Kimchi Fried Rice

Kimchi Fried Rice just sounds like the ideal way of getting rid of the two big boxes of kimchi that have been sitting in the refrigerator for the past couple of months. Just in case you wonder, these were handmade by yours truly during my trip to Korea back in September. I've read somewhere online that sour kimchi made for a better fried rice but sour or not, this still tasted pretty neat I must say.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups                       cooked rice, overnight and left in the refrigerator covered
1/2 cup                      kimchi, chopped
1/2                            onion, chopped
2 cloves                     garlic, minced
2 tablespoons            cooking oil
2                               fresh eggs
1 teaspoon                light soy sauce
2 stalk                       green onion, chopped
pinch                         sea salt

Method:

Heat the wok on medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute the onions with a pinch of salt till it turns translucent.

Add in the minced garlic and fry till fragrant.

Stir in the chopped kimchi and fry for about 3 minutes.

Add in the rice and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce. Break the rice using the back of your spatula and fry on high heat for about 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and mix in the chopped green onions.

Serve with a sunny side up per person, mixing the runny yolk into the rice while eating.

Chicken and Cheese Porridge

 

I've grown sick and tired of the usual porridge with century egg, minced pork, scallop and all. Don't get me wrong, they are still very delicious to me. But I thought it would be good to try something new and novel. I've tried the popular Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge) in Korea, but the one that stays in my head was actually the creamy wholesome chicken and cheese porridge. Contrary to much belief that it will be pretty thick and heavy, a slight hint of cheese actually transformed a rather simple chicken porridge to something a little more...let's just say homely. As much as I would love the recipe from the shop owner, I had to improvise on my own from memory and some imagination. Somewhat different from the original that I've tasted, this is nonetheless good enough to tide me over a cold rainy day.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup                               short grain rice, rinsed and soaked for at least 30 minutes
1                                      chicken carcasse
1 piece                             chicken breast
1 small                             carrot, diced
1                                       broccoli stalk, diced
2 slices                             packet cheddar cheese

Method:

Bring the rice to boil with 2 cups of water. When the water is boiling, add in the chicken carcasse and chicken breast.

Remove the chicken breast after 5 - 10 minutes, leaving the carcasse behind in the pot. Allow the chicken breast to cool before shredding it by hand.

Allow the porridge to cook for another 30 minutes. Add in additional water if required.

Remove the carcasse and add in the diced carrot and broccoli. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Switch off heat and stir in the shredded chicken breast. Serve hot. Add in a slice of cheese to each bowl and stir thoroughly before serving.

Radish Kimchi

I've recently returned from a holiday to Seoul. Expectedly I lugged back an entire treasure trove of ingredients bought from the local wet market. Amongst those were some lovely red looking dried Korean chilli powder, which I bought by the kilogram. :) I've also had the opportunity to experience making cabbage Kimchi in a traditional guesthouse. It was such a wonderful experience that I decided to experiment with some radish kimchi this evening, using some of these gorgeous looking spices of course.

Ingredients:

1 large                           radish, peeled and cut into small pieces
3 stalks                          spring onion,chopped
3 tablespoons                Korean dried chilli powder
5 cloves                         garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon                  ginger, minced
3-4 tablespoons             fish sauce
1 tablespoon                  sugar
1 tablespoon                  salt

Method:

In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar with the radish. Set aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, drain some of the liquid released by the radish and leave about 1/4 cup behind.

Add in the remaining ingredients and mix evenly. My suggestion is to try tasting the radish kimchi with 3 tablespoons of fish sauce. If the flavour is not strong enough for you, mix in another tablespoon of it.

Store in a air tight container and chill in the fridge.

Jjimdak (Korean Steamed Chicken)

Crazy me didn't had enough of Korea. I have just touched down from Seoul late last night and here I am cooking Korean food again. Well, this was my favourite dish throughout my week long holiday and have terribly regretted not going back for a 2nd round. So here I am trying my best to replicate the exact flavours in my own kitchen. Unfortunately I am not a good imitator but the dish turned out to be pretty good, according to my sister. I am not a fan of white meat and hence I chose to use only dark meat in this dish. You can use half a chicken if preferred.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

5                                    chicken wings, separated into wings and drumlets
2 tablespoons                cooking oil
6 cloves                         garlic, minced
1 tablespoon                  ginger, minced
6                                    dried chilli, cut into smaller pieces
1                                    red chilli, sliced
1                                    carrot, sliced
1 large                           yellow onions, quartered
3                                    potatoes, skinned and quartered
6                                    spring onions, cut into 2-inches long
1 tablespoon                  toasted sesame seed
200g                              cellophane noodles, soaked and drained
3 cups                            water
1 tablespoon                  sesame oil
                                      ground white pepper

Sauce:

3 tablespoons                 light soy sauce
1 tablespoons                 dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons                 oyster sauce
2 tablespoons                 sugar

Method:

Heat a skillet with 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add in the dried red chilli and fry for until fragrant, taking care not to burn the chillies. Remove the chilli and set aside.

Add in the chicken pieces and stir fry for about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and ginger and fry for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the sauce mixture, 3 cups of water and the prepared potatoes. Bring to boil for 10 minutes.

Add in the carrot, onion and cover with lid. Boil for another 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the cellophane noodles and boil for another 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in the spring onions, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, a dash of ground white pepper.

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and more spring onions, if desired.

Happy Call Pan Recipe - Kimchi Pancake

My brother has been pestering me to cook up something fancy for him since he return from Perth a month ago. I've sadly been proscratinating. Feeling a little guilty, I have decided to cook up something a little special for him today. Unfortunately I do not have much ingredients in the chiller this week but I do have a HUGE tub of kimchi which I've recently bought, so Kimchi Pancake it shall be for lunch today.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup                             kimchi, chopped
1/2                                 onion, minced
1/2 cup                          plain flour
1/2 teaspoon                 sea salt
1/2 teaspoon                 sugar
1/4 cup                          water
1 tablespoon                 cooking oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except for the oil, together.

Heat the happy call pan on medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Pour in the prepared batter and spread them evenly on the pan. Close and lock the pan for 2 minutes.

Flip over the pan and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes or until crispy. Serve hot.

Samyetang - Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

I was craving for a nutritious and nourishing soup but have grown sick of the ubiquitous Chinese soups that I've been having. Inspired by yet another Korean drama that I've watched recently, I've decided to try out with a Samyetang - Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup recipe instead. I'm not too sure if the taste is truly authentic (the last time I tried a traditional one in Korea was a decade back) but it was  definitely slurping good.

Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients:
1                        small chicken (feet and wings removed), rinsed and pat dry
10 cloves           garlic, peeled
10                      red dates
3                        ginseng root
1/2 cup              glutinous rice, soaked for at least an hour
2 stalk               spring onion, chopped
                         salt and pepper

Method:

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the soaked glutinous rice, 4 to 5 garlic cloves, 4 to 5 red dates and 2 ginseng root.

Place the chicken into a small pot and add in 1 litre of water.

Add in the remaining garlic cloves, red dates and ginseng root.

Bring to boil on high heat and lower heat to simmer for a minimum of 40 minutes, adding additonal water if necessary.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped spring onion before serving.

Tteokbokki (Korean Rice Cake)

I have been craving for some mean Tteokbokki (Korean rice cake) for a very long time. The last time I had a really good version was in a small family-run Korean restaurant located in a small dark alley in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. I seriously doubt I will be flying HK anytime soon so I've decided to make them on my own. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get hold of some Korean fish cake so I've made a vegetarian version instead. If you are lucky enough to get some, do add them in alongside the other ingredients.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

250g                                    rice cake, rinsed
2 cups                                 dashi stock (I used water with dashi stock flavouring)
1/2                                      yellow onion, sliced
1/2                                      carrot, sliced thinly
1 clove                                garlic, minced
1 tablespoon                        soy sauce
2 tablespoons                      Gochujang (red pepper paste)
2 tablespoons                      sugar
1/4                                      leek, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon                          roasted white or black sesame

Method:

Place 2 cups of dashi stock in a saucepan and bring to boil. Mix in 2 tablespoons of Gochujang, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 clove of minced garlic. Bring to boil for 5 minutes.

Add in the sliced onion, sliced carrot and rice cake and bring the heat down to low. Stir continuously until the sauce thicken and reduced.

Mix in the sliced leek and stir another minute. Serve with a teaspoon of roasted sesame seeds.

Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge)

Commonly seen in Korean drama series, Deonbokjuk (abalone porridge) is a famous dish using freshly-shucked abalone from Jeju island. It is highly nourishing and is an ideal nutritional supplement for those recovering from sickness or simply when you are lacking in appetite. Short-grain rice is preferred but the usual Jasmine long-grain will do as well. This recipe calls for fresh abalone but since that's hardly available in Singapore, I've cooked mine using canned ones instead. I was being a little extravagant by using those gigantic Mexican canned abalone but you can easily replace it with half a can of mini abalone, you just got to ensure that you sliced them thinly as chunks of abalone flesh can be quite taxing on your jaw muscles.

Ingredients:

1 cup                  white rice
2 small                fresh abalone, chopped (or half can of abalone)
1 small                carrot, chopped finely
2 cloves              garlic, minced
2 tablespoons      sesame oil
1 stalk                 scallion, chopped
1 sheet                toasted seaweed, shredded
1/2 teaspoon       salt


Method:

Soak the rice in water for 3 hours or a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you soak the rice, the finer the porridge. Strain and keep aside.

Heat a pot on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add in the minced garlic and chopped carrot and stir-fry for a minute. Add in the abalone and stir-fry for another minute.

Mix in the pre-soaked rice and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in 5 cups of water and bring to boil.

Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve with the chopped scallion and seaweed.

Korean Japchae

Comprising of an assortment of vegetables with sweet potato noodles, Japchae is a traditional Korean dish usually served during special occasions or celebrations. Bearing similarities with our Chinese Chap Chye, this dish however, is not exactly a total stir-fry. The purists will insist that the dish tastes better when it is cooked separately and mixed together by hand thereafter. It is pretty time-consuming preparely the ingredients separately, perhaps the reason why it's only served during special occasions!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch                       sweet potato noodles

1/2 medium                 carrot, shredded
1 cup                          spinach
3 stalk                         spring onion, cut into 2 inches long

5                                 dried mushrooms, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes,sliced thinly

2 cloves                       garlic, minced

200g                            thinly sliced beef

1/2 medium                  onion, sliced

1 tablespoon                toasted white sesame
                                    sesame oil

                                    light soy sauce

                                    sugar
                                    cooking oil

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the sweet potato noodles and cook according to packet instruction. Mine was cooked in 8 minutes. Strain and mix with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Cook spinach in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and rinse through with cold running water. Squeeze out the excess water and cut into 2 inches long. Mix with 1/1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Transfer into the large mixing bowl with the sweet potato noodles.

Heat a pan with 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Stir fry the shredded carrot for a minute. Transfer into the large mixing bowl. Repeat the same procedue for the sliced onion and spring onion, but using only 10 seconds for the spring onions.

Heat the pan with another 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the sliced mushroom and beef. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Stir fry for a minute or until the beef is fully cooked. Transfer into the large mixing bowl.

Mix 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce. Pour into the large mixing bowl.

Mix all ingredients by hand (wearing gloves of course!) and serve warm with steamed white rice and kimchi.

Kimchi Chigae (Kimchi Stew)

Anyeonghasayo! All thanks to my recent obsession with the Korean culture, I found my kitchen fully stocked with a good variety of Korean ingredients. Packed with piquent, tangy flavours, this appetite-whetting kimchi stew is ideal for one of those cold rainy days or whenever the lazy side gets the better of you. Goes superbly with a bowl of steamed rice.

Ingredients:

100g                        pork belly, thinly sliced (I used the sukiyaki type)

1 packet                   silken tofu, cut into small pieces

1/2 medium              yellow onion, sliced

1 stalk                      scallion, cut into 1-inch long

1 cup                        chopped kimchi

1/2 tablespoon          gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)

1/2 tablespoon          sugar

3 cups                       water

1 teaspoon                sesame oil

Method:

Place all ingredients except the tofu and sesame oil in a pot. Bring to boil for 10 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for another 20 minutes, adding the tofu during the last 5 minutes. Drizzle the sesame oil over and serve.

Korean Army Stew - Budae Jjigae

This was a result of watching way too much Korean drama. I just HAD to eat something that is commonly featured in those heart wrenching episodes. Many a times, we see instant noodles with packet cheese, or a bowl of hot piping kimchi ramen (Ramen by the way, are just another form of instant noodles in Korea). I wanted to treat myself to something a little better and chose this Korean 'stew' brimming with American ingredients (an interesting creation during the Korean war) instead.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

1/2 can            Spam, sliced
2 whole           frankfurters, sliced
1 bunch           spinach, cut into 2 inches long
1 bunch           mung bean sprouts, with ends removed
1 block            tofu, cut into small pieces
2 cups             chicken stock (or water with 1 chicken bouillon cube)
1 tbsp              sesame oil
2 cloves          garlic, minced
1 tbsp              gochujiang (Korean red pepper paste)
1 piece            Korean instant noodles (only the noodles)

Method:

Add sesame oil into a pot and add in garlic and gochujiang. Fry for about half a minute and add in chicken stock. Add in all ingredients except for the instant noodles. Bring to boil and lower to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add in the instant noodles 3 minutes prior to serving.

Easy Bibimbap

My recent obsession with Korean dramas has spur me into a Korean cooking frenzy. It was no surprise that I will choose to experiment with Bibimbap, one of the most common Korean food known other than the ubiquitous Korean BBQ.

One of the key factor to this dish is getting a good tub of Gochujang (Korean red pepper sauce). Don't worry about this, most reputable supermarket will have a good stock of it. A gentle reminder though, that this should not be confused with Ssamjiang (a mixture of red pepper sauce and bean sauce) commonly used as a condiment for BBQ meat and lettuce.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of short grain rice

1 tablespoon Gochujang

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small carrot, shredded

1 bunch spinach, rinsed and cut into 3 inch long

1 bunch mung bean sprouts, rinsed with ends removed

2 eggs, sunny side up

200g ground beef or thinly sliced beef

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

salt

Method:

Rinse rice with water and cook in a rice cooker.

Cook mung bean sprouts in a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt for 10 minutes. Drain and mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

Cook spinach in a pot of boiling hot water for 1 minute. Remove and soak in cold water. Drain and squeeze water out from spinach. Mix with 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Set aside.

Saute shredded carrot on hot pan with 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil for one minute. Set aside.

On a hot pan, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and fry till fragrant. Add in the beef, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and fry till beef is thoroughly cooked.

To serve, top rice with all ingredients, 1/2 tablespoon of sesame seeds, 1/2 tablespoon of Gochujang per person and a sunny side up. Enjoy.