potatoes – DakDoriTang - (닭도리탕)

2010-06-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

I’m about to have a heart attack watching this Lakers game. I know true sports fanatics will say THIS is the way to play and that the excitement is what makes it real sports, but honestly I wish it could be a simple repeat of Game 6! Anyhow, I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that there are various ways to make the same dish. There’s no right way and no wrong way. Whatever tastes best to you,

Red Pepper Paste Tofu Soup - Gochujang Dooboo Jjigae - (고추장 두부 찌개)

2010-06-16T07:38:00.001-07:00

I have *not* been cooking lately. Whenever I get a scan, I’m pretty much a ball of nerves until I get the results. Literally, life is on *hold* and I don’t breathe again until I hear the words, “All is clear and there is no evidence of disease.” I know I shouldn’t let these stupid scans run my life like that and I’m hoping with more years under my belt, I will learn to control my emotions a

Egg Roll with Corn and Cheese - (콘 치즈 계란말이)

2010-06-10T21:40:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of the year again. =/ I’m sitting here on the eve of yet another scan. This is the time where I learn if I get to live life as normal again for the next six months or if I’m a *patient* again. I go in for an MRI early tomorrow morning. Not.looking.forward.to.it. AT ALL. It’s weird living as a cancer patient. Life after treatment was supposed to be *great* and oh so

Shik-Hae – Sweet Rice Drink (dessert!) - 식혜

2010-06-09T08:37:00.001-07:00

After reading one of my recent comments about shik-hae, I immediately started craving it. I have a thing with food. If I want to eat something. *I MUST* or I become one cranky lil old woman. =P Ingredients Needed: 1.5 CUP cooked rice (1/2 sweet rice, 1/2 short grain white rice) 3/4 CUP yut gee-leum (fine malt powder), 1 gallon water 1/3 CUP sugar (add as much as you want to your

Dol Sot Bibimbap - (돌솥 비빔밥)

2010-06-06T21:20:00.001-07:00

Every time my family has an event, I make sure and collect some of all the leftover banchans. =P I love that my family that lives less than two miles away. Anyhow, bibimbap is SUPER easy to make…if you have all the ingredients. I would *never* go about and try to make each and every ingredient by myself because, quite frankly, I’m lazy. However, on days like this when all the banchans are

Gom Gook - (꼬리 곰탕)

2010-06-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

One of my readers asked me to find them this recipe (hey h!) and I’m currently working hard to move all my pictures onto Picasa. The quality of the pictures seems to be a lot crisper and cleaner than where I had them loaded previously. Yes, it’s time consuming. I realize now that I have over 100 recipes on this blog. =O When did I cook so much?! Anyhow, this is a really old post, but I

Jae-sah at the KC Household

2010-06-05T19:41:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned, it was our grandfather’s jae-sah yesterday so our family met up for dinner at my parent’s house. Although our family is Christian, I always found it interesting how they never forget to honor the deceased. The following pictures are what we ate. Spinach, Gosari, and Doraji. This picture reminds me I never posted a gosari and doraji recipe. I will have to do that in the

Cucumber Banchan

2010-06-04T20:22:00.001-07:00

The MR and Munchkin are both big fans of cucumbers. I can cut up raw cucumbers and Munchkin will carry it around the house just chomping away. This love of cucumbers has forced me to build up an arsenal of cucumber recipes in the last, now almost six, years of marriage. I have cucumber banchan 1, cucumber banchan 2, cucumber banchan 3, cucumber banchan 4, cucumber banchan 5…well

Food From Korea 2010 – Part Four

2010-06-04T10:30:00.001-07:00

While in Korea, we had the opportunity to visit Jejudo for two nights. The last time I was there was exactly 10 years ago and I must say the little island has changed. The streets are all paved and it’s so easy to get around! We were fully able to get around ourselves with just a navi and rental car. We were in a mart and I saw this! So cool. Spam in a pack! I’m told they now have

Food From Korea 2010 – Part Three

2010-06-03T13:03:00.001-07:00

THIS! OMG. THIS was perhaps the best jjambong I ate in my life. It was a little hole in the wall with no more than 10 tables, but there was a line out the door. The MR actually went back the next day to eat it again. Street food in Insadong. Boong-uh Bbang! Totally brought me back to my childhood. Octopus Leg. I love octopus leg. My uncle used to

Quail Eggs in Soy Sauce - (메추리알 조림)

2010-06-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

While at the Korean grocery store, I happened to come upon some quail eggs and decided to buy them. Ingredients Needed: 20 quail eggs 10-15 garlic cloves, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper 2 CUPS water, 1/4 CUP soy sauce, 1.5 TB sugar, 2TB cooking wine I just bought one package of eggs. Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes and then rinse them under cool water.

Food From Korea 2010 - Part Two

2010-06-02T22:03:00.001-07:00

I don’t remember the names of all these restaurants, though I’m sure I have pictures of the sign post somewhere. I will just upload these pictures and if anyone is really interested in visiting a particular restaurant, leave a comment and I’ll go and dig up the name. I loved how most of the restaurants were so kid friendly! Lunch at Xin Restaurant. I asked the family to

My Camera

2010-06-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

I know some people have been asking here and there.99.9% of the food pictures on this blog are taken with my Canon 50D with this Tamron lens. I am probably one of the few food bloggers that use *gasp* flash in ALL my food pictures. The reason I use flash is because we live in a condo that faces the opposite side of the sun. I have minimal natural lighting. =P I do have another lens that I

Food from Korea 2010 – Part One

2010-06-02T12:44:00.001-07:00

My closet is emptied and I’m finding it really hard to put everything back in. I’m supposed to gather up the winter clothes and take them to my mom’s house for storage, but instead I thought I would torture my readers with some food pictures taken in Korea. =P It’s lunch time now, right? Enjoy! Family dinner at home! Lunch with the MR and Munchkin at Shinsaegae. I only

BooChoo Jun – 부추 전

2010-06-02T11:06:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was definitely a much needed break for our family. We spent *every* single day together out and about and doing something or another. I already mentioned in my previous post that we stocked up on groceries. While at the store, they were having a *sale* on boo-choo (Korean chives), so I decided to stock up and make some jun/jeon. I washed and cleaned THREE bunches of boochoo.

Are you a FAN yet?

2010-06-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

You're not? Well then, what's stopping you?!Hurry up and get to it please! =)CLICK ON THIS and hit "LIKE" next to Korean Cuisine.THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!P.S. I'm BAAACKKKK! ;)P.P.S. And NO the insurance fu**tards have still not approved my next set of MRI's. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they get off their lazy butts and do so in the next week or so. I'm *very* curious to see

Rolled Egg – (계란 말이)

2010-06-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

I’m currently in the midst of using new publishing software to make posting on this blog a bit easier. I’m a bit comp-illiterate so trying to figure out how to use a new platform is quite time consuming. You might see a lot of posts coming up and down over the next few weeks while I try and get everything sorted out. =P Please bear with me. Anyhow, over the weekend we dropped by K-Town to

Ojinguh Bokeum Version 2.0 - Squid Stir Fry - (오징어 볶음)

2010-05-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

Both the MR and Munchkin *LOVE* squid. When we go to a Chinese restaurant, Munchin is not like other kids. He doesn't ask for jja-jang-myun at all and will instead ask for jjam-bbong AKA the noodles with ojinguh. =P We took advantage of the long weekend and headed out to Santa Monica Beach yesterday. We acted like total tourists and rented bicycles and zipped up and down the beach. If you

Facebook!

2010-05-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Do you have an account? If so, become a fan!I figure it will be a quick way to get updates on my blog. I also intend to make a photo library with links pointing back to this blog so that you can find recipes more quickly.Hop to it already...GO AND "LIKE" ME!P.S. There's a real post below so keep scrolling down! =P

Momil Gooksoo in Soba Sauce

2010-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

HELLOOOO! Is anyone still out there? I know I've been a really bad blogger and haven't had an update of substance in a long time. In fact, I feel kinda guilty coming back today since this post will also be a *non-recipe* of sorts. Anything not made from scratch, doesn't constitute as a *real* recipe to me. But I digress... I'm not sure if you've noticed yet, but I really like NOODLES. I

Mook

2010-05-21T03:13:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's another one of those late nights... While in Korea, we enjoyed mook everywhere we went. Eating mook at various restaurants in various forms totally made me reminisce my childhood. My parents were always hard workers, so my lil bro and I were often left in the care of a "halmoni". One of the halmonis I remember the most was the one who would pick up acorns on the street. She,

It feels good to be home.

2010-05-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

We're back from Korea! It feels SO good to be home. I ate and tasted so many new foods. There are many things I want to try and copy! =P Stay tuned for some new recipes. I'm going to attempt to replicate some of the great dishes we ate while in the motherland. I think I'll start by trying to make THIS. Momeel gooksoo + dongchimi gookmool = heaven on a chopstick!

Greetings from Korea!

2010-04-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

We are safe and sound in Korea. All the family here has been intent on feeding us until we pop. But all we've been craving is street food. =P

Spam Kimbap

2010-03-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

On lazy weekends, once in a blue moon I’m crazy enough to make kimbap. It’s literally an all day event! Once I get started, I sit there and make kimbap all morning and sometimes all afternoon! And about halfway through the rice, I ended up running out of ingredients for gogi kimbap. So I dug through my pantry and found this can of SPAM.

Spicy Crab Soup - (꽃게탕)

2010-03-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

I made this over the weekend, but I've been lazy to put it up. Like always, there are a variety of ways to make this dish, but I tend to cheat and buy the marinated crab at the K-markets. Why? Because it's already fully seasoned and all CLEAN and cut - bottom line, it saves me a lot of time. I would say this is roughly about 1 lb. of spicy crab. When the K-market has fresh ggot-gae (

Veggie Udon - 야채 우동

2010-02-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

The following is one of my "cheat" meals, meaning it's not completely from scratch. I make this a lot on lazy Saturdays and Sundays when I don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. First bring 3 cups of water to a boil with a strip of dashima. Here's where I cheat. I add 3 TB of the udon sauce. It's quick, it's easy and tastes a lot better than

Uh-Mook Jorim - Fish Cakes - 어묵 조림

2010-02-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

I apologize about the sporadic updates. One of my New Year's resolutions was to spend more time on this blog and hopefully make a mini-cookbook by the end of this year. =P We'll see how that goes since I'm not very motivated to do much these days. I've put up an uh-mook bokeum recipe up before, and this following recipe is quite similar, only with more liquid. Instead of pan-frying the

Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup - 떡만두국

2010-02-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post by saying there are many ways to cook a dish. There is no right way and no wrong way. If it tastes great to YOU, then you did it the right way! I realized today that it has been about a year and a half since I started this blog. I've been going through some of my old recipes and my cooking has definitely evolved from some of those older posts. In present day

Seafood Kalgooksoo - 해물 칼국수

2010-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

My friend and I were dining at Moo Dae Po II (I wonder why it got such a bad review on yelp?) the other week and they had this seafood noodle pot that they gave us at the end. They used thinner noodles at the restaurant, but kalgooksoo noodles is what I had in my pantry so it had to do. Not to be a noodle whore, but these didn’t taste that great. =/ I would suggest choosing a thinner

Cold Moo (Daikon) Kimchi

2010-01-06T00:23:00.000-08:00

It's another sleepless night, so I thought I would finally go and update this recipe. Basically, I just used my mandolin to slice the moo up into thin slices. Dongchimi moo is a lot smaller than the regular sized daikons, so it actually fit right through my mandolin pretty nicely. See how thin it is? I then salted it and let it sit out for a few hours. This

Dongchimi (Daikon) Kimchi - (동치미 김치)

2010-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

I realized that I never got around to posting my Donchimi Kimchi recipe. I made this a few times over the years and just found pictures of it from the last time I made it last summer (before I got sick). Anyhow, this time I was at the K-market and found that they had the baby moos perfect for making donchimi kimchi, so I couldn't resist. Each of these were a bit bigger than a

Cucumber Kimchi - (오이 소박이)

2009-12-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

You're probably going to hate me for this, but I have a recipe without measurements for you. Another reason I haven't updated this blog as much is because it's SUCH a pain to 'measure' ingredients when you're a person who isn't used to measuring. =/ Even when cooking non-Korean foods, I hardly ever bust out the measuring utensils. I'm a taste as you go type of person. Anyhow, I had a

Spicy Oxtail Jjim - (매운 쇠꼬리 찜)

2009-12-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

I know it's been such a long time since I did a food update. It partly has to do with the fact that I'm not cooking much these days and also when I do cook, I'm in such a hurry that I don't have time to pause and take pictures every step of the way. The cold weather (can't deny that I'm a SoCal girl) has been quite annoying so I haven't been leaving the house much lately.

Anchovie Dwen-jang gook - (멸치 된장국)

2009-10-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

Tap. Tap. Tap. Are you still there? It seems just as I start to build up site traffic on this blog, I go on a hiatus. It's tough trying to keep up this blog sometimes...especially when I don't step foot into the kitchen for two weeks at a time. =P Also, I realized that every since I upgraded my camera (50D baby!) that I'm afraid to take it into the kitchen for fear it might get splashed on,

Chuseok Rice Cakes - 송편

2009-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

I warned you, there are absolutely NO measurements so this 'recipe' might be a little useless. However, I wanted to put this up so that it can jog my memory when I attempt to make it one day (hopefully soon). When I make it, I promise to write down the measurements I use. =) MIL (my friend's) started off with some rice flour. She said the flour was FRESH straight from Ktown.

Baby Mushrooms

2009-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick and easy banchan. I tend to take whatever vegetables I have in my fridge at the time and just mix them all up together. I bought some baby mushrooms and decided to make it for a breakfast side dish one lazy Sunday morning. Heat up a pan with 1/2 TB sesame oil and about 1/2 TB of minced garlic. Wash and cut your mushrooms. Add the mushrooms along

Clear Ojinguh Gook - (맑은 오징어국)

2009-09-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

I know I've been gone a long time and I'm going to cheat and not even give a new recipe but something that I should have finished up long ago. It's crazy because I'm not working and my son is in preschool which means I have a LOT of time to myself. Yet, I feel busier than ever just going around and doing random things. I'm supposed to go back to work soon, but taking this last year off has

Spicy Shrimp - (매운 새우 볶음)

2009-08-23T10:32:00.001-07:00

Back in the day, I used to frequent a certain cafe in K-town that had this spicy shrimp dish. The cafe is no longer there, but I figured I could try and replicate the dish. First wash and peel about half a pound of shrimp. In a small bowl, mix together to following: 1TB red pepper paste, 1/2TB red pepper powder, 3/4TB honey powder, 1TB rice wine, 1/4TB minced garlic.

Asian Style Potato Corn Salad - (감자 샐래드)

2009-08-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Almost every Saturday the MR, Munchkin and I head to the local farmer's market. Today, I saw that the yellow corn looked particularly fresh so I made sure to grab some. I bought four ears of corn and steamed them. Munchkin promptly polished off three all by himself. =P Wash and peel 3 small white potatoes. Quarter them like this... And

Steak Bibimbap - (스태이크 비빔밥)

2009-07-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

One of my current obsessions right now is the Korean drama called Brilliant Inheritance (찬란한 유산). In one of the episodes the main character makes Steak Bibimbap and ever since I've been dying to try and replicate it. =P The MR, Munchkin and I don't eat at the dinner table together. I often eat standing in the kitchen while the MR takes his food in front of the computer and Munchkin eats

Fish Cake Stir Fry - (어묵 볶음)

2009-07-24T16:47:00.001-07:00

I had some fish cake patties leftover from the kimbap the other day, so I decided to make some bokeum with it. First cut it up into smaller pieces. Chop up some onion... Add some oil to a pan and mix together both the uh-mook and onions with a generous portion of sesame oil and about 1/2 TB of minced garlic. Throw in some broccoli and a dash of red pepper powder.

Mini-kimbap for the Kiddos

2009-07-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

My kitchen will be a kimbap factory in a few minutes. If you want to make some with me, go here and follow along. =) I'll post a few pictures of the mini-kimbaps I make for Munchkin. He has swim class today, so I wanted to make sure he had something to eat immediately after he was done. The kid ate dinner TWICE yesterday. Our house became a kimbap factory yesterday...

Moo Malengi

2009-07-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Grab about 1.5 cups of dried horseradish and let it sit in water to soften. Keep changing the water out and rinsing the moo every 5-10 minutes until the 'smell' is no longer there. Using a cheesecloth or your bare hands, SQUEEZE out all the excess water from the moo. Season it with the following: 1TB minced garlic, 2TB honey powder, 1TB red pepper powder, 2TB gook ganjang,

Salted Cucumber

2009-07-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

The following is another one of the MR's favorite side dishes. It's also surprisingly easy to make as well. First grab some cucumbers. Don't ask me what kind these are, I just call them Korean cucumbers. =P Wash them thoroughly with some salt. I just put some salt in my palm and scrub the cucumbers. Pack the cucumbers tightly together in a container.

Seasoned Perilla Leaves - (깻잎무침)

2009-07-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

So I finally bit the bullet and made the seasoned perilla leaves this afternoon. I've been having severe headaches the last few days, so standing in the kitchen wasn't something I wanted to do but the thought of letting all these leaves go to waste got my butt into action. Here goes! This is one of the MR's favorite dishes and it's a lot easier to make than you might think. =)

Horseradish Stirfry - (무 볶음)

2009-07-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

My dad is a 경상도 (a region of Korea) man through and through. He's one of those 'tough' 깡패 (gangsta) men you see on TV. =P He also speaks with a heavy 경상도 accent. Most of my friends still have trouble understanding him even after 15 years. LOL. Anyhow, the reason I bring this up is because I had no idea my dad had an accent until I was in 7th grade. My friend Bean and I were watching a

Pickled Cucumber - 오이지

2009-06-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to tease you, but I forgot to write down any ratios when I made this. Because my taste has dulled just a little, I wasn't sure it would turn out OK so I resorted to the taste as you go-Korean-ajooma-style and made it last week. The MR said it turned out great! I'm not sure if he was trying to spare my feelings or if he really meant it. =PFirst you soak the cucumbers in salt water

Pickled Garlic in Soy Sauce - (마늘 짱아찌)

2009-05-29T21:25:00.000-07:00

One of the MR's favorite banchans is 마늘 짱아찌. This is going to be in real time. =) I started it today, but it won't be completed until next weekend. There are a variety of ways to approach this, but the following is the way we do it in our household... First, dunk your bulbs of garlic in water for about 30 minutes. (I only ended up using 6 of them and used the other two for the jang

Omelet Rice - (오무 라이스)

2009-05-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

I decided to make omelet rice this morning with the leftover fried rice from yesterday. It's super easy and a nice twist to make two meals with one. First beat two eggs with a little bit of milk. Grease a large pan and turn up the heat to about medium-low. Spread out the egg nice and evenly and let it cook on low heat. When it's almost cooked through,

Shrimp Fried Rice - (새우 볶음밥)

2009-05-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

There's so many ways to make shrimp fried rice and this is the way I do it. It tastes more Korean style in my opinion. Things Needed: 1 cup of chopped shrimp 1/2 cup each of celery, carrots, onions and corn 3-4 cups of cooked cold rice sesame oil, soy sauce, minced garlic It's strange being in the Midwest. The local grocery store didn't have any fresh shrimp! I had to

Dduk Gook using Gom Gook Broth - (떡국)

2009-05-04T21:39:00.001-07:00

I know I made dduk gook before, but I just thought I would do a quick how-to using gom gook. It's easy! First start off with about 4-5 cups of gom gook broth. The broth was really thick, so I diluted it with a little bit of water. I then added about 1 TB of gook ganjang, some minced garlic, and some salt. Do you see a pattern here? =P Fry some eggs. You can be lazy and fry the

Moo Gook - Daikon Radish Soup - Version 2.0 - (무우국)

2009-05-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love how there are so many ways to cook the same dish? =P You can make my mom's 경상도 style mook gook or you can make the following more traditional moo gook. I took out the moo pieces from the gom gook I'm currently making before they got too soft and chopped it up like so. Then I got a few cup fulls of gom gook (which has only cooked for about 5 hours) and put it in

Dwenjang Jjigae - Soy Bean Soup - Version 2.0 - (된장 찌개)

2009-05-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

Cooking is such an interesting thing. Trying to cook in someone else's kitchen is quite a challenge. Trying to find Korean ingredients in a small town proved to be even a greater challenge. I didn't want to buy EVERYTHING, so I only bought the bare minimum ingredients and have been improvising in the kitchen. Today I made dwenjang jjigae with a beef broth instead of my usual fish broth. You

Egg Jjim - Version 2.0 - (계란찜)

2009-04-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Not really a recipe, but I decided to make egg jjim today. You can make it a variety of ways. I used 2 whole eggs and 1 egg white. I then added about 1/2 tsp of salt and 3/4 cup of water. I then chose to add some onions, carrots and mushrooms. I would normally add some green onions as well but didn't have any on hand. Beat it well until it's mixed. Then pour the mixture

Ojinguh Moochim - Cold Squid with Cucumbers - (오징어 무칩)

2009-03-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

I went to the K-market yesterday and was originally planning to make some ojinguh gook, but last minute decided to just make ojinguh moochim instead. This goes really well with choong-moo kimbap (basically just rice and gim). First wash and cut two squid. I don't know why some people get so freaked out about squid but can eat calamari. =P Cut up the squid into two inch pieces like

Brown Rice Vegetable Rolls

2009-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I had some veggies leftover from the Jengban Gooksoo below, so I decided to make some vegetable rolls. I used perilla leaves, red leaf lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and avocados. Get about two cups of cooked brown rice and season it with 1 TSP of sushi vinegar, 1 TB of sesame oil, and 1 TB of sesame seeds. Spread the brown rice on a seaweed wrap and PRESS DOWN as hard as

Jengban Momil Gooksoo - Buckwheat Soba Noodles in Spicy Sauce - (모밀 쟁반 국수)

2009-02-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

I realized I hadn't updated the recipes on this blog in a while, so I came up with one of my fave dishes for a warm day. Needed Ingredients: Buckwheat Noodles 1/2 cup julienne red cabbage 1/2 cup julienne cucumber 1/2 cup julienne carrot 1/2 cup julienne onion 1/2 cup julienne Asian pear thinly sliced perilla leaves thinly sliced red leaf lettuce

Mushroom Moochim - (버섯 볶음)

2009-02-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

I debated on whether to post this since it's not really a recipe of sorts. But just in case you're wondering what I eat during the week. I told you I love all types of mushrooms. I rinsed two mushrooms thoroughly... ...and then sliced it up into thinner pieces. Then I seasoned it with 1/2 TB of minced garlic, 1 TB sesame oil, and 3/4 TB gook ganjang. Remember to

Kimchi Dwenjang Soondooboo Jjigae - (김치 된장 순두부 찌개)

2009-01-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

So what do I eat? Lots of vegetables! For breakfast I drink green juice and have some FOCC with bread. For lunch, I usually eat a big salad with every vegetable you can think of. Then for dinner, I eat lots of tofu and steamed veggies. Here's a kimchi/dwenjang jjigae hybrid I made today. I used my mom's homemade kimchi. She doesn't use any sugar or MSG and I asked her to refrain

Green Power

2009-01-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

Do you know the power of green veggies? It's called enzymes, folks! Ever since I was diagnosed with cancer, I've been on a quest to find a way to incorporate better nutrition into my life. I doubt I will become a vegan or a vegetarian, because my love of meat is too great. =P HOWEVER, I have reduced my intake of meat by a lot. Yesterday was the first time I had red meat in over four weeks. For

Spicy Chicken Drummettes - Korean Style - (매운 닭날개)

2009-01-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

I finally went to the grocery store today! It was my first time going without the MR since the whole cancer thing. Of course Munchkin joined me today so I took the time to stop by the mall and do some shopping as well. Things are slowly going back to normal... I try and only serve fried foods once every two months or so. I figured it's been a while, so I went out and bought some chicken wings

FOCC Diet

2009-01-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ever since I was diagnosed with ACC and heard that ACC has a propensity to come back even years after initial treatment, I started researching ways to prevent cancer. There are so many websites out there that have people who claim that they even CURED themselves of cancer by using alternative methods. Now, I'm ALL ABOUT STATISTICS and TESTS and STUDIES so I would never try and go cure

Mandoo w/pork - Korean style pork dumplings - (돼지 만두)

2008-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

This is not like a traditional Korean Cuisine recipe. I wasn't able to take as many step-by step pictures as I would have liked. Here goes... First get about 1.5 cups of ground pork and 1 TB of minced garlic. Saute the pork on a frying pan with about 1 TB of sesame oil. Chop up about 1 cup each of green onions, chives, and bean sprouts. Make sure to boil the bean sprouts and squeeze out all

Food Index

2008-12-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Al Tang – Fish Egg Soup – 알탕 Anchovy Bokeum - Stir Fry Anchovy - 멸치 볶음 Andong Jjim Dak – 안동 찜닭 Baby Mushrooms Baked Ziti Beh-Choo Gook – Napa Soup - 배추국 Beef Bones 101 Beef Round Cakes – 동그란땡 Beef with Broccoli Dol Sot Bibimbap - 돌솥 비빔밥 Will continue to add to the list as I have time…

Kimbap - Korean Style Rice Rolls - (김밥)

2008-11-12T23:44:00.000-08:00

There are many ways to make kimbap and you can pretty much put whatever you want into them. Tuna, kimchi, beef, etc. This is my version of kimbap and it's always a hit in our household. First gather your ingredients. Here I have dan-moo-ji (which is precut for kimbap use), sushi nori (gim), fish cakes, imitation crab, spinach (I cheated and got store-made), carrots, pickles...

Boo Dae Jigae - Base Soup - (부대찌개)

2008-10-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

I finally went ahead and made boo-dae jjigae today. Needed: 1/2 can spam 3 sausages 1 cup dduk 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper 1/2 small squash 1/2 small onion 1 cup kimchi and lots of kimchi juice 2 mushrooms 1 ramen sauce: 1 TB red pepper paste, 1 TB red pepper powder, 1/2 TB minced garlic, 1 Tb rice wine, 1 TB gook ganjang, 1/2 TB shrimp jut, 1 TB beef

Persian Meatballs...

2008-10-19T00:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates again. We've been eating out almost every day this week. I haven't stepped into the kitchen except to make Munchkin some grilled cheese sandwiches. We're going grocery shopping tomorrow, so hopefully I will think of a new post for next week. Until then.... I will cheat by recycling another post on my other blog~ Get 1 LB. of ground beef and add

Dduk Bbok Ggi - Rice Cakes with Soy Sauce - (간장 떡볶기)

2008-10-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned before, every time I take Munchkin to the K market with me we end up buying a package of dduk. This week was no exception. While you can make dduk gook or spicy dduk bbok ggi, today I decided to make a simple soy sauce dduk bbok ggi for Munchkin to enjoy. Here's how you can make it at home... In a cup mix together the following: 1/4 CUP soy

Teriyaki Sesame Chicken - (태리야끼 닯날개)

2008-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay! I've finally updated and posted the step by step for the teriyaki chicken I made earlier this week. Here's what you need: 1.5 LBS of chicken drumettes 1/2 CUP soy sauce, 1/2 CUP water, 5 TB sugar, 3 TB honey powder, 1 TB sesame oil, 2 TB rice wine, 2 TB corn starch 3 TB sesame seeds First wash and clean about 1.5 LBS of chicken. In a cup

Kong Jaban - Black Beans in Soy Sauce and Sugar - (콩자반)

2008-10-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

Each week I TRY and make at least two new banchans (side dishes). This week I decided to use up the remaining black beans I had in the cupboard. Ingredients Needed: 1 cup black beans (I ended up with slightly more than a cup) 3 cups water 6 TB soy sauce 5 TB sugar 1 TB brown sugar 2 TB honey powder 1 TB corn starch splash of sesame oil 2 TB sesame seeds

Bokeum Bap - Fried Rice - (볶음밥)

2008-10-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Finally...nothing special, but here you go. Whenever I make fried rice, I dig through my fridge and try to add as many vegetables as possible. Today I added about 1 cup each of onions, potatoes, celery, carrots, edamame beans, squash, and corn. Add 2TB of sesame oil, 2 Tb oil, and 1 TB minced garlic to a large wok and turn up the heat. I'm sure