Ojingeochae (o-jing-eo-chae, 오징어채) is dried squid that’s shredded and processed with seasoning such as sugar and salt. It’s slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness. Ojingeo is squid, and chae means shredded or julienned. It’s also called jinmichae (진미채). Jinmi means tasty. It’s commonly enjoyed as a snack on its own, especially when drinking alcohol, and also used as an ingredient for a side dish.

Like myeolchi bokkeum, kongjang, and jangjorim, this ojingeochae muchim (오징어채 무침) is a side dish that’s made to last long and served with every meal over several days (called mitbanchan, 밑반찬, meaning basic side dishes).

To make this side dish, there are various ways Korean cooks soften this dried squid. I use a little bit of water to wet the squid to rehydrate. The squid will lose its flavor if submerged in water too long. Steaming the squid briefly works well too.

For the seasoning, I first make chili oil by mixing gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) with heated oil. Then, add gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) and other ingredients, and bring everything to a boil only up until it bubbles up. This will meld all the ingredients together.

The important thing to remember is to cool the mixture before adding the squid. If added to the hot sauce, the squid will cook and get rubbery. This is why it’s called muchim (mixed), not bokkeum (stir-fried).

Enjoy this chewy, sweet and spicy dried squid with any of your Korean meals. It’s also delicious with a simple bowl of rice or in gimbap!

Ojingeochae Muchim (Spicy Squid Strips)

2016-10-03 03:45:16

dried squid strips seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce!

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Ingredients

1. 4 ounces ojingeochae, shredded dried squid
2. 1-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
3. 2 teaspoons gochugaru, Korean red chili pepper flakes
4. 2 tablespoons gochujang, Korean red chili pepper paste
5. 2 tablespoons corn syrup (preferably Korean oligodang)
6. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
7. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
8. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
9. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Cut the dried squid strings into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors. Rinse in cold water, and drain. Add 1/2 cup of water, and cover. Set it aside until softened, about 20 minutes, flipping over once.
   
2. In a pan, heat one and a half tablespoons of oil, until hot, over low heat and stir in the chili pepper flakes. Remove from the heat when it becomes pasty. Add the gochujang, corn syrup, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Over medium heat, bring the sauce mixture to a boil, stirring well. Turn the heat off, and stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds. Cool the sauce.
   
3. Squeeze the excess water from the squid, and toss well with the sauce. The squid will absorb the sauce better if you massage everything together by hand, using a kitchen glove.
   
4. Keep the leftovers in the fridge. It will keep well for a couple of weeks.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Ojingeochae Muchim (Spicy Dried Squid Strips) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

I really think you will love this simple variation of japchae made with soybean sprouts (kongnamul, 콩나물)!

Japchae (잡채) is a Korean dish made with sweet potato starch noodles called dangmyeon (당면). The traditional dish includes thin strips of beef and various vegetables, but there are many variations! Depending on the main ingredient accompanying the noodles, the variations are called buchu (garlic chives) japchae, beoseot (mushroom) japchae, gochu (chili peppers) japchae, ueong (burdock root) japchae, kongnamul (soybean sprouts) japchae, etc.

All you need for kongnamul japchae is soybean sprouts and sweet potato starch noodles, along with a few basic seasoning ingredients. Everything else is optional! I added scallions and a little bit of red bell pepper slices for color. The ratio between the soybean sprouts and the noodles can be flexible.

To make the dish, I cook the soybean sprouts first, remove the bean sprouts and then use the sprout flavored cooking liquid with a little bit of the sauce to cook the noodles. By the time the noodles are cooked, all the liquid will have been absorbed by the noodles. The result is springy noodles that are shiny and flavorful!

For the traditional japchae, Korean cooks typically rinse the noodles in cold water after cooking to stop them from turning soft, but the cooking method in this recipe keeps the noodles springy and shiny without that step.

The rest is easy! Quickly stir fry the noodles with any vegetables you’re adding, the soybean sprouts, and the remaining sauce.

One tip about cooking soybean sprouts — you can cook them either covered or uncovered, but if cooking covered, do not open the lid until the sprouts are cooked, or the raw bean smell will linger even after cooked.

This dish can also be made spicy. Add a teaspoon or two of gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) to the sauce if you want to add a spicy kick.

Kongnamul Japchae (Soybean Sprouts Japchae)

2016-10-17 02:55:35

Serves 2

A quick and easy japchae made with soybean sprouts!

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Ingredients

1. 8 ounces soybean sprouts (kongnamul, 콩나물)
2. 4 ounces Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon, 당면)
3. 1 teaspoon cooking oil
4. 2 to 3 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces
5. 1/4 red bell pepper (or 1/2 small carrot), julienned

Sauce

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
4. 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon Sesame seeds
6. pinch pepper

Instructions

1. Boil 2 cups of water in a pan over medium high heat. Add the soybean sprouts and cook for 2 minutes. Flip the sprouts over once, if cooking uncovered, for even cooking. Do not open until done if cooking covered.
   
2. Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove the soybean sprouts to a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid in the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, 1-1/2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce, and the noodles to the pan.
   
4. Cook the noodles for 6 to 7 minutes until the liquid is almost gone. When the noodles turn soft, cut with kitchen shears into shorter lengths.
   
5. Add the scallions and red pepper slices, and stir fry briefly until the vegetables are slightly wilted.
   
6. Add the soybean sprouts and the remaining sauce. Quickly toss everything until well combined before turning off the heat.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Kongnamul Japchae (Soybean Sprout Japchae) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

It’s fall – kimchi making season! Napa cabbages are simply beautiful and sweet this time of year. Let’s make some kimchi!  

I’ve already shown you how to make traditional kimchi, mak kimchi, and white kimchi. These kimchi recipes include fish sauce (myulchiaekjeot) and salted shrimp (saewujeot), so I’ve been getting a lot of questions about substitutes for these ingredients. Here’s my answer – vegan kimchi!

While salted and fermented seafood condiments (jeotgal) are essential ingredients for most kimchi types, vegan kimchi is not a strange concept in Korea. Buddhist temple food is 100 percent plant based, and kimchi is no exception!

In place of salted and fermented seafood, which is the source of the deep savory taste of kimchi, temple cooks use soup soy sauce (gukganjang, 국간장) or sometimes fermented soybean paste (doenjang, 된장), along with dashima (다시마, dried kelp) or vegetable broth. For natural sweetness, they commonly add fruits and vegetables such as Korean pear, apple, persimmon, pumpkin, etc.  

This vegan kimchi recipe is inspired by temple kimchi, but it’s definitely NOT temple kimchi. There are five forbidden vegetables in temple cooking, and garlic and scallions are two of them. Well, I used them in this recipe.

I like the temple idea of pumpkin in fall kimchi. I steamed and pureed it, but you can use canned pumpkin puree if you want. Any deep orange flesh pumpkin works.

One of the common vegetables in traditional fall/winter kimchi is gat, 갓, (mustard green). Its aroma is prominent in kimchi in a nice way. Korean mustard green is not always available around here, so I tried regular mustard green that you can find at some of your local groceries or any Asian markets. It’s pretty close! Consider it optional, but I strongly recommend you use it!

I really liked how this vegan kimchi turned out. It tastes nice and clean! Even if you’re not vegan, I think you will love this kimchi!

Vegan Kimchi

2016-10-25 03:10:58

Serves 16

Traditional napa cabbage kimchi that's vegan!

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Ingredients

1. 1 large napa cabbage (about 5 pounds)
2. 1 cup Korean coarse sea salt for making kimchi
3. 5 cups of water
4. 3/4 pound Korean radish (mu/moo)
5. 3 scallions
6. 3 large mustard green (gat) leaves - optional

Seasonings

1. 1 tablespoon glutinous rice (sweet rice) powder
2. (Mix it with 1/2 cup water, simmer over low heat until it
3. thickens to a thin paste and cool. Yields about 3 - 4 tablespoons.)
4. 1/2 cup Korean red chili pepper flakes, gochugaru (add a couple more tablespoons if you like)
5. 1/4 Korean pear, grated
6. 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
7. 2 tablespoons minced garlic (add one more tablespoon if you like)
8. 1 teaspoon grated ginger
9. 2 tablespoons soup soy sauce (gukganjang, 국간장)
10. 2 tablespoons salt
11. 1 cup dashima (dried kelp) broth (Boil 1 large piece of dashima in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. You can add one or two dried shiitake if available.)

Kitchen tools

1. a large bowl or pot (7 - 8 quarts)
2. a large colander
3. kitchen gloves
4. a 3/4 - 1 gallon airtight container or jar

Instructions

1. Cut the stem end of cabbage lengthwise in half only about 3 - 4 inches in. Then, slowly pull apart to separate into two pieces by hand. Do the same for each half to make quarters. Running the knife through all the way would unnecessarily cut off the cabbage leaves.
   
2. In a large bowl, dissolve 1/2 cup of salt in 5 cups of water. Thoroughly bathe each cabbage quarter in the saltwater one at a time.
   
3. Using the other half cup of salt and starting from the outermost leaf, generously sprinkle salt over the thick white part of each leaf. Try to salt all the cabbage quarters with the 1/2 cup salt, but you can use a little more if needed. Repeat with the rest of the cabbage quarters. Set aside for about 6 - 8 hours, rotating the bottom ones to the top half way through.
   
4. Meanwhile, make the glutinous rice paste and the broth and cool. Prepare the other seasoning ingredients. Mix all the seasoning ingredients. Set aside while preparing the other ingredients until the red pepper flakes become pasty.
   
5. The cabbages should be ready to be washed when the white parts are bendable with a bit of resistance. Rinse thoroughly 3 times, especially between the white parts.
   
6. Drain well, cut side down.
   
7. Cut the radish into matchsticks (you can use a mandoline if available). Roughly chop the scallions and the optional mustard green. Transfer to a large bowl.
   
8. Combine with the seasoning mix. Mix well by hand. Taste a little bit. It should be a little too salty to eat as is. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to meld nicely.
   
9. Cut off the tough stem part from each cabbage quarter, leaving enough to hold the leaves together. Place one cabbage quarter in the bowl with the radish mix. Spread the radish mix over each leaf, one to two tablespoons for large leaves. Eyeball the stuffing into 4 parts and use one part for each cabbage quarter.
   
10. Fold the leaf part of the cabbage over toward the stem and nicely wrap with the outermost leaf before placing it, cut side up, in a jar or airtight container. Repeat with the remaining cabbages. Once all the cabbages are in the jar or airtight container, press down hard to remove air pockets. Rinse the bowl that contained the radish mix with 1/4 cup of broth and pour over the kimchi.
    
11. Leave it out at room temperature for a full day or two, depending on how fast you want your kimchi to ripe. Then, store in the fridge. Although you can start eating it any time, kimchi needs about two weeks in the fridge to fully develop the flavors. It maintains great flavor and texture for several weeks.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Vegan Kimchi appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Bulgogi (불고기) is always wonderful grilled over an open flame or pan fried, but try making it into a hot pot (jeongol, 전골) with lots of vegetables. It becomes a whole new dish that’s hearty, steaming, and flavorful. Perfect for the cool fall and winter months!

Jeongol is a type of Korean stew with many variations such as haemul (seafood) jeongol, beoseot (mushroom) jeongol, mandu (dumplings) jeongol, etc. It’s an elaborate stew which is traditionally served in a wide, shallow pot called jeongol naembi (전골냄비).

Making bulgogi jeongol is fairly simple! First make bulgogi by marinating thinly sliced beef. It’s even better if you have leftover bulgogi. Then, arrange a variety of fresh vegetables and bulgogi in a shallow pot, add some broth (or water), and cook. Depending on the size of your pot, you can cook in two batches, or you can add more ingredients as you cook, or take some out to eat if you’re cooking at the table.

You can certainly feed more people this way. One pound of meat will go a long way!

I like mushrooms so I usually add plenty of them – two to three varieties. I also use a couple of napa cabbage leaves. Green cabbage or bok choy will be great as well. Other add-in options are bean sprouts, radish (mu), and tofu.

Sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon, 당면) is also commonly added to this dish. The noodles are so good after soaking up the flavorful broth.

Bulgogi is sweet, so I don’t add sugar to the broth. The sweetness that the bulgogi releases makes the broth slightly sweet, not too sweet, but if you like it sweeter, add a little bit of sugar to the broth.

The beautiful stone shallow pot (jeongol naembi) shown in the photos of this post is sponsored by Stone Lee (Youngshin Stone Co.) in Korea. The company has been producing stone kitchenware for over 20 years. They use Jang Su Gob Dol (Korean Amphibole) to make more than 100 stonewares such as bowls, pots, roasting pans, etc. This material has high heat conductivity and minimizes the loss of the nutrients of the ingredients being cooked in.

Bulgogi Jeongol (Hot Pot)

2016-11-07 04:12:57

Serves 4

A Korean hot pot made with sweet and savory bulgogi and lots of vegetables!

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Ingredients

1. 1 pound thinly sliced beef (rib eye or top sirloin) - see note

For the Marinade

1. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1 tablespoon honey (or use more sugar)
4. 1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
5. 1 tablespoon garlic
6. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
7. 3 tablespoons grated Asian pear
8. 1/8 teaspoon pepper

For the Broth (see note)

1. 3 x 3 inches dried kelp (dashima)
2. 3 ounces Korean radish, cut into big chunks
3. 1/4 onion
4. 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce
5. Salt and pepper to taste

For the vegetables

1. 1 small carrot
2. 2 large napa cabbage leaves (or green cabbage or bok choy)
3. 1/2 medium onion
4. 4 ounces assorted mushrooms (button, shiitake, oyster, crimini, enoki, etc.)
5. 2 to 3 scallions
6. 2 to 3 ounces minari (water dropwort) or watercress
7. 1 red chili pepper - optional

For the optional noodles

1. 3 ounces of sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

Instructions

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. If using packaged pre-sliced meat, run a knife through it to cut into smaller pieces. Add the meat to the marinade. Toss gently, with hands, to mix everything well. Marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
   
2. Put 5 cups of water and the broth vegetables in a medium size pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to boil for about 15 minutes. Discard the vegetables. Season with the soup soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Cut the cabbage and carrot into thin, bite size pieces. Thinly slice the onion and mushrooms. Cut the scallions and minari in similar lengths.
   
4. Using a wide, shallow pot, neatly arrange the bulgogi and vegetables in clusters. Add the optional noodles. Pour in 2 to 3 cups of broth and cook over high heat, separating the bulgogi pieces. Depending on the pot size, you can cook in two batches or add more broth and any remaining ingredients while eating if you’re cooking at the table.
   

Notes

1. If you buy pre-sliced bulgogi meat, pay a little more to get good quality meat. If cutting the beef at home, partially freeze for about an hour to firm it up for easier slicing. Cut across the grain into very thin slices.
2. You can use any type of broth (beef broth, anchovy broth, etc.) or simply use water.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Bulgogi Jeongol (Hot Pot) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Soondubu jjigae (순두부 찌개) is a stew made with smooth tofu curds, soondubu (also spelled sundubu), also known as silken or extra soft tofu. This is the third soondubu jjigae recipe on the blog. The stew is more commonly made spicy as I showed in the other two recipes —  kimchi soondubu and haemul (seafood) soondubu. Sometimes, I like it purely white without any red spiciness for the simple pleasure of savoring the nuttiness of the silky tofu.

You can make white soondubu stew with any broth or add-ins, but my favorite is one made with finely ground perilla seeds (deulkkae). It really gives the creamy tofu distinct nutty flavors! Most restaurants specializing in soondubu have this deulkkae variation on their menu.

Although not as common as sesame seeds and oil, perilla seeds and oil are a staple in Korean cuisine. Perilla seeds have a deep, earthy taste with a hint of minty flavor similar to that of perilla leaves. They are used in various dishes such as namul dishes and stews and especially popular in country-style and temple cooking.

There are hulled and unhulled ground perilla seeds sold in Korean markets. While the hulled (lighter color) version is better to keep the stew white, either one should be fine for the taste. If perilla seeds are not available, you can substitute with finely ground sesame seeds.

For the broth, I used a small piece of dashima and 1 dried shiitake mushroom. It really doesn’t take much! You can use more. Any kind of dried mushrooms or fresh mushrooms will work. I like dried mushrooms because they, of course, have more intense flavors for making broth.

This recipe is vegan! If preferred, anchovy or meat/seafood based broth can be used as well.   

It’s quick and easy to whip up a bubbling pot of flavorful stew with a package of sundubu, which is why it’s one of my favorites for a weeknight meal! Not to mention how warm and comforting it is on a cold fall/winter night. This recipe yields one large serving or two small servings, but you can easily double or triple the recipe for a larger family.

Deulkkae Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew with Perilla Seeds)

2016-11-17 04:43:47

Serves 2

Soft tofu stew made with perilla seeds and mushrooms. It's vegan!

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Ingredients

1. 1 or 2 dried shiitake or other mushrooms (2 to 3 any fresh mushroom caps, sliced)
2. 1 small piece dashima (dried kelp) - about 2 inch square
3. 1 package (11 ounces) soondubu, 순두부 (extra soft/silken tofu)
4. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
5. 1 teaspoon soup soy sauce
6. pinch black pepper
7. 1 to 2 tablespoons finely ground perilla seeds, 들깨가루 (or sesame seeds)
8. 1 teaspoon perilla oil, 들기름 (or sesame oil)
9. 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion

Instructions

1. Add the mushroom and dashima to a small pot with 1 cup of water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes if your dried mushroom is thick, or you can break it up to help rehydrate faster. Bring the pot to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the dashima and mushroom. When cool enough to handle, cut the mushroom in half and thinly slice to add back to the pot.
   
2. Add the soondubu, garlic, soup soy sauce, and pepper to the pot. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the perilla seeds, and boil for another minute or two. Drizzle the perilla (or sesame) oil over the stew. Add the chopped scallion right before turning the heat off.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Deulkkae Soondubu Jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew with Perilla Seeds) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

The holiday season is upon us! Some of you may be planning on getting together with family and friends for dinner parties. In this post, I hope to give you some menu ideas in case you want to throw a Korean dinner party. The dishes I’ve included here are some of my favorites for dinner parties. I put together three menus for you — a simple, casual dinner for a few people, a more elaborate dinner for a larger group and a vegan dinner.

You can adjust the number of dishes you make from the menu depending on the number of your guests, and double or triple the recipes as necessary. The number of servings is provided in each recipe. These dinner menus can be served family style or buffet style.

For cold days, you can also add a simple soup such as kongnamul guk and mu guk to any of these menus, especially if you have elderly guests. Rice and kimchi are the basics for a Korean table, so I did not add these to the menus here.

A lot can be prepared ahead of time. You can certainly marinate your meat or make namul dishes a day in advance. With some planning and preparation ahead, you too can serve up a Korean feast everyone will be rave about!

Simple dinner:

Kimchijeon (Kimchi pancake)
Dakgangjeong (Sweet crispy chicken)
Samgyupsal gui (Grilled pork belly): Or Bulgogi, Jeyuk bokkeum, or Salmon bulgogi if preferred. 
Mu saengchae (Spicy radish salad)
Pa muchim (Scallion salad)

Big feast:

Kkanpung saewu (Sweet and spicy shrimp)
Japchae (Stir-fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables)
LA galbi (Beef short ribs): Outside grilling season, you can broil the ribs in the oven.
Samgyupsal (pork belly): This can be done in the slow cooker or over the stove top.
Sangseonjjim (Korean-style baked fish)
Baby Bok choy kimchi salad
Mu namul

Vegan dinner:

Hobak mandu (Zucchini dumplings): Make this in advance and freeze until ready to use.
Buchujeon (Garlic chives pancake)
Eggplant rolls (Gaji mari)
Kongnamul japchae
Tofu bibimbap

The post Menus for Korean Dinner Parties appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

As 2016 comes to a close, I want to thank everyone for another great year at Korean Bapsang! Thank you so much for reading, cooking, sharing and commenting on my recipes! I hope to share many more delicious recipes for you to try in 2017. 

Here, I’ve updated my New Year recipe roundup for 2017! Hope these traditional Holiday dishes from Korean Bapsang will help inspire you for the New Year celebration the Korean way.

Happy New Year to you and your family! 새해 복 많이 받으세요.

1. Tteokguk (Rice cake soup)

     2. Mandu (Korean dumplings)

      3. Galbijjim (Braised beef short ribs)

      Also see slow cooker galbijjim. 

      4. Sataejjim (Slow cooker beef shank)

     5. Tteokgalbi (Beef short rib patties)

     6. Modeumjeon (Fish, shrimp, zucchini pan-fried in egg batter)

     7.  Nokdujeon (Mungbean pancakes)

     8. Kkaennip jeon (Stuffed perilla jeon)

     9. Wanjajeon (Pan-fried meatballs in egg batter)

     10. Yukjeon (Pan-fried battered beef)

     11. Tteok sanjeok (Skewered rice cake with beef and vegetables) 

     12. Japchae (Stir-fried starch noodles with beef and vegetables)

     13. Gungjung Tteokbokki

     14.  Nabak kimchi (Water kimchi)

     15. Youngyang chaltteok (Healthy sweet rice cake)

The post 15 Korean New Year Recipes appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Happy 2017, everyone! What better way to kick off the new year than with this beautiful and nutritionally well-balanced dish called gujeolpan (구절판)?

Historically being a royal court dish during the Yi Dynasty, gujeolpan consists of 8 delicate fillings served around thin crepe-like wheat flour pancakes called miljeonbyeong (밀전병). It’s a dish served on traditional holidays such as lunar New Year and other special occasions.

I often prepare this for elderly birthdays in my family as the centerpiece of the table. It never fails to impress the diners! Also, this dish is where the design inspiration of the Korean Bapsang logo came from!

Gujeolpan actually refers to a platter with nine sections that’s used to serve traditional delicacies. “Gu” means number 9, “jeol” sectioned, and “pan” a tray or a platter. In Asian culture, the number nine holds a symbolic meaning of fullness and harmony. Gujeolpan as a dish carries that meaning by offering a harmony of colors, textures, and nutrients.

I have a fancy gujeolpan inlaid with mother of pearl — thanks to my sister-in-law in Korea who sent it to me years ago! Before that, I simply used a large plate to serve this dish. You can do the same thing.

The dish usually contains different vegetables, meat and seafood. As with many Korean dishes, gujeolpan reflects 5 Korean traditional colors, obangsaek (오방색), — white, black, red, yellow, and blue, which represent hope and longevity. In cooking, blue is substituted for green.

You can use any ingredients you like, but try to reflect the 5 different colors. Other filling options are mung bean sprouts, onions, different types of mushrooms, yellow, orange or red bell peppers, beets, minari, etc.

Don’t let the appearance of the dish intimidate you! Yes, there are quite a few ingredients, and preparing them is a bit time consuming. However, the cooking methods are pretty simple, and you only need to make a little bit for each section. Trust me, it’s well worth the effort for this beautiful and healthy dish!

Gujeolpan (Platter of Nine Delicacies)

2017-01-09 04:11:57

Serves 6

a beautiful and nutritionally well-balanced Korean traditional platter with nine delicacies!

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Filling ingredients

Beef

1. 4 ounces lean beef
2. 2 teaspoons soy sauce
3. 1 teaspoon sugar
4. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
5. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
6. Pinch pepper

Mushrooms

1. 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked (or 3 ounces fresh shiitake)
2. 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
3. 1/4 teaspoon garlic
4. 1/4 teaspoon sugar
5. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
6. pinch salt and pepper

Other ingredients

1. 2 kirby cucumbers (or 1 long variety cucumber)
2. 1 medium zucchini
3. 1 medium carrot
4. 5 large shrimp, de-veined
5. 3 large eggs
6. Batter: (makes about 24 pancakes)
7. 1 cup flour
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1-1/3 cup water

Dipping Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon prepared hot mustard
2. 1 teaspoon sugar
3. 1 tablespoon vinegar
4. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
5. 1 tablespoon water (or maesilcheong, Korean plum extract)

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into thin strips (about 3-inch long). Remove the stems off the soaked mushrooms. If the mushrooms are thick, place the stem side down, and carefully slice parallel to the cutting board. Then cut into thin strips.
   
2. Season the beef and mushrooms with the seasoning ingredients.
   
3. Cut the cucumbers crosswise into 2-½ inch long sections. Cut each one into thin sheets discarding the seedy part, and then cut into matchsticks.
   
4. Cut the zucchini crosswise into 2-½ inch long sections. Cut each one into thin sheets, discarding the soft, seedy part, and then cut into matchsticks.
   
5. Cut the carrot into matchsticks.
   
6. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. To keep the shrimp straight after cooked, insert a toothpick straight through the leg part of each shrimp. Cook briefly, about a minute. Quickly drain and dump in cold water to stop cooking. Drain again. Remove the toothpicks. Cut into thin strips.
   
7. Add the flour and salt to a bowl. Stir in 1-1/3 cups of cold water, and mix well. The batter should be thin.
   
8. Separate the eggs. Lightly beat the white by gently cutting it with a spoon. Stir the yoke with a spoon until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Pour each egg part into a thin layer, spreading with a spoon. Cook each side briefly. Do not brown the egg. Cool then first cut into 2-½ inch wide sheets, and then into thin strips.
   
9. Heat the pan over medium high, add a half tablespoon of oil, and briefly cook each ingredient, sprinkling with a pinch of salt, in this order: cucumber, zucchini, carrot, mushroom, and beef,. Transfer to a large plate.
   
10. Heat a lightly oiled non-stick pan over medium low heat. Add one tablespoon of the pancake mixture into the pan, and spread it evenly into a thin round shape (about 3 inch round) with a back of the spoon. Cook until the edges start to lift up slightly, about 30 seconds, and flip over for another 30 seconds. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
    
11. Arrange the filling ingredients, placing the same/similar color foods on opposite sides. Stack the pancakes up and place in the center section of the platter.
    
12. In a small bowl, mix the hot mustard paste and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining liquid ingredients and mix well again. Serve with the gujeolpan.
    

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Gujeolpan (Platter of Nine Delicacies) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

It’s been over 5 years since I last posted a doenjang jjigae (된장찌개) recipe, which is a staple stew made with fermented soybean paste, doenjang. It was a very basic doenjang jjigae recipe, that I made with fatty pork, but a very popular one. Head over there if you like meat in your stew. This time, I made a variation made with seafood.

Any type of seafood can be added. The typical additions are clams, mussels, shrimp, squid, and oysters. You can use any one of these or a combination.

The most important ingredient in doenjang jjigae is obviously doenjang. Doenjang is traditionally homemade, but most households buy commercially available doenjang these days. For many years, we were lucky enough to have doenjang that my mother-in-law made. It was the best doenjang! Now that she’s unable to make it, I usually resort to locally made home-style doenjang that’s sold at some Korean markets. If unavailable, I get one of the major brands.

We all know by now a good Korean stew requires anchovy broth, and it doesn’t take much time to make it. Make a habit of using anchovy broth in your stew. Dry anchovies last a long time in the freezer.

A small trick you can use for doenjang jjigae is to use a small amount of vinegar at the end. It will brighten the doenjang taste, making the stew even more delicious!

Seafood Doenjang Jjigae

2015-04-26 21:54:58

Serves 2

Doenjang jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew) made with seafood

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Ingredients

1. 1 cup assortment of seafood (I used a few small clams, 1/2 squid, and 5 medium shrimp)
2. 8 to 10 ounces tofu
3. 1/2 medium zucchini
4. 3 to 4 mushroom caps
5. 1/4 medium onion
6. 3 ounces Korean radish (mu)
7. 1 chili pepper (green or red)
8. 1 to 2 scallions
9. 2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste (doenjang)
10. 1 teaspoon Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
11. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
12. 1 teaspoon vinegar
13. 3 cups of anchovy broth or water (see note)

Instructions

1. Rinse and scrub the clams. Place the clams in salted water (1 tablespoon of salt in 2 to 3 cups of water) for 30 minutes or longer to get the clams to spit out the sand. Clean the squid, and cut into bite size pieces. Clean the shrimp.
   
2. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch thick bite size slices. Cut the zucchini, onion, mushrooms, and radish into bite size pieces. Roughly chop the scallion.
   
3. Add the anchovy broth (or water) and soybean paste to a small pot. Stir well to dissolve the soy bean paste. Add the radish and onion. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
   
4. Add the tofu, zucchini, mushroom, and chili pepper. Boil for an additional 2 minutes.
   
5. Add the seafood, starting with the clams. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the clams are open. Stir in the vinegar, and throw in the scallion. Cook for another minute or two.
   

Notes

1. Use the water used to rinse rice, ssal ddeum mul or anchovy broth for jjigae/stew. For anchovy broth, boil about 10 medium dry anchovies and one 3-inch square dried kelp in 4 cups of water for 10 minutes.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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This child-size gimbap (or kimbap) is called ggoma gimbap (꼬마김밥) because of its small size. Ggoma means a little one or little kid in Korean. It’s also known as mayak gimbap (마약김밥). Mayak means narcotic drugs, so the name comes from this gimbap’s reputation for being addictive. It’s a specialty of Gwangjang Market (광장시장), a bustling, crowded market in the center city of Seoul, where the merchants came up with the idea to serve these little guys with a sweet and tangy hot mustard sauce. It’s this sauce that makes the gimbap addictive.

By the way, if you travel to Seoul, Gwangjang Market is a fun place to visit, which boasts, among other things, all sorts of street food. The market is a popular place for both locals and tourists.  

Unlike traditional gimbap, this mini gimbap uses minimal ingredients, which takes no effort to roll up. The gimbap I tried in Gwangjang Market, during my trip last year, had only two ingredients in it — yellow pickled radish and carrot, but generously brushed with sesame oil. I used three ingredients here — pickled radish, carrot, and spinach. You can substitute julienned cucumber for spinach.

I am not sure what secret ingredients the merchants use for their mustard sauce, but a typical hot mustard sauce includes hot mustard called gyeoja (겨자), vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Here, I tried it with dijon mustard and added finely ground sesame seeds for extra nutty flavor to pair with the sesame oil laden gimbap. It’s addictive!  

Mini Gimbap (Mayak Gimbap)

2015-05-03 21:59:29

Serves 2

Addictive mini gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls) with a mustard and sesame sauce

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Ingredients

1. Makes 16 pieces
2. 1-1/2 cups uncooked short grain rice (standard measuring cup not the cup that comes with a rice cooker)
3. 2 teaspoons sesame oil
4. salt to taste (start with 1/3 teaspoon)
5. 1 small bunch spinach (about 6 ounces)
6. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
7. salt to taste – about 1/4 teaspoon
8. 1 large carrot, julienned
9. 4 yellow pickled radish (danmuji) strips, pre-cut for gimbap
10. 4 gim (aka nori) sheets

Sauce

1. 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, finely ground in a spice grinder or mortar bowl
2. 1 tablespoon vinegar
3. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
4. 1 teaspoon dijon mustard (or Korean hot mustard, gyeoja)
5. 1/8 teaspoon salt
6. 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

1. Cook the rice using a little less water than usual. (Fresh cooked rice is best for gimbap.)
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and prepare an ice bath. Blanch the spinach, place immediately in the ice bath, then squeeze the water out. Run a knife through the squeezed spinach a couple of times. Season with the sesame oil and salt.
   
3. Julienne the carrots. Heat a lightly oiled pan over medium high heat. Stir fry the carrots until slightly softened. Lightly season with a pinch of salt.
   
4. Cut the pickled radish crosswise in half, and then cut lengthwise in half.
   
5. When all the ingredients are ready, remove the rice from the rice cooker. While the rice is still hot, add the sesame oil and salt. Mix well by lightly folding with a rice paddle or spoon until evenly seasoned.
   
6. Cut 4 sheets of gim into quarters.
   
7. Put a quarter sheet of gim, shiny side down and shorter side toward you, on a cutting board. Spread 1 tablespoon to 1-1/2 tablespoons of rice evenly over the gim, leaving a little bit of space on the side away from you. Do this with your fingers. Keep wet towel and wipe your fingers frequently to keep the rice from sticking to your fingers. Lay the prepared ingredients on top of the rice, closer towards you.
   
8. Lift the entire bottom edge with both hands and roll over the filling away from you, tucking in the filling with your fingers.
   
9. Rub or brush the roll with a little bit of sesame oil for extra flavor and a shiny look.
   

For the sauce

1. Finely grind the sesame seeds in a spice grinder or mortar bowl. Mix with the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved and the ground sesame seeds are evenly distributed.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Mini Gimbap (Mayak Gimbap) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Today, I’m excited to feature very special pottery from Huue Craft Store. It was a pleasant surprise when I received an email from Mr. Choi, at Huue Craft, about sponsoring my blog with this beautiful tableware from Korea. I’ve always been interested in hand-made pottery, and often check out pottery showcases whenever I go to Korea. Unfortunately, they are hard to bring over on the airplane.

Huue Craft Store is an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. Their work is renowned for its “understated elegance”. They don’t scream for attention or try to be trendy, but rather offer pleasing simplicity and timeless beauty in form and texture. All works are one-of-a-kind pieces, elaborately handcrafted by their five prominent potters from Korea. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries, via fast and low cost shipping, so please check them out at the Huue Craft Online Store.

Now, let’s talk about today’s recipe. These fancy beef patties are called tteokgalbi (떡갈비), literally translated to rice cake ribs. Don’t expect any rice cakes (tteok, 떡) in the dish. The name comes from the way the minced meat is kneaded and shaped as rice cakes are made in Korea.

This dish hails from the royal court where the cooks minced the rib meat, for the King, for easy eating. Tteokgalbi later became a regional specialty of South Jeolla Province (전라남도). Nowadays, it’s popular all over the country. Every full course meal (hanjeongsik, 한정식) I had in Korea last year included a version of tteokgalbi, and there are many restaurants specializing in tteokgalbi all over Korea.

Tteokgalbi is made with ground beef short ribs. The meat is separated from the bones, finely minced, and then marinated. Traditionally, the marinated meat is attached back to the rib bones before being cooked. This not only gives the patties their identity of being short rib meat, but also adds a little extra flavor to the meat, but you can simply shape them like burger patties if you like.

Beef short ribs are an expensive cut of meat, so you can substitute with beef chuck and/or brisket. The meat is traditionally hand-minced, but it’s a demanding job. If you don’t want to bother, use a meat grinder (or food processor) or ask your butcher to grind them for you. It will help if you slightly freeze the meat in small pieces before you use a meat grinder or food processor. You can also use high quality ground beef. It’s now very common in Korea to use ground beef (or pork, or a combination) to make tteokgalbi. These tasty, tender patties can be broiled, grilled or pan-fried. They will be excellent for your outdoor cooking this summer as well! 

Tteokgalbi (Korean Short Rib Patties)

2015-05-10 21:57:32

Serves 4

Delicious Korean beef patties made with short rib meat

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Ingredients

1. 3 - 4 pounds beef short ribs (or 2 pounds beef chuck or brisket)

Marinade

1. 4 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons sugar
3. 2 tablespoons honey
4. 2 tablespoons rice wine (or Mirin)
5. 3 tablespoons grated Korean/Asian pear (or apple) grated
6. 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
7. 3 scallions, finely chopped
8. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
9. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
10. 1 tablespoons sesame oil
11. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12. chopped pine nuts for garnish - optional

Instructions

1. Trim excess fat. Remove the meat as much as possible from the bones. Keep the meat in the freezer for about an hour.
   
2. Soak the ribs in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes to remove some blood. Drain.
   
3. Grind the meat using a meat grinder or a food processor. If mincing by hand, thinly slice the meat, cut the slices into thin strips, and then cut crosswise into small pieces.
   
4. Mince the meat by rocking the blade back and forth into the smallest pieces.
   
5. Mix all marinade ingredients well.
   
6. Add the marinade to the meat, and then mix very well. Knead the meat until it becomes a bit sticky, 2 to 3 minutes. Marinate the meat for at least 2 hours (overnight for best results).
   
7. If using the rib bones, dredge the bone in flour.
   
8. Attach the meat to the bone in even thickness as you’re wrapping the bone with the meat. Press with your palms so the meat is tightly attached to the meat.
   
9. Otherwise, you can simply make round or oval patties.
   
10. Set the oven to broil and preheat. Lay the meat in a broil pan and place it on the top rack of the oven, usually about 6 inches below the broiler. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over and cook for an additional 3 -4 minutes until nicely charred. You can also grill over a charcoal or gas grill. Grill over medium to medium high, turning only once, 2 – 3 minutes on each side.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Tteokgalbi (Korean Short Rib Patties) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Here’s another gimbap (김밥) recipe! This time, it’s tuna gimbap made with canned tuna (chamchi, 참치, in Korean). In the past, I’ve posted classic gimbap, myulchu gimbap, and mini gimbap.

The tuna filling is typically made similar to tuna salad with mayonnaise and other ingredients. I added a bit of dijon mustard, lemon juice, and diced celery. You can also add a bit of diced onion if you want. Since it’s going inside the rice, you don’t want to make the tuna too watery. Hold back from using the amount of mayonnaise and other wet ingredients from your favorite tuna salad recipe. 

You can also add other typical gimbap ingredients such as egg, eomuk (fish cake), pickled radish, carrot, and/or spinach. In this recipe, I used romaine lettuce, perilla leaves (kkaennip), cucumbers, crab sticks, and pickled radish. The lettuce and perilla leaves wrap the tuna and other ingredients inside the roll, separating the wet ingredients from the rice. They also give a nice look when the roll is cut. I like the perilla scent in this gimbap, but if you can’t find it, simply use more lettuce.

All the tableware shown in the final photos of this post are sponsored by Huue Craft, an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries. Visit their store at the Huue Craft online store.

Tuna Gimbap

2015-05-17 21:47:18

Serves 5

Gimbap (Korean seaweed rice rolls) made with canned tuna

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For the rice

1. 2 cups (standard measuring cup not the cup that comes with a rice cooker) uncooked short grain rice
2. 1-1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
3. salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

For the tuna

1. 2 cans (5 to 6 ounces) tuna, drained well
2. 2 tablespoons finely diced celery
3. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4. 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
5. 2 teaspoons lemon juice
6. salt (start with ¼ teaspoon) and pepper to taste

For the other ingredients

1. 10 romaine lettuce leaves (only use green leafy part)
2. 10 perilla leaves
3. 3 kirby cucumbers, cut into thick sticks or julienned (do not used seedy part)
4. 5 strips pre-cut pickled radish (단무지)
5. 10 3-inch pieces imitation crab meat (crab sticks)
6. 5 sheets gim

Instructions

1. Cook the rice using a little less water than usual. (Fresh cooked rice is best for gimbap.)
2. Drain the tuna well in a strainer. Press with a spoon to force more liquid to drain.
   
3. Mix well with the celery, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   
4. Prepare the other ingredients. Make sure the vegetables are dry. Pat the crab sticks and pickled radish with a paper towel to remove excess water.
   
5. When all the other ingredients are ready, remove the rice from the rice cooker. While the rice is still hot, add the sesame oil and salt. Mix well by lightly folding with a rice paddle or large spoon until evenly seasoned. The rice will cool down during this process and be ready to be used.
   
6. Put a sheet of gim, shiny side down with the longer side toward you, on a cutting board or a bamboo mat if available. Spread about 3/4 of rice evenly over the gim using a rice paddle or preferably your fingers.
   
7. Lay two lettuce leaves and two perilla leaves on top of the rice, close to you, and then the tuna and other prepared ingredients.
   
8. Lift the entire bottom edge with both hands, and roll over the filling away from you, bringing it to the other end of rice and tucking in the filling with your fingers. Put firm pressure over the roll with the help of the bamboo mat, if using, to close everything in tightly. Then, continue to roll again, putting pressure evenly over the roll using both hands.
   
9. Rub or brush the roll with a little bit of sesame oil for extra flavor and a shiny look. Apply a little bit of sesame oil to a sharp knife. This will keep rice from sticking to the knife. Repeat as necessary after each cut. Wipe the knife with a damp towel if the rice still sticks. Cut the roll into 1/2-inch bite sizes.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Tuna Gimbap appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Last month, I introduced a salad-like kimchi called geotjeori (겉절이) using baby bok choy. Geotjeori is basically a kimchi that’s made to be eaten fresh without fermentation. As such, the vegetables are lightly salted. Fresh kimchi goes especially well with dishes such as kalguksu (warm noodle soup) and Korean BBQ meat. Geotjeori is most commonly made with napa cabbage, baechu (배추). 

Summer napa cabbages tend to be small with thinner leaves, and it’s perfect for making baechu geotjeori. If you have a large cabbage, only use the inner tender parts. You can save tough outer leaves for baechu doenjang guk later.

Because it’s eaten without fermentation, during which a natural sweetness develops, the addition of sugar or corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup) helps round out the flavor of geotjeori. In this recipe, I also used Korean plum syrup called maesil chung (매실청). You can simply omit it if you don’t have it, but it adds a natural fruity sweetness to the dish. Maesil chung is not an ingredient that I grew up with, but it has recently become a popular ingredient. 

I also added minari (water dropwort) and buchu (garlic chives) to this recipe for extra flavors. They are in season and available in Korean markets in my area. You can omit them if you can’t find them.

All the tableware shown in the final photos of this post are sponsored by Huue Craft, an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries. Please visit Huue Craft online store and check out their beautiful tableware!

Baechu Geotjeori (Fresh Kimchi)

2015-06-01 21:58:32

Quick salad-like kimchi that's made to be eaten without fermentation

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Ingredients

1. 1 small (about 2.5 pounds) baechu, (napa cabbage)
2. 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt (less if using finer salt)
3. 2 scallions
4. 2 ounces buchu (garlic chives), cut into 2-inch pieces - optional
5. a few stalks minari (water dropwort), cut into 2-inch pieces - optional

Seasoning

1. 4 tablespoons gochugaru, Korean red chili pepper flakes
2. 3 tablespoons myulchi aekjeot, 멸치액젓 (fish sauce)
3. 1 tablespoon corn syrup (or Korean rice syrup)
4. 1 tablespoon maesil cheong, 매실청 (Korean plum syrup) - or a bit more corn syrup
5. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
6. 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
7. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Separate the cabbage leaves. Cut each leaf lengthwise, and then cut crosswise once or twice into long bite sizes. Rinse in water and drain.
   
2. Place a layer of cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt. Repeat with the remaining cabbage and salt. Toss well to coat evenly. Leave it for 40 to 60 minutes until softened, tossing once halfway through.
   
3. Roughly chop the scallions. Cut the optional minari and buchu into about 2-inch lengths. Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl, and mix well with 2 tablespoons of water.
   
4. Rinse the cabbage twice and drain well.
   
5. Add the seasoning mix to the cabbage. Using a kitchen glove, toss everything by hand until the cabbage pieces are well coated with the seasoning. Add the scallion, minari, and buchu. Add a little salt or more fish sauce to taste.
   

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Baechu Geotjeori (Fresh Kimchi) appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

Here’s another Korean BBQ option for your summer grilling! This spicy chicken bulgogi recipe is so flavorful, and I am confident that it will become one of your grill favorites. Not a spicy lover? Not to worry! I already have a mild version of this chicken bulgogi recipe, which, by the way, is one of the most popular recipes on my blog.

The dark meat stands up better to the bold marinade in this recipe. Boneless thigh meat is my favorite chicken part for grilling. Its open, flat surface works well for marinating and grilling. In Korea, deboned drumstick meat is also popular for similar dishes. Keeping the skin is a matter of personal preference. 

As a sweetener for the marinade, I used Korean plum syrup called maesil chung (매실청) in addition to honey and sugar. It adds a bit of acidity and fruity sweetness to the dish. Other options are pineapple juice or lemon juice with a bit more sugar. Grated apple works well too. The marinade can be made 2 to 3 days in advance. Marinate the chicken overnight for best results.

On another subject, if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the video of my first ever cable TV appearance! You can imagine how nerve-racking it was, but it was such an honor to be on a Korean cable network to share my stories about this blog, Korean food, and my readers.

Thanks for watching!

All the tableware shown in the final photos of this post are sponsored by Huue Craft, an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries. Please visit Huue Craft online store and check out their beautiful tableware!

Spicy Grilled Korean Chicken

2015-06-14 21:56:05

Serves 4

Chicken thighs marinated in a spicy, flavorful Korean marinade and grilled to perfection!

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Ingredients

1. 2 pounds boneless chicken thigh

For the marinade

1. 3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru, 고추가루)
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
4. 2 tablespoons rice wine (or white wine)
5. 2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang, 고추장)
6. 2 tablespoons honey (or 3 tablespoons corn syrup)
7. 2 tablespoons maesil chung, 매실청 (or 2 to 3 tablespoons pineapple juice or grated apple)
8. 1 tablespoon sesame oil
9. 1/4 medium onion, grated (about 1/4 cup)
10. 2 tablespoons minced garlic
11. 1 tablespoon grated ginger
12. 1/2 teaspoon salt
13. pepper to taste

For the garnish

1. 2 tablespoons chopped scallions for garnish
2. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

1. Rinse chicken pieces. Drain. Trim off excess fat. Cut each chicken thigh in half crosswise. Cut open any thick parts.
   
2. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
   
3. Coat the chicken with the marinade. Marinate for a few hours (preferably overnight) in the refrigerator.
   
4. Preheat a lightly oiled grill over medium high heat. When hot, add the chicken pieces. Cook until cooked through and slightly caramelized, about 4 to 6 minutes each side. Reduce the heat if the chicken starts to burn. You can also cook the chicken indoor on a grill pan or in a skillet.
   

Notes

1. Grill some vegetables such as onion, zucchini, and/or mushrooms. Simply cut up, toss with some sesame oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper before grilling. You will have an easy side dish to serve with the meat.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

The post Spicy Grilled Korean Chicken appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

It’s been extremely hot and humid here! I previously mentioned the Korean idea of cooling off and boosting energy with boiling hot chicken soups, such as samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) and dak gomtang (chicken soup). Add this dak kalguksu (닭칼국수) to the list!

Kalguksu (칼국수) means “knife noodles”, but it actually refers to a steaming hot noodle soup that’s traditionally made with handmade, knife-cut noodles. There are many variations using different ingredients for the soup base or for the dough. Dak (chicken) kalguksu is made with a rich chicken broth, and shredded chicken meat.

You can certainly use commercially packaged fresh kalguksu noodles available in the refrigerated section of Korean markets. However, making noodles at home without a machine is not that difficult! You can make them at a moment’s notice as long as you have flour and salt! Homemade noodles taste so much better, and obviously they are much cheaper. A bit of oil makes the dough silkier and a little easier to work with, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The noodles are typically parboiled in a separate pot before adding to the chicken broth. This is strongly recommended because the soup can get very thick from all the starch the noodles release while cooking.

Dak kalguksu is typically made with a whole chicken. It’s a cheap way to feed more people, not to mention the stock will be more flavorful. You can cut up a whole chicken before boiling if you want it to cook a little faster. If you want to use cut chicken pieces, leg quarters and chicken wings will be good for a flavorful stock. The soup is made similar to dak gomtang. Simply boil the chicken, with some aromatic vegetables, to make a flavorful broth, and shred the meat to use as a topping. Typical kalguksu also includes julienned or sliced vegetables such as onion, zucchini, carrot, and/or potato.

Kalguksu is delicious with baechu geotjeori (fresh kimchi)!

All the tableware shown in the final photos of this post are sponsored by Huue Craft, an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries. Visit Huue Craft online store for the beautiful tableware created by five of the renowned potters in Korea!

Dak Kalguksu (Korean Chicken Noodle Soup)

2015-06-28 23:16:52

Serves 4

Delicious noodle soup made with fresh noodles and a rich chicken broth

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For the soup

1. 1 small whole chicken (2.5 to 3 pounds), or bone-in pieces
2. ½ medium onion
3. 8 plump garlic cloves
4. 3 to 4 thinly sliced ginger pieces
5. 2 white parts of scallions
6. 1 3-inch square dried kelp - optional
7. 1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced
8. 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce

For the chicken meat

1. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
2. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
3. salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper to taste

For the vegetables

1. 1 medium zucchini, julienned
2. 2 scallions, finely chopped

For the noodles

1. 1 package fresh kalguksu noodles or see below for homemade

For the sauce (Yangnyumjang) - Optional

1. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
3. 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
4. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 2 – 3 scallions, finely chopped

For the homemade noodles

1. 3 cups all-purpose flour
2. 3/4 teaspoon salt
3. 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
4. 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Place the cleaned chicken in a stockpot large enough to hold the chicken and 12 cups of water. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, scallions, and 12 cups water. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Skim off any foam on top. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes. Adjust cooking time for cut pieces of chicken. If making homemade noodles, this is a good time to start making the dough.
   
2. Sprinkle the julienned zucchini with salt for about 15 minutes and then squeeze out the water. Briefly saute in a heated pan with a little bit of oil. Set aside.
   
3. Cut through the thickest part of the breast, with a knife, to see if the chicken is cooked and tender. Turn the heat off and carefully remove the chicken.
   
4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat off the bones. Shred the meat into small bite size pieces. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to the chicken. Combine well.
   
5. Strain the broth and remove the excess fat. You can line the strainer with a paper towel or use a fat separator.
   
6. Return the broth back to the pot. Add the optional dried kelp, onion slices, and soup soy sauce. Bring it to a boil and boil for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the kelp. This is a good point to roll the dough out and make the noodles if making homemade noodles.
   
7. Meanwhile, in another pot, boil water to parboil the noodles. Add the noodles, and stir. Cook briefly.
   
8. Remove the noodles with a strainer and add to the pot with the broth. Continue to boil until the noodles are cooked through.
   
9. To serve, ladle the noodles and soup in a serving bowl, top with the chicken pieces, zucchini, and chopped scallion.

For the homemade noodles

1. Mix the flour, salt, oil and water by hand until the dough comes together. Generously flour the surface to knead. Knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is fairly smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. The dough should feel slightly stiff. You can adjust the dough by kneading in a little more flour or more water (just enough to wet your hands). Cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. After resting, the dough should feel soft and smooth. You can prepare the dough up to this point a day in advance.
   
2. When ready to use, knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 pieces. Flatten a piece, and roll it out with a rolling pin to make a thin sheet, about 12 x 14-inch.
   
3. From the longer side, fold the dough over 3 to 4 times into layers. Generously flour the surface, and the dough as you roll it out and fold to keep the dough from sticking.
   
4. Cut the dough with a sharp knife into about 1/4-inch thickness. Unfold the noodles and dust with flour to keep the noodles strands separate.
   

Notes

1. If you want make noodles for 2 to 3 servings, use 2 cups of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of oil, and 2/3 cup of water. Basically, the ratio is, for every cup of flour, you will need 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon oil, and 1/3 cup of water.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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Yangnyeom gejang (양념게장) is a spicy marinated raw crab dish. As I mentioned in my ganjang gejang (간장게장) recipe, gejang (게장) is a traditional dish that used to be marinated in a very salty soy sauce brine as a way of preserving the crabs for a long time. These days, the crabs are lightly preserved, in either a mild soy sauce-based brine (ganjang gejang) or in a spicy sauce (yangnyeom gejang), to be consumed within a few days.

In Korea, there are numerous gejang specialty restaurants serving both types of gejang, but we are not as lucky here in the U.S. You may have seen this dish served as part of the side dish (banchan) spread at some Korean restaurants in the U.S. It’s not that common, so my family considers it a real treat when we see it at a restaurant.

Female crabs with roe are preferred by Koreans for making gejang because seasoned crab roe is delicious! In Korea, gejang quality is partially determined by the amount of roe and tomalley in the crabs. It’s icing on the cake! Of course, you can also use male crabs. The most important thing is to buy the freshest crabs. Freezing them will help with cleaning. Clean the crabs very well under running water.

Making the spicy version is fairly simple. Prepare the seasoning (yangnyeom), clean the crabs, and mix with the seasoning. For ganjang gejang, the whole crabs are soaked in a soy brine. On the other hand, for yangnyeom gejang, the crabs are opened and cut into pieces before being marinated, for the sauce to coat and penetrate the crab meat.

This slightly sweet, salty, spicy marinated crab dish will certainly live up to its reputation for being a “rice thief” (밥도둑). Be ready to enjoy with lots of rice!

Yangnyeom Gejang (Spicy Raw Crabs)

2015-07-26 19:35:34

Serves 4

Raw crabs marinated in a slightly sweet, salty, spicy Korean sauce

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Ingredients

1. 3 medium or 4 small blue crabs (or kkotge, 꽃게)

Seasoning

1. 3 tablespoons gochugaru, 고추가루 (or more to taste)
2. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce, guk ganjang, 국간장 - or use 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 2 tablespoons rice wine
5. 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 올리고당
6. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
7. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
8. 2 teaspoons finely grated (juiced) ginger
9. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
10. 1 scallion, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Put the live crabs in the freezer for an hour or two (longer is fine as well).
2. Combine all the seasoning ingredients and mix well. The seasoning can be prepared a day or two in advance. It will further develop flavor as it sits.
   
3. Plunge the frozen crabs in cold water to thaw. Separate the top shell and remove the gills. Clean the shell part of the crab thoroughly, with a kitchen brush or a toothbrush, under running water.
   
4. Break (or cut) the body in half (or quarters). You can cut off the sharp end of each small leg with a pair of kitchen scissors if preferred. Drain well in a colander in the fridge. It’s important to minimize the time that the crabs are out at room temperature.
   
5. Combine the crabs and seasoning, and toss to coat well. Spoon some sauce into the top shells. Marinate for a few hours at least or up to a couple of days in the fridge. These spicy crabs are best eaten within a couple of days.
   

Notes

1. You can add some chopped onion and/or chili pepper to the seasoning sauce. Also, you can add 1 tablespoon of Korean plum syrup (maesil chung, 매실청), or 2 tablespoons of grated pear or apple for some fruity sweetness with a hint of acidity.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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Last weekend, I was in Los Angeles, California for KCON 2015! I held two cooking workshops on tasty Korean street food — tteokbokki and mini gimbap. This was my second year at KCON, and I felt incredibly fortunate and honored to be part of the bigger and better event this year. It was truly an experience of a lifetime!  So you’re wondering what KCON is? Here’s a good description by Billboard:

“For the fourth year in a row, KCON hit the Los Angeles area for America’s annual Mecca of Korean culture. This year, the now-three-day convention boasted a Comic Con-like setup of panels, booths, workshops and vendors about all things Korean culture (or “Hallyu”) at the Los Angeles Convention Center before wrapping things up with a concert on the latter two days at the Staples Center.”

After checking into the hotel on Thursday, I didn’t waste any time and went to Koreatown for a late lunch. I was in LA, the best city in America for Korean food, and determined to take advantage of this every chance I got.

On Friday, the KCON convention began. I didn’t have a workshop that day, but I went to the convention center to check things out. I loved this year’s indoor location. It was nice,  cool, and spacious. On the main floor, there were so many booths for fun activities and merchandise. Look at these guys showing off chopstick skills, and grinding beans in a traditional stone grinder.

I also met some awesome people!  

The panels and workshops were being held upstairs. In Room 518, where I’d have my cooking workshops, the tables were nicely set up for 100 people. It looked a bit intimidating to me, so I kept telling myself “you can do it”!

We got there early Saturday morning for my 11 a.m. workshop. We made some tteokbokki in advance, and set up little hands-on stations at each table for the attendees to try rolling gimbap. The word on the streets was that so many people were lining up outside the room.

A few minutes before 11 a.m., the room was completely filled with Korean food enthusiasts. The only problem was that the room wasn’t big enough for everyone to get in. Sorry if you couldn’t make it in!  

The audience loved the gimbap rolling activity! Also, one of the attendees came up to me afterwards, and she said the ttoekbokki we made in class was the best one she’s had in America (and she had it quite a few times). I was ecstatic to hear that!

I learned from the first workshop that we would need to cook more food in advance so everyone can have a taste. I also needed to buy a lot more ingredients since there were many more people than I expected.

That evening, I had the amazing opportunity to film a video with Buzzfeed – the Try Guys. I taught them how to make tteokbokki and mini gimbap. It was so much fun! The guys were actually pretty good cooks, but to three of them, Korean food was new. We made two batches of tteokbokki while recording, and they were both devoured by the time we finished. The guys asked me if I wanted to be the Try Mom– how sweet!

It was a full house again the next day. 

For both days, I had the most attentive and engaged audiences, which made my job so much easier and way more fun! They rolled their gimbap very well, and asked a lot of good questions. How do you make vegetarian tteokbokki? How do you make tteokbokki extra spicy? How do you reheat tteokbokki? Do you need to cool the rice before using it to make gimbap? What are the proteins that can be used in mini gimbap? And more….

At the end, I had some quiz questions for the audience, and gave out a small package of gim (nori) as a prize for answering each question. Also, while I was shopping at a Korean market in LA, I discovered a little Korean snack called ssal tteokbokki, which is a bag of tteokbokki flavored rice chips. I thought it would be cute and fitting to send the attendees off  with a little tteokbokki love, so we went around all over K-town to buy as many as we could.

Then, of course, the photos! I was extremely grateful to see such a long line of people that wanted to come up for the meet and greet with me. Send any photos my way!

The workshops were very successful, thanks again to the awesome audience! I also want to thank my four person squad (Chris, Issamu, Jae and Young) that helped me in and outside the workshop room, moving things between the hotel and the convention center, running to Korean markets, prepping the ingredients, etc.  And my daughter who discussed this event with me for months, gave me so many fun ideas, and was there with me in spirit. I couldn’t have done it myself!

My visit to LA could not have been complete without visiting Santa Monica Beach. My tired feet loved the “sand massage” and the cold Pacific water! I felt totally refreshed afterwards thanks to my brother living in Santa Monica!

We wrapped up our LA trip with the K-pop concert at the Staples Center – the main event of KCON 2015! I may have been one of the oldest people at the concert, but I really enjoyed it!

Finally, I’ll leave you with this 4-minute recap video released by KCON.

The post KCON 2015 Los Angeles appeared first on Korean Bapsang.

I recently had the opportunity to interview with a Korean TV network, BTN – Buddhist Television Network. BTN sent a team of four people to travel and film a documentary about Korean temple cuisine in different parts of America. They asked me if I could make some temple dishes and share my thoughts on the food and cooking style. I had a great time cooking and filming a small part of the program while sharing the dishes with the friendly crew.

Temple food has been increasingly popular in and outside Korea by health conscious people, as well-being, healing food regardless of religious backgrounds. I was very glad to have this opportunity to learn more about it.

While there is so much to talk about the 1700-year-old Korean temple food (사찰음식), here are five basic things you should know:

1. Korean temple food excludes all animal products. Milk is allowed, so temple food as a whole is not vegan while most of individual dishes are. Temple cooking is primarily based on seasonal plant-based ingredients, which are either organically grown in temple grounds or harvested from nearby fields and mountains.  
2. There are 5 forbidden vegetables, called oshinchae (오신채). They are garlic, scallion, onion, buchu (부추) – garlic chives, and dalrae (달래) – wild rocambole/small wild onion. These vegetables are considered stimulants which hinder spiritual meditation.  
3. Temple dishes are lightly seasoned only with natural seasonings, so they generally have a mild, clean taste. Temple cooking uses a wide variety of natural flavor enhancers such as mushroom powder, lotus root powder, perilla seeds, etc. as well as temple made Korean traditional fermented condiments such as soy sauce (aka jib ganjang/soup soy sauce), doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (red chili pepper paste).
4. Because they have to work with limited ingredients, temple cooks are experts on identifying edible wild plants, creating many different dishes with limited ingredients, and preserving/pickling vegetables when they are in season for later use.  
5. In Buddhist temples, cooking and eating is considered spiritual meditation. The food is made with care to nourish the body, mind, and soul of those who eat it. Food is considered medicine. 

This dumpling recipe made with summer zucchini was recently featured on BTN as a favorite summer dish at Bongnyeongsa, the oldest temple in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. I was totally intrigued by the simplicity of this recipe, which was made with only 2 filling ingredients, one of which is actually optional. Bongnyeongsa boils these dumplings, cools in cold water, and serves cold.

Let me tell you — what a refreshing change this was from my usual mandu recipes which involve several filling ingredients and lots of chopping and squeezing! It is so easy to make, guys! The best part of it is the nice and clean taste which allows you to simply savor the natural flavor of the sweet summer zucchini. The mushroom complements the zucchini with a bit of earthy flavor and meaty texture.

All the tableware shown in the final photos of this post are sponsored by Huue Craft, an online store dedicated to the finest Korean pottery tableware. They ship worldwide to over 25 countries. Visit Huue Craft online store for the beautiful tableware created by five of the renowned potters in Korea!

Hobak Mandu (Zucchini Dumplings)

2015-08-18 21:35:28

Serves 4

Incredibly simple Korean dumplings made with summer zucchini

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Ingredients

1. 24 dumpling wrappers
2. 2 zucchinis (about 10 ounces each)
3. 2 teaspoons salt
4. 4 dried shittaki mushrooms, soaked (or use fresh) - optional
5. ½ soup soy sauce (or ¼ salt)
6. sesame oil

Instructions

1. Cut the zucchinis into thin disks and then into matchsticks. If the disks are big, cut in half before cutting into matchsticks. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the salt, and let sit for about 15 minutes until wilted and some liquid is released. Gently squeeze the liquid out from the zucchini.
   
2. Cut the mushrooms into thin strips. If the mushrooms are thick, slice them diagonally once or twice as if you are butterflying the mushrooms, and then cut into thin strips. Mix with the soup soy sauce (or salt) and a little bit (about ½ teaspoon) sesame oil.
   
3. Heat a pan over high heat, and add two teaspoons of sesame oil and the zucchini. Stir fry until the zucchini is cooked and dry. Transfer to a large plate and spread it around to cool.
   
4. Heat a pan over medium high heat, and stir fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of water or mushroom soaked water if the pan gets too dry.
   
5. Combine the zucchini and mushrooms. Adjust the seasoning to taste if needed.
   
6. Place one heaping teaspoonful of the filling on a wrapper placed on your palm. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water, fold the wrapper and seal tightly (pushing the air out with your fingers) into a half-moon shape. You can pinch one side of the wrapper to form pleats. Repeat this process until all the filling/wrappers are used.
   
7. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the dumplings a few at a time, stirring gently so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook only until the dumplings come up to the surface. Prepare a bowl with cold water. Remove the dumplings quickly, and plunge in the cold water to cool.
   
8. Remove and serve cold with a dipping sauce (2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 2 teaspoons water) if desired.

Notes

1. To make the square dumpling shape, wet the edges, pinch the opposite sides of the wrapper and seal the edges. Do the same with the other two sides. Make sure to seal the middle tightly.
2. Regardless of the shape, make sure to seal tightly as the dumplings will be boiled.

By Hyosun Ro

Adapted from Bongnyeongsa Temple Recipe

Adapted from Bongnyeongsa Temple Recipe

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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This rice cake, youngyang chaltteok (영양 찰떡), is one of the easiest rice cakes you can make at home! No kneading, no shaping, no pounding, and no special tool other than a steamer is required! Young-yang means healthy, and chal-tteok refers to sticky, chewy rice cakes that are made with glutinous rice (sweet rice) flour/powder, chapssal garu (찹쌀가루). It’s also called by its short name youngyang tteok (or dduk).

The tradition of rice cakes goes back to ancient Korea. There are literally hundreds of varieties of rice cakes made with all sorts of grains. While enjoyed everyday as a snack, light meal, dessert, or in savory dishes such as tteokguk (soup), and tteokbokki (spicy stir-fried), rice cakes are a big part of the special occasion and holiday food traditions. For special days, Korean homes prepare several varieties of rice cakes in addition to the must-have type such as songpyeon for Chuseok (Korean thanksgiving/autumn harvest festival).

For this chaltteok, black soybeans (called seoritae, 서리태, or gumjeongkong, 검정콩 ), dried jujube (Korean dates, daechu, 대추), and dried pumpkin (hobak ogari, 호박오가리) are traditional ingredients. These days, it’s loaded with various nuts and/or other dried fruits such as raisins and dried persimmons (gotgam, 곶감), hence the name youngyang (healthy) tteok.

You can throw in any soaked dried beans, or even canned kidney beans (rinsed) instead of black soybeans. For nuts, I used chestnuts and walnuts. Other options are pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.

If you’re in Korea, new crop dried persimmons are in season by now, which will be excellent in this recipe. Also, dried pumpkin (hobak ogari) is commercially available in Korea, but not around here! So, I just slice up a kabocha and dry it in my dehydrator for a couple of hours. You can air dry them for a day or two if you don’t have a dehydrator. Dried pumpkin tastes sweeter and holds up its texture better when cooked.

I use frozen wet sweet rice powder (chapssal garu) that is available in the freezer section of Korean markets. If unavailable, you can make wet powder at home by soaking sweet rice and finely grinding in a blender.

Though not traditional, my secret ingredient is almond meal! One day, I added some almond meal, leftover from my daughter’s macaron baking, to use it up and really liked the results. It adds a nutty flavor to the rice cake while slightly loosening up the dense texture, but it’s absolutely optional!

This recipe is very flexible! You can vary the amounts of the rice powder or other ingredients. Any combination of sweet rice powder, some beans, nuts, and dried fruits will give you tasty, healthy rice cakes!

Youngyang Chaltteok (Healthy Sweet Rice Cake)

2016-09-18 18:39:06

Serves 10

Korean rice cake made with sweet rice flour and healthy ingredients such as beans, nuts and dried fruits and pumpkin!

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Ingredients

1. 1 cup soaked black soybeans, seoritae, 서리태 (or kidney beans)
2. 12 jujubes, dried Korean dates, daechu, 대추 (or 1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries or persimmons)
3. 1/2 cup dried kabocha (or other type of pumpkin) - optional - See note.
4. 10 chestnuts, quartered
5. 1/2 cup walnuts, quartered
6. 5 cups frozen wet sweet rice flour, defrosted at room temperature - See note.
7. 3 tablespoons sugar (2 tablespoons if you like it less sweet)
8. 1/3 cup almond meal - optional

Instructions

1. Prepare the beans by soaking in warm water for a few hours. Rinse the jujubes and cut each one around the seed into 3 to 4 pieces. Rinse the optional dried kabocha and rehydrate by adding a tablespoon or two of water at a time, until softened. Prepare the nuts.
   
2. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, sugar, and the optional almond meal. Mix well by hand or a whisk until everything is well incorporated. Add 2 tablespoons of water and rub the powder between your palms, breaking the big clumps, to evenly distribute the moisture. You don’t need to try to break up small clumps.
   
3. Add all the other ingredients and gently toss to combine everything.
   
4. Fill a steamer (or a pot) with water two thirds of the way. Prepare the steamer insert (or bamboo steamer) with a wet linen/cotton cloth (or cheesecloth). Turn the heat on. When it starts to steam, add the mixture to the steamer insert with a large spoon. Even the top out, but do not pack. If your cloth hangs down low, fold it over to cover the mixture. Unless using a bamboo steamer, fully cover the top with another cloth before putting the lid on. (This will prevent the water generated by steam from dripping on the rice cake.)
   
5. Steam for 30 minutes, and then remove the steamer insert from the heat.
   
6. When it’s cool enough to handle, flip it over onto a cutting board. Remove the cloth.
   
7. Shape the rice cake to a rectangle if desired. Wet your hands before touching the rice cake. Cut into serving size pieces.
   
8. Keep it in an airtight container if serving within a day or two. To store for a longer period, individually wrap and freeze the rice cake. For best results, do this within a few hours of making. Simply leave it out at room temperature until it softens before serving, or you can briefly defrost it in the microwave.

Notes

1. 1. To dry kabocha pumpkin, cut a medium size kabocha into quarters. Peel each quarter with a potato peeler, and then cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Dry in a dehydrator for 2 to 3 hours or in a lowest setting of the oven. One quarter is sufficient for this recipe. Keep the remaining in a bag at room temperature or in the fridge.
2. 2. To make sweet rice flour at home, soak 2-1/2 cups sweet rice for 8 to 10 hours or overnight, completely drain, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and use a blender to grind as fine as possible.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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Ojingeochae (o-jing-eo-chae, 오징어채) is dried squid that’s shredded and processed with seasoning such as sugar and salt. It’s slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness. Ojingeo is squid, and chae means shredded or julienned. It’s also called jinmichae (진미채). Jinmi means tasty. It’s commonly enjoyed as a snack on its own, especially when drinking alcohol, and also used as an ingredient for a side dish.

Like myeolchi bokkeum, kongjang, and jangjorim, this ojingeochae muchim (오징어채 무침) is a side dish that’s made to last long and served with every meal over several days (called mitbanchan, 밑반찬, meaning basic side dishes).

To make this side dish, there are various ways Korean cooks soften this dried squid. I use a little bit of water to wet the squid to rehydrate. The squid will lose its flavor if submerged in water too long. Steaming the squid briefly works well too.

For the seasoning, I first make chili oil by mixing gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) with heated oil. Then, add gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) and other ingredients, and bring everything to a boil only up until it bubbles up. This will meld all the ingredients together.

The important thing to remember is to cool the mixture before adding the squid. If added to the hot sauce, the squid will cook and get rubbery. This is why it’s called muchim (mixed), not bokkeum (stir-fried).

Enjoy this chewy, sweet and spicy dried squid with any of your Korean meals. It’s also delicious with a simple bowl of rice or in gimbap!

Ojingeochae Muchim (Spicy Squid Strips)

2016-10-03 03:45:16

dried squid strips seasoned with a sweet and spicy sauce!

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Ingredients

1. 4 ounces ojingeochae, shredded dried squid
2. 1-1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
3. 2 teaspoons gochugaru, Korean red chili pepper flakes
4. 2 tablespoons gochujang, Korean red chili pepper paste
5. 2 tablespoons corn syrup (preferably Korean oligodang)
6. 1 teaspoon soy sauce
7. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
8. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
9. 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Cut the dried squid strings into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors. Rinse in cold water, and drain. Add 1/2 cup of water, and cover. Set it aside until softened, about 20 minutes, flipping over once.
   
2. In a pan, heat one and a half tablespoons of oil, until hot, over low heat and stir in the chili pepper flakes. Remove from the heat when it becomes pasty. Add the gochujang, corn syrup, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Over medium heat, bring the sauce mixture to a boil, stirring well. Turn the heat off, and stir in sesame oil and sesame seeds. Cool the sauce.
   
3. Squeeze the excess water from the squid, and toss well with the sauce. The squid will absorb the sauce better if you massage everything together by hand, using a kitchen glove.
   
4. Keep the leftovers in the fridge. It will keep well for a couple of weeks.

By Hyosun Ro

Korean Bapsang http://www.koreanbapsang.com/

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