Posts under "Cuisine"

Korean Dumplings

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Feb 3 2011

Korean dumplings are called mandu (만두). Mandu are made of flour and rolled in a flat circle. Then either vegetables and/or meat are used to fill the dumpling. There are several varieties of mandu.

One of them is called Mul mandu (물만두), which is a type of dumpling that has been boiled in water until the insides are done. Usually the dumplings are boiled under low heat so as to prevent the contents of the dumpling from exploding. Nowadays dumplings are rarely made at home. Most people chose to buy them prepackaged at the grocery store.

Jjin mandu (찐만두) is a type of dumpling that has been steamed in a steam pot. Typically some soy sauce is used as a dipping sauce to accompany the dumplings. Some people prefer jjin mandu because they get super soft without becoming ultra moist like mul mandu. However, the drawback is that when jjin mandu are over steamed, the outside part of the mandu can get hard and become difficult to eat.

When dumplings are fried in a oiled fry pan, they are called gun mandu (군만두). Usually the outer covering of the gun mandu become crispy when fried. The insides of the gun mandu vary, but the most common ingredients tend to be spring onions with either beef or pork. An optional ingredient is vermicelli noodles.

Kimchi mandu (김치만두) is a dumpling where the insides are stuffed with kimchi. Kimchi mandu tend to be spicier than most Korean dumplings. Since the kimchi is already seasoned with garlic, red pepper powder and other ingredients, there is no need to add extra ingredients to the kimchi dumpling. It’s as if two foods (kimchi and dumplings) are packed into one bite.

Yachae mandu (야채만두) is a dumpling that contains only vegetables. This dumpling is great for vegetarians who can’t eat meat. The typical ingredients are leeks, spring onions, spinach, diced carrots, mushrooms and sometimes tofu. Generally it’s a good idea not to stuff the dumpling with a lot of ingredients because they have a tendency to explode. I’d say use a maximum of three ingredients.

Hot Pot Dishes

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Jan 7 2011

Jeongol (전골) refers to a type of steam pot stew that contains a variety of vegetables, meat and other ingredients. Jeongol tends to have a watery soup, and the taste varies with the soup stock that is used to make that particular jeongol. Jeongol is usually prepared in a jeongol pot called jeongolteul (전골틀). There are several varieties of jeongol. Let’s take a look at some:

Haemul jeongol (해물전골) is a seafood jeongol. The seafood ingredients may include prawns, clams, crab legs, squid, seaweed, and fish. In addition to the seafood, vegetables like nappy cabbage, onions and hot peppers are also put in the stew. Due to the strong smell that seafood can emit, some lemon juice and mint leaves are also included.

Gopchang jeongol (곱창전골) is cow intestine jeongol. To remove any unpleasant smells, the intestines are cleaned and washed several times. The soup stock used is a beef soup stock. Red pepper powder is also added to the soup, giving it a spicy taste. Vegetables include scallions, green and red peppers, zucchini and sliced carrots.

Dubu jeongol (두부전골) is tofu jeongol. Since tofu is soft and can break apart easily, they are tied together with scallion strips. Tying the tofu squares together is optional. Some people just fry the tofu before they put it in the pot. This hardens the tofu, making it easier to eat. Small chunks of beef, eggs, and soybean sprout is also added.

Beoseot jeongol (버섯전골) is mushroom jeongol. Different kinds of mushrooms like pyogo (표고) and paengi beoseot (팽이버섯) are used. The typical meat used is either thinly sliced pork or beef. Vegetables include cabbages, green peppers, carrots, soybean sprouts and squash. Seasonings include garlic, ginger and salt.

Mandu jeongol (만두전골) is a dumpling jeongol. In addition to the dumplings, sometimes small spicy rice cakes are placed in the jeongol. Ingredients like baby shrimp, mushrooms, zucchini, eggs, seaweed strips and chicken chunks are mixed together with some salt and anchovy broth. Optional ingredients include noodles.

Korean Stir Fried Dishes

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Dec 1 2010

There are lots of Korean dishes that are stir fried. Let’s take a look at some of these dishes :

Nakji bokkeum (낙지볶음) is a stir fried octopus dish. First, the octopus is chopped into bite sized pieces. If the octopus isn’t prepackaged and prepared already, the next step will be to strip the outer skin off. Then the octopus pieces are washed and put in a pan under medium heat. Some red pepper paste, garlic, spring onions, and a cup of water are thrown in as well.

Kimchi bokkeum (김치볶음) is a stir fried dish using kimchi. Usually housewives make kimchi bokkeum when the kimchi turns sour and is about to go bad. Kimchi bokkeum is a great way to use all the kimchi without having to waste it or throw it away. Some tofu cut into squares with some sugar and water is also mixed in a pan with the kimchi.

Myeolchi bokkeum (멸치볶음) is a stir fried dish using dried, miniscule anchovies. The anchovies usually come in a bundle and come prepackaged from a store. Take the anchovies out and mix some garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce and some sugar. Mix the ingredients together until the anchovies become soft.

Ojingeochae bokkeum (오징어채볶음) is a stir fried dish using dried, shredded squid. Place the shredded squid in a pan with a tablespoon of water. Then add red pepper paste, chopped onions, sesame oil and a teaspoon of ground up ginger. Green pepper slices, shredded radish and shredded carrots are optional.

Kaji bokkeum (가지볶음) is a stir fried dish using eggplants. First take the eggplant and cut it into four long strips. Then cut the long strips in half. Take about ¼ cup of water and place the eggplant under medium heat. Take some beef broth powder and a tablespoon of soy sauce. When the eggplant softens, the dish is ready to be served.

Bibimbap

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Nov 1 2010

Bibimbap is a rice and vegetable dish mixed with hot pepper paste. Bibimbap is healthy and many varieties of bibimbap exist. Here are some you may be interested to try :

Dolsot Bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥) is bibimbap that is cooked in a black, hot stone bowl. When the bowl is heated, sesame seed oil is poured and the rice comes afterward. Soon the bottom of the bowl will have a crusty, crispy layer of brown rice. Since the bowl is steaming hot, the raw egg is half cooked when it is cracked over the vegetables and rice.

Jeonju Bibimbap (전주 비빔밥) consists of rice, steamed spinach, mushrooms, marinated soybean sprouts, pine nuts, thinly sliced carrots, minced beef and red pepper paste. It’s a good way to get your vegetables in your diet and it’s delicious too. The rice, vegetables and red pepper paste is mixed together.

Jinju Bibimbap (진주 비빔밤) is a type of bibimbap using raw beef and seasoned with spices, and plentiful amounts of sesame oil. The beef is prepared beforehand and finely shredded. All the blood is removed and seasoned. The seasoned beef is added with thinly sliced cucumbers, marinated spinach, and steamed zucchini.

Nakji Bibimbap (낙지 비빔밤) is bibimbap with nakji (낙지). Nakji is a small octopus usually served while living. However with nakji bibimbap, the small octopus has been cut into small pieces and seasoned with sesame oil, salt and red pepper paste. The veggie portion of this dish include dried seaweed, lettuce strips and soybean sprouts.

Korean Rice Porridge

Posted by Ginny 3 Comments
Oct 4 2010

Juk (죽) is a type of Korean rice porridge. Rice porridges are easy to make because all you need to do is boil some leftover rice with water. When people normally think of rice porridge, they think of a watery type mixture with little taste. This is hardly the case, because there are many different types of Korean rice porridge, and many of them taste quite good.

Jeonbokjuk (전복죽) is abalone rice porridge. The abalone is first cleaned and cooked in warm water. When the abalone becomes soft, it is thinly sliced and stir fried in oil. Then some rice (already cooked) is boiled with some water and abalone to make this rice porridge. Lastly, some soy sauce is used to give the porridge flavor.

Jatjuk (잣죽) is a pine nut ride porridge. To make this porridge, boil some pine nuts. When they become soft, ground the pine nuts into little pieces. Then mix the pine nuts with some rice and water. Stir the pot until you’re satisfied. Some people like their porridge watery, almost like a soup, and some like it with a thicker consistency. It all depends upon you.

Kkaejuk (깨죽) is a sesame rice porridge. Some black sesame seeds are ground up and mixed with some water and rice. Make sure to pour lots of water, so that the seeds don’t stick to the pot and absolve in the porridge. When the porridge is done, it will have a blackish color to it. This porridge is special because black sesame seeds are rare and healthy for humans.

Beoseotjuk (버섯죽) is a mushroom rice porridge. Start off by slicing these mushrooms. Then place them in water with some rice. Sprinkle some crushed garlic paste into the porridge. The following items are optional but recommended : a pinch of red pepper powder, chicken/beef cuts, seaweed strips, spring onions and diced carrots.

Hobakjuk (호박죽) is a pumpkin rice porridge. First cut the pumpkin into small squares. Then boil them in water until the pumpkin is dissolved. Put rice in the mixture. Then put some sugar in the mixture. These next items are optional : sweet beans (boil them in water until soft), fragrant mint leaves and jujubes.

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