Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Chicken)

Here is another Korean dish that I truly love, Bibimbap. Basically, it is a large bowl of rice topped with an array of individually prepared vegetables and chicken (or beef) and served with seasoned red pepper paste (gochujang). If you can serve this in a sizzling hot stone bowl, that would be highly recommended. But since I don’t have stone bowls at home, I opted for claypots instead. It works equally fine

This recipe looks long indeed as there are plenty of side dishes to be included. But if you want the easy way out, you can just make 3 – 4 toppings as desired.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 250 grams chicken (or beef)
• 4oo grams mung bean sprouts
• 2 zucchinis
• 2 carrots
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 packet shiitake mushrooms
• 4 eggs
• 7 garlic cloves
• 2 or 3 scallions, chopped
• light soya sauce
• sesame oil
• roasted sesame seeds
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil

Red pepper paste (gochujang) sauce

• 4 tablespoons of Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons of water

Directions

Cook the rice in a rice cooker, using a little less water than called for. The rice for bibimbap should be a little drier than usual. Prepare all other ingredients.

Assemble: Place a serving of rice in a big bowl. (If using a stone bowl, heat it on medium heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and rice and cook the rice for several minutes until the rice sizzles.) Nicely arrange a small amount of each prepared vegetable and chicken (or beef) over the rice. Drizzle a little sesame oil over. Top with an egg fried sunny-side up and serve with the red pepper paste sauce.

Chicken / Beef / Shiitake mushrooms: Cut into thin 2-inch long strips. Mix in 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion, 2 cloves garlic minced and a pinch of pepper. Marinate for 20 minutes. Sauté in a skillet for 2 – 3 minutes over high heat.

Mung bean sprouts: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt. Add the bean sprouts and boil for 3 minutes. Drain quickly and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain again. Toss with 1 clove garlic minced, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds and salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach: Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water only until wilted, 30 – 40 seconds. Drain quickly and shock in cold water. Squeeze out water. Cut into 3-inch lengths. Toss with 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds and salt and pepper to taste.

Zucchinis: Cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise and then thinly slice crosswise. Generously sprinkle salt over sliced zucchinis and set aside for 10 – 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from salted zucchini by hand. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped scallion and 1 clove garlic minced. Sauté in a lightly oiled skillet for 1 – 2 minutes over medium high heat.

Carrots: Julienne the carrots into match sticks. Sauté in a lightly oiled skillet for 1 – 2 minutes over medium high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly.

Tteokbokki (Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes)

I love this Korean street food the most! And I had the pleasure of having it on my recent Korea trip

I prefer the spicy kind and you will find this almost everywhere on the streets of Korea. You can also include other ingredients such as ramen, boiled eggs and even seafood. These spicy, slightly sweet and chewy rice cakes are simply addictive! I have since made this twice, prior to my very first authentic Tteokbokki. And I can foresee this becoming a hot favourite with the family members.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for you folks. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 kilogram tteokbokki tteok (about 3-inch long rice cake pieces)
• 1 packet of fish cake
• 100 grams cabbage
• 1 – 2 scallions
• 3 cups anchovy broth
• 3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)
• 1 – 3 teaspoons Korean red chili pepper flakes (gochugaru)
• 1 tablespoon light soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Directions

Cut the fish cake, cabbage and scallions into about 2-inch long pieces.

Add the anchovy broth to a large pan. Stir in the sauce ingredients except the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the red chili pepper paste (gochujang). 

Add the rice cakes. Boil until the rice cakes become very soft and the sauce is thickened, about 8 – 10 minutes. Stir frequently so the rice cakes don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the vegetables and fish cakes. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for an additional 4 – 6 minutes. Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add the sesame oil and sesame seeds right before turning the heat off. Serve immediately. 

Tteokbokki doesn’t reheat well in the microwave. Reheat any leftovers, along with a little bit of broth or water, in a small pan over low heat.

Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)

I have been curious about Korean cuisine lately, all thanks to the eating scenes of the Korean dramas that I have been watching. And there is always the delivery scene whereby Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce) is being served. Basically, it is a sweet and savory noodle dish and a very popular Korean-Chinese noodle dish. I just had to google for the recipe, buy the necessary ingredients and start cracking.

I had to substitute the noodles with instant ones as I couldn’t find fresh jajangmyeon noodles. The other alternative is to use fresh udon noodles but my sister detests that alot. So, instant noodles it shall be then

Ingredients

• 2 – 3 packets of instant noodles
• 5 tablespoons Korean black bean paste (chunjang or jjajang)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 150 grams chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion
• 100 grams cabbage
• 1/2 zucchini (can substitute with carrot)
• cucumber matchsticks for garnish (optional)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon corn flour* dissolved in 1/4 cup of water (*use up to 2 tablespoons for a thicker sauce)

Directions

Prepare the chicken and vegetables by cutting them into cubes. Marinate the chicken with ginger, salt and pepper while preparing the vegetables.

Add the black bean paste to a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, sugar and oyster sauce. Fry it over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Heat a large pan with the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stir fry until almost cooked. Add the vegetables and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in the black bean paste and mix everything together until all the meat and vegetables are coated well with the paste.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the dissolved corn flour and cook briefly until the sauce is thickened. Add more sugar to taste if necessary.

Add the instant noodles in a pot of boiling water. Cook according to the package instructions and drain. Do not overcook. The noodles should have a firm bite to them. Place a serving size of noodles in each bowl. Spoon the sauce over the noodles and garnish with the optional cucumber matchsticks.

Kacang Pool

I used to mistake Sabsuka for Kacang Pool… hahaha That just shows how much I know my own traditional Malay dishes! Very bad, righttt?

Anyway, I didn’t want to give up on finding a reliable recipe. Lo and behold, I managed to get my hands on a relatively easy recipe and I got my parents to be the food tasters before I served it for lunch. Hehe

As requested by a fellow Twitter mummy-to-be, I hope you’ll like my rendition as much as I had fun cooking it.

Ingredients

• 1 can kidney beans (don’t discard the liquid)
• 150 gm minced beef
• 1 big onion*
• 3 garlic cloves*
• 1/2 inch ginger*
• 1 tablespoon chilli paste
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/4 cup tamarind juice
• Salt, to taste
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 green chillies, diced
• 2 – 3 limes, sliced into half
• Eggs

*Blend these three ingredients with one cup of water

Directions

Blend the kidney beans with the liquid and a cup of water. Set that aside.

Heat up some oil and stir fry the blended ingredients until fragrant. Add the chili paste and stir fry it until fragrant. Add in the curry powder and stir for a minute. Add the minced beef and stir until it is cooked. Add the tamarind juice, blended kidney beans and salt to taste.

Mix everything well and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve with toasted French loaf slices and top it off with a fried egg, onion, tomato, green chillies and half a lime.

The Ultimate Ham and Cheese Sandwich

This is by far, one of my fave breakfast items, that you can just whip up before going to work. And if you happen to have a Happycall DoublePan, all the more you should prepare this breakfast as it will take a lesser time to get The Ultimate Ham and Cheese Sandwiches ready

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter + 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• A dash of nutmeg
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 slices white bread
• 12 to 16 slices turkey/chicken ham
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs

Directions

Place a medium-size pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk the milk and Dijon mustard into the butter-flour mixture. Season it with nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper. Cook until it thickens up.

Place four slices of bread on the counter. Spread some of the sauce onto each slice of bread, then lay down some turkey/chicken ham, a slice of cheese, another smear of sauce and top each sandwich with the remaining bread slices.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Dip the sandwiches in the egg and transfer them to the hot pan. Cook until golden brown, 3 – 4 minutes per side.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I’ve managed to make two batches of kimchi from scratch and honestly speaking, I’m still trying to perfect the recipe. My mom has modified the ones that I have made and it tasted really good. Once I have created the perfect one, I will definitely share it with you guys

So far, we have used our home-made kimchi for two dishes, Kimchi Fried Rice and Kimchi Noodles. I have to admit that they really tasted as authentic as it can be.

Here’s a quick recipe for those who are keen to find out how Kimchi Fried Rice tastes like

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 3 garlic cloves*
• 1 onion*
• 2 red chillies*, seeds removed
• 2 – 3 tablespoons Korean red chili pepper paste (gochujang)
• 1/2 cup kimchi, cut into small pieces + 1 tablespoon kimchi juice
• 1/4 cup tiny anchovies
• 100 gm thinly sliced beef
• 1 fried fishcake, sliced thinly
• 5 crab sticks, sliced into three
• 3 cups overnight steamed white rice
• 1/2 tablespoon light soya sauce or to taste

*Use a food processor to chop these three ingredients together

Directions

Heat up a wok with a little bit of oil and fry the tiny anchovies. Dish out and set aside.

Add the remaining oil into the wok. Sauté the garlic and onion until aromatic. Add the gochujang and kimchi (along with the kimchi juice) and do a few quick stirs before adding the beef slices, fishcake and crab sticks. Stir to combine well. Add the rice, light soya sauce and fried anchovies. Stir a few times to blend with the rice.

Dish out and serve immediately with an egg sunny side up on top of the rice.

Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche

A few weeks ago, I chanced upon a fellow Twitter friend’s picture of the Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche that she had baked for her family. And boy, did it look scrumptious to me!

And of course, I had to request the recipe from her

I thought it was going to be difficult because I’m not exactly the most patient person on Earth when it comes to kneading the dough. Alhamdullillah! I persevered and the outcome was definitely satisfying.

Here’s the recipe for you folks who love your broccoli!

Ingredients (Dough)

• 280 gm plain flour, sifted
• 140 gm unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoon water combined with a little salt
• 10-inch pie dish; wax / parchment paper / aluminium foil, beans

Directions

Rub flour with butter to resemble breadcrumbs. Add salt water and knead to form dough. Put in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. After 2 hours, roll dough to fit into your pie dish. Lightly press the dough to smoothen and prick the dough base with a fork. Place parchment paper on top of the dough and fill with beans to blind bake for 15 – 20 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

Ingredients (Filling)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 6 – 8 pieces fresh shitake mushroom, thinly sliced
• 1 cup broccoli (florets only)
• 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
• A dash of ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup low fat milk
• 2 eggs
• 150 gm grated cheddar cheese
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil and saute the onion, mushroom, broccoli and mixed herbs till brown. Season it with salt and ground black pepper.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with milk, whip cream, nutmeg, coriander leaves and a pinch of salt. Add the grated cheddar cheese into the bowl, mix it and set it aside.

Place the sauteed ingredients unto the baked dough and pour the mixture all over the sauteed ingredients. Sprinkle additional grated cheddar cheese on top and bake for 20 – 25 miutes at 180 degrees Celsius till it turns golden and crisp.