Easy Peasy Kongnamulguk (Improvisation)

I haven't been cooking for a while and I felt so rusty that I thought that I should prepare something very easy to begin. Mild to the taste, spicy to the smell, kongnamulguk an easy dish to prepare and to get initiated to Korean cuisine if you haven't yet discovered it!

The classic Kongnamulguk is usually made with soybean sprouts, but this time, as we only have regular bean sprouts, I gave it a try and I must say that it tastes pretty similar, except that the sprouts are softer and the stock is slightly sweeter. Also, I have replaced dried sardines with fish sauce, since I didn't have them anymore and also, I remembered that for Kimchi recipes, most modern Korean recipes replace sardines with fish sauce.

Alright, less talk.


Kongnamulguk (4 servings)

Timeline:
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
at least 100 g of beansprouts
5 cups of water
1 piece of kelp (about 5 g)
1 tbps soysauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp gochugaru
Salt to taste
a drop of sesame oil
Green onion to taste

1. Rince the beansprouts and the kelp, put them in a stockpot with 5 cups of water and bring it to boil.
2. When everything is boiling, remove the kelp from the water. Lower the heat to low, add in soy sauce, fish sauce, gochugaru, sesame oil and salt. Let it simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat. Serve it with chopped green onion. If you have sesame seeds, you may crush them between you palm before topping them. Crushing the sesame seeds helps release a nuttier taste which would be a great combination with the soup. (Note: there are no sesame seeds in the picture)

Good luck and enjoy! 

Summer Salad: Home-made Wafu dressing (improvisation)

It's been a hot summer and the hot weather won't leave for the next few weeks! Food is hardly delicious under such condition, which is why one should turn to something nutty and easy to make. No cooking required -- unless you consider boiling water "cooking".

Alright, less talk. 

Timeline:
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ready time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp Konbu water
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp cup soysauce
1 tbsp freshly grinded onion
1 tbsp sugar

1. Wash the piece of Konbu and soak it in hot water for about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grind about 1 tbsp of onion, be sure to keep the juice -- it will help create a sweet after taste.
3. Grind the sesame seeds. You can do it with a coffee grinder, which will take you less than 10 seconds, or you can do it manually in a mortar with a pestle, which will result a more interesting taste.
4. After 20 minutes, when the Konbu water is ready, remove the kelp and add in rice vinegar, soysauce, onion and sugar. Mix well and finally add in the grinded sesame.
5. It can be served right away, however, in order to get a more sophisticated onion sweet taste, it is suggested to let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Serve it with a cabbage salad or boiled spinach.

Good luck and enjoy! 

Leftover onigiri: What to do with leftovers? (Improvisation)

Growing up in a very economical family, I have more than often brought leftovers for lunch. However, over the years, I grew tired of eating rice and leftovers the same way: in a container with leftovers in the bottom and rice on the top (if you hate having your rice soggy, that's the best way to place your leftover lunch). And being a fan of convenience, I found a new way of eating leftovers the next day without intensively microwaving and without using utensils. Plus, it is a much cuter way to eat your lunch!

Alright, less talk.


Timeline:
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes (if rice is ready!)
Ready time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice (preferably calrose or sticky rice)

Leftover

(optional)

Nori sheets

Soy sauce

Sesame seeds

1. Prepare the rice, it is preferable to use calrose rice or sushi rice due to its sticky texture. However, if you have glutinous rice, it works out as well. As for jasmine rice, it could work, but it would not give a very satisfying result at the end.

2. Prepare the filling. Depending on the type of leftover you have, make sure that it turns into tiny chunks. I had salmon leftover, so I used a spoon to tear the salmon into tiny pieces. If you have something that contains a lot of liquid, squeeze out the juice to use it later. 

3. If you have some juice from your left over, pour a small amount (1 tsp for 1/2 cup cooked rice) in the hot rice and mix well. Make sure that the rice is hot so that it could absorb the sauce in. Otherwise, if you do not have sauce from the leftover, you can add soy sauce. I like the taste of seaweed and sesame, so I added some nori chunks with sesame seeds. With the rice paddle, mix well.

4. Now mould the onigiri by placing some rice in your hand. Place approximately one tbps of leftover in the middle and bring all the rice around the filling. There are two ways to wrap your onigiri. The traditional way is to wet your hands with salted water and mould the rice balls. The other way, without wetting your hands, you can use a plastic wrap to work it out. 

5. Shape well by pressing the rice, not too much to keep the leftover in the middle and uncrushed. To make it in triangular prism, place the rice ball in between adjacent hand position. 

6. After shaping the onigiri, take a nori sheet to partially wrap. It is now ready to serve.

I usually wrap them in plastic wraps to bring to job or class. The convenience of onigiri is that you do not need to heat it before eating, as long as you leave it at room temperature for at least an hour. 

Good luck and enjoy! 

Lemon Curd Squares (Improvisation) – fillings only

These lemon curd squares are a result of looking in a cooking book, searching for something not too rich and easy to modify. These squares are a sign of appreciation for the person who borrowed me that book! (And don't expect this to happen again! Ahha! I'm kidding... Well, half.) However, despite all efforts, only the filling was successful. The crust was good but not awesome, which is why it is left out from this recipe. To make it easier, you may use pre-made pie crust.

After preparing the squares, the song “Lemon Tree” by Fool’s Garden came to my mind. It translates the sourness of loneliness, the desire to escape a bland life. The “Lemon Tree” is the picture of nothingness. Yet, the fruit itself represents so much. Its peel makes zest, bringing tastes to life. It’s juice, so sour that it makes our smiles twist. Although one may be alone, I subjectively believe that the lemon makes you feel that you are not so alone, because of its flashy yellow colour, its strange oval shape, its fragrant smell and its torturing yet pleasant taste. Is it wrong to think of this fruit this way?

Alright, less talk! 

Ingredients:

160g sugar

3 tbsp flour

Pinch of salt

2 tsp lemon zest

1 cup lemon juice

5 tbsp heavy cream

5 eggs

Mix everything together, pour the filling on top of the cooked pie crust and bake it for 20 minutes at 325°F. The cooked filling should gently jiggle when pulling out from the oven.

Good luck and enjoy!

Gaji Namul: Eggplant Side Dish (Improvisation)

Cooking is an art. It is spontaneous and free to interpretations. It should be international and not always associated with one specific nation or culture.

Living in such a multicultural place, I should call this dish a soy sauce marinated eggplant. Whether it is Korean-authentic or not, I doubt that the authenticity would overweight the importance of the taste, which has been inspired by the Korean eggplant side dish Gaji Namul. So if you are looking for something easy to cook, throw yourself in.

Since this recipe is an improvisation, meaning that I made it without measuring the ingredients, I will only list the items needed, but not the quantity. Basically, everything is according to your own taste. In the picture above, I've used two eggplants. I personally suggest eating Gaji Namul with rice and beef, since the chemistry between beef and eggplants is simply amazing!


Ingredients:

Chinese eggplants
Chinese soy sauce
Rice vinegar
Sugar
Sesame oil
Korean pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
Garlic
Sesame seeds
Green onions

1. Slice the eggplants into quarters and steam them for 15 to 20 minutes or until it becomes soft. Let it cool and drain for a bit and when it is cool enough to handle, tear the quarters of eggplants into strips (about the size of a finger, or thinner if you like it finer). Let it aside to drain from the excess of water.

2. In a big bowl, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar and sugar altogether, everything is up to your own taste. Don't forget to add garlic to bring up the taste of the eggplants. When it reaches the taste you like, add the eggplants in the sauce. Mix well and then add in some sesame oil and a bit of Gochugaru.

3. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. If you put it in the fridge, let it rest for at least 1 hour. The longer it sits, the more the taste will penetrate in the eggplants.

4. Serve it with chopped green onions and sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the Gaji Namul. It is better served cold.

Good luck and enjoy!