Korean Home Cooking

[ChryZ]

If you are going to make it

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Dunno. Deep fried stuff, sweet/sour and cooked fruits are all not my cup of tea.

So I made,

Dak Galbi

Panfried chicken in hot chili sauce with veggies. (

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ingredients

2-3 X chicken breast (cubed)

1/4 X cabbage (shredded)

1/4 X leek (chopped)

3 X garlic clove (sliced)

2 X scallion stalk (chopped)

1 X sweet potato (exchangeable with ricecakes or noodles)

1 X bunch of sesame leaves (perilla, shiso, optional)

1 X chili (deseeded and deveined)

2 TBSP gochujang

4-8 TBSP rice wine or soju

yang nyeom jang ingredients

1 X chili (deseeded and deveined)

1 X scallion stalk

1 X garlic clove

3 TBSP soy sauce

1 TSP chili flakes

1 TSP roasted sesame seeds

1 TSP sesame oil

1/2 TSP black pepper

green perilla leaves were out of stock, so I had to go with the red kind,

no worries, they are optional ... but they DO add some funk to the dish

blend the yang nyeom jang ingredients until smooth and marinate the cubed chicken with it,

30m-24h, chop up the veggies, keep some scallion, leek green and perilla aside,

add the gochujang to the chicken and its marinade, mix well

heat an oiled pan, add veggies and chicken, let sit for an moment until it's crackling

start stir-frying, keep at it for 10-15 min

add the big splash of rice wine or soju, flambe if you like,

keep stiring to deglaze the pan and to glaze the pans' content

add the saved greens and leaves, give it another quick stir

serve piping hot, top with a drizzle of sesame oil

this version is good for 2 servings, when served with

some sidedishes, soup and rice ... maybe even 4 servings

I like it chunky, but less chunky is fine too

[ChryZ]

So, today I made:

Soondooboo Jjigae

Korean stew with dried anchovy/shrimp broth, kimchi, pork, soft tofu, clams and some veggies.

main ingredients

100 G soft tofu (3.5 oz)

150 G pork (5.25 oz, sliced)

8 X clams

1 X red chili (sliced)

8 X fresh or frozen shrimp

2 X dried anchovy

1 X egg yolk

2 X scallion (roughly sliced)

1 CUP kimchi (1:1 ratio to pork, sliced)

2 CUP water

1/2 CUP dried shrimp

1 TBSP sesame oil (pressed from toasted seeds)

2 TBSP chili flakes

marinade ingredients

1 TSP soy sauce

1 TSP ginger

1 TSP garlic

1 TSP sesame oil (pressed from toasted seeds)

directions

-slice pork and marinate with marinade ingredients for at least 30 min

-heat pot, bring 2 cups of water to boil, add dried anchovies/shrimp, simmer for 10 min

-heat and oil pan, saute pork and kimchi until the pinkness of the pork is gone

-add anchovies/shrimp broth to pan, spoon tofu into the stew, add half the scallions and chili

-simmer for a few minutes, bring to boil and add clams, shrimps, chili and scallions

-transfer piping hot and bubbling to a bowl, serve topped with egg yolk and a drizzle of sesame oil

My first take on the dish. Very savoury

From now on I'm going to have a hard time deciding between this dish and Kimchi Jjigae ... hehe

[shengcai]

So, today I made:

Soondooboo Jjigae

Korean stew with dried anchovy/shrimp broth, kimchi, pork, soft tofu, clams and some veggies.

marinade ingredients

1 TSP soy sauce

1 TSP ginger

1 TSP garlic

1 TSP sesame oil (pressed from toasted seeds)

Wow, beautiful Jigae, Chryz! Perfect for a cold, wintery day! Do you really press your own sesame oil?

[ChryZ]

Wow, beautiful Jigae, Chryz! Perfect for a cold, wintery day! Do you really press your own sesame oil?

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Thanks! Yeah, it's really a delicious way to warm you up. Oh, the sesame oil question came up before and I forgot to answer it, now here then: I got a strong affection for sesame, but I wouldn't go so far to press my own sesame oil. I like to mention it though, since there are two kinds of sesame oil, cold pressed and pressed from roasted sesame. The one from roasted sesame is a lot more fragrant and I'm pointing it out so specifically since it's a flavoring agent in the dish.

[shengcai]

Hmmm....I've been using the Kadoya brand sesame oil. Would you happen to know if that is pressed from roasted sesame or cold-pressed? If it is indeed cold-pressed, I will have to go out and try this roasted sesame oil!

[ChryZ]

Hmmm....I've been using the Kadoya brand sesame oil. Would you happen to know if that is pressed from roasted sesame or cold-pressed? If it is indeed cold-pressed, I will have to go out and try this roasted sesame oil!

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Hm, never heard of it. So I googled for details, from their english product page:

KADOYA PURE SESAME OIL is made from sesameseeds carefully selected.

We are roasting and crushing them softly for producing its special rich aroma.

Cold pressed sesame oil on the other hand is less darker in color, almost bright yellow/golden, sometimes even colorless, less aromatic, less dominant and a lot more subtle.

Both kinds and even their mixes got their very own distinctive applications. From my experience the rule of thumb is: the higher the cooking heat the better it is to use cold pressed, roasted shouldn't be handled to rough, it's more like a spice or flavoring agent. Deep frying Tempura in roasted sesame oil might be an exception, but the frying time is pretty brief, no deep browning is desired and there is a big amount of oil ... or it's mixed/stretched with other oils/fats to boot.

Sorry for the rambling

[Chihiran]

Haemul Pajeon

(korean seafood/scallion pancake with spicy dip)

I've had this dish as part of a menu at a korean restaurant. Since I liked it a lot,

I did some research on it. First I've googled for english recipes, then I've found

the korean hangul version of pajeon (파전) via wikipedia. I've used it to search

the korean search engine naver.com and found a lot of pics, funny pictorials

and even a streamed cooking show (slightly annoying!), that explained how to

cook the dish. Do I speak korean? No. I've just pieced the english infos

and korean visual clues together and cooked the dish:

main ingredients

1 X egg

1 X bunch of scallions

2 X red chili

1 CUP flour

1 CUP ice water

1/3 CUP squid (1/4 of a squid, small slices)

1/3 CUP baby shrimp

1/3 CUP scallop (two adductor muscles, small slices)

1 TSP salt

1 TBSP sesame oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

3 TBSP peanut oil

dip ingredients

2 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 TSP chopped scallion

1 TSP roasted sesame

1 TSP chili flakes

1 TSP sugar

ChryZ! Thank you so much for this recipe! I must try it!

I started liking Korean food about 3 months ago (I never had really tried Korean food before) because I live in an area with so many Koreans! They're so many places with ready-made Korean food... and I love these pancakes.

I'm also really addicted to a very spicy miso soup with a lot of tofu. I have no idea what it's called, but does anyone have a recipe? I'd like to try to make it. And also, what are the main spices of Korean food?

[SheenaGreena]

I'm also really addicted to a very spicy miso soup with a lot of tofu. I have no idea what it's called, but does anyone have a recipe? I'd like to try to make it. And also, what are the main spices of Korean food?

you are probably thinking of dwaeng jang chi gae. It's basically fermented soy bean paste stew with lots of add-ins - including tofu.

to make it, I would just buy a jar of dwaeng jang paste from a korean grocery store. You mix that into a pot with some dried anchovies, crushed garlic, and add in your tofu, green onions, and whole hot peppers (if you like it spicy). I also like to add potatos and onions sometimes. Don't eat the anchovies though, they are only there to provide flavour to the broth. You can throw in some meat if you like, but I rarely eat it with meat...I think the tofu provides enough protein.

There aren't really spices in korean food, but here are some important ingredients that are used.

soy sauce

roasted sesame oil

garlic

eta: regarding the spicy miso like soup with tofu...is the tofu really soft or is it in cubes? If it is really soft, then maybe you are thinking of soon doobu.

green onions

ground red pepper (go chu garu)

red pepper paste (go chu jang)

soy bean paste (dweng jang)

Edited December 15, 2006 by SheenaGreena (log)

[ChryZ]

I've made a pictorial for dwaeng jang chi gae / dwenjang jjigae. It's on page two, but please don't look at it. I got a few things wrong, even tough my dish is tasty, it's just not a appropriate recipe for dwaeng jang chi gae / dwenjang jjigae. I've already planned to re-do the pictorial and correct my "mistakes". I wasn't paying a lot of attention to authenticity back then, nowadays I do ... well, as much as I can. So I'm always grateful for constructive criticism.

[Quarki]

I've made a pictorial for dwaeng jang chi gae / dwenjang jjigae. It's on page two, but please don't look at it. I got a few things wrong, even tough my dish is tasty, it's just not a appropriate recipe for dwaeng jang chi gae / dwenjang jjigae. I've already planned to re-do the pictorial and correct my "mistakes". I wasn't paying a lot of attention to authenticity back then, nowadays I do ... well, as much as I can. So I'm always grateful for constructive criticism.

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Hahah hmmmmmmm I love deong jang chigae... sooo I think you used the different type of bean sauce (black bean sauce)..

i'm planning to make deong jang chiggae soon.. .like this weekend

I think mostly you need tofu, deong jang, some chili powder flakes, anchovie.. and water..

yup^^

I've had it at different places so I'm taking the best of what i like and making it.. haha

I want that pot tho..

[Domestic Goddess]

Quarkie, I would suggest you add enoki mushrooms and thin slivers of red chilis and leeks. It would certainly add oomph to your dwenjang jjige.

[SheenaGreena]

Quarkie, I would suggest you add enoki mushrooms and thin slivers of red chilis and leeks. It would certainly add oomph to your dwenjang jjige.

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enoki mushrooms!!!!!!!!!!! I forgot about that. My mother puts that in hers and they are fantastic. She also has home made daeng jang which tastes a hell of alot better then store bought...home made has chunks of beans in it - yummy.

[ChryZ]

Okay, like mentioned before, my first version of Dwenjang Jjiigae from page two was a bit off. I'd like to give it another shot:

Dwenjang Jjiigae

ingredients

1 X big potato (quartered, thinly sliced)

1 X firm tofu (cubed)

1 X paengee beosut (enoki mushrooms, optional)

4 X dried anchovy

1 X red chili (sliced)

1 X zucchini (quartered, sliced)

3 X scallion (sliced)

3 X garlic clove (quartered)

1 X dasima (dried kelp, optional)

150 G pork (5.25 oz, thinly sliced, optional)

6 CUP water

1-2 CUP cooked rice

3-4 TBSP dwenjang (bean paste)

1 TBSP gochujang (red chili paste)

1 TBSP gochugaru (red chili flakes)

2 TBSP sesame oil (pressed from roasted seeds)

banchan #1 ingredients (side-dish, warm chrysanthemum salad, optional)

1 X bunch gughwasog (chrysanthemum leaves, shungiku)

1 X garlic clove (crushed)

2 TBSP veg oil

1 TBSP gochugaru (red chili flakes)

banchan #2 ingredients (side-dish, purple coleslaw, optional)

1 X half red cabbage (shredded)

2 TBSP veg oil

2 TBSP rice wine vinegar

1 TSP soy sauce

1/2 TSP honey or sugar

1 TSP salt and pepper (more or less)

no pics of the coleslaw prep, just shred the cabbage and mix with the other banchan #2 ingredients,

best done a couple of hours in advance, the coleslaw needs some time to develop its full flavour

first some slicing and dicing

gently saute the pork in one table-spoon of sesame oil, remove from pot, add water, garlic and kelp

bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 min, remove spend kelp and anchovies

add dwenjang and gochujang to a fine colander and dip it into the broth

stir dwenjang and gochujang in the colander to dissolve them

remove the colander with the chunky remains

add potato, zucchini, scallion, red chili and tofu

simmer until the potato and zucchini chunks are done

trim and clean chrysanthemum greens

saute crushed garlic and red chili flakes

add chrysanthemum greens and turn until slightly wilted

serve warm chrysanthemum salad topped with roasted sesame seeds and another drizzle of sesame oil

serve dwenjang jjiigae with enoki mushrooms, rice and sidedishes

I guess this recipe should be okay.

[melonpan]

eeek! DONT strain the chunky duenjang!

also, if you are a suk fan (mugwort, sook, shungiku, chrysanthemum greens), you may add cleaned coarsely chopped suk to duenjang jjigae.

i always add to my stews. i love suk.

[melonpan]

chryz looks yummmmmmy!

[melonpan]

also, if you are a suk fan (mugwort, sook, shungiku, chrysanthemum greens), you may add cleaned coarsely chopped suk to duenjang jjigae.

forgot to mention. add the suk only in the last minutes of cooking. dont want it overcooked in the stew.

[SheenaGreena]

eeek!  DONT strain the chunky duenjang!

also, if you are a suk fan (mugwort, sook, shungiku, chrysanthemum greens), you may add cleaned coarsely chopped suk to duenjang jjigae.

i always add to my stews.  i love suk.

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yeah, daeng jang is different then miso because us koreans like our daengjang chunky. CHunks of beans in the soup is kind of a surprise treat. So listen to the koreans, DON'T STRAIN.

oh and by the way, it looks delicious (:

[ChryZ]

Thanks! It really turned out great, that 1 kg dwenjang bucket will soon be gone

This was actually the first time that I've strained a paste and the "idea" came from quite a few Korean recipes/pictorials: 1, 2, 3, etc

I'm more the "better creamy than crunchy" peanut butter type and strained was veeeery nice

[Domestic Goddess]

I too, like the chunky stew. Don't strain as finding morsels of beans in the stew is like finding a nugget while panning for gold.

[melonpan]

This was actually the first time that I've strained a paste and the "idea" came from quite a few Korean recipes/pictorials: 1, 2,  3, etc

I'm more the "better creamy than crunchy" peanut butter type and strained was veeeery nice

if strained is veeeery nice, then please continue to do so.

however, thats not how koreans eat duenjang jjigae. those three pictorals actually use the strainers to break up the duenjang, not to strain the chunks out. the verb 풀다 means to mix, dissolve or break up, and it does not mean to filter or strain.

but be assured that i am not a stickler for these things. i realise that as food travels, things change and get interpreted differently. i know the chinese and japanese food that i make is tweaked to my korean sensibilities.

as long as it tastes good, i am all for it.

[SheenaGreena]

i have seen the japanese strain their miso with little mesh strainers. I think they do this to break it up so that there aren't huge salty chunks of miso floating in the soup.

beans = your best friend (:

so what are you making next?

[ChryZ]

Okay, next time I'm going to give unstrained another chance

so what are you making next?

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Not sure yet ... maybe jajangmyeon, japchae, sujaebi or seolleongtang.

BTW, I've bought jajang the other day and they had something called chunjang, also black bean based. It wasn't expensive, so I took a 500g jar home. Are jajang and chunjang the same, if not what is chunjang good for?

[SheenaGreena]

I say make seollangtang. Let's see how white you can get it!

[Soup]

Do any of you think prepared Bulgogi and rice will freeze well?

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I don't know if you got a answer to this but here is what I know.

If the meat is meat is yet uncooked, it freezes well. I do this with karbi and bulgogi all the time. Make a batch and freeze in serving portion. Both pork and beef work well.

As for already cook meat, its fine but not great as it tends to be a bit drive and tough by the time I reheat/cook it a second time. I don't do this anymore. I do store it in the refridgerator and it usually gets eaten within a few days.

I never freeze cooked rice. It never has the right texture. I do keep cooked rice in the refridgerator and reheating it in a microwave brings it back pretty well. Also great to add in soups and left over rice is great for bokum bap (aka fried rice).

[Peter Green]

Ah, Christmas Eve!

The children are tracking Santa on the Norad site, the spouse is outside the wire gathering school supplies, and I've been catching up on Christmas greetings.

And, being the 24th, we've a traditional meal of miyok guk....

Well, it's gotta be a tradition of someone besides nursing mothers!

They had nice oxtails the other day, so we've boiled these down, sheets of kelp, loads of garlic, spring onion, and "that's it".

I get grief 'cause I put my rice in the bowl with it. But I'm a savage.

You could also make this with clams, like my sisters-in-law.......

I would've taken pictures, but everyone was too hungry once they were all assembled.

Merry Christmas, everyone!