Beef Bulgogi 불고기

Homey Korean Dish

The popular bulgogi dish is super easy – chop, marinate and sauté! My recipe is probably a cutting-corner version…since I do not wish to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen…and it is too hot to go out to eat…actually, I’m anxious to see the next episode of Korean drama…which I’m addicted to. I love ‘romantic/comedy’ genre. My all –time favorite drama is Secret Garden…Rooftop Prince is really cute too…

Anyway, I just want to say this is 정말 맛있는 (really good), 진짜! (really).

Ingredients and Instruction for 4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

• 1 pound (about) thinly sliced beef, chopped for easy consumption  Note: I used some a little thicker than sukiyaki beef for texture.
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1-2 stalks of green onion minced
• 3 cloves of garlics minced
• 1 Tablespoon of ginger juice (grate ginger root then squeeze the pulp to get juice).
• 4 Tablespoons sake
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon (less or more) cayenne pepper powder
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/2 of large onion, 1/2 inch sliced
• 6-10 stalks of garlic chives cut in 3 inches length.
• 1 package shimeji mushroom, cut off 1/2 inch of bottom end and separate in small sections  Note: I used seafood  mushroom which looks like large enoki mushroom.
• 1 Tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds

1. Combine beef and sugar. This is supposed to tenderize the meat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix well green onion, garlic, ginger juice, sake, soy sauce, cayenne pepper powder and sesame oil. Add sugared meat and massage to coat, marinate for at least 30 minutes. Add one teaspoon of sugar or honey for intensified sweetness if you like.
3. Add onion and mushroom to the beef bowl and combine well with your gloved hand. Marinate for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Heat skillet at low-medium heat. Dump the whole contents of the bowl from #3 in and sauté until meat changes color and the onion is tender. Add garlic chives and continue to sauté until garlic chives are wilted a little. Lastly, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and combine quickly. Serve hot with cooked rice. 맛있게 드세요! (bon appétit).
   
   

Following Day….I made Yakisoba with  bulgogi sauce left in the pan.

Chocolate covered strawberries are an Independence Day TAPAS instagram post (#todaystapas).  Cute , right?

Some tapas posts are sensible low-calorie, vegan, gluten free…the bean thread noodle salad (春雨のサラダ) with myoga(Japanese ginger), sweet bell pepper, cucumber, tangy soy –vinaigrette dressing. Loving the bowl!

Crown of the garden….just one so far…compact but nice! The artichoke is finally ready for us to enjoy!

What! July already? June must have made a giant leap away…

Kimchi Oyster Jjigae(Stew)

With Homemade Kimchi

Oh shucks! I didn’t take very good photos…anyway, it tasted grrrreat!

My husband is blessed to work in nice office environment. A friendly Korean  co-worker shard her homemade kimchi with us. The generous portion packed in Tupperware, the deep tangy flavor has a nice kick,  we have been enjoying for weeks now…I made this stew with homemade (just not by us) kimchi.

I watch Korean drama often enough that I can speak chokkom (a little) Korean…food scenes are fascinating to me! 2002 mega hit Korean drama, Winter Sonata, brought strong Korean boom to Japan -  the high school heroine preparing kimchi jjigae for a love interest/class mate part was particularly memorable.

My jjigae needs only one Korean spice – gochujang (Korean chili paste) – thus uncomplicated, nice thin flavor. Other jigae recipes I recommend – Marc’s kimchi jjigae  or Sissi’s kimchi stew. both recipes have appetizing, gorgeous deep red color! 

Not exactly related to the recipe but I enjoyed so much, I wanted share.this YouTube video –  Japan China Korea Happy! Peace!

 

Ingredients and Instruction for for 4 servings Print Recipe Here

(I halved the recipe)

• 8 -12 fresh shelled oysters
• 1-2 teaspoons salt, dissolved in large bowl full of water. This is to wash oysters.
• 2 Tablespoons sake
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, tamari soy sauce for gluten free recipe
• 2 –3 Tablespoons potato starch
• 2 plus Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 firm tofu, cut in 2 inch cubes
  
• 1 bag/300g (about) bean sprouts 
• 1 bundle/150g (about) garlic chives cut in 2 inch length
• 200g Chinese cabbage kimchee roughly cut
• 6 cups fish stock  Note: I made from 2 Tablespoons sardine dashi powder dissolved in 6 cups hot water
• 2-3 Tablespoons gochujang 
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons potato starch

1. Quickly wash oysters in salted water, Pat dry with paper towel. Mix sake and soy sauce in bowl and place oysters in it. Marinate for 5-6 minutes. Run through your fingers to remove excess moisture from oysters, dust lightly with starch. Set aside
   . 
2. Heat vegetable oil in non-stick frying pan at medium heat. Cook oysters until slightly brown on both sides. Do not over cook. Transfer onto paper towel.
   
3. Clean the same pan with a paper towel and pour sesame oil to heat at medium heat  Add cut kimchee and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Boil the fish stock in hot pot then simmer. Add sautéed kimchee to the pot. *Scoop 1 ladle full of warmed fish stock out into a small bowl, add gochujang and dissolve, pour back into hot pot. *This step makes it easier to dissolve rather than directly adding the gochujang into the hot pot.
5. Mix in soy sauce and sugar. Then add tofu, bean sprouts, oysters and garlic chive. Cook for about 3-4 minutes over low heat. Serve hot.

To reciprocate for the kimchi, I made a raspberry shortcake….she had the day off that day….however it was enjoyed by other people in the office.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. We had dinner at St. Jack a French bistro restaurant. They offered a Special Valentine’s Day dinner. The baked Alaska was the only dessert they served. I never had this one before so it was kind of fun! for me (my husband not  so much…he does not like meringue).

My orthodox husband had a dozen roses delivered, predictable but I always appreciate his gesture.

My Today’s TAPAS continues on Instagram. This sashimi grade tuna wrapped with thinly sliced daikon radish, topped with quail egg was refreshing!

So far I have lost 2 pounds eating small lunch….my scale might be broken.

 

 

 

Heat

Kimchi Hot Pot with Ginger/Gimchi Jjigae

I’m kind of spoiled by Oregon weather – gorgeous Summer and mild Winter. Utah friends letting me know that it has been crazy cold and tons of snow down there so I should not complain but it’s has been little chilly lately. We also have friends in Mineso-tta who act as if 30 below is nothin to them and probably is. My husband who did a contract gig there in beginning parts of 21st century speaks like a Minnesotan “Going up north to the lake, you want to come with?” Ah…no.. I’m good.

On a cold night like this though, you desire some heat. This dish hit the spot. I made a vegetarian version of kimchi hot pot soup but thinly sliced pork would add depth to this dish, so easy and nomo nomo mashisso! (Korean - very, very delicious!). 

Kimchi Hot Pot  for Two people

• Sesame Oil  1 Tablespoon
• Napa Cabbage (baechu) kimchi 3/4 cup to 1 cup sliced with its liquid.
• Garlic 2 cloves minced
• Water 2 cups
• Sake 1 Tablespoon (optional)
• Soy sauce 2 teaspoons
• Soft tofu half package sliced – add rest of tofu after you finish eating the first batch.
• Thinly sliced dried ginger 1-2 g (optional)
• Green onion or garlic chives (にら）2 stalks, cut into 2 inch lengths.
• White sesame seeds 1 Tablespoon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Korean chili paste about 1/2 Tablespoon (optional)

1. Heat sesame oil in a stone pot or heavy bottom pan.
2. Add kimchi and garlic sauté for 1 minute at medium low heat.
3. Pour in water and  bring to boil.
4. Add sake, soy sauce, tofu, ginger, and green onion. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Salt and pepper to taste. If you like a more spicy flavor, add Korean chili paste a little at a time till desired spiciness is achieved. 
6. Top with sesame seeds and julienned green onion soaked in ice cold water for 2-3 minutes as garnish (optional). 

If you would like to use pork in this dish – sauté 1/2 pound (or less, more whatever) thinly sliced pork with kimchi and then just follow the recipe from there. I sometimes add miso paste to bring out umami flavor. I used mild kimchi because my husband can’t take the heat. Although adding ginger is optional, it makes your body warm and supposedly burns more fat – part of magic formula. The bottom of food drying net. It is open so that air can flow easily.

I stopped by Trader Joe’s  the other day and couldn’t resist buying lavender roses. I never stick to the grocery list. The roses are pretty yet have no fragrance, I feel like I over paid.

There were many frosty mornings.Looks like snow, feel like…brrrr.Even the Burning Bush is extinguished by the frost.

Spiders must like fire hydrant as much as dogs do. I saw four spider webs.

A handsome middle aged man left a handsome shoe print. “Honey it’s too cold, let’s go home!”

My husband took me not to the lake but to Baskin Robins. Really? In this weather? Yap! We were the only two customers there.
His pick is almost always vanilla or strawberry. He’s simple minded.

This poster is over 20 years old. Hummm they must be like 30 years old now? I wonder if they have a contract that says Baskin Robin ice cream is free for life?

Grilled ginger garlic shrimp oven rice noodle for supper last night – low fat ginger diet. I already am craving for sweets (the ice cream didn’t count). I got on the scale this morning…I lost..3 ounces...what?! It must be slow acting magic formula.

 

A la carte

17 days of  single serve

It was interesting 17 days eating mostly alone. No one dictating what I should or shouldn’t but controlled by whatever items were left in my fridge or pantry. I went grocery shopping when it was absolutely needed such as a gallon of milk when I wanted to have cereal in the evening. It was still 2/3 left when they came home. Some dinners were just picking vegetables from garden or toasted flat bread with humus, simple like that. Dining out at a nice restaurant with girlfriends was fun. Attending a friend’s barbeque fest alone over the Labor day weekend was a bit intimidating but at least I was well fed. One day I stopped by a Korean restaurant for Dol Sot Bibimbap and friendly master talked to me and I responded with my limited Korean. I was sweating a lot but it was not just steaming hot dishes for sure. I called my husband everyday and ask what they ate for dinner. When he says Kobe beef or Matsuzaka beef I got totally jealous. Anyway, I plan to do South Beach diet while they are gone but never materialized but again I was never very serious about it either. When I got a little bit of effort to eat right but my weak will easily shattered as friends brought some homemade sweets over. I brew buckwheat tea and happily have a big portion of that. I’m saying no one to monitor my diet was the down fall of eating alone.

Free from Costco’s taster table

Fun with Food

                                                                 Peach Chutney Chicken

                                                                     Fish Taco

Bibimbap

Flourless Chocolate Cake at a restaurant

I found these while I was cleaning up and organizing things. I made the summer jacket that my husband is wearing in this picture. I guess I used to be a devoted housewife. But, what’s up with his hair???

I will be posting some pictures from their trip to Japan in my next post so come back to see them if you’d like.