Bibimbap

                              Bibimbap

Bibimbap literally translates to "mixed rice". Everything with bap in the end is basically "with rice". I learned from "my Korean kitchen" that Bibimbap is a nice left over dish. So, you have sticky rice left over, a bit of broccoli, mushrooms, soy beans, meat of any sorts, carrots or whatever you like, you basically add that on a bed of rice all around for good looks. The topping is a sunny side up, runny egg and some sesame seeds. 

The kick here is the sauce. I have 4 different sauce recipes for you. For the actual Bibimbap is no real recipe as you can use your left over veggies. I just removed all other sauces they might have been on and rinse them with water. Including the meat. I had Bolognese sauce left over so I washed the meat with water and just added a bit soy sauce and sesame oil. Same with the vegetables. If they weren't cooked yet, just carefully sauté them in a pan with sesame oil. If you have toasted Seaweed, cut them into strips and add to your vegetables. Makes a nice add on.

 

For the first sauce you need:

- 1/2 cup Gochujang (or less depending on your heat tolerance. Ours is 1 TSP lol)

- 1/2 cup Soy sauce

- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

- 4 TSP vinegar (apple or rice)

- 4 TSP minced garlic

Mix everything in a bowl together. Add onto your Bibimbap and mix everything together. 

For the second sauce you need:

- 2 TBSP Gochujang (1/4 TSP for us)

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- 1 TBSP Sesame  Oil

- 1 TBSP Sugar

- 1 TBSP water

- 1 TBSP roasted sesame seeds

- 1 TSP vinegar (apple or rice)

- 1 TSP minced Garlic

Mix everything together in a bowl

For the third sauce you need:

- 1/2 cup Doenjang (korean soybean paste)

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

- 1 1/2 TBSP honey

- 2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

- 1 TBSP minced garlic

Mix everything in a bowl together.

For the forth sauce you need:

- 1/2 cup soy sauce 

- 4 TSP sugar

- 2 TSP toasted sesame oil

- 1 TSP minced Garlic

Mix everything together in a bowl.

Guten Appetit 

Chicken spice mix

                                          Chicken spice mix 

This spice mix is a traditional mix for "Brathaehnchen" or how we like to call it: Nora's chicken. 

- 1/2 TSP salt

- 3/4 TSP Garlic Powder

- 3/4 TSP Onion Powder

- 1 TSP smoked Paprika

Plum Streusel cake

                                          Plum Streusel Cake

This is a traditional Fall cake in Germany since the Plums (or Prunes) are in season. So, this base here you can use for any other fruits though. I already made it with apples and cinnamon but feel free to use whatever you like. 

The Base or Knetteig:

- 175 gr. soft unsalted Butter

- 1 Egg

- 100 gr Sugar

- 300 gr Flour 

- 1 pinch of salt

 

Streusel for topping:

- 150 gr Butter

- 300 gr Flour

- 100 gr Sugar

cinnamon optional

This is how you do it:

Combine all ingredients for the Base in a bowl and mix it with your hands until a solid ball forms.

Set aside.

In another bowl add the 3 ingredients for the Streusel and mix well until you can form little balls with your hands but which fall apart easily.

Get a round spring form and butter it well all around. Preheat your oven to either 350 Fahrenheit or air fryer at 325 Fahrenheit.

Get the Base and push it with your hand palm and fingers onto the bottom of the spring form and a bit up on the side to create a small edge. Now put the fruits on how you desire. Top it with a good amount of the Streusel (my spring from is smaller then the amount of dough I have so don't be surprised if you have left overs)

Bake in the oven for 35-45 min or until the Streusel are slightly brown. Wait with taking the ring of\f of the spring form until its completely cooled down. The fruit juice will make it run away if you do it to early. Now enjoy a piece with some whipped cream.

Guten Appetit 

  

Portobello mushroom Schnitzel

              Portobello mushroom Schnitzel

Finally something "German" again. I think this dish was like a poor people food at one point. In Germany and Italy, we have some really nice big growing Mushrooms, Parasol Mushrooms. I can't find them quite here in Florida, but I found some nice big Portobello mushrooms. I would say, every big mushroom, "meaty" mushroom is doing it. Anyway, in fall we went into the woods, we looked for all kinds of mushrooms like Chantarelles (Pfifferlinge)  and Penny Bun's (Steinpilze). We made them in all kinds of forms as sauce with a dumpling, as sauce for Schnitzel, as sauce for German Pancakes (Crepe). Or as soups and stews. Very yummy and fun to find them first. Family event. I loved it. 

This is what you need:

- 2 big Portobello Mushrooms

- 1 Eggs and some half and half for the breading

- Bread crumps

- Salt, Pepper and Aromat to taste (look in my earlier posts about Aromat. It's a german flavor intensifier)

- Oil for frying pan

This is how you do it: 

Combine the Egg, half and half and season it to your tase. Take the stamps out of the mushrooms. Now coat them good with the Egg wash and then immediately into the bread crumbs. It will get messy. You may use a spoon to help with the egg wash to get it every where on the Mushroom. I breaded it twice. 

In a frying pan, heat up some oil. Turn the heat on medium and add the mushrooms. I did the flat side first. Turn it several times to make sure it gets slightly fried from all sides. You may add some more oil on the go. Once its nicely crisp on both sides, remove from the pan.

We had a sunny side up egg with it and it was delicious. You may also add some Salad with it. 

Guten Appetit 

 

Korean Dipping Sauce

                                                         Korean Dipping Sauce

This is the dipping sauce going with the Kimchi Pancakes. But to be honest, we also used it for the steamed dumplings. Its. so. good. You will love it. Again, credit goes to "My Korean Kitchen". I am not korean and exploring things and her recipes are just spot on delicious. I will do definitely more in the future. 

This is what you need for the Base sauce:

- 2 TBSP raw sugar

- 4 TBSP Soy Sauce

- 4 TBSP Water

- 4 TBSP Rice Vinegar (or white vinegar as substitute) 

For the pimped up sauce:

- 1/4 - 1/2 thinly sliced White Onion

- 1/2 TSP Gochugaru (or chili Flakes since I had none) 

- 1/2 TSP minced Garlic

- 1/2 TSP roasted Sesame Seeds

- 1/2 TSP Sesame Oil 

- 1/2 TSP (heaped) finely chopped green onions

This is how you do it:

Combine the ingredients from the Base sauce. When combined, take like half of it and add the other ingredients to it for the pimped up version. Depending on your spice tolerance, you may vary on the Gochugaru a bit. You can also just add some more if you like heat. I found this very comforting how it is. 

Since my family liked the pimped up version better, I just added everything together and added more onions and the rest as well. 

Now, enjoy it with your dumplings or pancakes or whatever you like. It might even go great with sushi. :-) 

Guten Appetit

Kimchi Pancakes

                        Kimchi Pancakes

I have been asked to write this recipe so I will. Again, this recipe isn't mine but I found it. The owner of this recipe is "My Korean Kitchen". But I made it and even the Husband liked it and he doesn't eat Kimchi. There ya go. It's a keeper.

This is what you need:

- 1 Cup of Flour or if you have Korean pancake mix. Make sure it's not the Hotteok Pancake mix.       Different thing

- 1 Cup ice cold water

- 1 Cup Kimchi, cut into smaller pieces

- 1 TBSP of Kimchi Liqid

- 1 TSP Gochugaru (korean chili Flakes)

- Korean dipping sauce (in my blog as well) 

This is how you do it:

In a mixing bowl, add the cup of flour and the cup of ice cold water and mix well. (I used just half a cup to make a smaller portion). Once its nicely combined, add the Gochugaru, the Kimchi Liquid and the Kimchi and stir well. 

Heat a frying pan with some oil on high heat. Add the pancake. I did for 1/2 cup the whole thing to make one big pancake but you can break it up in 2 small ones. Cook it on high for around 20 seconds to get a crisp going and then turn the heat down and cook it on medium heat until the inner part is almost done. I then turned it around to crisp up the other side. I turned the heat back up a bit to get the crisp going. Once its crispy enough, just remove it of the pan onto a plate and cut it like Pizza. 

Serve hot with the Korean dipping sauce. Reheating is possible according to the original author like in the microwave, but I would probably try it in an Air Fryer. Now enjoy

Guten Appetit

Venison Stew

                                                         Venison Stew

Venison translates in german to Wild. Wild meat could be anything in Germany. Here in the states I learned that its deer. Either male or female. Hit or miss. You never know. So, if you are blessed to find Venison meat and can afford it, this recipe is for you. I finally found "Wild Fork supermarket"  and I don't know if that is a nation wide chain or just local. Anyway, my daughter tried it for the first time and made big eyes saying: this is astonishingly amazing. So, since I started that blog for her, I will share it with you as well.

This is what you need:

- Venison meat. I had 2 pieces of loin

- 2 small carrots, cut in like 1 inch sizes

- 1 big yellow onion, diced roughly

- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

- around 2 TBSP sweet Paprika

- 2 TBSP Thyme

- Salt, Pepper to taste 

- 250 ml Brown Gravy

-250 ml red wine (the one you like to drink)

- maybe some corn starch to thicken the sauce

This is you you do it:

Cut the Vegetables and chop the Garlic. Measure your water and wine for the sauce. Dice the venison in mouth size pieces (like the stew meat in the store). I used my biggest pan. Pan fry in some butter the Venison on very hot for a couple of min.. I drained the excessive water in between so it doesn't cook in its own juice. Remove the meat from the pan and add some more butter. Now add the vegetables to the hot pot but turn the heat down so you don't burn the onions and garlic. Stir constantly for a couple of min.. After the Vegetables got a bit color, you add the red wine and the water. Add the Brown sauce to it and let it get back to a simmer. Now you may put the meat back and season it with the Thyme, Paprika, Salt and Pepper. Be careful on the salt part. You can always adjust it later. You can try your "work" of course :)

Cover it up and let simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hrs... If the sauce is not your preferred consistency, add some corn starch slurry to it. 

As Germans, we like to serve it with Potato Dumplings or Spaetzle and blue Cabbage. We also like to give a side of Lingonberry (or Cranberry) for the sweetness. 

Guten Appetit