Domestic Goddess

Wow! Nice pics Hiroyuki. Can't wait to see more of the market.

Peter - nada on the gochujang sauce too. From what I remember, the cafeteria served their signature table-size pizzas, clam chowder, those fabulous hot dogs and .... my brain drains from here on. I can't remember what else they served there. I had the chowder and the hotdogs. Billy and hubby had pizza and it was ok (according to them). The hotdogs were awesome.

I been to Costco, Peter. There was no kimchi for the hotdogs, only chopped onions, and the condiment pump station (mustard, mayo and ketsup).

Peppero day is tomorrow! (Nov. 11 = 11/11) Here's my hubby's and son's haul.

LOL do tell us the outcome of your erm, research.

Helen - will check you and your kids out when the DVD is released here in Korea.

I blogged about the Chicken Empanadas that my hubby really loves. I made 2 dozen a couple of days ago and only one is left now. Here's my recipe (well, actually my mother's recipe): Chicken empanada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ingredients: 2 tbsp Cooking oil 2 tbsp Garlic,minced 1 pc Onion, diced 1/2 kilo (1 pound) shredded cooked chicken meat 1/2 can campbell cream of asparagus soup 1 cup Water 1 cup potatoes, diced (1/2"x 1/2" ) 1 cup carrots, diced (1/2"x 1/2" ) 2 1/2 cups Flour 1 tsp Salt 1/2 stick butter 4 tbsps lard 8 tbsp Ice cold water (add more or less if needed) Cooking Instructions: 1. In a pan heat oil, saute garlic and onion for 2 minutes. 2. Add the shredded chicken and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. 3. Add the cream of asparagus soup and potatoes. Add a little water and let potatoes cook. 4. Simmer until sauce thickens. Take off heat and let cool. Crust: 1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt together. 2. Add the lard and butter to flour mixture and cut it wiht a pastry blender until sandy. 3. Add water one tbsp at a time to form into ball. Roll out the dough and cut into 1 1/2" round pieces. To assemble the Empanada; Place 1 teaspoonful of the prepared filling at the center of each piece of crust. Fold it forming half moon shape pieces. Twist the edges to seal completely. Arrange them on cookie sheet and brush top with eggwash. Bake at 350 F for abouth 30 minutes. *You can check out my blog to see a pictorial on how to do this. ** Any kind of meat can be substituted for chicken. Pork or any firm flesh fish is good too.

Thanks for the info Kris! Next time I am in Itaewon (expat paradise/watering hole), I'm gonna check out the different groceries that have a lot of foregin food stuff.

Milgwimper - thank you! I'm gonna try to scour the local groceries now to look for my elusive mirin. I promise to post pics, Hiroyuki!

ChefCrash - I just wanna reach in and grab one of those rolls and some garlic cloves. Yum!

Oh, so now I guess I have to find sake in Korea. So basically what you are saying Hiroyuki, mirin is just sake mixed with sugar? Hmm, I wonder if korean soju is a substitute for sake?

Nakji, look at the top portion of the box (where the packaged chopsticks are). Underneath the chopsticks are little plastic tubs of honey mustard, macaroni salad, goshujang sauce and PICKLED RADISH.

Diana/Kent - you can send the bag to me and I'll post the pic of the bag enjoying its stay here in Korea.

I have a question and a plea for help. I'd like to buy mirin here in Korea but so far I have no clue where and what to get. What's the korean for mirin? Can somebody post a picture of a mirin bottle that I can buy here in Korea? Is there such a thing as korean mirin?

Yesterday was my youngest son's birthday. Here's what I fixed for his birthday dinner. His favorite - Shrimp Sinigang soup Filipino Pancit Canton (noodles for long life) Chopseuy (this is for me) We also ordered korean crispy fried chicken. And because my son pleaded for me to get one - one of those korean bakery cakes. And Billy turns 7 today!

How about using fresh abalones Ah Leung? I always see fresh abalone sold in the supermarkets here.

Wow! That looks so scrumptious. Thank you Bridgestone. I will try to make these some day.

According to Wikipedia: A peck is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 8 dry quarts, or 16 dry pints. Two pecks make a kenning (obsolete), and four pecks make a bushel. In Scotland, the peck was used as a dry measure until the introduction of imperial units as a result of the Weights and Measures Act of 1824. The peck was equal to about 9 litres (in the case of certain crops, such as wheat, peas, beans and meal) and about 13 litres (in the case of barley, oats and malt). A firlot was equal to 4 pecks and the peck was equal to 4 lippies or forpets. Hmm, that's a lotta pinches of salt.

I'll brave an answer - 1/4 teaspoon.

Ce'nedra, Kare-kare recipe in your inbox. That is my family's recipe handed down from generation to generation. And yes I do toast my own rice in a wok and then pulverize it with my blender. Remember, never use peanut butter in the sauce. Just ground cooked peanuts (roasted, baked or fried). BTW, what does your name mean? I mean, it's quite unusual.

Yes, you're right Hiroyuki, the neta are just simply placed on the toppings. And the one of the top leftmost part is frid bean curd stuffed with shari. I must confess I gobbled most of the pickles while eating the whole tray.

Peter - so you saw this... It has made us giggle for years now. I still don't have the courage to try that shrimp pizza from Mr. Pizza (touted as a pizza made for women LOL) Heard about the news of the Crispy Fried Chicken that will be sold in North Korea. I too, want to know what the fried chicken store's name is. I just hate news agencies who'd write up an article and fail to mention important details pertaining the news - LIKE THE RESTAURANT NAME. You know who you are, Fox news people.

Milgwimper - the best kare-kare has oxtail, tripe and beef chunks in it (no chicken). Chicken is a quick option. There is also seafood kare-kare that contains shrimp, fatty milkfish belly, baby squid and mussels. So good. And you're welcome anytime in my house.

Milgwimper - here's your Marinated Crabs recipe. Ingredients for Marinade: 1 cup of anchovy stock (use dashida [anchovy] powder in hot water) 1-2 cups of soy sauce (dark soy is good if you have it) 2 tbsp garlic minced 1/2" thick slice of ginger, peeled and minced 2 scallions (green onions) sliced into 2 1/1" pieces, cut the white part in half lengthwise 4 heaping tablespoons of red pepper flakes 4 heaping tablespoons of sugar (or corn syrup) 4-5 small hot chili peppers, stems cut off and slice in half lengthwise (leave in the seeds) Directions Prepare the crabs: peel the carapace (shell off) and then cut the crab in the middle. Chop off 3 milimeters of the claw tips or crack the different arm parts with a hammer. Chop off the legs without the claws at the joint. You want the marinade to permeate to every crook and cranny of the flesh and crab. Marinade: Boil the water till hot, turn off the heat then add the dashida powder. Prepare the marinade by adding all the ingredients except the crabs. DO NOT ADD CRAB TO WARM MARINADE!!! Cool this marinade in the fridge. When cool, see if you need to add more gocharu powder (red pepper powder). You can add a tablespoon of gochujang if you like. The finished marinade should be 'saucy' and thick. Cover the crab with the marinade and mix thoroughly. Pack in a sealed containder and let sit 3-4 days before trying it out. Anytime less than that and the crabs are not done enough marinating. Enjoy!

This post is for Ce'nedra. For my supper tonight, I fixed Chicken Kare-kare stew. Though I love having sliced banana hearts in my kare-kare, unfortunately banana hearts are not that readily available here in Korea. I added yard long beans, eggplant and bokchoy to my stew. My meal. Kare-kare up close. The sauce is basically ground roasted peanuts mixed with ground toasted rice. Kare-kare has to be paired with bagoong - sauteed shrimp paste. One puts a tiny dollop on the rice on the spoon and eat with pieces of meat and veggies with a good serving of sauce. Dinner for the little one was "busketti" - that's spaghetti for us adults. Billy with his dinner. Dessert is bananana bread.