Category: Korean

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Rainy Day Eats: Braised Pork Belly ala Instant Pot

Rainy Day Eats: Braised Pork Belly ala Instant Pot

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I am a sucker for rice bowls and noodle soups, especially when the weather turns cold and dreary. There is something comforting about eating out of a bowl. I love sitting by the window watching the falling rain and listening to the blustering wind while holding a bowl of deliciousness.  My Dad’s stew, my Mom’s won ton soup, spicy Thai curry or gooey mac and cheese all come to mind.

Yep, living life one bowl at a time.

Japanese braised pork belly, Buta Kakuni falls neatly into this scenario.  Simmered in soy sauce, sake and sugar, the pork becomes so tender it melts in your mouth and has that sweet salty flavor that I love.  It is rich and flavorful, so a little goes a long way.  Grab a good sized bowl, add a big scoop of steamy hot rice, lay 2-3 pieces of the pork on top and drizzle the braising liquid over it.  Serve with a ramen style soft boiled egg and vegetables.  Yep, a bowl of rockin’ goodness.

Normally, this dish takes a couple of hours to make, but thanks to the Instantpot, you’ll be sitting down to eat in less than an hour.

pork belly ingredients

This recipe is adapted from the blog Just One Cookbook, another favorite for Asian recipes. Slab pork belly can be found in most Asian markets or ask your butcher to save you a piece.  If time is tight, you can forego browning the pork, but I think it does add flavor and color.  Reduce the Mirin to 1/4 cup and increase the sake to 1/2 cup to cut the sweetness. The recipe calls for adding soft boiled eggs to the pork to finish cooking.  Instead, cool the braising liquid and put the peeled soft boiled eggs in to seep overnight a la ramen style eggs. Love oozy runny egg yolks.  Feel free to follow the recipe or try Serious Eats’s recipe for ramen eggs, both are delicious!

This is classic comfort food.  I stir-fried some shredded cabbage and onions with the braising liquid as an accompaniment.  Another option is a super simple Asian Cucumber Salad. The crisp cucumbers provide a nice contrast to the soft pork. Plus, it’s nice to get some veggies in for a “well-rounded” bowl.

Enjoy!

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PRESSURE COOKER PORK BELLY (KAKUNI)

Braised Pork Belly in a fraction of the time with an Instant Pot.  Delicious with a bowl of rice or ramen. 
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Instant Pot, Pork Belly

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • 3 green onions/scallions use only the green parts
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 Tbsp neutral flavor oil vegetable or canola
  • 2 lb pork belly block 2 lb = 907 g
  • Water for cooking pork belly
  • 4 soft/hard boiled eggs See Notes
  • Shichimi Togarashi Japanese seven spice (for taste, optional)
  • Chinese Mustard

Seasonings

  • 1/2 cup sake 1/2 cup = 120 ml
  • ½ cup water ½ cup = 120 ml
  • 1/4 cup mirin 1/4 cup = 60 ml
  • ½ cup soy sauce ½ cup = 120 ml
  • ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup = 50 g

Instructions

  • Cut pork into 1-inch pieces
  • Peel and cut ginger into slices.  Using the green part only, cut scallions into 2 inch segments
  • Switch Instant Pot to Saute' function and add oil to pot.  When the oil is hot, add pork and brown (3-5 minutes).  Add water to pot to cover the pork.  Add green onions and ginger to pot.
  • Cover Instant Pot and seal, make sure the knob is set to sealing.  Cancel saute' function and set function on stew/meat (35 minutes)
  • When the pork is finished, carefully vent to quick release pressure.  Drain pork.  Add seasoning ingredients to the Instant Pot and return pork to pot.  Add soft boiled eggs to pot unless seasoning them separately.  See notes.
  • Seal and set pot on stew/meat function and set time to 10 minutes.  When finished, quick release vent pot.  
  • Remove pork and eggs from pot. Taste the seasoning liquid, if it seems to dilute, set pot on saute' and reduce.  Reserve sauce for serving.
  • Serve pork and eggs over rice or ramen. Garnish with Shichimi Togarashi.  Drizzle sauce over rice and serve with mustard. Enjoy.

Notes

If you don't have Mirin, increase Sake to 3/4 cup and add 1 tablespoon sugar.  If you like a soft runny egg, do not put it in the Instant Pot to cook.  Cook your eggs separately. You can cool the cooking liquid and place the peeled soft boiled eggs in the liquid to seep for a couple of hours or overnight.  You do not have to seep the eggs.  You can serve the eggs in your rice bowl drizzled with the cooking liquid and sprinkled with seaweed seasonings (furikake) if you want.
 

bulgogi
Seoul Satisfying: Bulgogi-Korean Grilled Beef

Seoul Satisfying: Bulgogi-Korean Grilled Beef

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Maybe it’s a way to stay connected to my kid who is living in South Korea and teaching English.  My current obsessions are K-Dramas and Korean food.  I absolutely adore both.  My gateway to K-dramas was Amazon (damn you-Jeff Bezos, just kidding).  Suffice to say the rom-com genre is alive and well in South Korea. My favorite show is about an immortal who has been searching for his “bride”, the only person who can actually put him out of misery-I know, ironic. It’s called Goblin or Guardian.

My other obsession is Korean food.  Korean cuisine is right up my alley-spicy, flavorful tofu soups, pickled vegetables-Kimchi, Korean barbecue, noodles (Japchae), dumplings (mandu), and bap (rice), the cornerstone.  When I was a kid I would always unceremoniously dump my bowl of rice into my soup.  I’d swish the rice around to let it absorb the flavors of the soup before eating.  Now I find myself enjoying Korean Tofu Soups in the same fashion.

Then there is Korean barbecue. Beef, pork, chicken marinated in soy sauce, garlic, sesame, and onions-grilled over charcoal giving the meat that lovely smokiness, so good.

Like Chinese meals, Korean meals are very communal. Dishes are placed in the center of the table to be shared by all. Parents select choice tidbits to place in each child’s bowl.  Teens serve their grandparents.  Everyone feeds the babies. Chopsticks constantly moving food from plates and bowls and finally to mouths.  Eating is such a connection.  For Koreans and Chinese we often greet family and friends not with hello but with “have you eaten yet?”.

Bulgogi is thin strips of beef, marinaded, grilled quickly and wrapped in a lettuce leaf. Nestled in the lettuce along with the beef, is a bite of rice, kimchi, and a dab of ssamjang (bean-chili sauce).  Think tacos.  So delicious.  I adapted a recipe for bulgogi I found in Seoul Food Korean Cookbook (Kindle version for 4.99 right now) by Naomi Imatome-Yun.

The marinade starts with the trifecta of Korean seasonings, soy sauce, garlic, and sesame and builds on this with honey, Asian pear and scallions. So much flavor. Most Asian markets generally have pre-cut thin slices of short rib, pork, or chicken, which makes life easy. If you start with a whole piece of meat, toss it in the freezer for a couple of minutes.  Makes cutting thin slices a walk in the park.

It’s not always easy to find Asian pears.  Use a combination of finely grated apple (Fuji or Honeycrisp are nice) and pineapple juice in place of the Asian pear.  Don’t let it marinate in pineapple juice too long as it will break down the meat.  Add pineapple juice no more than a couple of hours before cooking.

Red leaf, Boston, or Gem lettuce, are the perfect shape, size, and texture for a bulgogi wrap.  Winner winner, bulgogi dinner-sweet, salty, garlicky, and smokey wraps and you can use your hands, just like tacos!  Broke da mouth good.

Don’t forget the kimchi!

bulgogi
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Bulgogi

Bulgogi, beef thinly and marinated in soy, garlic, and onions. Served with rice and saamjang, wrapped in lettuce. This classic Korean dish is a sure fire hit with its bold flavors.
Course Main Course, Meat
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword beef, Bulgogi, Grilled
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Marinade time 3 hours
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons chopped garlic CHOPPED, not minced, which would be too much
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 tablespoons grated Asian pear include juice substitute any apple, fuji or honerycrisp, grated 1/2 and 1/2 pineapple juice
  • 1 tablespoon mirin substitute sake which is not sweet
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 3 scallions finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound sirloin steak ribeye or short rib, thinly sliced

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, soy sauce, sugar, honey, pear juice, mirin, sesame oil, scallions, and pepper and stir until the sugar and honey are dissolved.
  • Add the meat and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. For tougher cuts of meat, marinate the meat longer.
  • Grill the beef until well done and caramelized on the outside, about 3 minutes per side. You can also fry the beef in a cast iron pan.
  • Serve with rice, ssamjang and lettuce leaf. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot

Notes

TIP: Top sirloin or tenderloin work best, but almost any steak cut will do. The best quality meat will be more tender and will taste the best. Trader Joe's has thinly sliced ribeye that works well.
Adapted from Imatome-Yun, Naomi. Seoul Food Korean Cookbook: Korean Cooking from Kimchi and Bibimbap to Fried Chicken and Bingsoo
Keep Calm and Salmon On

Keep Calm and Salmon On

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Growing up, most meals included at least one seafood dish.  Steamed rock cod with ginger and scallions, flounder with brown bean sauce sitting on a bed of tofu or stir-fried prawns with tomato and garlic (SOUL FOOD).  My dad would finish work and then head out to the shops in Chinatown to find the fresh catch of the day.  The markets carried locally caught cod, bass, or flounder kept cold on a bed of ice. My dad checked the freshness by looking at the clarity of the eyes. Sometimes he opted for live fish, crab, or shrimp from the tanks that lined the wall.  He peered into each tank before selecting the one he wanted. Once satisfied with his choice he would barter with the fishmonger for a good price.

So my exposure to seafood was two extremes

Freshly caught fish steamed and flavored with ginger, green onions, and cilantro. The sauce was pure heaven, an amalgamation of liquid created from the fish juices, soy sauce, and aromatics.  My brother and I fought over who could ladle the most sauce over their rice, a tradition my kids have continued.

On the flip side was Friday night frozen FISHSTICKS with catsup!  Date night for the folks meant dinner in front of the TV for my brother, my cousins and me.  I hate to admit it, but from the ages of 4-10, I probably liked the fish sticks more. Silly girl.

One fish not typically part of Asian cuisine is Salmon. I discovered salmon late in the game and ironically it’s the fish we prepare at home now more often than any other fish. I am always on the lookout for new and different recipes for salmon.  Whaddya know…from Everyday Korean Cookbook, one of my current favs (check out her site to preview a couple of recipes), I found the recipe, Roasted Salmon with Gochujang Mayo. The sauce, sweet from the mayonnaise, spicy from the Gochujang, and citrusy (is that a word?) from a squeeze of lime is pretty darn tasty.  The mayo comes together in a snap.  Slather it on the fish, pop it in the oven and finish it under the broiler.  So easy and so delicious.  It’s a keeper.  The recipe calls for the Japanese mayo, Kewpie, but you can make your own with Best Foods mayo.

From the Japanese cookbook, Just One Cookbook. Kewpie imposter recipe!

For 1 cup of American mayonnaise (like Best Foods), add 2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. For 1 Tbsp of American mayonnaise, add 1/2 tsp rice vinegar and 1/8 tsp sugar.

That’s a WRAP

What is my favorite way to serve this salmon? Classic Korean style-bibb lettuce used as a wrap.  It’s the Asian version of a taco. I put a bite of rice or noodle, bit of kimchi, morsel of salmon and dab of chili sauce in the lettuce, wrap it, and eat the whole thing in one bite.  Hmmm…. Crispy cool lettuce, warm soft kernels of rice, spicy sweet salmon, salty, briny umami-packed kimchi topped with scallions, cilantro and lime.  A party in my mouth, sooooo good!

Next time you need a delicious marinade for your salmon, give this one a go!

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Roasted Salmon with Gochujang Mayo adapted from Everyday Korean

Quick and tasty roasted salmon with spicy, sweet Gochujang Mayo. Perfect meal at the end of a long day.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1 1/2-to-2-pound wild salmon fillet (skin on is fine), pin bones removed
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise preferably Kewpie.
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce Lee Kum Kee-please
  • 1-2 teaspoons gochujang Korean red pepper paste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
  • 3-4 cloves garlic minced (~2 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon lime, or tangerine
  • 1 Garnish scallions, cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, lime wedges,

For serving: Steamed rice, kimchi or sliced cucumbers and bibb lettuce leaves

Instructions

  • Place 1 oven rack on the highest level of oven and a second rack below. Heat oven to 475 degrees. Line sheet pan (shallow baking sheet) with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil with cooking spray.
  • Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Place fillets (skin-side down) on foil-lined baking sheets; set aside.
  • Mix together mayonnaise, oyster sauce, gochujang, ginger or garlic, lime juice in a small bowl. Brush or spoon sauce evenly over salmon.
  • Place baking sheet on second rack in oven, and roast 8 minutes, until sauce sizzles and begins to brown. Heat oven to broil. Place salmon on top rack of oven, and broil on high another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet and desired doneness. 
  • Serve with bibb lettuce, rice and garnish, if desired, with toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cilantro, lime wedges, kimchi, and/or cucumber slices.

Notes

Serve with bibb lettuce, rice and garnish, if desired, with toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cilanto, lime wedges, kimchi, and/or cucumber slices.

 
Pickled Obsession (Pork and Kimchi)

Pickled Obsession (Pork and Kimchi)

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My last trip to the Hankook Korean Supermarket, I took the plunge. Yep, finally bit the bullet and bought a BIG jar of Kimchi.  No more little pint size containers for me.  I didn’t go completely crazy and get the gallon size, although I thought about it for a fleeting moment since it was on sale, lol.  I refrained and prudently bought a quart size jar.

The question running through your brain right now, which Kimchi did she buy? Am I right?  Lucky for you I did the exhaustive, backbreaking, mentally draining research-so you don’t have to.  I stood in the Kimchi section of HMart for an hour, watching which Kimchi customers were buying and then I repeated this at Hankook Market (much to Hubster’s chagrin).  I also “interrogated” my friends and forced them to reveal their favorite Kimchi.  Okay, I just texted them and they replied, consensus was Ocinet or Tobagi brands were good.  So there I was in Hankook Market, upgrading to the quart size jar of Kimchi by Ocinet. 

With a large jar of kimchi to consume, I searched for quick and easy Kimchi dishes to try.  I scored big time when I found a Pork Belly Kimchi recipe on the blog, Spice the Plate.  The kitchen gods were smiling on me, I had sliced pork belly, kimchi and Gochujang in the fridge, didn’t even need to make a grocery run.  This dish literally comes together in minutes. While the rice is cooking, you have plenty of time to prep, cook and plate the Pork and Kimchi.

Pork and Kimchi ingredients

The pork is marinaded in Gochujang, soy sauce and a touch of sugar.  While the pork marinades, thinly slice a yellow onion, grab some kimchi and slice the bigger pieces into strips.  A couple of minutes of stir-frying, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions to make it pretty, voila’ dinner is served.  This pork and kimchi dish hits the spot, spicy with a touch of sweetness from the Gochujang, heat and crunch from the kimchi, and a bit of nuttiness from the sesame oil. This is “party in my mouth” food.  Delicious and soooo easy.

Stir-fried pork and kimchi

I managed to pop a taste in my mouth before heading out for a meeting, pretty yummy.  I foolishly thought I’ll have some when I get home.  When I got home, the bowl was empty and my kid, a sheepish grin plastered on his face, gave me the two thumbs up. Consolation I guess.

Good thing I bought a big jar of Kimchi.  To help you pick your own bottle of pickled goodness, Serious Eats also reviewed Kimchi which you can find here.

Update:

I love this simple, homey dish and it has become part of my regular rotation.  Starting with ingredients like kimchi, Japanese curry blocks or Thai Curry pastes are such a boon to homecooks.  A flavorful meal in minutes!

Added cellophane or bean thread noodles to this dish to give it even a little more “oomph” without adding more pork.  Bean thread noodles are made of mung bean and once cooked are transparent, and are absolute flavor magnets.

A Deep Dive On This Thread

Cellophane Noodles are found in just about every Asian cuisine, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai…you get the picture. The confusion begins with labeling. Bean thread noodles, glass noodles, and vermicelli refer to noodles made of mung bean or sweet potato. BUT the term vermicelli noodles are also used for thin rice noodles.    Both come dry and look very similar.

On the left is bean thread noodles made of mung bean.  Hydrate them in water and they turn transparent.  On the right, once hydrated rice noodles or vermicelli are opaque white.  If you have had pho or Pad Thai, the noodles are made of rice.   Hawaiian Long Rice (don’t get me started), or Korean Japchae, the noodles are made of mung bean.  I could be wrong, but most Cantonese dishes use glass noodles not rice noodles.

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Stir-Fry Pork and Kimchi

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword stir-fry pork and kimchi
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound kimchi larger pieces cut into strips
  • 1/2 pound pork belly sliced (or pork shoulder or butt would work also)
  • 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Toasted white sesame seeds

Marinade for the pork:

  • 1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste Gochujang
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce Kikkoman is fine
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions

  • Marinate the pork with Korean hot pepper paste, soy sauce and sugar for about 10 minutes.
  • Heat oil over medium high heat, stir-fry the onion for about 3 minutes until soft and browned.
  • Add the pork and cook for 3-4 minutes until pork loses pinkness.
  • Add in the kimchi and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
  • Drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds and green onions.
  • Serve with rice

Notes

I had some tteobokki (rice cakes)so I threw those in too. Yummy
BudaeJjigae
Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

Gettin’ Jjigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

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Ok.  Are you looking at the pic above and thinking WHAAAT?  Hot dogs? Spam? Kimchi? VanCamps BAKED Beans? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It’s like Mom pulling things out of the fridge and the pantry to make dinner… in the 1960s.  But stay with me, these are actually the building blocks for Anthony Bourdain’s version of Budae Jjigae or Army Stew.  A crazy concoction created during the Korean War when food was scarce and the US Army PX was ground zero for processed foods like SPAM and hot dogs-cheap, available protein.  Combined with familiar Korean ingredients, a not so healthy but totally delicious, comforting stew was born.

budae jjigae ingredients

Anthony Bourdain’s mischevious side was in overdrive when he decided to make this dish for Anderson Cooper. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Anderson squirm as he popped open the can of SPAM, container of kimchi, hot dogs, rice cakes, plopped them in a pan and added a generous dollop of Gochujang or Korean pepper paste on top.  Anchovy stock is poured over this bed of deliciousness and set to simmer for 30 minutes. A pack of INSTANT RAMEN is added at the very end. Ten minutes later Bourdain was doing a happy dance while slurping his noodles. So was an amazed Anderson.  Catch the episode here, watch it, smile and remember his wicked sense of humor, his intellect and his ability to never take himself too seriously. Then go make your family a pot of Budae Jjigae to fill your tummy, warm your soul and comfort your heart.

budae jjigae

This dish is like that bad boy you were always crazy about in high school, knew you should stay away from but just couldn’t.  My favorite line in the clip is when he says to Anderson, “it seems so wrong but taste so right, like true love”. Budae Jjigae is right up my alley, processed meats, fermented vegetables, ground meats and instant ramen noodles, yum.  I grew up on baloney sandwiches on white bread, Fizzies as the fruit in my lunch, Spaghetti out of a can, thanks to Chef Boyardee, and Friday night Swanson’s TV dinners.  In college, I survived on instant ramen and Banquet frozen fried chicken.  Those were the days.

Just before serving, place a slice of American cheese right on top so it melts and oozes all over your ramen.  That literally takes it over the top.  Thank you, David Chang, for that addition.

Tips for your Budae Jjigae

Use Korean instant ramen, my favorite brand, Shin Ramen.  If you don’t make Budae Jjigae, at least try the instant noodles. Use the seasoning packet and up your ramen game with an egg cracked into your bowl of noodles (the soup will cook it) and topped with a Kraft single (uh-huh you all know what I am talking about, real cheese food).  You end up with a pretty fine bowl of totally unhealthy but ridiculously yummy noodles.  To appease your conscious add some veggies, corn, peas, kimchi or shredded lettuce.

If you can find it, use Vienna Sausages (those old enough know EXACTLY what I am talking about, mini hot dogs in a flip top can) in place of hot dogs.

Rice cakes (tokbokki) come either tubular or disc shape, either will work.  You can find them at Korean markets, along with kimchi, Gochujang and pepper flakes.

In place of anchovy stock you can use Japanese dashi or broth.

Have plenty of beer on hand to wash it all down and to toast the life of Mr. Bourdain.

BudaeJjigae
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Gettin’ JJigae with Anthony Bourdain (Korean Army Stew)

Ingredients

  • 1 dried shiitake mushroom
  • 4 large dried anchovies heads and guts removed, wrapped in cheesecloth
  • One 3 × 5-inch sheet dried edible kelp or konmbu Use Japanese dashi in place of anchovy stock
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 12 ounces SPAM cut into ½-inch- thick slices
  • 1½ cups Napa cabbage kimchi tongbaechu drain
  • 8 ounces sliced Korean rice cakes
  • 1 white onion peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions white and light green parts, thinly sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
  • 3 hot dogs thinly sliced
  • 6-8 ounces ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons gochujang Korean fermented chili paste
  • 3 tablespoons medium/fine gochugaru ground Korean red pepper he uses a dash only I used about a teaspoon, he did not come close to 3 T in the video...trust me start small
  • 3 tablespoons cheongju Korean rice wineor Chinese rice wine of Sake
  • 3 tablespoons canned baked beans
  • 1 package ramen noodles preferably the Korean brand Shin, seasoning packet discarded

Instructions

  • To make the anchovy broth, combine the mushroom, anchovies, kelp, 4 cups water, and the salt in a medium, heavy-bottom pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain and discard the solids, and set the broth aside.
  • Place the SPAM, kimchi, rice cakes, onion, scallions, garlic, hot dogs, and pork in small separate piles in a large shallow pot.
  • Add the soy sauce, gochujang, gochugaru, and cheongju to the pot, then slowly pour in the reserved anchovy kelp broth. Add the baked beans and 1½ cups water. Bring the contents to a steady simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
  • Cook for about 10 minutes, then add the ramen noodles. Ladle the broth over the noodles to help them break apart. Continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the noodles are cooked through but still chewy.
Grilled Pork #2 Belly up to the Table for Some Delicious Pork and Conversation

Grilled Pork #2 Belly up to the Table for Some Delicious Pork and Conversation

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The kids were all home for a couple of days, which is a miracle in itself, so we threw a party! Really, it was to celebrate the twins’ graduation from college (boy that went fast) and the end of tuition days. I polled the kids to see what they wanted for eats, after all, that’s the Asian mom way of saying I love you…” what would you like to eat?” and the response was “anything, Mom”. Ugh, no help.
Maybe I needed a theme? Comfort foods? Where they have been and where they are going? Hmm, that had potential. So I went with it.

Where they have been: Where they are going

Houston, Texas for Jamie….Queso!!! You need munchies at a party so Queso and tortilla chips would be perfect. Besides, she is moving to Minneapolis and cheese is HUGE there too right? Anyone care for some cheese curds?
Nashville, Tennessee for Jordan, hmmm…bbq! To combine it with where Jordan is going, Korea, I decided on Grilled Pork Belly and Khal Bi (marinated Beef cross-cut ribs). I just killed two birds with one stone! I’m a genius, lol.

Spicy Grilled Pork Belly

Black Rice and Marinated Pork Belly waiting for the grill to fire up.

The food was casual, friendly, and easy, mostly family favorites.  I pulled out my Somen Salad recipe, perfect for a crowd and the warm weather.  We fired up the grill for the Khal bi (marinated beef ribs) and Spicy Grilled Pork Belly.  Jorge put out the tortilla chips with the Queso Dip, salsa, and Wes’s famous tuna dip.  Bowls of fresh berries from the Farmer’s Market rounded out the menu.  For the grand finale, Jamie made a DELICIOUS banana cake (nooo, forgot to take a photo of it) filled with a chocolate ganache and covered with Cream Cheese Frosting.

We all gathered around the table to eat, gab, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Isn’t that what it is all about?

The Spicy Grilled Pork Belly was a hit.  The pork is cut into thick slices similar to thick-cut bacon and marinated in chili sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. I adapted the recipe from the blog Barefoot in the Kitchen and it is SUPER SIMPLE and delicious!  We served it with purple rice, Gochuchang (Korean chili paste) and lettuce to be wrapped like a taco.

Purple Rice, Purple Rice

The purple rice is novel and fun and requires nothing extra except for 2 tablespoons of black rice mixed with your regular rice.  As it cooks the rice turns a really cool shade of purple. Your friends will think exotic and fancy, take the credit with a smile.  Regular short grain rice would work and for carb haters, cauliflower rice is a great sub. The pork would also make a screamin’ slider.  Top sliders with Siracha mayo and an Asian slaw of cabbage, onions, and pickled ginger. YUM.

SpicyGrilled Pork Belly

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Spicy Grilled Pork Belly

Grilled Pork belly, sweet, salty, spicy and delicious!
Course Main Course, Meat, pork
Cuisine Asian, Fusion
Keyword bbq, gochujang, Pork Belly
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork belly thick sliced (you can find it at most Asian markets)

Marinade

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce pref Sempio 707
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 large garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili paste use either Siracha with garlic or Gochuchang chili pepper paste
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/2 -1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The Finish

  • 1 head of red lettuce or butter lettuce
  • Chili pepper paste Gochuchang
  • Toasted Sesame seeds
  • Green onions
  • Rice

Instructions

  • Remove the skin from the pork belly and slice the meat into 1/8" - 1/4" wide strips. If you don't have access to already cut pork belly.
  • Stir together the soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, chili paste, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and salt in a mixing bowl.
  • Place the meat in the bowl with the marinade and toss to coat thoroughly. Marinate for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the grill to HIGH. Grill the strips of pork belly for 2 minutes, flip and grill another 2-3 minutes.
  • When the pork has cooked through, remove from the grill and place it on a paper towel lined tray.
  • Sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds to garnish
  • Serve with rice, lettuce and pepper paste for wraps or in a roll as a sandwich or tortilla as a taco with an Asian slaw and siracha mayo.
Japchae-Oppa! Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles, Op Op

Japchae-Oppa! Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles, Op Op

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I decided to throw a surprise birthday party for the hubby. Since it was an impromptu event, I kept it simple. Just a handful of friends on a Friday night to help him celebrate another year.  The menu included his favorites, cheesecake, apple pie, and sushi from our favorite place. Badabing, easy peasy-done.  Then I started to worry, what if folks don’t eat fish?  Then I thought, what if I don’t have enough food?  A cardinal sin…so I added a few more of his favorites, Korean short ribs, Galbi, Ceasar Salad, and Japchae, a delicious Korean noodle dish.

The Skinny on the Noods

Japchae is Wes’s favorite noodle dish.  It starts with sweet potato noodles also called glass noodles (당면 Dangmyeon) for their transparency.  The noodles have a bit more elasticity and bite than wheat pasta and absorb seasonings well.  Season the noodles with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar, which gives the noodles that characteristic delicious garlicky, sweet-salty flavor.

The beauty of this dish is its flexibility.  Serve Japchae as a simple side dish, banchan, or as a main dish made with protein and vegetables.  Vary the kinds of vegetables and protein, but always include shiitake mushrooms, yellow or red onions, and secret sauce (ok, not really a secret just the Korean quadfecta of soy, garlic, sugar, and sesame).

Beyond that, go CRAZY!

Add wood ears-fungi for crunch, carrots, spinach, zucchini, or watercress for veggies and chicken or beef for protein. Other additions include slices of fishcake and strips of scrambled egg.  Knock yourself out.

Wes’s birthday version included chicken, carrot, zucchini, wood ear mushrooms, and spinach.  Yummo.

The key to this dish is advanced prep work.  Julienne vegetables, cut chicken into bite-sized strips, and make the sauce.  Soak the noodles, shiitake mushrooms, and black fungus in water. The noodles should be soaked in room temp water for an hour or two, so start your prep early.  You could make this a vegetarian dish by omitting the protein and marinating sliced shiitake mushrooms or pressed tofu.

Korean Jap Chae

My go-to recipe for Japchae is from a favorite cookbook called Hawaii’s Aloha Recipes published by The Japanese Women’s Society of Honolulu.  My copy is food-stained, pages tattered, filled with handwritten notes.  In short, well worn and well-used.  It’s my favorite cookbook for down-home Hawaiian/Asian cooking. Wirebound with few photos, but filled with treasured family recipes and stories-books like this one were created by folks to raise money for their church, temple, or community.  A reflection of who we are and the foods we have eaten for generations.

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Aggie's Japchae, Oppa Korean-Style, Sexy Noodles Op Op

Classic Korean Noodle Dish, Japchae a family favorite
Course noodles, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Korean
Keyword japchae

Ingredients

  • 1 pack of glass noodles sweet potato noodles
  • 1/2 pound flank steak or chicken cut into strips
  • 1 cup carrots julienned
  • 1 cup string beans French cut or zucchini strips
  • 1/2 cup yellow onions sliced
  • 6 dried shiitake mushrooms soak in hot water until soft. Squeeze excess water, remove stem and julienned
  • 1/2 bunch watercress or spinach
  • 1/2 cup black fungus soaked and cut into strips
  • green onions

Seasoning for noodles:

  • 4 T soy sauce
  • 2 T sesame oil
  • 1.5 T granulated sugar
  • 1 T roasted sesame seeds
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper

Marinade for protein

  • 1/2 tsp fresh garlic minced
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 3/4 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp prepared sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Soak noodles in room temp water for 1-2 hours until soft then drain. Alternatively boil for 7 minutes, drain and cool. Cut into 3-4 inch lengths. Set aside.
  • Cut beef or chicken or pork into strips. MIx seasonings and combine with protein. Set this aside too.
  • In a frying pan or wok, heat 1-2 T oil, add shredded carrots and fry just until tender. Don't overcook. Sprinkle with a little salt. Remove to plate.
  • Follow same procedure with zucchini or string beans. Add to plate with carrots.
  • In same wok, add 1 T oil and 1 tsp sesame oil, heat and add yellow onions, sir fry for approximately 1-2 minutes. Add chicken (beef), fry until half done, add mushrooms and wood ears and spinach, fry until meat is completely cooked.
  • Add noodles and sauce to wok, add carrots and zucchini to pan. Mix to combine.
  • Garnish with green onions and eggs.

Optional:

  • Fry 1 well beaten egg in an oil pan. Tilt pan to spread egg mixture into a thin sheet. Turn once. Remove and cool. Cut egg into thin strips.
  • Dish can be served warm or room temperature.
FALL Into One Pot Meals (Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew)

FALL Into One Pot Meals (Instant Pot Korean Beef Stew)

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As summer winds down I head to the back of my closet to pull out my sweaters and jeans. I also start yearning for comfort foods like stews and hearty soups. Over the weekend we made the rounds to our favorite food marts. We find short ribs for a delicious hearty Korean stew called Khal Bi Jim and right next to the short ribs…oxtails!

Are you thinking what? Oxtails?  Are they really swish, swish, in the back of the …yep, they are. Haven’t tried them?  The meat is rich and flavorful. It has a bit more texture than short ribs and if you like chomping on bones, you’ll love oxtails. There is another reason to give this recipe a whirl…

INSTANT POT

I google oxtails, pressure cooker and the blog Korean Bapsang pops up with a recipe for Koriijim or braised oxtails. Bingo. Normally oxtails need quite a bit of time braising to get to the tender fall-off-the-bone stage (which is generally around 3 hours). This means starting pretty darn early in the day to have dinner on the table at a decent time. This time?  Brown the oxtails, pour the marinade/sauce over the meat, top it with carrots, potatoes, and onions.  Then, twist the lid on and set the cooking time to 45 MINUTES. Yep, not a typo-45 MINUTES. Whoa, less than half the time to cook this dish. WOOHOO.

The recipe calls for onions, mushrooms, and carrots. I like lots of vegetables so I added potatoes and extra carrots.  I might even add squash or another root vegetable like parsnips next time. If you don’t have dried shiitakes you can use fresh mushrooms. The recipe calls for a Korean plum sauce, maesil cheong, a sweet-sour sauce often used as a sweetener.  Not having any I used Chinese plum sauce, which may be totally off base but it’s what I have and it is sweet and a bit tart. You can skip it altogether and use sugar and honey, 1 tablespoon of each.

Classic Asian flavors-soy sauce, sesame, garlic, ginger, and onions in a hearty, down-home stew. Delicious. As the weather starts to cool try this dish. If you are really not thrilled with oxtails try this with bone-in short ribs cut into 2-3 inch pieces (ask your butcher) just as tasty.  I love autumn.

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FALL Into One Pot Meals (Korean Beef Stew)

Ingredients

Adapted from Korean Bapsang

  • 3 to 4 pounds oxtail
  • 1 medium onion cut into large chunks
  • 2-3 carrots cut into large chunks
  • 1 white potato cut into large chunks Yukon Golds for a less starchy, russets for starchy
  • 3 to 4 dried shiitake mushrooms briefly soaked and quartered (use fresh mushrooms if not available)

Braising liquid

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice wine or mirin a sweet Japanese cooking wine
  • 1/2 medium Asian pear or 1 bosc pear or apple, grated
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 inch ginger grated (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 3 tablespoons honey or sugar
  • 3 tablespoons maesil cheong or 1 more tablespoon honey or sugar
  • pepper to taste

Garnishes

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 scallions roughly chopped (and some finely sliced for optional garnish)
  • sesame seeds-toasted

Instructions

  • Trim off excess fat. Rinse the oxtail pieces and let them sit in cold water for 10 to 20 minutes to draw out excess blood. Drain well, and pat dry with paper towels.
  • Press the “Saute” button on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. Sear the oxtail pieces in two batches, browning all sides. Or sear in separate pan and place in Instant Pot
  • Combine ingredients for braising liquid and pour the braising liquid over oxtails. Add the vegetables.
  • Close the lid tightly. Press the “Meat” function, and using the “+” button, increase the time to 45-48 minutes. 48 minutes for softer meat. When finished, the Instant Pot will automatically turn to the “Keep Warm” mode. Leave the pressure cooker alone for about 10 minutes before opening the lid.
  • Stir in the scallion and the sesame oil. Remove the meat and vegetables from the pressure cooker. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl to skim off the fat. Pour sauce over the ribs.
  • Garnish with the optional scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with hot rice.
That’s a Wrap, Happy Hour Time! (Korean Tacos)

That’s a Wrap, Happy Hour Time! (Korean Tacos)

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Jamie is in Atlanta for the summer working but fortunately she will be coming home for a couple of weeks.  I miss my Happy Hour buddy.  We both agree happy hours are the best of all worlds.  It’s much more relaxed than throwing a dinner party. People come and go as they please and help themselves to food and drink, it’s all good.  The food is casual and the attire is flips and anything comfortable. It’s all about chillin’ with friends and family. You can hang outside so don’t bother cleaning the house, noone cares, especially after a couple of wine coolers.

Luckily for us, we finally landscaped our yard. Yay.  Years of drought and an invasion of gophers left our yard looking like a moonscape of dirt, holes and mutant weeds.  It was bad.  We called gopherbusters (not really their name but that’s what they do) and a gardener and got to work.  In my defense, I grew up in San Francisco.  The ratio of cement to grass is like a bajillion to one.  Lawn mower? Never seen one much less owned one. But the yard is done, PARTY TIME.

Just need Jamie to come home.

In anticipation  of when she does, I have been checking out recipes that would be perfect for our little casual soirees’.  Korean Chicken Lettuce Wraps from SkinnyTaste caught my eye. SkinnyTaste started out as a blog on healthy seasonal cooking your family will love and has blossomed into a full fledge book.  The Korean wraps remind me of a Chinese appetizer, San Choy Bao, which literally means lettuce bun, think of it as an Asian Taco.  The filling is seasoned Korean BBQ style which I happen to LOVE.  Each bite is sweet, salty, spicy and the lettuce adds a refreshing crunch.  It’s a party in your mouth.  The original recipe calls for brown rice but if you are going low carb like I SHOULD be, you can substitute squash, diced carrots, zoodles or sautéed mushrooms.

We are serious about our happy hour bites and this dish meets the rigorous criteria we set for a date with a wine cooler or bottle of ice cold beer.

STRINGENT Happy Hour Food Standards:

Bite sized- check (2 bites)

Eat with your hands- check

Its YUMMY- check

It’s STUPID EASY- check

4 out of 4!  Lets go make some wraps.

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That's a Wrap! (Korean Style Lettuce Wraps)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • cooking spray
  • 1 pound lean ground chicken or turkey
  • 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

FOR WRAPS

  • 12 large outer lettuce leaves such as green leaf Bibb lettuce or even iceberg lettuce which creates a nice round bowl
  • 2 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons Gochujong or more if desired
  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds plus more for topping
  • 2 sliced scallions white and green parts

Instructions

Filling:

  • Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and chili flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • Heat non-stick pan over medium high heat, add small amount of vegetable oil, add onions to pan and cook for 1-2 minute. Add garlic and ginger, sauce for additional minute before adding ground chicken to pan. Break up the chicken with a spatula or wooden spoon.
  • Cook until the chicken loses its pinkness.
  • Add sauce ingredients to pan and stir to incorporate, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer mixture another 5 minutes.

In place of brown rice:

  • Sauteed diced zucchini, mushrooms
  • Kid friendly version use corn or cooked zucchini zoodles

To Serve:

    You can set up a serve yourself taco bar or assemble each wrap.

    • In each lettuce leaf place 2 tablespoons of rice or prepared vegetables
    • Top with approximately 2 tablespoons of chicken mixture
    • Garnish with a dab of Gochujong or Siracha sauce, green onions and sesame seeds.
    • Serve immediately.