melonpan

i may also consider getting one of the lodge deep sided pots later on. but for now at least i know i can used the enamelled stuff...

thank you all! ill try with the dutch ovens i already have. i was frying nori in the cheap stainless steel ramen pot and i used canola oil. i did not burn the nori but i still got the yellow/black sticky layer. i did try easy off 3 times on 3 separate occasions but it never completely came off, either on the inside or on the outside. after half a year of scrubbing whenever i use the pot, the black stuff is only now beginning to come off. i didnt want to ruin my other pots, but i think i will used the enamelled pots without fear. thanks again everyone!

ive probably deep fried things in my own kitchen 2, maybe 3 times in my life. if i have a craving for tempura or other snacks, ill just go out. deep frying seems messy, dangerous. and the last time i tried not only was it a total failure but i ended up with this yellow and black film on my pot that was a total bitch to scrub off. i probably wouldnt have been so discouraged by the failure if it wasnt for the scrubbing. however, i would like to begin deep frying a little, maybe several times a year, on a regular basis. i use five pots and pans on a regular basis: a 12 inch and an 8 inch non stick skillet, one staub and one le creuset dutch oven and a cheap little no name pan that i use for cooking up ramen, etc. oh. i forgot the large stockpot for veggies and pasta. i do not want to buy a deep fryer (the kind with baskets). ideally, id like to use maybe the dutch ovens but dont know if they are inappropriate. i already tried it in my no name pan. that is stainless steel and developed the sticky yellow and black film after deep frying. will i ruin my staub or le creuset if i deep fry in them? ive thought about getting a lodge type cast iron oven. or skillet with tall sides. seasoning it and maintaining it seems like an adventure, but im up for that. should i get a cast iron dutch oven without enamelling? i read from cooks illustrated that "Fries cooked in one of our cast iron pans tasted rusty; evidently, the preseasoned surface had failed. Cast iron is a great choice for a Dutch oven, because it holds onto heat so well. But cast iron will also react with many foods." have people had better luck with seasoned unenamelled cast iron? is there something else i should consider? maybe i wouldnt have gotten that yellow film if i used crisco instead of veg oil. *shrug* i truly am clueless when it comes to deep frying. i really would like to deep fry on a semi regular basis. help me get started. thanks so much!

this is something i highly recommend to all first time parents. and to people new to bagging it. i cant tell you how many soggy sandwiches i endured in middle and grade school. it wasnt really my moms fault of course. she didnt know anything about western sandwiches of course. and no one where i grew up ate from bentos or doshirak. eating the same thing that you pack for others can be a wonderful learning experience. definitely the way to go if youre new to this.

youre bound to have a fun night. all the orders tend to be small, so dont be disappointed if you dont like one particular skewer. another one will come along and youll surely find lots of items to your liking. ive only ever been to the ones in the u.s. and there have always been translations. if youre going to a place that doesnt have a menu you can read, youll have to rely on your friends! but try lots of different things regardless.

you all should try chazuke. it has a bit more flavour than nurungji so who knows, maybe thats right up your alley.

this whole thread honestly strikes me as rather strange. nurungji isnt "extreme" in any sort of way. its about as extreme as milk toast. or grits. or oatmeal porridge. its soupy rice. its a kind of comfort food. its appreciated for its "gosuhan" taste that jkim mentions which can be translated as something like "savory" or "nutty". which toasted/burnt rice is. its toasty, nutty, savory. im not trying to be a hater, but "pointless" and "extreme" seem silly. its rice in hot/warm water. koreas a rice eating culture. for "this is weird" you can go back to kimchi or jellyfish or dog stew... just my opinion.

cheonggukjang is probably the best name for it, but they are different. cheonggukjang isnt eaten the way natto is, instead it is almost exclusively used in stews. of course there are people who find novel ways to use food stuffs... but its usually a base for stews. they are similar yet different in the way the following are the same yet different: miso:duenjang makizushi:kimbap natto:cheonggukjang of these three examples, id say that natto/cheonggukjang are the least similar in usage. i like natto and it appeals to my korean tastes and i think koreans in general would like natto more, but maybe in the end, its too mild even with wasabi/karashi. not enough garlic, not enough chiles! ;-)

hey sheena, just letting you know that im going to work on another short post but it will be in a little while. its been interesting researching this and i promise i will share what i find. :-) have to go mow before the rains, and then reheat up some dinner. (we have some fresh ggaenip that i found in our tiny local market. cant wait!)

Sedum sarmentosum?

very curious as to what they are. youre right the second one does kind of look like squash leaves but squash leaves are not jagged. is your family growing these? you dont have a guess as to how to korean names sound? i also have some mystery greens but they are viet and i cannot find my photos of them. :-(

ha, thats right, it would be oridoritang. great name for any dish i should say

Aralia elata, based on the name "du-reub" (두릅) also aka Japanese angelica-tree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_angelica_tree

my good friend sent me a box from her overproductive tree last year. i used them in regular cooking but also made meyer lemon sorbet. good stuff! also, we used many of the seeds back in october to grow seedlings; apparently they will fruit true from seed.

sure! ssuk-gat: 쑥갓. injeolmi: 인절미

injeolmi is a kind of chapssalddeok that is usually coated with kong ggaru. im wondering what green youre thinking of. are you thinking about ssuk? there is ssuk injeolmi...

the leftovers are pretty good eaten at room temperature as a banchan. no need to heat. just take it out of the fridge and serve. reheating would just ruin the ssuk and the minari but the cold does temper the spiciness down a couple notches.

cooked this tonight and wrote down the steps. adapted from a korean cookbook 찌개와 전골. (no isbn. its old, from 1985. a lot of these books dont have isbns...) nakji jeon-gol korean baby octopi stew 1 onion 4 korean mild chiles (aka putgochu) 100 g chrysanthemum greens (aka ssukgat, aka shungiku) 50 g water dropwort (aka minari) 4 stalks green onions 4 fresh cleaned baby octopi (aka nakji) or 12 oz frozen packet, thawed in cold water 100 g beef 2 tbsp gochuggaru (korean chile powder) 2 tbsp gochujang (korean chile paste) 2 tbsp soy sauce 1.5 tbsp sugar 3 tsp sesame seeds 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp minced ginger pepper prepare vegetables: slice onions, set aside. wash korean mild chiles, destem, slice in half, deseed, then slice into thin diagonals; set aside with onions. wash and rinse chrysanthemum greens and water dropwart, shake dry and chop into 3 inch pieces; set aside with other vegetables. take two stalks of green onions and chop into 3 inch pieces; set aside together with onions, chiles and greens. finely chop the remaining two stalks of green onions. divide the chopped onions between two medium bowls. prepare nakji: rinse baby octopi and drain. separate heads from tentacles. slice heads into quarters. chop tentacles into 2 inch pieces. boil small pot of salted water on the stove. when the water is boiling add the chopped octopi and heat for a minute or two. drain and place parboiled octopi into one of the medium bowls with the chopped scallions. prepare beef: thinly slice the beef and add to the other bowl of chopped scallions. spice the meats: to the octopi bowl add the following items and mix well: 2 tbsp gochuggaru 2 tbsp gochujang 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sugar 2 tsp sesame seeds 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp minced ginger to the beef bowl add the following and mix well: 1 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp minced garlic pinch of pepper heat a tablespoon of sesame oil in a medium stewpot on medium high. add onions and beef and stir fry for a few minutes until the beef starts to color. add the octopi, all the vegetables and stir fry everything until the beef has cooked through. if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup water.

oooh, all the better!~ thank you!

going shopping but before i go i wanted to know if anyone can please tell me what weetabix is like. is it sweet? or not? or mildly sweet? thanks in advance!

wow, that is so interesting. i guess there are always things you take for granted. chicken meat is always cheaper bone in in the u.s. and getting a meaty ham bone was never a problem...

i just read about kids getting "bento days"; the parents get a break and the kids learn to be a bit more appreciative about the hard work! sounds like a win win. a quote from the article i read today "A significant decrease was subsequently noted in the amount of food left over from regular school lunches." :-)

where i live there is also a salvage company who sells cosmetically damaged, nearly expired or discontinued grocery items for cents on the dollar. they dont take coupons but the shit is cheap. produce tends to be cheap there too. i tend to get my produce at korean/chinese markets though because they are MUCH cheaper there and also fresher with a wider variety. i dont understand why they dont do a killing, killing off the regular american groceries' produce sections but i guess most americans just wont venture into korean or chinese markets. i have never gone into hispanic groceries though so i guess i can understand. but i dont need to go to a hispanic grocery when the produce prices are so great at the korean grocery! the japanese grocery marks up produce way too much and i will not buy there. i just purchase specialty items that i cannot get at the korean market. i LOVE the farmers market however. very cheap (i have to avoid some farmers though. not so cheap!) and of course, always in season. anyway. i just had to add that.

sooooo, moderators, pls feel free to delete (yes, go ahead) or move this topic as you see fit! ive been more interested in trying to prepare things very cheaply. buying in season, mostly. but when it comes to prepared foods, canned veggies, convenience products, ice cream, i have begun learning how to coupon and buy with the sales cycles. in the u.s. at least, the couponing thing is a big deal with respect to processed foods. i dont know how it started or exactly how it all works (with the expense of printing, distributing and processing coupons why do the u.s. companies feel the need to use coupons?) but if youre a careful shopper you can really get some canned foods cheaply or even free. cereal too. im not talking about nearly expired goods or weird off brands. or just a one time thing. im talking over and over and over again. and i wont even go into health and beauty products since this is mainly a food forum (but you NEVER need to pay for toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant or razors if you live near a metro area! i had no idea until a few months ago!). is there a coupon system for grocery products in japan? just curious. i dont know about korea either.

thats such a nicely presented lunch!