Jajangmyeon

                          Jajangmyeon

I am following Chris Cho on every social media outlet possible. I love his recipes. I am sharing this here for myself and my daughter, so it's easier to find. Feel free to google Chris Cho and his recipes. He mostly is posting videos so you have to make your own notes.

This is what you need:

for 2 persons

- 1 coarse diced Onion

- 1/2  of coarse diced skin on Zucchini (optional if you have none)

- 150 gr. of  finely cut Pork Belly or Pork Butt

- 3 TBSP of Sesame oil for the Pan

- 1 TBSP Sesame Oil in the end

- 1/2 TBSP of Garlic paste

- 1/2 TBSP of Ginger past

- 2 1/2 TBSP of Black Bean Paste

- 1 1/2 TBSP of Soy Sauce

- 1 1/2 TBSP Oyster Sauce

- 1/2 TBSP white Sugar

- 1 cup of Water

- 1 TBSP Potato Starch in a 2 TBSP water for a slurry

- 1 pack Udon Noodles or Jjajang Noodles 

This is how you do it:

Pan fry the Meat first until brown. Then add the Garlic and Ginger. Stir. Now add the Onion and the Black bean paste. Combine everything very well. The Bean paste is thick and needs the oil to release. Add the Oyster Sauce, Soy, Sugar and the Zucchini and stir well. You don't want to cook the Onion all the way so its a bit crunchy. Pour in the water and mix. Make your slurry and stir it in well again. You want to constantly move the ingredients around. Optional is a tiny bit of MSG. Finish it up with Sesame Oil. 

Cook the Noodles as packaging says. I used Udon noodles and made them in the Microwave. Pour over the Jajangmyeon and enjoy. 

Guten Appetit

Chicken thighs Korean style

                              Chicken thighs Korean style

I played around a bit. Remember my pickling Master liquid???? Yes, I added some Corn starch to it and pan fried some vegetables (coarse cut onions, Broccoli and Bell Peppers) and added the mixture slowly to it to thicken it up. Enough to cover it, as little that it doesn't swim in it.

I changed up the Master liquid a bit for the Chicken thighs. I will give you the recipe now.

This is what you need:

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- 3 TBSP packed brown sugar

- 3 TBSP Rice Syrup (or Honey)

- 2 TBSP Garlic

- 1 TSP Ginger

- around 3 TBSP white Vinegar

- 3 TBSP Sesame Oil

- Green Onions for Garnish 

This is how you do it:

Heat up the Oven to 375 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients. Flavor should be "even"  and "round" like the Master pickling liquid. Adjust vinegar or sugar as needed.

Place the chicken thighs skin down in an oven safe dish. Pour the mixture evenly over it. Bake it in the oven for 45 min uncovered. Turn it skin up for an additional 15 min. I used the Broil for the last 5 min to get the skin a bit crispy. Watch it though so you don't burn it. 

I made sticky rice with it, the vegetables and my Kimchi, pickled Daikon Radish and Lotus Root. 

Enjoy

Guten Appetit

Burger Sauce

                            Burger Sauce

Everyone loves a Burger every once in a while. The toppings are always the same: some kind of cheese, Tomato, Lettuce, Onions and a good burger sauce. I like to also add a sunny side up egg, runny. But for the sauce, search no longer. You will love this one, trust me.

This is what you need:

- 3/4 cup whole egg Mayonnaise (I use the "real Mayonnaise)

- 1 TBSP American yellow Mustard (yes, I know. Trust me)

- 2 TSP sweet gherkins finely chopped (or relish)

- 1/2 TSP Paprika 

- 1/4 TSP Garlic Powder

- 1/2 TSP white wine Vinegar (optional, try it first)

This is how you do it:

Just add all Ingredients and stir to combine. Done. You can do it with or without the vinegar. Both is really good. I like it with. 

Now, make your favorite Burger and enjoy

Guten Appetit

Parmesan Sauce for Steak

                                Parmesan Sauce for Steak

Again, this is just a recipe for the Sauce. Not the Steak itself. You can elevate every steak with this sauce. 

It was so darn good. I love me some Parmigiano 

This is what you need: 

- 2 TBSP salted Butter

- 5 Gloves of Garlic, finely minced

- 1 1/2 cups Heavy cream (I use the plant based cream so its lactose free)

- 1 TSP red Pepper flakes or less

- 2/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (please don't settle for less)

- Green onions to garnish

This is how you do it:

Pan fry your steak in butter with garlic. Remove Steak from the pan and use the same pan now for your sauce. Add the butter and the Garlic and stir until frequent for 30 sec to 1 min max.. Add the heavy cream and stir until simmer. Reduce the heat. Now add the cheese and the pepper flakes and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust Salt if necessary.

Enjoy it over your Steak like we did. 

Parmesan Sauce for chicken Drumsticks

       Parmesan Sauce for chicken Drumsticks

Who doesn't like Parmesan smothered chicken Drumsticks? Well, we do too. So, here is a really good recipe I found on the net. No need to search any longer. 

This is a recipe for the Parmesan sauce. Not the Drumsticks. You can also use chicken wings if you like. I had them just lightly dusted with flour and salt, sprayed with oil and then in the Air fryer until they were crunchy and done. You can also do them plain with just salt, works too. 

This is what you need:

- 2/3 cup of melted salted Butter

- 1 TSP Garlic Powder or 1/2 TSP fresh Garlic

- 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano

- 1/8 TSP red pepper flakes

- 1 TBSP chopped Parsley for garnish

This is how you do it:

Melt the Butter in a pan. Take it off the heat once its melted.  Add all ingredients and stir. Use immediately on your chicken. Enjoy

Guten Appetit 

Kimchi

                                Kimchi

So, a lot of people like/love Kimchi. It's really good when its done right. As you guys already know, we can't do much heat. So when I saw how easy it is to make it yourself, I did. I made my first batch. Ok, that was a bit too spicy. I offered it to people/friends with the warning of being spicy. We loved the flavor, just not the heat. So I had space for a second batch. It's really helpful when you have 2 good Korean grocery stores within a 45 min radius. So I got me more Nappa Cabbage and a Daikon. My second batch I used the fine Gochugaru. And I used just a half. Now this batch is barely spicy at all. So I will write down an in between spice level in the hope that this works for us. Feel free to experiment with your own spice level.

For the Gochugaru, I actually went on Amazon and I ordered it from there. But in order to get the fine one, I had to go in a Korean grocery Store. Also, the Korean Pear: do not substitute it with a normal Pear. Its not the same in consistency and flavor. And I have to give you a warning. The Gochugaru is staining everything. Literally. Everything turns red. So clean it up immediately. 

I also had to get a fermenting container. Luckily, I had one already. But if you don't, go to Hobby Lobby or Walmart and get a huge Glass container with Lid. 

Here is what you need:

- 1 Napa Cabbage

- 1 Cup Daikon Radish

- 1 medium Carrot

- 6 cups of Cold water

- 1/2 cup of not Iodized Sea Salt 

For the Paste:

- 150 gr. Onion (around 1/2 )

- 2 TBSP Garlic

- 1/2 TBSP Ginger

- 150 gr. Korean Pear (around 1/2 )

- 1/4 cup Fish sauce 

- 1/4 cup Shrimp paste (if you don't have that, use more Fish Sauce)

- 3/4 cup of course Gochugaru

- 3/4 cup Corn Syrup (or Rice Syrup, that's what I used)

- 2 Cups of water to 1/4 cup Rice Flour and 1/4 cup corn Starch

This is how you do it:

Cut the Napa Cabbage in half then half the halfs to get quarters. In an angle, cut out the stem. Now its up to you to leave them like this or you cut them into 1 inch slices like I did. If you cut them diagonally, they get a bit of a nicer shape. Layer the Cabbage in a very big Container and cover them with some of the 1/2 cup salt. Then add more cabbage and more salt until you have no more cabbage. Last layer is the salt. Now add  6 cups of Ice cold water, put a plate on it and put something heavy on the plate to push everything down. Leave it for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs, stirring it every 30 min..

 

In the meantime, you can Juliette (cutting in strips) the Daikon, green Onion and Carrot. Put aside. 

In a Blender add the onion, Pear, Garlic, Ginger and fish sauce / shrimp paste and blend until its liquidized. Let that sit in a container for around 1 hrs so it can start to ferment already.

Now you can get the Rice Flour, corn Starch and Water on the stove and cook and whisk it until its a very thick paste.  It helps to bind the sauce to the Cabbage.

The 1 1/2 - 2 hrs should be over by now. When you bend the cabbage and it doesn't snap immediately, its ready. Now drain the Cabbage and wash at least 3 times with cold water to wash of all the salt. Drain it for another 30 min. at least until as dry as possible.

Once the fermenting time is over, add the Gochugaru and the thick rice mass to the Onion mixture and mix it well. It should be a pretty dry paste. The Daikon, Radish and green Onion are also going into that paste now. 

You should have a big container still for the drained Cabbage. Add layer by layer the Kimchi mixture to the cabbage and mix everything thoroughly with you hands. Wear gloves so your hands won't get stained.  I usually have some paste left over so I try to fish out the remaining vegetables and add them to the cabbage with a bit more of the Paste. I toss the rest. It should be a nice amount of Kimchi mix with the Cabbage but not overly too much. 

Layer now the Cabbage Kimchi into the Glass Container. Make sure that the cabbage is stuffed in pretty tight. Stop at around 3/4 full so it has room to expend.  Close it with the lid so its Air tight. Store it in a warm, dark place. 

Now, every day you need to push down the gas. Yes, it raises Ladies and Gentlemen. Even if you put it in Mason Jars and leave them outside the fridge, it keeps fermenting. And fermentation is Gas. That's why you should have it just 3/4 full.  

before

after  

I try it every day when I push down the gas to see where we are at. The heat gets less I believe by the day. I find it perfect at the 3rd day. I made it Sunday, Wednesday I found it perfect. Its really up to you now how you like it. Transfer the Kimchi into Mason Jars, label it and store in the fridge. It will ferment a bit in the fridge as well but slower. 

And this is how you make Kimchi. It's really not difficult. Just a bit time consuming. 

Enjoy your Kimchi. Please be brave and consider playing with your Kimchi. There are several Korean dishes where you using up "old" Kimchi which is to tangy for normal consumption. You can use that for Kimchi Pancakes or Kimchi-Jjigae. 

Guten Appetit  

Korean Egg pickling liquid

                 Korean Egg pickling liquid

This pickling liquid for eggs is a game changer. Soooooo good. I cook the eggs around 6-8 min for a little bit of a gooey yolk. Feel free to cook it all the way through

This is what you need:

- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/4 cup Honey

- 2 TBSP Mirin

- 1 TSP Garlic

- 1 TBSP Sesame Oil

- 1 TBSP Sesame Seeds

- Green Onions, Jalapeno, a bit Rice Syrup 

- Boiled and peeled eggs

This is how you do it:

Throw everything together in a container which can hold eggs too. Stir well. Add the Eggs and marinate at least 30 min.. Enjoy 

Guten Appetit