Korean Food and Recipes
Perilla kimchi (깻잎 김치) is another simple kimchi recipe. It does not need to soak in a brine like normal kimchi and it does not need very long to ferment. So even though it called kimchi, it is almost like a daily side dish. Perilla has a unique taste, and it is thought to be good for health. This kimchi tastes great both when it is fresh and fermented. If you love kimchi and want something different, why don’t you try this someday? 😉
Yield: 6½ Dozen Leaves
Seasoned filefish bokkeum is one of the most common side dishes that mothers like to keep it in the refrigerator and serve with each meal. It keeps for several weeks. As you might know, Koreans eat many different kinds of side dishes for each meal; so it is very convenient to have 4 or 5 different side dishes that you can keep and eat for some time, including kimchi. With the same sauce that I use in this recipe, you can use other dried fish such as dried anchovies or dried shrimp instead of filefish. The sauce is spicy and sweet which goes well with the salted and dried fish.
Yield: 2 Cups
Gyeranmli is a rolled up fried egg. This type is made with fish cakes, and it is called “gyeranmali (어묵 계란말이).” It is easy and delicious and can be used in a Korean lunch box. Someday, I will post more Korean lunch box dishes. 😉
Yield: 3 Servings
This watercress and mung bean sprout side dish is very nutritious and simple to make. Since it does not have that many seasonings, its unique flavor comes from the watercress and mung bean sprouts. This is very simple and it tastes best when it is fresh, so usually this dish is made and served right before a Korean meal as a side dish. In my personal opinion, the flavor of the watercress can help increase your appetite, so it can be good as an appetizer also. If you are using leftover side dishes or vegetables for your bibimbap, this is also a perfect addition.
Yield: 1 Cup
This butter bean patty recipe is my adaptation of a common type of Korean tofu patty side dish (두부전=DuBu Jeon). Instead of using tofu, we will be using beans. In Korea, canned beans are not common except for red bean paste or sweetened red beans that are used for some kinds of desserts. Dried beans are the most common in Korea. We usually soak them over night and boiled them for a long time before they are soft enough to eat. In that point, the canned beans that are commonly found in the USA are very convenient and cheap. I have been thinking of ways these canned beans can be used in Korean cooking. The can of black beans that I used in my pumpkin porridge recipe was the first time I tried using canned beans in Korean food, and the result was very good. So, the last time we went to the grocery store, I got different kinds of beans to try in Korean dishes.
My husband does not care much for tofu because of the taste and health reasons. I am not a big fan of tofu either, however every now and then; I get hungry for Korean tofu dishes, especially the tofu patty dishes. Of course, I wanted to see my hubby taste delicious tofu patties. As a result of all of those things, I imagined replacing tofu with beans. So, that is how I came up with this recipe, and my husband and I love it. The creamy, nutty flavor of the butter beans combines with the garlic well, and it has a little hot pepper for an awesome taste that is sure to be a hit. I am very excited to share this recipe with you. They taste best hot off the stove.
Yield: 16 Patties
There are some vegetables that are a great match with soy sauce’s flavor. Eggplants and onion are two good examples. This fried eggplant is a quick side dish that you can prepare and serve for several meals because it keeps for up to a couple weeks in the refrigerator. The flavor of fried onions, garlic, and soy sauce gives extra flavor to the plain tasting eggplant. Try it someday. 🙂
Yield: 6 Servings
Pumpkin porridge is a popular dish in Korea around this time of the year. It is popular with all ages for a snack or with a meal. For this recipe, I used an easier way to make the beans. I used a can of beans instead of cooking dried beans. It saved a lot of time and tastes the same. 😉 The sweetness from pumpkin porridge with beans and chewy rice balls tastes great. This would be a great dish for a Halloween party.
Yield: 1½ Quarts
Yield: 2 Cups
This dish is good for a party or as an appetizer. Personally, I like to cook a whole chicken for different kinds of food, because you can get great broth from a whole chicken, and the meat can be used for several different dishes. So, today I will show you one of those dishes. If you don’t want to cook the whole chicken, you can just use one chicken breast for this recipe, cooking it any way you like, but if you have some left over chicken, this is a great way to use it too. 😉 Somebody pointed out that recently I have been posting a lot of fried foods, so here is a healthy recipe. This recipe includes many different kinds of healthy vegetables, and the sauce is mostly good for health too. How does it sound? 😉 I hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
Yield: 4 Servings
