My take on Korean Food.

Even though I'm abroad I've got so much stuff from earlier this year that I never got around to posting. Whoops. So instead of studying or reading my articles I chose to update my food blog. From hundreds of miles way. That's how dedicated I am. Or not....

Anyways. So I made Korean kimchi fried rice with Korean fried spicy chicken. My family doesn't really do "spicy food" so after the meal, I realized the mistake I made: Never pair a spicy dish with another spicy dish when your family can't handle the heat. Also, my family are not big Korean food whores like me, so I don't think they understood the whole matter....


Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Dak) Adapted from ''Quick and Easy Korean Cooking'' by Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee (Chronicle Books, 2009)

Time: 30 minutes, plus one hour's marinating

Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion, coarsely grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for coating
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more for coating
8 to 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered, or 24 wings
3 tablespoons Korean chili paste (gojuchang)
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, more for garnish
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Oil for deep frying
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornstarch.
1. In a medium-size bowl, combine grated onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat well. Cover and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour.
2. In a large bowl, stir together chili paste, ketchup, sugar, sesame seeds and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavors to get a spicy-sweet-tangy finish. Set aside.
3. Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Heat to 350 degrees. Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Working in batches to avoid crowding, lift chicken from marinade, dredge lightly in seasoned flour and cornstarch, gently drop into oil and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken, checking oil temperature between batches.
5. For wings only, when all pieces are done, increase oil temperature to 375 degrees and refry in batches for 30 to 60 seconds, until very crisp. Drain once more on paper towels. While chicken is still hot, brush thickly with chili sauce. Serve hot, sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

For Korean Kimchi Fried Rice, there are many different recipes online but I THINK I used this one:

Korean Kimchi Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cooked rice (preferably day old, Korean or Japanese rice. If there is not time to make rice, and there is not any left over rice, microwaveable instant rice only takes from 1-2 minutes, and tastes almost identical to rice made from a rice cooker.) CJ brand instant rice is good, for first time buyers.
• 1 cup Napa cabbage kimchi in its juices (cut into half inch strips)
• 1 tablespoon of gochujang (red pepper paste). Haioreum brand is good, for first time buyers.
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (preferably Korean or Japanese soy sauce)
• 1/2 an onion (brown or white)
• 1 tablespoon of seasame seed oil
• some samgupsal (Korean bacon), regular American bacon, or other form of meat (optional)
• egg (optional)
• gochugaloo (red pepper powder)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the wok or frying pan. Pour in the sesame seed oil, and coat the bottom of the pan with it.
2. For non-vegetarian kimchi bokumbap, cut the bacon into small one inch strips, and cook it in the pan until it turns white. If the Korean bacon is being substituted with American bacon, leave the strips clumped in pairs, and make sure it doesn't over cook. (Don't let it get dry and crispy.) The bacon can be substituted for other types of meat-- beef, ground meat, tuna, or seafood work well.
3. Place the rice into the pan and let it cook until the bottom burns slightly. Stir and let the other side burn slightly, as well. This makes the fried rice taste crispier.
4. Put in the kimchi and kimchi juice, red pepper paste, garlic, soy sauce, and onion into the pan. Stir so that the rice is evenly coated with the red pepper paste. ( Cook about 5 minutes)
5. Optional: move the contents of the pan to one side, and break an egg (or as many eggs as desired) onto the clean side. Fry the egg so that the yolk is still runny.
6. Season the dish with red pepper powder, salt and pepper to taste. When serving, place the egg on top of the rice.

I added an egg to my fried rice because I like to eat it that way and they put eggs in their meals at times as well. I should probably mention that I sort of made my mother take me to the Korean market for gochujang, which is a very spicy red pepper paste. THAT IS ALSO DELICIOUS. Saranghae and Camsahmidah!

Chili Con Carne. Jamie Oliver Style.

I haven't updated in months and for that much apologies! Currently I am studying abroad in the UK and to commemorate this experience, I dedicate this post to one of my favorite chefs, Jamie Oliver. Before I left, I made Chili Con Carne which was absolutely delicious. It was from one of his earlier books (not the latest one with another chili recipe) and I was so happy that it came out well. Enjoy the pictures!

P.S. My friend tried the chili. Clearly, it's totes yum.

Pollo Enchiladas Es Muy Delicioso!

Okay, that is all my high school Spanish was retained in my sad little brain. My teachers would be ashamed! Anyways, I had bought a roast chicken and was wondering what I could do with the leftovers (OH THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES) and so I decided to make chicken enchiladas since I have been craving them for forever. So I chopped up an onion, a few cloves of garlic, shred some chicken, added a baby can of green chilies, some black pepper, cayenne pepper and cream of chicken soup. That was to be the chicken filling. Then I wrapped them up in some yummy flour tortillas and poured the enchilada sauce right over. Baked at 350 for 20 minutes, it came out looking like heaven. If your definition of heaven was chicken enchiladas. Which mine might me. So I added some beans and rice on the to round out the meal and needless to say, yo estoy muy feliz! (Thanks Erin)

P.S. If the top picture looks a bit gross, it is because I am a child and had no self control. I started to eat it and then remembered OOPS I HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE. Story of my life.

Chinese Chicken Salad Deliciousness!

I've been TRYING to make an attempt to eat healthy. But it is a pretty difficult because bad food is just so GOOD. Being busy and not always having very many ingredients only makes it more difficult but I try! This past week was midterms week so the lack of time only exacerbated my problems....

I made a combination of broccoli slaw and lettuce mix blend with lightly seasoned chicken breasts grilled on my George Forman and a sesame soy ginger vinagrette from TJs. Ah maybe eating healthy won't be too hard after all...

Angelina, the waitress at the Pizzeria!

I eat antipasta twice
Just because she is so nice, Angelina
Angelina, waitress at the pizzeria

If she'll be a my My Car-ra mi-a
Then I'll join in matrimony
With a girl who serves spumoni
And Angelina will be mine!

I love that song by Louis Prima! The other day I decided to make spaghetti (being the unhealthy and time crunched college student that I am) but being me, I couldn’t just eat pasta with bottled spaghetti sauce. So I added some eggplant, garlic, onion, and spicy sausage to make it one of the most delicious spaghetti sauces ever. I gave some to my friend S and she was in love with it! It is so simple to spice up a simple dish and it makes such a difference. Just saute the eggplant with some salt and black pepper, add the onions and garlic and bam. You have a beautiful meal! I also bought a loaf of Cheddar Garlic Sourdough bread so I included it in my meal. Perfect.

Table for One, please.

I've been trying to replicate some of the Chinese dishes that my father makes at home for the family. In our house, my dad is the one that cooks and my mom well, she can cook about three things: spaghetti, Portuguese curry, and a dish that combines stir fried noodles with whatever leftovers that she is trying to get rid of in the fridge. The last one strikes fear in our family's heart....but we are redeemed in that my father is one of the best cooks I know (I might be biased in that last statement)! The other night I tried to eat healthier by incorporating more greens in my diet. In this case, I purchased some broccoli and baby bok choy. Both dishes are super simple to make and also super delicious. Win win!

Happy Easter!

Despite being non-religious, I still like to celebrate Easter. Not as a Jesus-born-again day but as a Spring-is-here! day. This year I sort cooked for the family and got a big seven pound ham at Trader Joe's (one of my favorite grocery stores EVER) to celebrate the day with. Unfortunately, my family members aren't big fans of ham so I ended up taking most of it back to school with me. Believe me, I have no objections to that! I roasted some asparagus with salt, pepper, and a little bit of lemon juice and roasted some red and brown potatoes with rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, green onion and a bit of olive oil drizzled over the top. So delicious and so simple! As for the ham, there is honestly no prep work, you simply heat it up in the oven (10 minutes at 250 degrees per pound) and voila! I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

P.S. The ham picture really doesn't do it any justice at all....it looked so much better in person....

Black Pepper Chicken and Tofu

I am starting to run out of rice. It is sending me into a state of panic. What am I going to do without rice??

Tonight I made Black Pepper Chicken with a little bit of celery which was very delicious and I used the Lee Kum Kee sauce packet to make it. I simply used chicken breast which makes it healthy and better for your body! Super simple and super yummy, I suggest that anyone try it with some rice. I also made some Mapo Tofu with some firm tofu and ground pork. I added some garlic chili sauce and oyster sauce just for taste and it made the perfect meal!

I just love Chinese food. I could never live without it. Too bad I don't know how to cook very much of it :(

Chinese Food Experimental Outcomes

While I was at 99 Ranch Market the other weekend I happened to come across these little sauce packets from the brand Lee Kum Kee for specific dishes and I really wanted to try them. Basically all you do is have to buy the actual ingredient (whether it be chicken, tofu, vegetables, etc) and then add the sauce to it and you have a delicious dish! Just make sure to make some rice to eat with it. I tried the Mapo tofu one (though it was a bit spicy for me so I added some oyster sauce to it), a sweet pork chop variation, the black bean chicken and the eggplant. My favorite one I would have to say is the eggplant, which I know that most people don't like but I am a big fan. For vegetarians or the occasional vegetarian like me, vegetarian is full of protein and if cooked the right way can be absolutely yummy. I added a little bit of green onion to both the Black Bean Chicken and the Eggplant dish, though with the eggplant I added some ground pork, which is also popular in the Mapo tofu dish. So I suggest you look up how to make these spectacular dishes or if you are too lazy like me (but only some nights, not all the time) then use these little packets to add some spice to your food! Enjoy!

Mitsuwa Sushi!

I am a huge sushi and Mitsuwa fan. There is one near where I live back at home but a few weekends ago I discovered this GIANT Mitsuwa here in the OC with its own food court and everything! I can't wait to go back and try everything! There were all these little stands with plastic showcase examples of ramen, curry, etc. They have some delicious sushi that comes prepared for you to eat and is the perfect meal. My favorite thing is to do is find "ethnic" markets and try all the different types of food that I normally don't get to eat, so I will definitely head back to see what other goodies are hiding from me!

EMPLOYMENT!

Sorry to all for not updating for an awfully long time, my computer broke and I was therefor unable to blog :( but I will try to in the next few days so keep an eye out for a new one! Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that my friend S and I both got jobs at the Med Ed Cafe at the University where both go and we have been trained in the Starbucks ways. Yesterday was my first day on the job and I was quite flustered but give it time and I will be a coffee pro!

"Date Night" Cooking Class pt. II

Just in Valentine's Day or simply for a cheesecake craving, this Berry Cheesecake Bite Recipe that my friend S and I learned at cooking class is perfect. It was a perfect portion and the blueberries were a delicious pairing for the desert. I'm a huge cheesecake fan and it is probably my favorite desert, enjoy!

Berry Cheesecake Bites

Filling

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar

Crust

• 7-9 cinnamon graham crackers (or 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs + 1 tsp. cinnamon + 2 Tbsp. sugar)
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 cup blueberries, or other berry, fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp water
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 cups of a mini muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup very well.
2. For the crust, if not using store bought graham cracker crumbs, break the cinnamon graham crackers into chunks and pulse them into a food processor until they are fine crumbs. (This should yield about 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs.) With the crumbs in the food processor, pulse while slowly pouring in the melted butter until combined and resembling wet sand. Divide the crumbs between 12 cups of the prepared mini muffin tin, pressing the crumbs into the bottom and a little bit up the sides to form the crust. Set aside.
3. For the filling, beat softened cream cheese and egg in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and thoroughly combined. Add vanilla and sugar, and continue beating until combined. Spoon the spilling into each mini muffin cup, filling almost to the top.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are no longer glossy and the centers are set. Allow the cheesecakes to cool about 30 minutes at room temperature. If using paper liners, remove the cheesecakes from the pan to cool. If not, let the cheesecakes cool in the pan, then put them in the refrigerator to cool for at least 1 hour.
5. To prepare topping, combine berries, 2 tbsp water, and 1/2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3-5 minutes. Combine 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in 2 teaspoons juice. Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of blueberry mixture on top of each room temperature cheesecake.
6. Once cool, store cheesecakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

S and I DEMOLISHED the Cheesecakes. All in a day's work!

"Date Night" Cooking Class

Sorry for the lack of posts but it has been a crazy week! I've lost vision in my left eye so now it is mainly light and dark shadows which has been extremely difficult to deal with. But today's post should make up for it! My friend S and I signed up for a free cooking class at our university's gym (yes they offer cooking classes, how contradictory) and it was "Date Night on a Budget". Thank goodness it wasn't all couples because otherwise S and I would have been more lonely (just in time for Valentine's Day too). The food however was absolutely wonderful!

Golden Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks

• 1 (17 1/3 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 head roasted garlic, peeled or 6 cloves of fresh garlic minced
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp milk or water

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a shallow dish (pie pan), combine cheese, garlic and butter,
3. On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry sheets. Brush pastry with melted butter mixture. Cut each sheet into 15 strips. Gently twist pastry sticks, and place on a prepared baking sheet.
4. Brush egg mixture over each stick.
5. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Mozzarella Spinach Chicken Roll With Browned Butter Shallot Sauce (serves 4)

• 4 (4-6 oz) boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 10oz bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained, or 1 lb fresh baby spinach blanched and squeezed dry
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup shallots, minced
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 large sage leaves, chiffonade
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Add oil and garlic to medium saute pan. Heat the pan over medium heat, saute garlic just until it begins to brown and add spinach. Cook spinach until heated through. Place aside in a mixing bowl and allow to cool.
3. Once spinach has cooled, add mozzarella cheese and mix well.
4. Prepare chicken: cut a small incision into each chicken breast to form a pocket for stuffing. Use a wooden spoon to enlarge the pocket. Stuff about 1/4 cup on spinach mixture into each pocket. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the chicken on all sides over medium-high heat, placing them seam side down in the pan first. Remove to a baking sheet lined with foil, and bake until chicken temperature registers at 160 degrees.

Add the 3 tablespoons of butter and shallots to the pan juices. Heat the pan and cook the butter and shallots just until the butter begins to froth and brown. As soon as you see color in the butter remove from heat. Add lemon juice and sage, taste for seasoning and serve over chicken!

I'll post the salad recipe and desert recipe tomorrow! Enjoy!

Cafe Bizou Review

Last week was L.A. Restaurant Week and there was a whole list of places to visit, so we chose Cafe Bizou but unfortunately we didn't realize that it only applied from Monday to Fridays :( so when we got there we just got something else. I ordered the sesame coated salmon with a potato pancake in a wine sauce and my friend J got a kobe beef burger with bleu cheese and the works. Let me just say: bleu cheese and kobe beef = heaven! Kobe beef is a special type of beef because the cows have been hand massaged so that the beef is extra extra tender. I ordered the soup of the day, which was delicious and the salmon was cooked perfectly moist. Overall the experience was extremely wonderful and I would love to go back to try their other yummy dishes!

Cafe Bizou
91 North Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91103-3919
(626) 792-9923

Bulgogi, Tofu and Kimchi OH MY!

I've always been very willing to try new food and I look forward to experiencing new types of cuisine. So when my friend S told me that she had never had kimchi before I was dumbfounded. Maybe it's because I'm Asian so the idea that she's never had it before seems so impossible but she's Caucasian and used to food like Beef Stroganoff. And S was surprised when I told her that I had never made chili from scratch (which I plan to do in the near future). This whole college experience has opened my eyes a lot. Last week I invited her and our friend A for an Asian-inspired meal. I had some pre-marinated spicy pork Bulgogi that I bought from a local Korean supermarket named H-mart, marinated tofu with green onions, kimchi and rice. I was a bit frightened that S would not like kimchi (the smell isn't exactly the most appealing) but she actually enjoyed it! Here's the recipe for the tofu: instead of putting it on skewers and grilling it I simply pan fried it with a little bit of oil.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Vegetable oil
3 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 tbsp Soy sauce
1 Scallion, thinly sliced
3 Garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp Ground ginger
16oz Firm Tofu, drained, pressed
And cut into 1" cubes
12 Fresh mushrooms
10 Cherry tomatoes
1 Red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 Red onion, cut into chunks and
Seperated

Preparation

Combine oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, scallion, garlic and ground ginger in bowl. Toss 1/3 of the marinade with the tofu to coat and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours.
In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, tomatoes, red pepper and onion. Pour remaining marinade over vegetables and toss.
Thread the tofu and vegetables, alternately on skewers.
Cook on the grill 10-15 minutes, brush with marinade and turn several times.

S has also informed me that she has never had dim sum. I'm speechless.

(I'm with) Coco Shrimp.

Whenever I go out to eat I always ask myself two questions when deciding what to order: What am I craving and am I capable of making of this dish? If I believe that I can make a dish at home then its not worth ordering for me.One dish that is fun to make but a little more on the slightly difficult side is Coconut shrimp. It's not exactly the healthiest but it sure is DELICIOUS! My friend J.L. made this dish so props!

Beer coconut shrimp

Ingredients

• 24 large shelled shrimp with tails
• 2 cups of coconut flakes
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 of a cup of beer
• ¾ of a cup of flour
• 1½ tsp of baking powder
• vegetable oil

Method

1. Whisk the egg, beer, baking powder and ½ a cup of flour in a large mixing bowl until a smooth batter is formed.
2. Place the remainder of the flour in a bowl and all of the coconut in a separate bowl.
3. Grasp the shrimp by the tail and dip into the flour and then the batter. Allow any excess batter to drip off.
4. Then, roll the shrimp in the coconut, making sure that the shrimp is evenly coated.
5. Set the coated shrimp on a plate or dish and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.
6. Pour 3 cups of vegetable oil in a deep fat fryer and heat to a temperature of 375°F (190°C).
7. Remove the shrimp from the refrigerator and fry in the hot oil in small batches for several minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
9. Serve hot with a sauce or dip. 

We served it with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, but most importantly orange marmalade. Its the perfect combination!


P.S. Team Coco- today's post is dedicated to the genius that is Conan O'Brien.

Home Fried Chicken (HFC).

HFC (as taken from the Internet)

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds chicken pieces
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 3 cups vegetable oil
• salt

Preparation:

Rinse chicken; pat dry and then set aside. Combine milk and eggs in a bowl; whisk to blend well.
In a large heavy-duty resealable plastic food storage bag, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.
Dip a chicken piece in the milk mixture; let excess drip off into bowl. Put a few chicken pieces in the food storage bag and shake lightly to coat thoroughly. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
Heat oil to 350°. Fry chicken, a few pieces at a time, for about 10 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Chicken breasts will take a little less time than other pieces. Pierce with a fork to see if juices run clear to check for doneness. With a slotted spoon, move to paper towels to drain; sprinkle with salt.

Perfect Pesto Pasta

Do you like that alliteration? Perfect Pesto Pasta! So my friend J from high school came over last night for a hot home-cooked meal and some catching up on old times. She told me about how all she ever eats is sandwiches and cereal- the atrocity! So last night I boiled some shaped pasta (I find it holds more pesto) and cooked up some diced onion, garlic, pesto, hot link sausage and sun dried tomatoes. Its super simple and scrumptious (more alliterations!) so that makes it the perfect college student meal. Of course, I have the tendency to overcook (I am terrible at gauging quantity) so I gave J a box to eat the next day, hooray for warm food!

P.S. I bought the jar of pesto from Costco which means it will last me for quite awhile but I want to start experimenting with it!

Pizza My Heart!

Lately I've been on a somewhat pizza binge but the odd thing is that its purely on accident! (not that I'm complaining). I do believe that making your own pizza is making a comeback and now most grocery stores carry ready to bake pizza dough. The pizza dough I used was from Trader Joe's and there were three types: wheat, original, & garlic and herb. I went with the garlic and herb because well, I love garlic and herb. I used regular jarred pasta sauce and put onions, cheese, and pepperoni on my pizza. There was so much pizza that it was both my lunch AND dinner yesterday. This is so much better than frozen pizza and surprisingly very cheap so give it a try!

P.S. I STACKED that pepperoni so much that you can't see there's a lot of cheese UNDER them with a little cheese sprinkled on top. So good!