Kimchijeon (Kimchi Pancake)

Hello! This week I have something fun an exciting for you. Instead of photos of my cooking I am giving you a video of me making the food. I'm so happy to be able to share this with you. I've had a few people tell me that it's so interesting what I'm doing and that people would actually enjoy seeing the face that goes along with the cooking. Well here I am! You can find both the recipe and video below. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel for new videos or you can follow along on Instagram.
I wasn't able to include any music in my video because I couldn't play music and film at the same time. But I do have a playlist to share with you this week. I am a relatively new BIGBANG fan and am still exploring all their music. I've recently found some of their older songs and I am loving it. The first song is Bigbang. Catchy title, right! I really enjoy how the song starts off with raps from both T.O.P and G-Dragon. The whole song is amazing, catchy and upbeat but the raps are the best part. T.O.P's parts are my favorite. He has an interesting style and I love how is voice melds with the music. The next song on the list is Good Bye Baby. Many of my reasons for loving this song are very similar to the previous song. I love how T.O.P's voice and lyrics bring you into the song. This song reminds me of a lot of 2000's American hip hop songs. Plus the video is amazing and I love the dance battle. You'll have to check it out for yourself!

Now time for the cooking!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Napa Cabbage Kimchi, chopped into small pieces, plus 2 tablespoons of the brine

3 scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup water

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Step 1. 

Combine the kimchi, kimchi brine, scallions, sugar, flour and water in a medium size bowl and mix well with a spoon.

Step 2. 

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter onto the pan and spread with the back of a spoon or spatula to form a large circle. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and crisp. About 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 3.

Carefully turn the pancake over. Drizzle the remaining oil around the edges of the skillet, then lift the pancake with a spatula to allow the oil to run underneath, and tilt the pan to spread the oil evenly. Cook until the pancake is light golden brown and crisp. Around 3 to 5 minutes. You can flip it one more time and cook for another minute.

Now your pancake is ready to serve. 

Thank you so much for joining me on this weeks adventure. Please let me know what you thought of the video in the comments below. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on what I should make next. I'm always on the look out for new recipes to try out. Next weekend is Lunar New Year. It is a big holiday in Korea. There is usually a big feast prepared for everyone that includes specific dishes that are made for this celebration. I'm hoping to share some of those with you next week. Until next time.

XOXO,
Rachel

Dwaejigogi-bokkeum (Spicy Stir-Fried Pork) and Japgokbap (muligrain rice)

It is another glorious Sunday and time for another delicious recipe. This week I have two recipes for you. They are both rather simple and go great together. Japgokbap involves black rice and turns out a beautiful purple color. Who wouldn't want to eat purple rice? I think it's wonderful and adds beauty to any dish. Dwaejigogi-bokkeum is rather spicy but oh so delicious. So if you are not a fan of spicy food I would avoid this one. I have also been working on something new for the blog so keeps your eyes peeled in the coming weeks. It's something I think you will all enjoy. I also plan on doing more posts about beauty and skincare products. If you have a product that you love please let me know in the comments so I can try it out :)
This week on my playlist are two of my favorite men. G-Dragon and T.O.P. They are extremely talented and amazing lyricists. Plus all the music they make is awesome! I've been listening to their collaboration album GD & TOP The First Album, I know such a clever name. I promise their lyrics are far more inventive. The first song on the list is Knock Out. This song is fun and upbeat. It has many elements of normal hip hop songs in that much of the lyrics are them bragging about themselves to girls. But it's different in that although they are bragging they still discuss being lonely and not having as much luck in love as one might think. It's easy for many of us to think that these very attractive famous musicians can have anyone they want and have these incredible love lives. But they are human just like us and meeting someone isn't always as easy as we imagine. The next song on the list is Baby Good Night. This is a slower, sweeter song. I LOVE this music video. The imagery and symbolism that they use is so intriguing. Much of it reminds me of greek myths. The lyrics themselves are equally as beautiful.
Now onto the cooking! I'm going to start with the rice because it takes a bit longer because of the prep time. Both recipes are from Maangachi's Real Korean Cooking.

Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain rice
1/2 cup brown sweet rice (hyeonmi-chapssel)
1/2 cup barley
2 tablespoons black sweet rice (optional)
2 1/2 cups water

Step 1.
Combine the short-grain rice, brown sweet rice, barley and black sweet rice in a medium heavy saucepan, cover with cold water, and stir with your hand. Then drain by tilting the pan as far as you can over the sink without pouring out any rice. Continue to rinse, stir, and drain the rice until the water runs clear. Add the 2 1/2 cups water to the pan, cover, and let stand for 2 hours.

Step 2.
Set the pan over medium-high heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Step 3.
You will know it is time to turn the rice over when the surface is covered with abundant bubbles that are sputtering noisily and look like they are about to overflow the pan. Turn, scraping the bottom of the pan, then turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the grains are tender, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Fluff with a wooden spoon to release excess steam and serve immediately.

Now onto Dwaejigogi-bokkeum

Ingredients:

1 pound pork belly or boneless pork shoulder, cut into about 1 1/2-x-1-x-1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/2 cup sliced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced peeled ginger
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and chopped
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Step 1.
Combine the pork, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, soy sauce, sugar, onion, garlic, ginger, scallion, black pepper, chili pepper, and sesame oil in a large skillet and mix together with a wooden spoon. Set the pan over high heat and stir-fry until the pork is cooked through but still juicy and the onion is caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 2.
Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve.

Both dishes are pretty easy to make and cook rather quickly. The prep time tends to be the longest part. I hope you enjoyed the recipes. I look forward to seeing you next week. If there is anything you would like to see me make, please leave a comment below. Have a great week!

XOXO,
Rachel

Iope BB Cushion

So as promised I am going to be writing about my Korean beauty and skincare finds. Today I would like to talk about my Iope BB Cushion. I first heard about this product from a Korean/Australian beauty vlogger Meejmuse. I was first introduced to her channel when I watched her Streets of Seoul Korean Makeup Shopping Tour video. I loved seeing all the different products and being introduced to the different brands. This video made me want to start trying different Korean makeup and skincare products. I was slightly bummed because I didn't know where to get these products in the U.S. Then Peach & Lily entered my life. They have such amazing products and great customer service! I love finding companies that are passionate about what they do.
After watching a few Meejmuse videos I knew that I really wanted to try the BB cushions and Iope and Hera were my first choice. I was so excited when I discovered that Peach & Lily carried the Iope BB Cushion. I ordered it straight away and it arrive pretty quickly, especially since it was the holiday season. I chose the shade N21 because I prefer my makeup to be low coverage and I am fairly light skinned. I also love that this came with a refill. I think it's definitely worth the price. This color is a little lighter than I normally like. I may have to try out N23 and compare. That being said this product gives amazing coverage. It goes on very easily and evens out my skin tone. There are no lines and it looks very natural.
I have tried many foundations in my lifetime and nothing can compare to this product. I normally use tinted moisturizers or MAC face and body. They are wonderful and give weightless coverage but this product does just a bit more. My normal foundations go on well and blend in with my skin so it looks like nothing is there, but some things tend to peak through. With this product there is a notable difference. It feels weightless but still gives amazing coverage. Plus I find the application really easy. I never look as if I've missed a spot.

 

I highly recommend this product! I think it's great and will be a go to product in your makeup arsenal. The color choices are limited so I wouldn't recommend this if you have darker skin tones. I would love to try the matte version of this product. Meejmuse has raved about the matte version for people with oily skin and since I have oily skin I'm dying to try it out.
Thank you for joining me on my beauty adventure. If you have any products that you think I should try please let me know in the comments below.

XOXO,
Rachel

Altang- Spicy Pollock Roe Stew

Hey there! How are you? I'm doing much better now that I am no longer sick. I'm glad to be back to my normal self. This week I have decided to make Altang which is a spicy Pollock roe stew. I had never encountered Pollock roe before but I was inspired to try this dish after watching the BIGBANG Happy Together Special. At the end of the episode they all have a dish that they brought and in T.O.P's dish he used a piece of salted Pollock roe on top and I thought it was interesting. Then I was perusing my new cook book and saw that this recipe used Pollock roe so I decided to try it. Pollock roe was definitely an interesting ingredient to work with. I would like to try a dish in future that utilizes the Pollock roe in its raw form.
This week my playlist has moved away from it's BIGBANG influence. Don't worry, I still mainly listen to BIGBANG but this week some other artists have caught my attention. The song Catch Me by UP10TION has been playing on repeat. It's such a fun and catchy song, plus the boys have got some cool dance moves. The music video is funny, strange and playful, plus you can turn on the subtitles so you know what the lyrics mean. I like to play this song in the morning because it helps to wake me up and get me going. The other song on my playlist is Crazy by 4MINUTE. This is one of my favorite songs. I love singing along with it because it makes me feel like a little bit of a badass. Girl Power all the way!
Now onto the recipe!

Ingredients
5 ounces Korean radish (mu) or daikon, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices and then into bite-size pieces (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons fermented soybean paste (doenjang)
3 cups water
1 (12-ounce) package frozen Pollock roe (naengdong-myeong-ran), thawed in the refrigerator
4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 scallions, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and sliced
1 red Korean chili pepper (hong-gochu), stemmed and sliced
1 ounce (about 1/2 cup) chrysanthemum greens (ssuk-gat) washed and left whole or cut into 3-inch lengths, or a small handful of basil.

Step 1.
Combine the radish, onion, soybean paste, and water in a shallow 10-inch pot or saute pan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the onion is almost translucent, about 12 minutes.

(I forgot to add the water during this step so my onions and radish cooked at a different speed)

Step 2.
Add the fish roe, garlic, hot pepper flakes, and salt, turn the heat down to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

 

Step 3.
Scatter the scallions, chili peppers, and chrysanthemum greens over the top of the boiling stew, cover, and cook for another 3 minutes. Serve.

I am really happy with how the recipe turned out. This stew was really delicious but really spicy. I think next time I'd add less red pepper flakes. I also think this would be a tasty stew to make with fish instead of the Pollock roe. I hope you all enjoyed this weeks adventure! I have some fun changes coming in the next few weeks so keep an eye out. I hope you have a great week!

XOXO,
Rachel

Geundae-doenjangguk (Soybean Paste Soup with Chard)

Hello! I am feeling a little under the weather this weekend so I decided to make some soup. I often see recipes that use fermented soybean paste (doenjang) but I had not had the opportunity to try one of them yet. Well this week that has changed! This soup looked really simple and delicious, so I decided to try it. This weeks recipe comes from a new cookbook I got Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking. I was so excited to get this cookbook! It comes highly recommended and I can see why. It is full of amazing recipe's that easy to follow. There are tons of beautiful pictures but I wish it contained a few more of the cooking process. For me, visuals work really well and I like to see the steps. That's why I tend to include pictures of the steps as I go along.
This weeks playlist is a little different. I'm still on a T.O.P kick but this song is not from any of his or BIGBANG's albums. This song was from a recent drama he appeared in call The Secret Message. The drama is an interesting and complex love story filled with memories of past loves. At times it was heart breaking but in the end I was happy. This song is different that T.O.P's normal tracks. For one, he does not rap and two it has an acoustic vibe to it. It's beautiful and heartfelt. I would love for a man to sing for me like that one day. You can check out the song "Hi, Haruka" here. I still get chills overtime I hear it.

Now onto your favorite part, the cooking!

Ingredients
1 pound Swiss Chard, stems trimmed
1/3 cup fermented soybean paste (doenjang)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 green Korean chili pepper (cheong-gochu), stemmed and chopped
1 red Korean chili pepper (hong-gochu), stemmed and chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
10 large dried anchovies (mareun-myeolchi), heads and guts removed
7 cups of water

Step 1.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chard and let it cook until wilted. About 3 minutes. Stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally. Drain the chard in a colander under cold running water until cooled. Drain and squeeze out any excess water.

Step 2.
Chop up the chard into small pieces and place it back in the pot. Add the soybean paste, garlic, peppers and flour. Mix well. (I could only find green peppers so I used two)

Step 3.
Tie the anchovies in a cheesecloth and add to the pot. Then add the water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to medium and boil for another 10 minutes.

Step 4.
Removed the anchovies from the pot and discard. Now the soup is ready to eat! Or you can let it cool and refrigerate it up to a week in an airtight container. Make sure to reheat before serving.

This soup was very delicious. It's not as spicy as some of the other dishes I've made but it was just what I needed. This recipe was so simple and easy to make. I think most people would be able to make this without any issues. Join me next week for another adventure in Korean cooking! I hope you have an amazing week :)

Xoxo,
Rachel

Gyeranjjim (Korean Steamed Eggs) and Oi Kimchi (Cucumber Kimchi)

Welcome back for another adventure in Korean cooking! In my previous posts I had focused a lot on foods that can be a main dish. This week I decided to branch out and try making some Korean side dishes. So instead of one recipe this week I made two. I was inspired to make Gyeranjjim (Korean Steamed Eggs) and Oi Kimchi (Cucumber Kimchi) after trying them at a Korean BBQ restaurant. They are both delicious and somewhat simple to make.
I struggled a bit with this weeks music selection. In previous posts I have mainly talked about BIGBANG and EXO. I would like to branch out and start introducing you to other Kpop artists and including some female artists as well. However most of what I listen to right now is BIGBANG and EXO. For me when it comes to music I get really attached to certain artists for a period of time. I am a very loyal fan and when I like a band or artists they make up the majority of the music I listen to for that period of time. EXO was my band of choice for a few months but since I was introduced to BIGBANG's music my focus as shifted. I think that the members of BIGBANG being very close in age to me as well as them writing their own songs has influenced this shift. I still think EXO are great  but I feel more closely connected with BIGBANG.
My two favorite songs this week are both solo tracks from members of BIGBANG. The first song is "Turn It Up" by T.O.P. This song was release back in 2010 and was featured on G-Dragon and T.O.P's collaboration album. T.O.P is a very talented rapper. I really like his style and I think his deep voice adds something sexy to his songs. This songs is fun and a bit cocky which I think is why I like it so much. I will also admit that I am extremely jealous of T.O.P's ring collection. My second favorite song this week is "Ringa Linga" by Taeyang. Taeyang is an exceptional dancer and I love watching his music videos because they usually showcase this talent. He posses this style that often reminds me of Usher or Omarion. This song makes me want to create choreography. I think it would be amazing to choreograph a dance with Taeyang.
Okay, now on to the cooking! Both recipe's are from the Korean Bapsang. You can find the Recipe for Gyeranjjim here and the recipe for Oi Kimchi here.

Gyeranjjim (Korean Steamed Eggs)

Ingredients:
2 large eggs (I used organic)
1/2 cup anchovy broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped scallions

Step 1.
Beat the 2 eggs and then run through a sieve to break the egg mixture down into a smooth liquid consistency. Make sure to pour slowly and be patient with this step because it can take some time. If you would like to skip this step just make sure to whisk the eggs more.

Step 2.
In your oiled ramekin or small ceramic pot mix the eggs with the anchovy broth and salt.

Step 3.
Cover and simmer over medium low heat on the stove for about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until the mixture is set (about 2 minutes)
*I used a ceramic pot for this dish. If you are using a ramekin please refer to think provided for Gyeranjjim to see the other cooking instructions.

I cooked the eggs a little too long and they were not as soupy as most Koreans like but it still tasted delicious :)










Oi Kimchi (Cucumber Kimchi)

Ingredients:
3 Korean cucumbers
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/4 small onion, thinly slices
1-2 scallions, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces

1-1/2 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru) I used 2 tablespoons to make it spicier.
1 tablespoon fish sauce (myulchi aekjeot)
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds.

Step 1.
Slice the cucumbers. I did them in round slices but in the recipe she cuts them lengthwise. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and make sure they are evenly coated. Let them sit for about 30 minutes.

Step 2
Drain the cucumbers in a strainer to remove excess water but do not rinse.

Step 3.
Add the onions, scallions and the remaining ingredients to the cucumbers.

Step 4.
Mix everything together until the cucumbers are well coated. This will be ready to eat in about 20-30 minutes but can be left at room temperature for a few hours to overnight to expedite the fermentation process. It is best to eat this within 3-4 days of making it.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks recipe. As always I enjoy making them and sharing the process with you. I do sometimes make mistakes or things do not always come out perfect but that's okay. We are all human and I share my mistakes with you in hopes that it will encourage you to try making one of these recipes. If it doesn't come out the first time, it is okay. The important part is that you tried. See you next week for another adventure.

Xoxo,
Rachel