Kimchi JJigae (Kimchi Stew)

As you may have noticed there has been a name change for the blog. In addition to music and cooking, I love makeup and skincare products. I recently got some amazing Korean skincare products and makeup and I wanted to share them with you. So now I will share all my passions with you! You will still get recipes every week but I will also post about new skincare products that I like or makeup that I love from Korea. Sound good? Ok, great! Lets get started on this weeks recipe.
This week I decided to make Kimchi JJigae. It's getting colder here and what better way to warm up than with this spicy, hot soup! This dish is really great because you can use older Kimchi to make it. Kimchi is a staple in most Korean homes and used all the time. If you have a container in the fridge and its been there for a while, instead of throwing it out, you can make kimchi jjigea.
If you have read my other posts you know that I usually listen to BIGBANG or EXO. This week is no different. I am on a BIGBANG/G-Dragon kick at the moment. The music is so GOOD! I can't get enough. Recently BIGBANG performed at the MAMAs(Mnet Asian Music Awards) and their performance was spectacular! I really love that they started with their song LOSER. I hadn't really noticed this song before seeing their performance but it has quickly become one of my favorites. It's such an emotional song and I think many of us can relate to feeling like a loser. We all have times where we feel alone, and are down on ourselves. I read an article that discusses the meaning behind the song. It was inspired by their lives in the spotlight and even though they are held in such high regard, they are still human. I think in this digital age where we are granted access to so much information we forget about privacy. It is great that these musicians and celebrities share themselves with us but we need to remember they are human too and deserve privacy and compassion just like everyone else. I think many fans are so demanding and often forget that their are such things as boundaries. I hope that in future fans will be able to appreciate them but still allow them space to live their lives.
Now it's time for the cooking! This recipe is from the Korean Bapsang and can be found here.

Ingredients
2 cups packed bite size kimchi (fully fermented)
4 ounces fresh pork belly (or other meat with some fat)
1 to 3 teaspoons gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) adjust depending on heat preference
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup juice from kimchi
2 cups of water (use 1/2 cup more if kimchi juice not available)
6 ounces tofu
2 scallions
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1.
Cut up the pork belly and kimchi into bite size pieces. Slice the tofu and cut up the scallions

Step 2.
Place the kimchi, pork, gochugaru, ginger and garlic in a pan and place on medium high heat. Cook until the pork is cooked and the kimchi has softened. This should take about 10 minutes.

(mmm looks yummy!)

Step 3
Add the kimchi juice and water. Reduce the heat to medium and let it all boil for about 20 minutes.

(it's getting there)

Step 4
Add the tofu and scallions. You can also add salt and pepper to taste but I did not. Allow this to boil until the tofu is cooked. It should take about 5 minutes. Serve while bubbling from the heat.

I found this dish to be very enjoyable and easy to make. It was delicious, spicy and filling. I think this dish will be amazing to make all year round. Next time I'll add more red pepper flakes or try to use more kimchi juice. Kimchi is so flavorful and delicious and next time I make this I would like to get even more of that amazing taste.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks adventure. Let me know what you thought in the comments below. If you have any dishes you would like to recommend please leave them in the comments. Until next week!

Xoxo,
Rachel

Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork)

Last weekend I went out with some friends in Koreatown and we ate so much amazing food! One of my favorite dishes from that night was sweet and sour pork in Szechuan sauce. So this week I decided to make tangsuyuk. Tangsuyuk is a Korean take on a Chinese dish. This dish is so delicious and can feed a lot of people. I think this would be a great dish to make if you are having a few friends over. You can drink Somaek (Soju and Maekju(Beer)) and eat this tasty dish. I also hear this dish is great for when you are hungover ;)
This week I am in a dancing mood so my playlist is more upbeat. First song on the playlist is Fantastic Baby by BIGBANG. I love this song! The beat is amazing and instantly gets me dancing! The video is equally amazing. BIGBANG definitely knows how to put on a show. Their videos are nothing short of spectacular. The next song on my playlist is One of a Kind by G-Dragon. This song not only makes we want to dance but to rap as well. Yes, I like to rap. G-Dragon is a very talented singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is definitely one of kind. His music videos are always phenomenal. They contain thought provoking imagery. I definitely recommend checking them out.
Now on to the cooking! This weeks recipe is another wonderful recipe from the Korean Bapsang. I am so grateful that she makes these delicious, easy to follow recipes.

Ingredients :
10 ounces of pork loin
salt and pepper

Batter:
1 cup potato starch (or corn starch), soaked in 1 cup of water
1 egg white
1 tablespoon canola oil

4 cups canola or vegetable oil for deep frying

Vegetables:
1/2 small carrot
1/4 small onion
1/ small green bell pepper
Pineapple chunks

Sauce:
1 cup water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Starch slurry (1 tablespoon starch in 2 tablespoons water)

At least 2-3 hours before cooking combine 1 cup of starch with 1 cup of water and refrigerate until ready to use. During this time the starch and water will separate. Before using you will drain the water off the top.

 Step 1.
Cut the pork into bite size pieces. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix together.

Step 2.
Cut up all the vegetable into bite size pieces. I used the whole carrot and the whole bell pepper because I like lots of vegetables.

Step 3.
In a pan add 1 cup of water with the rest of the sauce ingredients (leaving out the starch slurry) Bring everything to a boil until all the sugar melts. Then turn the heat off. We'll finish the sauce after the meat is cooked.

Step 4.
After you drain the water off the soaked starch, combine it with the egg whites and oil. I used my hands to mix everything together. The starch will be stiff but the oil and egg white will help to loosen it up. Once everything is combined place the pieces of pork in the mixture, making sure all the pieces are coated.

Step 5.
Add the 4 cups of oil to your pain and heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pieces in the oil one by one. Cook only a few pieces at a time, you don't want to crowd the oil. Cook the pieces until lightly browned, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. When you take the pieces out of the oil place them on a plate with a paper towel. The paper towel will soak up the excess oil.

Step 6.
After all the pieces have been cooked, heat the oil back up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add all the pieces of pork and cook them until golden brown. After they are done cooking, let them rest on a plate with a paper towel.

Step 7.
Bring the sauce that we made earlier to a boil. Add the carrots and onions. When the sauce boils, add the starch slurry and stir well. The slurry will thicken the sauce. You can add more sugar or vinegar to get the sauce to the desired taste. I didn't add extra sugar or vinegar to my sauce. Turn off the heat and then add the bell pepper and pineapple chunks. The bell pepper will lose its color quickly if boiled in the sauce.

Step 8.
Combine the sauce and pork together and enjoy. There is a dipping sauce that you can make but I think the pork is delicious on its own.

Thank you for joining me on another adventure. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If there is a dish you would like me to make please comment below. Can't wait to see you next week for my next adventure.

Xoxo,
Rachel

Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)

This week I decided to make Samgyetang. In Korea this is considered a summer dish. They are of the mindset that you eat this hot soup to help beat the heat of summer. Sounds like an interesting concept. I personally think this is a great dish for winter. Right now everyone is getting sick and this soup sounds like a delicious way to help boost the immune system. I really enjoy cooking food that not only tastes good but that also nourish our bodies. Both chicken soup and ginseng have wonderful healing properties. Ginseng can help boost your energy and your immune system.

This week my playlist is more mellow. EXO released a special winter album on December 10th titled Sing For You. I have really been enjoying it. Normally I prefer EXO's more upbeat songs like Call Me Baby and Love Me Right but I like these new mellow songs.  Sing For You is a beautiful emotional ballad. The music video for the song takes the viewer through a couple different emotions. The video starts off with happier scenes but takes a sad turn before returning to happier scenes. The concept is interesting but somewhat confusing. The melody of the song connects well with the visuals but I'm not sure how the lyrics connect. All of EXO's music videos only contain the members. I think it would benefit them to start including women in some of the videos. I believe this would help them to better convey the messages of their songs, especially considering women are a main theme within the lyrics. The other songs on the album are more upbeat than Sing For You but are still mellow except for the bonus track Lightsaber. Of the songs on the album I think Unfair and Girl x Friend are my favorites. I love the stories they tell. I also noticed that Xiumin is more vocally present in the new songs. He's a talented singer and I'm glad he is getting more opportunities to sing.

With this recipe there wasn't as much prep time needed as with my previous recipes. The rice needs to soak for an hour but beyond that everything is ready to go.

Ingredients:

1 cornish hen (about 1.5 pounds)

1 fresh ginseng root (can be found at many Korean markets)

3 tablespoons sweet rice, soaked for 1 hour

5-6 plump garlic cloves

1 thin ginger slice (about 1 inch)

2 to 3 jujubes (dried red dates, can be found at many Korean markets)

1 scallion white part

5-6 cups of water

2 scallions, chopped, to garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1. Clean the cornish hen. Do not cut off the neck and/or tail, if they are still attached. They will be needed to keep the rice inside the hen. Use a paper towel to clean the inside the cavity to remove any blood.

Step 2. Stuff the hen with a couple garlic cloves and the sweet rice. Make sure to leave about 1/4 of the cavity free for the rice to expand.

Step 3. Tightly close the cavity with a toothpick or small skewer. Then cross the legs and tie together with kitchen twine. ( I missed the leg crossing step when making this dish, oopsie)

Step 4. Place the chicken in a medium pot and add the water. Because my pot was on the bigger side I needed about 8 cups to completely cover the chicken. Then add the garlic, ginseng, ginger, jujubes and the scallion white part. If the chicken came with a neck that had been cut off, add it in with the other ingredients. Bring everything to a boil over medium heat. Skim off any foam on top. Cover, and boil for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and boil for 20-30 more minutes. 

Step 5. Remove any visible fat and serve hot. Chopped scallions, salt and pepper added as desired. 

I hope you enjoyed this weeks adventure! This is another amazing recipe from the Korean Bapsang. Check out her version here. I really enjoyed making this recipe. I loved working with new ingredients like jujubes, ginseng and cornish hen. The finished product turned out wonderful! After adding a little salt, pepper and scallions, it was a delicious and healthy. I hope you all have a great week!

Xoxo,
Rachel

Tteokbokki (Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes)

Hey there! Welcome back! This week I have decided to make Tteokbokki. This was one of the recipes they made in the Try Guys video. It looked interesting and fun to make so I thought I'd try it out. From what I understand Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food and I can see why. This dish is spicy, filling and all around amazing. The main ingredient of this dish is garaetteok, which is a cylinder-shaped white rice cake. While the rice cake can seem so simple I think it is one of the coolest ingredients. I also like to make brown or white rice to go with the Tteokbokki. I know, it's a lot of rice but that's the way I like it.
And of course we need a playlist to go with the cooking! This week I went with some more BIGBANG. Since this is street food I felt their track We Like 2 Party was fitting. It's such a fun song and makes me want to spend time with friends doing crazy things. I also really love the music video. It's different than their usual music videos in that it has a more relaxed vibe. It's like they invited you in and showed you a little bit of their world. Enjoy! Now just imagine me rapping along to T.O.P's part and cooking. Fun, right? Although, my hair will never be on T.O.P's level, his hair is always on point. #HairGoals.
In addition to BIGBANG I also decided to listen to EXO. EXO recently did a collaboration with Star Wars and released a new track called LIGHTSABER. I think it's a fun track and the garaetteok are kind of like little chubby lightsabers. EXO was the first Kpop group whose music I really enjoyed. I think it may be because I'm nostalgic for the boy band days. EXO makes fun, catchy songs with amazing dance moves to go with it. Normally their videos showcase their awesome dance routines, however, the video for LIGHTSABER is different and it doesn't feature all 9 members but I enjoyed the Star Wars theme. Overall it's a cool video.
Ok now on to the actual cooking! This recipe so from the Korean Bapsang's blog. I really enjoy her recipes and I find that they are easy to follow.

Ingredients

1 pound tteokbokki tteok (about 24 3-inch long rice cake pieces)
1 sheet of eomuk (fried fish cake)
4 ounces green cabbage
1-2 scallions
3 cups anchovy broth (or water)
3 tbsp of gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
1-3 tsp gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes) amount depends on how hot you would like the dish.
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Step 1.
Make the anchovy broth. I had some left over from my previous recipe so I used that. While you are making the anchovy broth and cutting vegetables let your rice cakes soak in water for about 20 minutes.

Step 2.
Cut up the cabbage, scallions and fish cake. I usually use two sheets of the fried fish cake instead of one. I also like to cut it into triangular pieces so it looks nice :)

Step 3.
In a large pant add the anchovy broth, gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, sugar and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat, mixing all the ingredients together until the gochujang is dissolved.

Step 4.
Add the rice cakes and bring to a boil once more. Allow this to cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the rice cakes have become very soft and the sauce has thickened. Make sure to stir it so the rice cakes don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

Step 5.
Add the vegetables and fish cakes to the mix. Continue to boil until everything is cooked. About 4-6 minutes. You can taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as need. I don't usually change the seasoning but that might be different for you. Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds right before turning of the heat.

Now it is ready to serve! In the recipe she mentioned that this dish doesn't reheat in the microwave very well and to heat it up on the stove with some anchovy broth. While I think it would probably taste better that way, I have reheated it in the microwave and it was still delicious.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I greatly appreciate your support! Let me know if you have any suggestions on what I should make next. I look forward to connecting with you all next time. Have a great week!

Xoxo,
Rachel

Haemul Sundubu Jigae (Seafood Soft Tofu Stew)

Since the weather is starting to turn colder here in Southern California (Yes, I know it's still not that cold because it is Southern California) I decided to make a stew. I don't often cook seafood but this looked so amazing that I had to try it. So I took a little trip to the Korean market it Northridge. I love going to the Galleria Market because it always has everything I need and everyone is so nice. I love going to the Korean market far more than going to the regular grocery store. Maybe the fascination factor hasn't worn off yet. I can't wait to keep exploring the aisles as I cook different recipes.

One thing you should know about me is that anytime I cook Korean food I listen to K-pop. I feel the two go together nicely and it makes the cooking process a lot funner. My current playlist has a lot of BIGBANG on it. If you don't know who they are I highly recommend checking them out. They are so incredibly talented! Not only are they awesome singers and rappers, they are also incredible song writers. (I totally look up the lyrics in English but do appreciate the songs in Korean) They have such a commanding presence when they're performing and create the most elaborate music videos. Check out their song Bang Bang Bang to see what I mean. Some of the members have also done solo projects or collaborations with other members. I love the song Good Boy by G Dragon and Taeyang. It is so good! I warn you, it is highly addictive. So now you can picture me dancing around the kitchen to these songs while I make the following dish.

I found this recipe on the Korean Bapsang. I think it was pretty easy to make. The hardest part for me is preparing all the ingredients, there is a lot of chopping. One of the main ingredient in many Korean dishes is anchovy broth or stock. It can seem a little intimidating but it can be very simple. I've only made the broth with just anchovies and water. I have not attempted it with dashima yet, maybe next time. This is what my finished broth looks like.

Ingredients
1 package (11 ounces) sundubu (extra soft/silken tofu)
2 ounces beef or pork (rib eye, sirloin, pork loin or pork belly)
7-8 pieces of seafood assortment (shrimp, mussels, clams and/or oysters)
1/2 small zucchini (2-3 ounces)
1/4 onion (2-3 ounces)
1 scallion
1 tablespoon red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)- adjust to taste.
1 teaspoon sesame oil ( use more if using more gochugaru)
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup anchovy broth
Salt
Pepper

I used clams and shrimp for the seafood. I used a little more seafood than what the recipe called for. I had about 14 clams and 13 shrimp. I let the clams soak for 30 minutes to encourage them to spit out any sand and then I scrubbed them to get any debris off.  While the clams were soaking I cleaned the shrimp and took their shells off.

 I cut the pork belly into strips (about 1 inch) and I cut up the onion, zucchini and scallions in large chunks. I used a whole zucchini for this recipe.










In a pan over medium heat I combined the red pepper flakes and sesame oil until it formed a paste.

Then I added the pork, onions, garlic and soy sauce. I stir fried it until the pork and onions were almost done, about 2-3 minutes.

 I added the anchovy broth and brought it to a boil. I then let it boil for 3-4 minutes.










The I added the zucchini and soft tofu in large chunks. I brought this all to a boil again and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Stirring occasionally to make sure the tofu didn't stick to the bottom.

 I put in the clams and shrimp and let it cook until the clams opened, about 2-3 minutes. A little salt and pepper to taste. I put in the scallions right before turning off the heat.









I am very proud of how it turned it. It was super delicious! Warm and spicy, just what I needed on a cold day. I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and the insight into my current playlist. I have enjoyed sharing it with you. Have a great week!

Xoxo,
Rachel

Hello!

Hello everyone! I'd like to invite you to join my adventures in Korean cooking. This is a new journey for me but I'm happy to have you along for the ride. I think it'll make this adventure a lot more fun. I'm sure you're all wondering how I got started on this journey in Korean cooking, as you should. My journey was inspired by the Try Guys. Some of you may be familiar with them but for those that aren't the Try Guys are 4 men from Buzzfeed that try out different things such as Ninja Warrior or trying on different costumes. They are so much funnier and amazing to watch than I am making them seem at the moment. Well anyway they did a couple videos about Korean culture that focused on K-pop, Korean dramas and Korean cooking. The two videos that had the most influence was the video "The Try Guys Watch K-pop For The First Time" and "The Try Guys Try Korean Cooking" Prior to seeing these videos I had not listened to any K-Pop or eaten Korean food. But thanks to these videos I was introduced into a whole new world and I loved it! This is also the reason I have started learning Korean. I now have a whole new music genre to love, a new language to learn and delicious recipes to try out.
So there you have it! Now you know how I started this adventure. I hope you enjoy being on the journey with me. It will be very fun, delicious and maybe even a little weird at times but hey that's how I roll! I'm still learning so at this point none of these recipes are my own. I use Pinterest as my inspiration and will probably feature many recipes for the Korean Bapsang. I was also introduced to her through the Try Guys videos so thank you for that. Are you ready? Let's go!