melonpan

i should add that product in the photo is labeled as "ochazuke juk". most of you might know that juk (or "jook") is watery rice. a general recipe for this can be 1 part rice to 6-8 parts water...

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041028ochazuke.jpg"></center> at the korean market i noticed for the first time boxes of instant ochazuke for sale. this means that flavoured watery rice is packaged and sealed in plastic bowls that you stick in the microwave. my husband was as surprised as i was to see this. he said that koreans dont know what ochazuke is. i told him that he hasnt lived there in the last 10 years so hes out of touch. maybe these days they all know...

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027garlic.jpg"></center> <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027garlic2.jpg"></center> this snack i bought because it sounded so weird. i am sure that this garlic snack sounds weird to most koreans too (the name in korean translates exactly to "garlic snack"). got it anyway and i was kind of surprised by how trashy good this is. the little bags they come in are distinctive plastic foil. the photo doesnt show this very well, since its so reflective. anyhow the garlic snacks look and feel a lot like banana chips. they are light and sound kind of hollow. i think these have been deep fried. when you pop them into your mouth, the first thing that you taste is the salt. its not too salty. salty in a good way. not much garlic flavor at all until you bite into it. the garlic slices are very crunchy and yes, quite garlicky. as you chew up the garlic, then the sweetness comes to play. its really quite sweet. almost to the point where its not good. but to me they did not cross that line. i think the snack would have worked with much less sugar. a good anju (snack with alcohol). maybe theyd be good in a bowl of bun or even regular salads. good in some western style soups too, i would imagine.

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027dudu.jpg"></center> the name of this drink doesnt translate very well into american english. its called "doo doo", which means "bean bean". their target is korean folks, but it still is a funny name to me. its a beverage made from black beans. bought one and i cant say anything really good about it. there is a bean flavour, but its ruined by way too much sugar.. the labelling does say that it is for children. there is another version, i guess it should be less sweet, but i dont know for sure. it has the same name and comes in large liter bottles.

oh... i was wondering about what bontan is like. now i know for sure. the same as botan!

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027hiChew.jpg"></center> muscat hiChew. its about 20 times better than grape... this has replaced yogurt as my favourite...

there is one that i particularly like because it is so addictingly salty... "soft salad". (ソフトサラダ). i ran a <a href ="http://storage.kanshin.com/free/img_1/13588/474447193.jpg">google search</a> on it. i didnt come up with many hits actually. its probably not that popular in japan; at least not with hundreds of others competing with it. just off the top of my head, id guess that the local supermarket here sells, oh, maybe 7-10 types of sembei. im just guessing. but not too many i should think. theyre either sweet or salty (or both -- soy saucey). and no exotic fun flavours like garlic, plum or cod roe. wonder if americanising it would make it more popular with the locals here. maybe chocolate sembei? or peanut butter sembei?

maybe you are thinking about bindaeddeok (빈대떡)? they are made with mung beans. flour or mashed. i dont actually know. but i think this is a good chance for me to find out and maybe even try cooking. as a kid, i never liked bindaeddeok, not if there was good jeon around. but now i can appreciate it and even like it when other people order.i will look into learning how to make it, but i am unable to do anything in the immediate future. when i have the chance, i will post here.

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi06.jpg"></center> <b>anchovy stir fry sidedish</b> (green pepper and anchovy stir fry) 멸치볶음 (멸치 풋고추 볶음) 2 cups of dried anchovies, picked over 8 korean green chile peppers, sliced into thick strips 2 red jalapenos, sliced into strips 8 cloves garlic, sliced thin 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1.5 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon of sake or cooking wine a drop of sesame seed oil toasted sesame seeds <ol><li>prep the ingredients. pick over the anchovies, making sure the anchovies are clean. slice the chile peppers, jalapenos and garlic. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi.jpg"></center> <li>in a non stick pan, fry the anchovies over medium high heat WITHOUT oil for a couple minutes. move the anchovies to a bowl for the time being. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi02.jpg"></center> <li>in the now empty pan, add two tablespoons of cooking oil. fry the korean green chile peppers, the jalapenos and the garlic for about three minutes, until the garlic has cooked through and the green chile shave brightened. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi03.jpg"></center> <li>add the water, the soy sauce, sugar and sake. mix well. keep stirring so that the sugar dissolves and so that the water starts to evaporate and the sauce thickens. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi04.jpg"></center> <li>after about two minutes, when the sauce has thickened a bit and the bubbles are bigger, dump in all the anchovies and stir well. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi05.jpg"></center> <li>keep stir frying until the dish dries out a little bit, but take care not to burn. <li>add a little bit of sesame seed oil for flavor and top with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. (i didnt this time around.)</ol> <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi06.jpg"></center> <hr width = "65%"> notes:<blockquote><ul><li>you can find anchovies (멸치, myeolchi) at the korean supermarket. they will be labeled as dried anchovies and in korean, they will be labeled as 볶음멸치 (bokkeum myeolchi). they come in a variety of sizes for different uses (stir fries or for use in making soup base) but the ones im using for this dish average 4 cm from head to tail. you can use iriko in this recipe (it is the same thing as myeolchi, actually). if they are too large, just pull off the heads and take out the innards before cooking. the iriko below are kind of on the large side, although there are even larger grades. some folks pull the heads and innards out for even the small guys. thats too fussy for me. besides, this dish still tastes good with the heads! but any larger than 4 cm, id probably pull the heads off too. <center> a "special" grade from korea. a little more expensive than the regular stuff. was used this time around. <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi07.jpg"></center> <center>another brand on the left and japanese iriko on the right. <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi08.jpg"></center> <li>korean green chile peppers (풋고추, put gochu) are korean red chiles that have not yet matured. they are not as spicy as when they are red. they are eaten raw (often dipped into chile paste or in soy bean paste or a mixture of both) or cooked in stews and stirfries. <a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=%ED%92%8B%EA%B3%A0%EC%B6%94&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi">put gochu images from google</a>. these green chile peppers can be more spicy than bell peppers, but are generally pretty mild. <center>at one of the stores, they label them as "korean chilli" (sic) <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi09.jpg"></center> <center>a close up of "put gochu", korean green chile pepper <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041024myeolchi10.jpg"></center> <li>since the green peppers are not very spicy, i have added jalapenos. i have chosen red ones for their color. they are optional, as are the korean green chiles. <li>i have made this dish with walnuts and pecans. they are an interesting addition. you can add them when you stir fry the garlic and peppers. <li>you can go the other extreme and do this dish with ONLY the anchovies. that tastes good too. be sure to increase the anchovies for the amount of seasoning if you want to do that...</ul></blockquote>thank you for reading.

congratulations are in order! very tenacious. that cup must have been so satisfying in more ways than one. the radiator fan. do you attach it somewhere? looking forward to the text additions.

today i bought some ddeok bc i wanted to have some ddeokbokki tonight. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041021ddeokBefore.jpg"></center> here they usually have really fresh stuff no matter when i drop by the grocery. when i got home, i decided to check what was written here about the topic and i was not let down: intriguing. i didnt know ppl made this without gochujang. but mulyeot (aka corn syrup or malt syrup)... i have an unrational fear of mulyeot (dont have any!) and i dont use it and when its important to the dish, i just dont make the dish. but if i had known about this post, i would have gotten that mulyeot today. anyhow... these ddeoks are quite delicious when fresh. very soft, just a tiniest bit salty and deeply satisfyingly chewly. i ate three pieces and left it on the counter to cook up later on. when my husband came home, i gave him the package since they were still deliciously soft. i told him to eat just a couple pieces because i wanted to cook them up later. i went back a little later to his desk and this is what i found: <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041021ddeokAfter.jpg"></center> ack! we will have considerably less ddeokbokki than planned.

love the acorn squash! sounds like im gonna have a burned tongue soon...

is the salted tempura noticably salty? were the veggies salted before hand or was the batter just saltier or both? (<a href="http://gallery.houseberg.com/JapanFoodOct2004/Japan_October_2004_Group_3_324">ref</a>) the candy displays are quite impressive.

hmm. saw this in the checkout line some time ago. i had planned to look up the characters to find out more about what this is but never took the time. even though i have not done any homework, i am just gonna let this one go. heres a picture of it anyhow... <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041021tabaco.jpg"></center> im not sure if this has nicotine in it or if its supposed to cover up cigarette breath or what... i should have looked at the back of the roll when i had the chance but i didnt think to do so.

i actually quite like the choco gummies. theres no accounting for taste...

erm... does <a href="http://www.twinkies.com/recipebox/index.asp?cmd=view&id=84">this</a> count?

spied, but not bought.... <center>honnori mint yogurt candies from kasugai <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019mintYogurt.jpg"></center> i kind of wish i bought it though. i really like the idea of mint yogurt.

buchu jeon (부추전) garlic chive pancake ingredients <b>2 bunches garlic chives (buchu) 1 handful shrimp, clam or oyster meat (optional) 3/4 cup flour 3 tablespoons mochiko (sweet rice flour) 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 3/4 cup water oil for frying</b> <ol><li>rinse, then shake dry the garlic chives. pick out any dried out leaves. chop them into 5 cm lengths. set aside. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019buchu2.jpg"></center> <li>if using seafood, clean and prep by chopping into small pieces. this time i used a handful of shrimp i found in the freezer. i defrosted them in cold water, took off the shells and chopped them fine. set aside. <li>in a large bowl, mix flour, mochiko, eggs, salt and pepper and water. mix well. gently fold in the chives and seafood, if using. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019buchu3.jpg"></center> <li>turn the stove to medium high and heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a frypan. when the oil is hot, add heaping spoonfuls of the batter. make them any size you want. this time i made them pretty small. but they can be two, three or even four times that size. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019buchu4.jpg"></center> <li>fry on each side, until the sides are slightly browned. add more oil as needed. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019buchu5.jpg"></center> <li>serve with chojang (recipe at the bottom).</ol> <i>notes:<blockquote>buchu is apparently sometimes called garlic chives or chinese chives. they are not the same thing as regular chives. the regular western chives are shaped like straws. buchu, on the other hand, is flat and shaped like loooong blades of grass. i looked it up and i believe the scientific name is </i>Allium tuberosum<i>. i know for a fact that these are found as weeds in america. as a child, i went into the forest with my mother and gathered them where she made jeon and buchu kimchi. also, i have collected buchu in public parks in maryland and in virginia. when sold at stores, they are typically sold in bunches (regular chopsticks for size reference): <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019buchu.jpg"></center></blockquote></i> <hr width = "65%"> chojang dipping sauce ingredients <b>1 part water 1.5 parts vinegar 3 parts soy sauce</b> <ol><li>mix all three ingredients in a jar or small bowl. <li>if desired, add some or all of the following: <blockquote><ul><li>sesame seeds <li>gochuggaru (korean chile powder) <li>finely chopped scallions</ul></ol> <i>notes:<blockquote>i usually make this so that the water is equal to 1/4 of a cup. i store the rest in the fridge for later use, using only about half a cup for one night. this sauce is also used for any other kind of jeon and for mandu. you can up the gochuggaru content.</blockquote></i>

the yamasa company (the red one with the korean writing on it) is packaged for korean people and i am sure that they labeled it tempura on purpose. koreans apparently call that type of satsuma age "tempura" (lit "tem-bu-ra").

is there any reason why more people dont use a skillet? is it bc its simply more difficult to roast in a pan?

this quote just kills me. who can resist trying after reading this?

also i would like to add that i will be trying hanpen for first time during my next nabe session. maybe i will fill the center with some slices of american cheese that have been languishing in the fridge for a couple months (that stuff never goes bad!!) i am curious about hanpen!

i am curious about the fish paste. is the fish paste in general called oden? is kamaboko an oden? or is kamaboko kamaboko? i ADORE fish cakes of any kind. BUT i almost never eat them. i have had so many bad experiences with freezer burn flavor in fish cake. i will eat kamaboko, though. if i could get fresher oden reliably, then i am sure i would be eating it weekly. actually odeng doesnt even have to be fresh. it just cant have that freezer burn flavor. is it possible to make this yourself? ive never heard of it, but im willing to try once. maybe all you need is a good food processor? anyone? the local market has been selling fishcake in stick form. it is the size of a popsicle and is skewered onto a flat bamboo stick. i dont remember the name of the item, however. it seems very similar to the photo of gobomaki mentioned. there were strips of gobo and carrot in it. there were a couple other of these sticks too. one had strips of ginger and another kind had chopped scallions and i think octopus. i didnt want to try it but my husband really dug it and told me that they tasted really fresh... and they tasted wonderful! a fun snack. ill try to find out the name of the item. also, my husband is in the habit of calling some oden "tempura" and he claimed that his parents called it that too. i didnt believe it until i saw it packaged as tempura at the korean market: <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019odeng.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041019odeng2.jpg"></center> are some varieties also called tempura in japan? its a bit confusing for me. i just call it all odeng.

did you dream it? you probably did not.candied... it sounds like it was treated a lot like the soybeans in kongjang. the recipe for kongjang is similar to the recipe for u-eong bokkum, only the proportions are different (you dont need the mizuame/mul-yeot for any of these dishes). u-eong bokkum is made with water, soy sauce, sake and sugar (fry first then add the sauce). this dish is exactly the same as gobo kinpira. ...or is kinpira exactly the same as u-eong bokkeum? lotus root (yeon-geun/renkon) can be treated in a similar matter to make the sweet and salty dark dish.

the cocoa fruitcake has been glazed and is cooling on racks as i write. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041018fruitcake.jpg"></center> i tasted a bit and its delicious! thank you. comments: it is a lot of batter! it was enough batter for 9 mini loaves. the baking took pretty much about an hour. at 30 minutes, i turned the temp down to 325, but at the 45 minute mark turned it back up to 350 since it was still pretty wet at that point. at the hour mark they were just about done and i pulled them out then. next time ill just keep a close eye and bake at 350 all the way. i had started the glaze just after i popped them into the oven. by the time the hour was up, the glaze was cool enough to touch. the only change to the recipe i would make is to simplify the glaze... you dont need the water. youre making an orange jam and the water (which you are boiling away during the reduction) is just making the process take more time since orange juice has a lot of water in it to begin with. i cant wait to begin the white fruitcake! thanks again andiesenji! what a nice family recipe. i am glad you shared it with us. it is amazing how many generations that recipe has lasted! from 1690!!! wow!