Korean Food and Recipes
When you go to a Korean B.B.Q place, you will often get this tasty soybean paste soup along with your ordered meat. Even if the soup is like a side dish for the main meal, some people might want to go there just for the soup because it is that delicious. 🙂 So, today I want to share my tasty restaurant version of this soybean paste soup with some special secret ingredients. Please cook this delicious soup at home with what you normally would have in your kitchen.
Yield: 2 Servings
Red leafy Lettuce also called “JeokSangChu (적상추), along with perilla, is the most used raw vegetable in Korean cuisine. Contrary to the fact that Perilla is preferred because of its unique flavor, lettuce has no particular taste, so it is popular as a leafy vegetable wrapped in meat. Korean lettuce wraps are eaten wrapped in raw vegetables and cooked meat, which are rarely found in food cultures of other countries.
Lettuce wraps, which Koreans enjoy, are now a supporting role attached to the side of the meat, but originally, it was a custom of wrapping a fortune and eating it. Fresh lettuce grown by ourselves and barley rice with ssamjang served with ssamjang was the basis of a healthy diet for our ancestors. Lettuce supplements vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber, which are lacking in meat, prevent cholesterol from accumulating in the body and purify the blood.
Green leafy Lettuce also called “CheongSangChu (청상추), along with perilla, is the most used raw vegetable in Korean cuisine. Contrary to the fact that Perilla is preferred because of its unique flavor, lettuce has no particular taste, so it is popular as a leafy vegetable wrapped in meat. Korean lettuce wraps are eaten wrapped in raw vegetables and cooked meat, which are rarely found in food cultures of other countries.
Lettuce wraps, which Koreans enjoy, are now a supporting role attached to the side of the meat, but originally, it was a custom of wrapping a fortune and eating it. Fresh lettuce grown by ourselves and barley rice with ssamjang served with ssamjang was the basis of a healthy diet for our ancestors. Lettuce supplements vitamin C, beta-carotene, and fiber, which are lacking in meat, prevent cholesterol from accumulating in the body and purify the blood.
Spinach also called “SiGeumChi (시금치) is a green-yellow leafy vegetable that contains a large number of various nutrients such as vitamins, iron, and dietary fiber. Spinach has strong cold resistance, so it grows well in cool spring, autumn, and winter. Spinach harvested at this time contains more vitamin C. Spinach is divided into Eastern and Western varieties. Eastern varieties are resistant to cold, so they are cultivated in autumn and winter and are called winter spinach, while Western varieties are cultivated in spring and summer and are called summer spinach. Winter spinach leaves are sharp, but summer spinach leaves are thick and round. In the West, young spinach leaves are mainly used for salads. In Korea, spinach is boiled in soybean paste soup and eaten, but in general, it is often eaten as a side dish for vegetables by blanching it and mixing it with sesame oil and minced seasoning.
Crown Daisy also called “SsukGat” (쑥갓) is a vegetable belonging to the Asteraceae family. It has a dark green color, deeply serrated shape, and a distinctive scent. It is widespread in Korea, China, and Japan. Yellow or white flowers bloom in early summer, but because of their strong scent, they are planted in flower pots or flower beds in Europe for ornamental purposes only and are not used for food as in Asia. These days, the caloric content is only 26 kcal per 100 g, and it is popular as it is known as an alkaline food that is easy to digest. Since it can be grown in a greenhouse, it can be eaten all year round.
There is a Korean proverb that says, “It is good to eat rice cakes that look good.” It seems that pretty food that pleases our eyes tastes even better. So today, I’m going to make a very pretty side dish using tofu and spam. This is called “tofu spam pancake.” The savory taste of tofu combined with the salty spam creates a very pleasing taste. I think it would be perfect as a side dish for a lunch box or as a finger food for a party. Try making it sometime.
Yield: 1 Dozen
What if you can grab a common ingredient from your local grocery store and turn it into a tasty Korean side? Does that sound good? Then, here is my super simple, yet healthy and delicious chickpea side dish recipe called 병아리콩 조림 (ByeongARiKong JoRim) in Korean. It has a salty, slightly sweet, nutty, and savory flavor. Oh~ it is so good. Btw, the even more appealing part for this recipe is that you can get just as great of a result by using canned chickpeas instead of dried chickpeas. Of course, you can save lots of time for cooking this way.
Yield: 1½ Cups
Cucumber is one of the vegetables that people either love or hate. I think that the refreshing flavor of cucumber can be part of the reason. Depending on the way you eat the cucumber, the refreshing flavor can easily turn into an unpleasant watery veggie flavor. That case in particular can happen to some of Korean cucumber sides. When you make a fresh cucumber side using Korean seasoning ingredients, it tastes wonderful right after you make the side. But, later, the texture and flavor of the cucumber changes, and it is not that great. So, today, I will share a Korean cucumber side-dish called 오이 생채 무침 (OI SaengChae MuChim) in Korean. You can enjoy this even after keeping it in the refrigerator for days with my special tip.
Yield: 1 Cup
This is my upgraded version of Almond cookie recipe. This time, I will share detailed instruction through video too. Our boys, Bryson and Logan love it so much. It is so simple to make with just few ingredients and the result is amazing. 🙂 Christmas is coming, why don’t you try to make something simple yet super delicious? 🙂
Yield: 28 Cookies
There are many fun and delicious ways to use dumpling wrappers. So, today I will show you how to make scrumptious cheese sticks using dumpling wrappers. You can just make simple ones, but you can also be creative and add some other ingredients to your cheese sticks. You do not have to deep fry at all during this process, and it still tastes awesome. So, let’s get started.
Yield: 9 Pieces
