Goguma Twigim

I love Korean food...truth be told, I think I like it better than Filipino food which is something that I grew up with....Ha! how's that for being nationalistic huh?  But, then again, I do believe that in my previous lifetime I might have been Korean.  Crazy, huh?  For some reason I have always been drawn to everything Korean - food, culture, entertainment.  Heck, even my Korean friend tells me that I am, in some ways, more Korean than she is... fine by me.

As I have mentioned I do love Korean food and am fascinated by their different dishes.  They have so many banchan (side disshes) that are being served at meal times that I often wonder how a regular Korean mom is able to prepared all of them while doing the rest of the household chores. Personally, I do like buying my banchan from the local market as it beats having to prepare each and every single one of them especially for those that requires extensive prep work as well and a mountain of dirty dishes.  Kimchi, for example, is not one of those side dishes that you prepare if you have a small family.  I think buying them from the market is a more practical alternative.  Every once in a while though I would get curious as to how some things are prepared that I would make them myself such as cabbage and radish kimchi but I do not think I will be making them again anytime soon.  Jjigae and main dishes though are a different matter since they taste better when they are freshly prepared as opposed to buying them from the market.  Goguma Twigim (fried sweet potato) is one of those that I can prepare at home and eat often.  They are really good as afternoon snack  and can be eaten as is or dipped in a soy sauce-rice wine vinegar-sesame oil dipping sauce.  

The preparation is actually quite simple which requires slicing the sweet potato into thin disks around 1/4 inch thick  then coating it with batter before it is deep fried in oil.  The good thing about this dish is that it requires just a few ingredients which can easily substituted from those that are found in the cupboard.  Don't forget to use ice-cold water as it is the secret to making the batter crispy when fried. Over the years, this has become one of my favorite as well as a comfort food as it conjure visions of home cooking.

Ingredients:

2-3 large sweet potatoes (Korean variety if you can get your hands on them)

3/4 cup of Korean frying batter mix ( can be substituted with all-purpose flour) + 1/2 cup for dusting/coating

1/2 cup ice cold water

1/2 tsp sugar

a pinch of salt

oil for frying

1. Wash sweet potato thoroughly making sure to remove any dirt on the surface of the skin then dry using paper towel.

2. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch thick round dish.  If you are using small sweet potatoes, slice it diagonally to get a bigger surface area.

3. Lay the potato slices in a single layer  and sprinkle with salt. Set aside while you prepare the batter.

4. In a bowl, mix water and 3/4 cup Korean batter mix.  Mix well until there are no lumps then set aside.

5. Transfer the sliced potatoes in a small ziplock back and add 1/2 cup of Korean batter mix.  Shake until every slice of potato is coated.  Shake excess and then coat each slice with the wet batter.

6. Fry in  heated oil until cooked and the outside turns golden in color.  Make sure that the fire is not too high that the batter burns before the potato slices are fully cooked.  Be careful not to burn yourself while frying.

7. Once cooked, remove from heat and then transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.

8. Serve as is or with soy dipping sauce.

Soy sauce, Rice wine vinegar, and Sesame oil dipping sauce:

2 1/2 Tbsp Korean soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

finely sliced scallion

1. Mix soy sauce, sesameoil, and rice wine vinegaer in a bowl.  Stir to mix well.

2 Top with sesame seeds and scallion.

Angel Hair in Creamy Kimchi Sauce

I have been wanting to create this dish but got sidetracked several times with my discovery of the no-knead bread recipes. Finally had a chance to make it last night. It was pretty good in my opinion especially since it was on the spicy side...just the way I like my food to taste.

Ingredients:

8 oz Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup black pork belly, thinly sliced
* you can use regular pork belly if you like. As for me, I just love
the taste of black pork.
1 tsp Gochujang
1 small onion, chopped
1 Korean pepper, sliced diagonally and thinly
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 medium tomato, finely diced
2 scallions, sliced diagonally and thinly
2 small green bell pepper, sliced thinly
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1. Cook pasta according to direction. Drain and set aside.
NOTE: Don't forget to add salt and oil on the boiling water.
Don't forget to save some pasta water.
2. Heat olive oil in sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until translucent.
3. Add Tomato and continue to saute.
4. Add pork and cook until it turns brownish in color.
5. Add kimchi and gochujang. Mix well and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Add cream and milk. Lower the heat to medium low andcook until the sauce thickens slightly.
7. Add green bell pepper, korean pepper, red pepper flakes, and green bell pepper. Mix well.
8. Add pasta and mix.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

Kimchi pasta

Spending 2 weeks in Bacolod and Silay, my hometown, has been a dream which was made more special by the presence of my family and friends who came from all over the United States, Europe, and Australia. It was fun eating at all the famous Bacolod and Silay eateries because they brought back so many heartwarming memories. Being back in LA though, I feel that I am back in my own element and my reality. Along with that comes my craving for Korean food, Ha! But today, I feel rather conflicted since I also want some pasta...Otoki? The solution is Kimchi Pasta...a perfect combination of both pasta and Korean food.


Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh kimchi (unfermented), chopped or sliced thinly
1/4 lb pork (I like the black pork belly from K-market), sliced thinly
1 - 2 tsp Gochujang (fermented red pepper paste)
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 medium tomato, cut into small cubes
1 Korean pepper, sliced thinly and diagonally
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thinly
2 scallions, sliced thinly and diagonally
12 oz. angel hair pasta
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil






1. Cook angel hair according to direction. Don't forget to add salt and oil to the boiling water before adding pasta. Drain and set aside. DONT FORGET: save some of the pasta water for later.

2. Heat sauce pan to a medium heat. Add olive oil.
3. Add onions and saute until tanslucent.
4. Add tomato and saute until cooked.
5. Add pork and saute until done.
6. Add kimchi then 2 Tbsp of pasta water and saute until water evaporates.
7. Add bell pepper, korean chili pepper, and scallions and continue to cook for about 30 seconds.
8. Add angel hair pasta and mix well. Add some more of the pasta water if it is too dry.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

Kongnamul Booguh Gook (Soybean Sprout & Pollack Soup)

Ingr:

1 cup Booguh ( dried pollack)
2 cups kongnamul ( soybean sprouts)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
7 cups water
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves galic, minced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
2 scallions, sliced into 2 inch length
2 Tbsp ganjang ( korean soy sauce)
salt to taste

1. soak pollack in water for about 10-15 minutes . remove from water , set aside. save the water.

2. heat sesame oil in a pan and saute pollack for about a minute.

3. Add water ( used in soaking pollack) and bring to a boil.

4. Add onion, soybean sprouts and garlic. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 15- 20 minutes.

5. Add soy sauce, green onion, jalapeno and salt to taste. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

Kalbi Jjim ( Braised Short Ribs)

Ingr:

2 lbs beef short ribs, thick cuts
1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Mirin ( sweet seasoning)
3 Tbsp Kamjang ( korean soy sauce)
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced
1 small daikon ( radish), peeled and sliced
4 shitake mushroom, sliced
handful of chestnuts, peeled
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp corn syrup
pepper to taste





1. Put beef short ribs in a pot with water and boil for 5-10 minutes. Drain . Rinse short ribs in cold water to get rid of the scums and blood.

2. Put the beef short ribs in a clean pot . Add 2 cups of water, onion, garlic, sugar, kamjang, mirin, corn syrup, sesame oil and pepper. Boil over medium heat until beef is slightly tender.

3. Add carrots, daikon, mushroom, chestnuts then turn the heat donw to low . Simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

*** stir the mixture several times while cooking to make sure that the meat is coated with he sauce

4. remove from heat and transfer to a serving dish and serve.

*** make sure to cut the vegetable to about the same size to cook them evenly.

Kalbi Tang ( Beef Short Ribs Soup)

Ingr:

1 1/2 lb. thick beef short ribs, thick slices
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Dashida ( granulated korean beef stock)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp kamjang ( korean soy sauce)
3 scallion, finely chopped
1 medium daikon ( radish), peeled and sliced
1 tsp sesame seeds
Dang Myun ( sweet Potato starch noodle) , optional





1. Rinse beef short ribs and put in a pot with water. Parboil for 10 minutes then drain and rinse in cold , running water

*** this is to get rid of the scum and blood
*** you may repeat the same process for a couple more times until you get rid of all the scum and blood

2. Return the ribs to the pot and add water. Add dashida, garlic ,a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil over medium heat for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Occassionally skim off fat that forms on the surface.

3. Add the radish to the pot and boil some more until radish is tender.

4. Add scallions, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Add more salt according to your taste. You may add Dang Myun ( Sweet Potato Starch noodle) if you want. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with eggs and scallions

*** If you want , you can refrigerate this dish after cooling and serve the following day.
*** after refrigerating, the fat congeals at the surface which makes it easier to remove and discard... then you can reheat your soup and serve.
*** If you are planning to serve your soup the next day, I'd skip adding the Dang Myun until you reheat the soup.

Godenguh Gui ( Broiled Mackerel)

whole mackerel, head and tail removed
salt

1. Heat broiler

2. salt fish on both sides and let it stand for 5-10 minutes then rinse the salt off.

3. Pat dry using paper towel and place on greased foil.

4. broil until done ( about 3 minutes on each side)

Algamja JoRim ( Baby Potatoes Braised in Soysauce)

Ingr:

1 Lb baby potatoes
4 Tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup Korean soy sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp rice wine
1 tsp sesame seeds


1. Clean the baby potatoes well, scrub dirt off the skin.

3. In a small bowl mix corn syrup, soy sauce, sugar and rice wine. mix well and set aside.

3. Place the potatoes in a large pot and put just enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil over medium high heat .

4. When the water has been reduced to half, lower the heat to medium and add the soy sauce mixture. Continue cooking until the potatoes are done and sauce has thickened.

5. remove from heat and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Kalbi ( Grilled Beef Short Ribs)

Ingr:

2 lbs sliced beef short ribs
1 cup korean soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 korean pear, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1. In a food processor, puree onion and Korean pear. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

3. Marinate meat overnight.

4. Grill meat until done.

*** serve with rice and kimchi

Jjampong ( Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup)

Ingr:

Soup Stock:

10 dried anchovies ( guts removed)
1/4 cup dried shitake mushroom
1/2 sheet dried kelp
1 small onion, sliced

50 grms pork, thinly sliced
5-6 shrimps, shelled
5-6 mussels
squid, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch size ginger, minced
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tbsp Kanari ( korean fish sauce)
1/2 tsp kochukaru ( korean pepper flakes)
1 tsp vegetable oil
ground black pepper to taste
3 scallions , sliced about 3 inches in length
1 small carrot, julienned
button mushroom
shitake mushroom
enoki mushroom
5 pieces napa cabbage, sliced










1. In a pan, combine 8 cups water, anchovies, kelp, dried shitake mushroom and onion. Bring to a boil on medium low heat for about 20-30 minutes. then set aside.

2. Mix Kochukaru and 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small bowl and set aside.

3. In another pan, bring water to boil and add noodle. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until noodle is done **. Then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

** noodle should have chewy texture

4. Heat oil in a pan and saute garlic and ginger until light brown.

5. Add pork strips and cook until pork is slightly cooked.

6. Add veggies ( except enoki mushroom) and stir fry for a few minutes.

7. Add kochukaru mixture and seafood. mix well.

8. Add soup stock ( Make sure you strain it to remove kelp, anchovies, etc) and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

9. add kanari, oyster sauce and ground black pepper ( to taste) Add Enoki mushroom just before removing from heat

10. Put noodle in a large bowl and add soup mixture. Serve.

*** you can add as much or as little kochukaru as you want depending on how spicy you want it to be.

Donkatsu ( Breaded Pork Chop)

Ingr:

4 boneless pork chops
flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
panko ( japanese breadcrumbs)
oil for frying

1. pound pork chops using a rolling pin into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thickness

2. add salt and pepper to flour and mix well.

3. dredge each pork chops in flour, coat well.

4. then dip it in egg and then cover with panko .

5. heat oil in a pan over medium heat. fry each breaded pork chop until golden brown. Keep an eye to make sure it doesn't burn.

6. transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.

7. serve with donkatsu sauce ( I use store bought donkatsu sauce) . Serve with shredded cabbage and rice.

*** Donkatsu is originally a Japanese dish but is popular in Korea.

Tang Soo Yook ( Korean Sweet and Sour Pork)

ingredients:

1 lb pork rib eye or loins, cut into 2 inch strips


batter :

1 Tbsp rice wine
1 Tbsp Kamjang ( korean soy sauce)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp oil

sauce:

your choice of veggies ( mushroom, napa cabbage, onions, pineapple)
1/4 cup Korean soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water




1. COmbine pork with ingredients for batter. Mix well.





2. Heat oil in pan over medium heat.

3. fry batter pork pieces, making sure they are not touching each other in the pan. Fry until light golden brown. Keep an eye to make sure they don't burn.

4. when done, take out from the pan and place on a paper towel lined dish. Don't discard the oil since you will be using that again to re-fry the pork pieces.





5. Heat oil in a separate pan. Stir fry veggies( except pineapple) . stir fry for about 2-3 minutes.

6. Add pineapple and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

7. Combine all ingrdients for the sauce in a cup and add to the veggie mixtures. Bring to a boil.

8. Combine cornstarch with 1 Tbsp water in a bowl and mix well.

9. Add cornstarch mixture to the pan , mix and cook until it thickens. then remove from heat.

10 . Re-fry pork 2 to 3 times to make it crispy. Remove from heat and place in a serving dish. Top with the sauce.

Jajangmyun ( noodles with black bean sauce)

Ingredients:

noodles
1/4 lb. lean pork, cubed
1/2 cup onions, cubed
1/2 cup zucchini, cubed
1/2 cup potato, cubed
1/2 cup carrots, cubed
3-4 Tbsp chunjang ( Black Bean Paste)
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp sugar
vegetable oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped






1. In a pan, saute pork with garlic until pork is slightly done.

2. add carrots and potato . Sitr fry for about 3-4 minutes.

3. Add onions and zucchini and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

4. add black bean paste, water and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.

5. check and make sure your veggies and pork is cooked. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water and mix well. Add this to your pan of veggies and cook until the sauce thickens.

6. Boil water in a pot then add noodles. Boil for about 3-4 minutes or until the noodle is done.

7. drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a bowl and top with sauce.

8. Mix everything together and enjoy. This dish is usually served with Dan moo ji ( picked radish.