Are you like me? I hate making salads. I love salads, but prepping veggies, not so much. I only have enough bandwidth to prep maybe 1-2 fixings for a salad. Which means my salads are pretty darn boring. Helloooo, Banchan. Banchan are little appetizers plates that come with every Korean meal. Banchan can include seafood like fishcake but are generally comprised of vegetables such as soybeans, radishes, potatoes or CUCUMBERS (my favorite). It’s my veggie salvation. Instead of a salad, I pull out my jar of kimchi or pickled radishes, slice some cucumbers and splash a soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onion dressing on the cucumbers. So refreshing and delicious. Yep, rockin’ the banchan.
One of my favorite kitchen gadgets is the Japanese Behringer mandoline. I purchased mine when I was in school in Los Angeles a long time ago, and I mean a LONG time ago. Thirty years later it’s still going strong, it’s a great option if you don’t have a mandoline. It is sturdy, inexpensive and apparently very durable (I can vouch for that), find it here.
I love this little salad. It is stupid easy to make and delicious. I use soy dashi, (a combination of soy sauce and dashi, a fish-based stock) when I want a smokey, slightly briny taste to the cucumbers. Would be a lovely side dish with the Gochujang-Lime Salmon or the Braised Pork Belly rice bowl.
1cucumberJapanese, English, Persian about 1 1/2 cup sliced for 1 cucumber
Dressing
1Tbssoy sauce or Soy Dashi
2Tbsrice vinegar
1Tbssugar
1/2tspKorean red chili powder
1tspsesame oil
Garnish
1/4tspsesame seeds
2green onionschopped
Instructions
Slice cucumbers into thin slices. Around 1/8 inch (3 mm).
Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a bowl. Pour soy vinegar into the bowl with cucumbers.
Then, add 1/2 tsp chili powder and sesame seeds. Mix and taste. Add more chili powder if you want. Doing it in this order allows you to taste and control the amount of chili powder based on how spicy you want it.
Add chopped green onions and mix again.
YOU ARE DONE!! Serve immediately for the freshest and crunchiest cucumbers. You can also let it sit for 10-15 minutes for the cucumbers to absorb the dressing before serving.
Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List
This year I joined in on Food52’s Holiday Gift Swap. It was simple, all I had to do was make a donation to their designated charity and promise to send a food-centric gift by Dec. 10th. A couple of days later, I received my “Secret Santa” swapee’s name and address. My swappee lives in Colorado, I already had a list of go to items I wanted to send her like Jule’s granola and my cousin’s spiced pecans.
My box of goodies came from Catherine of Salt Lake City. Like a kid in a candy store, I quickly tore the box open and discovered a treasure trove of gifts, sweet and salty chocolate sprinkles, popcorn seasoning, salad toppings, a too cute kitchen towel and a delicious cereal mix- Ashure Cereal that I started munching on immediately. Luckily, Cathy included the recipe by Saimin Nosrat in the NY Times. It starts with a base of puffed wheat, nuts, and sesame seeds. Then spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and mahaleb, (a middle eastern spice from cherry seeds, think bitter almond) and finally toasted in the oven with brown sugar, honey and oil. It is addictively delicious.
After scarffing down the bag, I knew I had to make my own batch.
This is where the search begins…
I head to my favorite market, International Food Bazaar. I unwittingly thought that the spices would be the hardest to find. Surprisingly not true. Most of the ingredients and spices can also be found online.
With Mahaleb in hand, I head to my neighborhood grocery for the puffed wheat cereal…
4 STORES later, I walk out empty-handed and dejected. Not a bag or box of puffed wheat to be found. Apparently it is really hard to find puffed cereals without sugar added. Who would have “thunk” it?
I took to the internet, and found Vitacost, a supplement/health food site where I not only find Puffed Wheat, but Puffed Kamut (an ancient grain), Puffed Corn and Puffed Rice. You can find Puffed Rice by Quaker Oats in the supermarket, a great alternative for a gluten free version. I like Puffed Kamut. I would definitely cut a bit of the cereal and add more nuts and Mahaleb. Watch carefully when baking as it browns fairly quickly. I love it over yogurt and fresh fruit or straight out of hand.
So be forewarned, the most difficult ingredient to find will be the cereal. But it will be well worth it, Ashure Cereal is absolutely delicious.
Here, for you to drool over, my Food 52 holiday swap gift from Cathy!
10cups/160 grams puffed wheatsub Puffed Kamut or Rice
3/4 Scant cup/85 grams halved pecansincrease to 1 cup
1⁄3 cup/50 grams pumpkin seeds
3tablespoons/30 grams sesame seeds
1⁄2 cup/85 grams almondsvery roughly chopped, or left whole with skin
Instructions
Step 1
Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Heat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
Step 2
Combine oil, honey and sugar in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Whisk well, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
Step 3
In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Once the honey mixture comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Working quickly, use a large silicone spatula to stir, turning the contents of the bowl over until everything is coated evenly with the syrup. Transfer mixture to baking sheets, and use spatula to flatten out cereal into an even layer.
Step 4
Place baking sheets on prepared oven racks, and bake for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove 1 tray at a time, and use spatula to stir cereal around. Rotate trays 180 degrees, and switch oven positions to ensure even baking. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool entirely on the trays before breaking cereal into large clusters.
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!
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.
Every now and then my political leanings sneak into a post. Nothing overt, a line, a sigh, a one-liner although I’m pretty sure my feelings are pretty obvious, oh well. After the election I found myself feeling like that chicken running around screaming “the sky is falling, the sky is falling! In order to not drive myself crazy, I decided I had to somehow channel that energy. I had to stop lamenting over my latte’ and do something.
March for Science
I went to marches and rallies, dressed Sammy up, and took him to marches. Attended lectures, started reading books that didn’t have recipes, and subscribed to a bunch of podcasts. Finally, I took the leap and joined a political action group organized by 3 amazing women in my community. From there, I have met so many AMAZING people that I would not have met otherwise if not for the outcome of THAT election.
See, there is a silver lining to everything
One of which is meeting T&H. I adore them. They are genuine, smart, funny, a little quirky (love that), compassionate, passionate…I could go on and on.
Wait, what the heck, they’re VEGAN? Dealbreaker
Just kidding. The other night it was my turn to host our advocacy dinner meeting. Most of the meal was pretty easy,spicy sesame noodles, a nice toss green salad, fresh berries. Roasted salmon on the side for non-vegan, meat-eating folks (ME). Easy peasy until…DESSERT.
What is a no-holds-bar, butter-obsessed, whipped cream-eating, dessert lover (ME again) to do?
So, being a “Big Tent” person, I went on the hunt for vegan desserts. The first Vegan recipe I tried was an Olive Oil Shortbread with Rosemary & Chocolate Chunks from Smitten Kitchen. Pretty good…for a vegan cookie (ahhh, the qualifier). This time around I found a recipe for a Banana Pecan Shortbread on Minimalist Baker. This looked promising.
Guess what, they are yummylicious (no qualifier).
The secret ingredient? Coconut oil. The cookie has a nice fine crumb and a bit of crispiness at the edges. These definitely give traditional shortbread a run for its money. The pecans and banana add both sweetness and a buttery finish, you really don’t miss the butter.
I used refined organic expeller pressed coconut oil from Whole Foods. Refined coconut oil has very little flavor and is a great substitute. I threw it in the fridge for a couple of minutes to make sure it was completely solid and creamed the coconut oil with the sugar, just like butter. I saw a couple of comments with regard to using coconut oil in the liquid state, but nope. I’ll leave it to others to experiment. I molded it into a cylinder, slipped it into my trusty PVC pipe (the secret to perfectly round cookies), and chilled it for a couple of hours. The cookies took closer to 15-18 minutes to bake in my oven, so start checking a little earlier than the stated baking time.
You could probably substitute a gluten-free flour mix to make this not only vegan but gluten-free. Next time I might try substituting almond flour for part of the flour to see if it makes it a touch more tender cookie. But honestly, it’s pretty darn good the way it is!
1/3cupmashed ripe banana1 small banana yields ~1/3 cup
3/4cuporganic cane sugar or granulated sugar
Flavor Bumps
1tsppure vanilla extract
1/4tspsea salt
Dry Mix
2 1/2cupsunbleached all-purpose flour
1/4cuppecansfinely chopped
1/4tspground cinnamonoptional but I do add it
Instructions
Cream oil, sugar and banana. Add vanilla, and salt, blend until incorporated.
Add flour and blend. (If you are adding cinnamon, add it to the flour). Add pecans and mix once more. Do not overmix.
Transfer to a large piece of parchment paper and roll into a tight log, ~ 2 inches wide. Freeze for 15 minutes to harden. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll paper and slice cookies into slightly less than 1/2 inch rounds. Use a sharp or serrated bread knife. If it’s too soft, freeze it a little longer. If the dough has become too hard, let it rest for a few minutes at room temp to soften.
Place on an un-greased baking sheet approximately 1/2 inch apart. They won’t spread much. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown.
Notes
With all the wonderful gluten-free flours now. You could probably sub for the all-purpose flour to make this not only vegan but gluten-free!Enhance the pecans by toasting them first. Place pecans on a small baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. When you notice the aroma of the pecans they are done!
East Meets West for Happy Hour (Korean Style Flatbread Pizza)
Right around this time, I catch myself wondering how quickly the year has flown by. Summer was a blip on the screen and now Labor Day Weekend is here. As a kid, Labor Day signaled the end of summer and BACK TO SCHOOL. Since the weather is still warm enough, an outdoor happy hour and bbq is the perfect way to officially say goodbye to summer and usher in the fall.
Which means HAPPY HOUR FINGER FOOD, YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY. What do you know, I found a winner in my latest favorite cookbook, Everyday Korean. Pizza with an Asian riff, Korean Style Flatbread Pizza.
I test drove these bad boys on my postcard posse last week and got the thumbs up. The base of our fusion pizza is Naan bread, which you can purchase at just about any self-respecting grocery store or at Costco. I keep a stash in my freezer to warm in my toaster oven as needed. The sauce for the pizza is made with Gochujangand sour cream. The sour cream mellows the spicy pepper paste but you still get a nice kick. Top the pizzas with shredded mozzarella and ANY TOPPING YOUR LITTLE HEART DESIRES. I covered a couple with the classic fresh tomatoes and basil and a sprinkle of Parmigiano. The next set had bits of leftover Korean bbq beef, green onions, and sesame seeds which proved to be a delicious combo. I scattered spicy pickled cucumbers and leeks, a traditional banchan (Korean side dish), on the remaining Naan. I can’t decide which was my favorite, I liked them all.
My next batch might have pineapple and prosciutto or teriyaki chicken and red onions. Use your imagination or try your favorite pizza toppings. Having friends over? Let them create their own. Enjoy!
Korean-Style Flatbread
A fusion pizza that is both easy and delicious! Korean Pepper Paste and sour cream replace traditional tomato sauce on top of Naan bread base.
4 naan (fresh store-bought or frozen)
2 cups mozzarella (8 ounces)
1/2 cup Gochujang Sour Cream
Gochujang Sour Cream Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Gochujang
sesame seeds, green onions (or fresh herbs of choice)
Toppings
tomatoes, basil, Korean bbq,
Your choice!
Preheat oven to 425 F.Place naan on baking sheet. Brush each naan with 2 tablespoons of Gochujang Sour Cream. Divide the mozzarella among the top of naan. Go crazy with your toppings. Bake 10-12 minutes until cheese bubbles and the naan crisps.
Place sour cream and gochujang in a small bowl: stir to combine. Add any optional garnishes. Store in airtight container in fridge for up to 1 week. Stir before using.
We are a divided family. Hubby likes chewy oatmeal cookies and ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies. Me? I love shortbread, crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a hint of sweetness, and decidedly not chewy. Perhaps, cookie preference is a dominant gene trait? ALL my kids love chewy cookies just like Wes. I thought it was a kid thing (I consider the hubs a kid). I assumed when they got older their palates would become more refined, sophisticated m. Surely, they would come around.
Nope
Even now, when I make cookies that aren’t chewy the response is “They’re ok” or “I like chewy cookies better” or “Wonder if Dad can make some Good Cookies.” The only rational explanation? Mendelian Genetics. Yep, a predisposition to chewy cookies. Ooh, did you just have an involuntary flashback to high school biology? I concede, in our house, chewy cookies reign supreme.
I Went to a Garden Party
For a summer fundraiser, I volunteered to make Mexican Wedding Cookies. My partner at the dessert table, Emily, brought an unassuming looking oatmeal cookie, They disappeared in a flash which caught my attention. I grabbed one and took a bite. Yum! This cookie was CHEWY, sweet, buttery, with a bit of crunch. It definitely fell into the Wes and kids’ cookie camp. I snuck a couple (ok, more than a couple) onto my cookie plate to take home.
As soon as I got home, Jordan grabbed one of the cookies and gobbled it down, then he grabbed another and exclaimed: “This might be the best cookie yet!”
Determined to make them asap, I Googled cookies, coconut, Rice Krispies, and oatmeal, the ingredients Emily had rattled off to me. Instantly, a bunch of recipes popped up for Ranger Cookies. Some had chocolate or butterscotch chips, and some had different cereals. The blog, Let’s Dish, contained all the ingredients Emily mentioned so this became my starting point. I hit the jackpot, these were just like hers.
Ranger Cookie Tips
Start by creaming butter and sugar until light and fluffy should take about 2-3 minutes tops. Then add eggs and vanilla, mix until well combined. The recipe calls for gradually adding dry ingredients. My detour, add it all at once and combine at low speed just until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Finally, stir cereal, coconut, and oatmeal in by hand.
Chilling the dough before baking prevents spreading. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. Bake cookies on parchment paper. With 3-4 minutes left to bake, rap the pan on the wire rack to get the cookies to fall, this helps create those cool crevices.
If your cookies aren’t perfectly round, after taking the cookies out of the oven, quickly invert a glass over each cookie and swirl it around. This will shape cookies into perfect little circles. Or skip it, they’ll be gone before anyone besides you notices.
Feel free to add chocolate chips or butterscotch chips for a twist. You can replace the Rice Krispies with partially crushed Corn Flakes, they’rrrrre great! All you Tony the Tiger fans.
Ok, maybe chewy is not a genetic thing…maybe chewy cookies are just really, really delicious (don’t tell my kids I said that). Either way, they belong on your gotta bake cookie list.
Chewy oatmeal cookies loaded with coconut and crisp rice cereal. Simple and delicious, these cookies are a favorite with kids and grown-up kids as well!
1cupbuttersoftened, this is an old recipe, before unsalted butter was so widely available. I would guess folks normally used salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase salt in recipe to 1 teaspoon.
1cupwhite sugar
1cuppacked brown sugarlight or dark
The Wet Ingredients
2eggs
1tablespoonvanilla extract
The Dry Ingredients-Combine and set aside
2cupsall-purpose flourI use King Arthur Flour and it worked fine. Once again an old recipe, Gold Medal was probably the standard, which has slightly less protein than KA.
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonsalt
The Adds
2cupsquick cooking oatsNO instant oatmeal please
2cupsRice Krispies cereal
1cupflaked sweetened coconutyou could probably use unsweetened coconut too.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. (2-3 min) Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix well (do not overmix though). Stir in oats, cereal, and coconut.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. If you have a #40 ice cream scoop (1.75 Tablespoons) use that to create uniform dough balls.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on pan for 3-5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
I use parchment paper to line my baking sheets. These cookies can be baked directly on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Will Cook for Tomatoes (Pasta with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil)
This is going to be a short post. I wanted to make sure I posted while all of you are harvesting your bushels of homegrown tomatoes (I am so jealous). Yes, I see your photos on FB and Instagram of all those love apples ripening on the vine in your backyard. I see the basket on your kitchen counter overflowing with heirloom tomatoes, Sweet 100’s and Early Girls and those gorgeous salads you are making with them. I hate you. Ok, I’m kidding, I don’t really hate you, but I do have tomato envy-so, so jealous. We just haven’t had much luck with tomatoes lately. After looking at our sad vines, I caved and bought some dry farm tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market, I couldn’t resist.
I made a beeline home and used those tomatoes, and the few I was able to pull off our vines (so few, so sad), to make my favorite pasta dish, Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato, Garlic, and Basil. This dish captures the essence of summer, where the star are those vine-ripened, luscious tomatoes. You know, the ones you grew and I had to buy (auugh, so fixated). I pulled out my dog-eared copy of Kuleto’s Contemporary Italian Cookbook and flipped to the page for Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato, Garlic and Basil and in barely 30 minutes we were sitting down to the best damn bowl of pasta. So delicious, so easy and so simple.
All you need for this dish, besides tomatoes, is noodles, olive oil, garlic, and basil. That’s pretty much it. How simple is that?! In full transparency, I didn’t have angel hair pasta so I used linguine fini. Normally I would say NBD, but in this case, use angel hair pasta, it is the perfect match for this sauce.
So, yes, despite my tomato envy I’m passing this delicious recipe along to all of you who have that “difficult task” of figuring out what to do with all those homegrown tomatoes. ALTHOUGH…another option, you could call me, I’ll gladly take some off your hands!
Fresh summer tomatoes, garlic and basil the building blocks for a classic, delicious pasta dish
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Angel hair pasta, basil, garlic, tomatoes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
1/4cupgarlicthinly sliced
7 tbspolive oilextra virgin
2cups fresh tomatoesseeded and diced, ~ 1pound
2/3cupbasil leavesroughly chopped or julienned
3/4tspkosher saltor to taste
1/2TSPblack pepperfreshly ground
6ouncesAngel Hair PastaCapellini
Instructions
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in sauce pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook slowly until garlic is lightly and evenly browned. Reduce heat to low add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Cook just until tomatoes are heated through. Remove 1/3 sauce from skillet and reserve.Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions in boiling, salted water. Drain and add pasta and remaining olive oil to skillet. Toss to coat with oil. Remove to serving bowl or leave in skillet and top with remaining sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan if desired.
Korean bbq comes to mind when summer rolls around and barbecue gets top billing. I love Korean barbecue especially Kalbi and Bulgogi. Kalbi, cross-cut or flanken-style beef ribs, are marinated in a garlicky soy sauce mixture flavored with sesame oil, green onions, sugar to sweeten and fresh ground pepper. The ribs are marinated for at least a couple of hours before they’re thrown on the grill. Cut crosswise (genius), they cook in minutes, a good thing since the aroma the sizzling meat and marinade as it caramelizes makes me hungry. Bulgogi, thin strips of meat, marinaded in a similar manner, is cooked on the grill, wrapped in lettuce along with a bite of rice, a bit of kimchi and dollop of gochujang and then quickly STUFFED in your mouth…hot, sweet, salty, crunchy..so good. Party in my mouth.
I came across a recipe for Bulgogi Meatballs, the perfect answer to when you are craving Korean bbq but don’t have the time to marinade the meat. A combination of ground beef and pork seasoned like Bulgogi, then formed into meatballs and fried or baked is a spot-on stand-in for Korean bbq. The Bulgogi meatballs can be served by themselves with various dipping sauces, wrapped in lettuce, served with rice or made into a slider topped with cheese and kimchi. It’s simple, quick and delicious.
The recipe comes from Everyday Korean, yes, another cookbook I picked up recently. Gorgeous photos and a fusion twist caught my eye. A flatbread topped with a Gochujang Sour Cream and mozzarella will be my next foray in this book. Intriguing, different. I’ll keep you posted.
This recipe, from Everyday Korean by Kim Sunée and Seung Hee Lee, is a tasty spin on a familiar dish. Shape these into meatballs and serve with the dipping sauces along with lettuce leaves or steamed rice. Or make them into sliders to serve on toasted mini buns with grated Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and mustard.
Author Everyday Korean
Ingredients
¼cuplow-sodium soy sauce
3Tbspdark brown sugar
3Tbspminced green onion
2Tbspminced garlic
2Tbsptoasted sesame oil
2tspfish sauce
¾tspfreshly ground black pepper
¼Asian pearor Bosc or Bartlett pear, grated
1⁄3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1lbground beefpreferably chuck and short rib
1lbground pork or veal
1large egglightly beaten
Toasted sesame seedsfor garnish (optional)
Ssamjang
½cupdoenjangfermented soybean paste or miso
¼cupgochujangKorean fermented chile paste
2Tbspsesame oil
1Tbspsugar
1Tbsprice vinegar or cider vinegar
1Tbspminced garlic
1Tbspminced green onionwhite parts only
1Tbspminced jalapeño serrano chilestems and seeds removed (optional)
Soy Vinegar Dipping Sauce
¼cuplow-sodium soy sauce
¼cuprice vinegar or cider vinegar
1Tbspsugar
1Tbspfinely chopped green onion
1tspgochugaruKorean red pepper flakes, optional
1tsptoasted sesame oiloptional
Toasted sesame seedsfor garnish (optional)
Instructions
To make meatballs::
In a large bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients. Add panko, ground meats and egg; mix just until combined (do not overmix). Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Form meat mixture into 40-50 mini meatballs or about 18 slider patties; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through but still tender and moist, turning the pan halfway through cooking time.
OR
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs or patties to pan, leaving space. Cook, shaking pan occasionally until meat begins to brown on one side (~3 minutes). Gently flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Until just cooked thru.
Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with Ssamjang and Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce.
To make Ssamjang::
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup.
To make Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:
In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, onion, and gochugaru and sesame oil, if desired. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds just before serving, if desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes about ½ cup.
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.
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.
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.
