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

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
.
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.
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.
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.
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).