Jja Jang Myun - Korean Noodles with Black Bean Sauce - (짜장면)

I thought I would make Munchkin some Jja Jang Myun this morning. It's Korean style noodles with a black bean sauce. I guess the easiest way to explain it would be Korean-style Spaghetti. =P


First bring a pot of water to a boil and ready your noodles.



While the water is boiling, get your vegetables ready.



Chop up about 1/2 cup each of onions, squash, potatoes, and carrots. You can add mushrooms and other vegetables you want also.



In a wide pan (preferably a wok) heat some oil and add about 1/2 TB of minced garlic and some beef. I chose to use some leftover ground beef that I had, but you can use beef chunks or even pork chunks.



After sautéing the beef for a while, add the potatoes and carrots and add a dash of salt and pepper.



Then add the squash and onions...



Finally add about 4 TB of black bean paste, 1 cup of water, and 2 TB of sugar.



I also threw in some green onions just because I always have green onions in my fridge. =)



At this point mix some corn starch and water at a 1:1 ratio and mix it up very well.



Pour in this mixuture a little bit at a time and let the sauce thicken.



Keep boiling until the sauce thickens up to a thick curry consistency.



Get your boiled noodles and transfer it to a bowl...



Pour some sauce over the noodles and garnish it with some thinly sliced cucumber (pickle?).



I added half a boiled egg to mine, but the MR (above) doesn't like eggs. =P



Don't forget to eat it with some dan-moo-ji! =) I have no idea what this is in English...pickled horseradish? They sell it in the tofu section of the K-market.

Dong Geun-ran Ddengs - Beef Cakes - (동그랑땡)

I also made Korean style beef patties tonight.

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped squash
• ½ cup chopped chives
• 3 eggs
• Korean pancake mix (or just plain old flour)
• 1 TB minced garlic, 1 TB sesame oil, 1 TB gook ganjang, ¾ TB salt, ¼ TB pepper, ¼ TB ginger powder

 

First get your beef and vegetables ready. Don't feel limited to using these EXACT vegetables...use what you have! I've used mushrooms, green onions, and a lot of other stuff too before and it tastes fine.



I used a mandolin to shred my vegetables, then I just took a knife to roughly cut it up into small bits. It makes the job a lot easier if you have a mandolin on hand.



After the vegetables are chopped and ready season it with 1 TB minced garlic, 1 TB sesame oil, 1 TB gook ganjang, ¾ TB salt, ¼ TB pepper, ¼ TB ginger powder and mix it up well using your hands.



Add about 1 pound of beef and mix it well again using your hands.



Get some flour or Korean pancake mix ready in a large bowl and scoop up 1 TB of the meat mixture at a time and using your hands try to form them into small, flat little patties.



Coat them thoroughly in the pancake mix and set aside. I actually had to do this in two separate batches because I ended up with a lot of beef cakes. And YES, this gets very messy...which is why I only make these a few times a year.



In another bowl, crack 3 whole eggs and mix it up really well. Dip each piece of coated beef cake into the egg mixture and then fry it on a frying pan. I found that using a spoon makes transferring the beef cakes a lot easier without breaking them apart.



Make sure you use enough oil to cover the whole pan and then some. Let the beef cake fry on each side for at least 2 minutes. Each time you do another batch, clean off the frying pan with a wet paper towel and start off with fresh oil.



Transfer however much you want to serve over to a plate...



...and then I like to squeeze ketchup on top of each one.



It's all done and ready to be enjoyed! I stored the rest of the beef cakes into a storage container. I'm going to freeze some of them and then defrost them in the upcoming weeks to use as Munchkin's lunch. =)

Moo Cheh - Seasoned Daikon Radish - (무채)

Needed:

• 1 lb. daikon radish
• 1/2 cup chives
  
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1/4 thin sliced Asian pear
• seasonings: 2½ TB red pepper powder, ¼ TB ginger powder, ¾ TB minced garlic, 1 TB honey powder, 2 TB vinegar, 1 TB shrimp jut, 1 TB sesame oil

First wash and peel about 1lb. of moo. Use a mandolin to shred it into thin strips.



Throw a generous amount of salt and let it sit in water for about 30 minutes.



Rinse it clean under running water and let all the excess liquid drain out.



Transfer it to a mixing bowl and add the chives.



I had some left over Asian pear from making galbi jjim tonight so I chopped it up and added that as well.



Then season it with 2½ TB red pepper powder, ¼ TB ginger powder, ¾ TB minced garlic, 1 TB honey powder, 2 TB vinegar, 1 TB shrimp jut, 1 TB sesame oil and mix it around really well with a gloved hand.



Finally throw in some green onions and mix it up some more...



...then transfer it to a storage container and let it sit for a few days before serving. All done! I'm going to make bossam later this week to be enjoyed with this moo cheh. =)

Kongnamool Gook - Bean Sprout Soup - (코나물국)

Wash your bean sprouts!



In a separate pot, add about 7 cups of water and some anchovies, dashima, and moo.



Add 1 TB sesame oil, 3 TB gook ganjang, and about 1/4 TB of minced garlic and heat it up.



Throw in your bean sprouts (this is about half a bag) and sauté them slightly as best as you can...



Then add the boiling anchovy broth and CLOSE the lid and keep it closed for about 15 minutes.



Meanwhile, you can throw the moo away or chop it up and add it to the kongnamool gook later. I also add half a red pepper.



Add the moo, red pepper and green onions and bring to a boil for about 5-10 minutes.



You're ready to serve!



I used the rest of the red pepper for some jeyook bokeum.



You know you want some! Go and check it out HERE.

I'm going to make Beef Cakes (dong-geun-ran ddengs) later tonight and will be sure to post a how-to of that as well.

Kongnamool Moochim - Seasoned Bean Sprouts - (콩나물 무침)

Start off by washing your bean sprouts in cold water.



In a pot (with a lid) add about 1cm of water and a little bit of minced garlic.



Throw in your bean sprouts (I believe this is about half a bag) some sesame oil and salt. I also add gook ganjang, but my mom says that I don't NEED to...I just do so that I can use less salt. Then close the lid and let it boil for about 15 minutes or so, it will cook from the steam that rises up from the bottom.




After 15 minutes, open the lid and adjust the flavor with some salt.



Throw in some green onions and close the lid for about another 3 minutes. At this point you're ready to serve, but I always add a little spice to my kongnamool...



I threw in some red pepper powder, mixed it up and transfer it to a container. So simple, huh?