Living abroad sometimes gives you challenges in life – especially when it comes to cooking. If you get hungry for a certain food, but cannot get the right ingredients for it, substitutes will just have to make do. Today, I will introduce one of my substitutes. In Korea, people eat a steamed dried fish that has a special sauce topping during big holidays such as Lunar New Year (Seolnal) or Thanksgiving (Chuseok). The dish is rather simple, especially for a holiday food. When I say “dried fish,” you might imagine a dried fish filet or a bag of shredded dried fish. However, in this case, it is a whole dried fish minus the head and guts. I could not get that here so I tried to make that dish with frozen tilapia fillets, which are easily found in these parts of the world. I’m happy to share my successful experiment with you. I love the way it turned out, especially the texture of the fish and the delicious sauce on top. Try it someday. 🙂

Yield: 3 Pieces

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Many people asked me what kind of food I feed our son. Thankfully, our son Bryson eats well. He seems to like both Korean and American food. Today, I will share one recipe that my son loves: Korean style baby meatballs. They are made by simply grinding all the ingredients together in a mixer and frying them. These can be good for a snack, appetizer, or main dish. They are very tender and delicious meatballs.

Yield: 1 Cup

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In Korea, we make a huge amount of kimchi at the end of the fall or beginning of the winter. It is part of the preparations for winter in Korean culture. So, it is a very common and important event for Korean families. Winter kimchi is stored and enjoyed during the winter, sometimes even until the next spring or summer. We call it “GimJang” (김장) in Korean. All the family, friends, relatives, and/or neighbors gather together and make kimchi together. At the end of a hard day laboring to make kimchi, they love to try their fresh kimchi with boiled pork. Not only is it tasty, but it is also a very happy moment to enjoy the delicious food with loved ones.

My parents have traveled from Korea to stay with us in America to help us with our new baby. My mom makes the best kimchi ever and I always hunger for her kimchi. A few days ago, my mom made a big batch of winter kimchi for me. So I cooked a pork dish called “suyuk” to eat with her kimchi. We enjoyed it very much. Fresh kimchi with tender pork tastes heavenly. hehe… I am very happy and excited to share this recipe with you. If you make new kimchi, please try this someday. Of course, you can eat the pork with old kimchi too.

Yield: 4 Servings

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This is a variation of a beef roll. The marinated bulgogi, rolled with different kinds of veggies, tastes very good. The color combination is also so very pretty. So, it would be a good dish for a party or potluck. I used Sempio’s premade bulgogi sauce so that this recipe is easier to make. However, you can use my homemade bulgogi sauce recipe instead. Depending on your preferences, you can be creative and use other kinds of veggies such as carrot, zucchini, cabbage, etc.

Yield: 4 Rolls

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Drumstick soy sauce jorim is a fancy and savory chicken dish that you can easily make at home. The chicken tastes great because of a good combination of saltiness and sweetness along with a slight garlic and ginger flavor. If you prefer, you can use some other part of the chicken such as the breast or thigh. For the best flavor and texture, the chicken is marinated for some time, but you can skip that if you are in a hurry. Try it someday.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

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Today, I will show you how to wrap Korean BBQ. One of the uniquenesses of Korean cuisine is wrapping BBQ with a variety of leafy greens, other vegetables, and a wrapping sauce called “ssamjang.” How man times have we eaten a main dish and not got enough vegetables in our diet? I know I have done it more times that I would like to admit. In that point, this is a healthy way to enjoy eating meat. You can use this method of eating with many other kinds of Korean BBQ and meat. However, in this post, I will use the Sempio bulgogi recipe that I just posted. I also posted a homemade bulgogi recipe in the past, so you can check it out too. If you are a vegetarian, you can fry some tofu, eggs, or mushrooms and wrap those instead of the meat. That will be delicious too. 🙂

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There are several kinds of skewered chicken preparations in Korea. Among them, I will show you how to make one today. This one is made with chicken, garlic, peppers, and green onions, all marinated in a special sauce. It all tastes really good together. Depending on your tastes, you can use more garlic or pepper for each skewer. Sometime ago, I posted a recipe using some korean peppers that a friend gave us. This is another recipe using those peppers. My husband loved the flavor of the cooked peppers with the sauce; he thinks I could have added more pepper pieces on each skewer. It is up to you. 🙂

Yield: 8 Skewers

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Beef rib jjim, called “SoGalBi Jjim (소갈비 찜)” in Korean, is a popular traditional holiday or party food in Korea. Since it takes some time for the preparation, marination, and cooking, Koreans usually save this dish for special days. The meat is tender and delicious with a sweet and salty flavor to it. Many people requested this dish, so I am very excited to share my beef rib jjim recipe with you. Try it someday.

Yield: 4 Servings

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YangNyeom TongDak (양념 통닭) must be the most popular snack food in Korea. There are many restaurants that offer free delivery service to your home with no tipping. Many companies deliver their food until midnight, and this fried chicken is always a popular choice in Korea. Whenever people have to be up late into the night watching the Olympics, World Cup, or other big events, the fried chicken restaurants will be very busy. lol This chicken is nicely battered and fried with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. Try it someday.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

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Andong is the name of a Korean city, and this special dish is a very famous food from that area. It is also popular with many people that visit Korea. The braised chicken and vegetables with the sauce will make you fall in love with the flavor. I love, love, love this food. It is not too difficult to make from scratch, but if you have access to Sempio’s Braised Chicken Sauce, you can take a shortcut and follow my recipe using Sempio’s sauce instead. Both are delicious. Many people wanted me to make this dish from scratch, so here it is.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

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