While Orchid has been giving you health and beauty tips in May, I figured we could round off her posts with a healthy dish! Today’s recipe is a very nourishing stew made with Doenjang. Doenjang is fermented soybean and is very similar the Japanese miso. It is said that doenjang is so good for you that having it regularly can help prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, strengthen the liver, aid digestion, keep our skin healthy, and best of all, slow down the aging process. In some sites I’ve browsed, they’ve said that doenjang is also a detoxifying agent (and it’s effective against some snake venom and bee stings!), prevents heart disease and keeps the brain healthy. Wow, this truly is some kind of super food! Well, I don’t know about the snake venom, but I can tell you this – I have been eating doenjang quite often because it is so simple and quick to make and my skin has become more vibrant over time. I rarely use products on my skin so I’m pretty sure this stuff works. Doenjang comes in several varieties ranging from light tan to dark chocolate brown pastes. I usually get the ones that range

(More)…

Ah, it has been too long since I did a cooking post. Well, I just haven’t been cooking much lately with the holiday season in the air. But now that’s over, it’s back to the stove. Gochujang – the sweet and spicy bean paste that flavour many of our favourite Korean dishes. Unless we’re Korean, not many of us will use it everyday. I find myself reluctantly having to throw out that tub of moldy bean paste I had cast to the recesses of my refrigerator because I just did not know what else to do with it. And then, I stopped buying it altogether. But cheeky little Gochujang always winks at me when I pass the sauce section at the supermarket, and I’m compelled to take it home with me once again. Darn you, Gochujang! So what can I do with Gochujang? Here are a few things I’ve tried. StorageFirstly, let’s store this sweet and spicy goodness so that it doesn’t turn moldy and alive in the back of your fridge. Fill ice cube trays with gochujang and freeze it until your next use. Just pop a cube of gochujang the next time you have a taste for something

(More)…

After weeks of searching, I finally found rice cakes at the supermarket in the fresh noodle section. D’oh. I wonder why it didn’t occur to me to look there before. For my friends back home, check out the Korean mart for rice cakes. Korean rice cake and the Chinese nian gao (New Year cake) are actually the same thing. However, in Malaysia nian gao is quite different. Malaysian nian gao is brown in colour, extremely sweet and sticky and often served dusted with grated coconut during Chinese New Year. Okay! So, I’ve got my rice cakes. Let’s make Ddeokbokki! There are many ways to prepare this humble lump of rice flour – you can stir-fry it, put it in soup or even make Ddeokbokki skewers and grill it on the barbeque! Today, I made Spicy Ddeokbokki. My recipe’s all vegetarian, but you can use dried anchovies instead of kelp for a sweeter stock. Step 1: Ingredients! Uh oh. Looks like the resident beggar showed up. About 15-20 rice cake sticks 1 1/2 tbsp of gochujang 6 dried kelp knots soaked in water or a small handful of cleaned dried anchovies (ikan bilis) 3 stalks of green onion cut into 5cm

(More)…

I’m always so delighted when I’m greeted with dozens of mini plates filled with delicious morsels of food at a Korean restaurant! It seems as if I’m getting all this food for free in addition to my order. Banchan is a must at every Korean meal and it consists of: Kimchi: spicy pickled vegetables such as the infamous white cabbage kimchi. Namul: marinated steamed or stir-fried vegetables like stir-fried beansprouts. Jorim: a simmered dish in a light broth such as simmered tofu in a light soy sauce. Jjim: a steamed dish such as steamed egg. Jeon: a panfried dish such as pajeon. Banchan. Working as a dishwasher in a Korean restaurant must be tough. With the many varieties of kimchi, namul, jorim, jjim and jeon, that’s well over dozens of banchan dishes to learn how to make! Today I decided to try a kimchi banchan called Mu Saengchae which is a simple daikon radish kimchi. Very easy, and very delicious! Step 1: Ingredients! Yes, sometimes I play with my food.The kitchen can be… a lonely place. 1/2 a daikon radish (or white carrot), julienned 1/2 a carrot, julienned (optional, just for colour) 2 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp salt 1

(More)…

Omelette rice, a Korean dish of fried rice packaged in an omelette. Wait a sec, it’s Nasi Pattaya! Omurice from KBS Global online That’s what I thought too when I stumbled upon this recipe on KBS Global. A few more minutes of surfing revealed that this fun food is enjoyed in Korea, Japan and, strangely, Malaysia. Nasi Pattaya (which literally means Pattaya Rice in Malay) is a Malay style fried rice wrapped in a thin egg layer served with sweet chilli sauce on the side and named after the seaside city of Pattaya in Thailand. However, Nasi Pattaya is not served in Pattaya. I’m guessing it’s a marketing gimmick. In Malaysia, you can find the dish at our beloved Mamak stalls – the 24 hour Indian eateries that pepper every neighbourhood and every town across the country. Craving Nasi Pattaya at 4am? Why, just walk across the street! And while you’re at it, why not try Maggi Goreng Pattaya (fried instant noodles), or Meehoon Goreng Pattaya (fried vermicelli)? Known as Omurice or Omu-raisu in Japan, the dish is said to have originated from Tokyo during the turn of the 19th century. Omurice quickly became a favourite, and its popularity so

(More)…

Bibimbap has got to be one of my favourite Korean dishes. 비빔밥 (Bibimbap) literally means “mixed rice” or “mixed meal”.It is simply a bowl of rice that is mixed with various kinds of vegetables, mushrooms, a fried egg, ground meat and red pepper paste (gochujang). There are many variations of the dish and a unique taste can be created depending on the ingredients added. But I have noticed that the signature ingredient would be the gochujang. A variation of the dish, “dolsot bibimbap” (돌솥 비빔밥) is served in a sizzling hot stone bowl in which a raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl. Before the rice is placed in the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is coated with sesame oil, making the layer of the rice touching the bowl golden brown and crispy. Ah, i remember eating the “dolsot bibimbap” at Saveurs de Corée in Beijing. It was delicious. There are many stories of the origins of bibimbap, but one that i remember the most clearly is this… Housewives who did not want to waste left-over dishes created this dish by combining everything into one bowl and serving it. Do you know of any other stories?Staying

(More)…

Chamchi Kimbap (Tuna R0lls) This is my first time making Kimbap or any kind of sushi roll for that matter. It turned out okay – at least some sort of roll resembling a Kimbap produced itself as the end result (phew!) I wasn’t very satisfied with the rice though, it was too mushy. All i did was follow the instructions on the packet of rice. Well, will use less water next time. Okay, here’s how i made it. The ingredients below makes four rolls. Ingredients: Seaweed sheets (they also call it Nori lavers) 1 1/2 cups steamed short grained rice Tuna flakes in water (1 small can) 1 Carrot Alfalfa sprouts (you can use any other vege) 2 eggs Mayonnaise Mustard or wasabi (optional, for that extra kick) Left: A packet of short grained riceRight: A pack of 10 seaweed sheets Seasoning :Mix everything in a bowl 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar) 1 tablespoon honey (or sugar) 4 pinches of salt (or to taste) Preparation : Make egg rolls by beating one egg, and frying it in a pan with a little oil. Roll the egg when it’s about 70% cooked. Repeat

(More)…