i realized i haven't been making much korean food these days (not that i've been making much else actually). yeongeun jorim is korean lotus root side dish braised in a sweet salty soy glaze and is also one of my favorite side dishes. i actually have been wanting to make this many years back but the thought of having to scrub mud off those hard roots then slice them myself is really not very fun. happened to chance upon those vacuum-packed ones at the mart last week so i grabbed two packs and couldn't wait to try these out, never mind i didn't really have a recipe on hand (maangchi didn't post this, i think!) so i went looking through korean websites. luckily my korean is way better than japanese i managed to find one in no time.

i know, you must be wondering whats up with the korean title. i recently watched this korean drama 'lie to me' and this korean cafe called a twosome place sponsored their cafe scenes and had the lead actress eating an ispahan-looking macaron in one of the scenes (episode 3, to be exact) and it made its appearance a few more times after that. being a self-confessed korean drama addict, i've not seen any mentions of macarons in the dramas so i was mildly surprised. yoon eun hye made it look so yummy i wanted to recreate it myself. basically, from the pic on the cafe's website, it looked like berries and whipped cream sandwiched between a pink and brown shell. to be frank, after all these years of macaron making, i've not tried sandwiching them with two different colored shells (i did KIV pierre herme's montebello macaron on my to-do list but i never got around making it), neither have i used whipped cream so i was really looking forward to it.

kimchi jjigae (chigae) or kimchi stew is a common dish found in korean households and restaurants/eateries. at home, we hv korean food pretty often coz this is one cuisine i feel like i do pretty well in. i don't really like cooking chinese nor am i good in western, japanese or italian but when it comes to korean cooking, i'm so familiar with it that it almost feels like i've done it for the past 10 years (when in fact i only dabbled with it since last year or so). of coz, i get a kick out of the spiciness too.

while making a fresh batch of kimchi yesterday, i decided to make some kkaktugi as well using the same chilli paste. this is really easy to make and very yum! all you hv to do is just cut the radish into cubes, sprinkle with some salt, leave it on for 30 mins and give it a good rinse afterwards then proceed as usual like how you would make kimchi. the recipe for the chilli paste is from maangchi. enjoy!

ddeokbokki is a popular snack food that is commonly sold by street vendors in korea. i've tried them a couple of times in korea but didn't really like it coz i find it kinda bland and not sweet enough for my liking. i like mine really sweet and generously doused with lotsa sesame oil and sesame seeds, something which i find lacking from the ones in korea so i love making this at home coz its so easy and i can tweak it according to my own preference. the authentic recipe uses cabbage and spring onion/scallions but i didn't hv both so i omitted.

kongnamul muchim, or korean seasoned soybean sprouts is another banchan that i'd often go for second or third helpings at a korean restaurant. i think this one is an acquired taste since it can taste rather raw and grassy to some people but i love it coz its like eating veggies and beans together. i like using soybean sprouts rather than the smaller mung bean sprouts for the crunch and texture but they're actually interchangeable for this dish. if you use mung bean sprouts, the name for it would be sukju namul (숙주 나물) instead.

having made quite a few korean dishes now, there's no way to leave out the banchans. out of the so many varieties, one of my favorite would have to be this - myeolchi (myulchi) bokkeum or spicy anchovies. doused with a sweet, spicy and sticky sauce, i would be happy to have it with rice alone without any other dishes to go along. its that addictive! its also very easy to make, usually under 10 mins and i've made this quite a couple of times now. there's the non-spicy version as well but gimme the spicy one anytime!

dolsot bibimbap, or korean hotstone mixed rice is one of my favorite korean dishes and i like it for both its color & taste. despite not being the easiest thing to make (lots of chopping, boiling & frying), i think its worth the effort consider how good it is. theres virtually no difference between homemade and those from the eateries/restaurants so this is something i will never order when i'm out in korean restaurants. ingredients i used are carrot, japanese cucumber, large bean sprouts, chinese spinach, dried shiitake mushrooms, ground beef & korean hot pepper paste (gochujang). served on a bed of japanese rice of course!

pajeon, or korean scallion pancake is sooo difficult to get it right i'm not sure why. so far i've not eaten a good one even at korean restaurants or eateries coz they're either too floury or oily so i thought i'd wanna try my hands on these. i first set my eyes on the one by david lebovitz after looking through several recipes. made it and didn't like it. the batter was too thick it had no chance to spread hence i ended up with a really thick pancake which was slightly uncooked in the middle.

잡채 Japchae
korean stir-fried glass noodles. previously when i had it 3 times, once at a korean friend's place and twice in restaurants, i didn't like it. but my homecooked version didn't taste half as bad! maybe i was generous with the ingredients, and the sesame oil. definitely making this again, if only the 당면 (dang myeon) isn't so expensive :( i got the 500g packet for 8 bucks! in korea this is served more as a side dish but its also sufficient enough to eat it on its on as a meal. i'm also in a mood for korean food so i forsee i'll be dishing out 닭갈비 (dakgalbi), 자장면 (jajang myeon), 삼계탕 (samgyetang) & 된장 찌개 (doenjang jjigae) in no time! that should be enough to feed my hungry-for-anything-korean soul for awhile :D

am back from my korea trip not too long ago. it was really really fantastic, almost close to perfect. in fact i wished i never came home! overall it was alot better than i expected. i'll blog more abt the trip in my next entry but meanwhile, here's some of the food pics. i don't think the food was actually very good, we had pork for almost every meal coz apparently pork is very cheap in korea so it was pretty sickening. only 2 meals consisted of chicken and there was no beef at all. plus the side dishes, its always kimchi, beansprouts, seaweed (and laver/kelp soup), fishcake-like dish etc. pretty boring and predictable i would say. some people who couldnt take in another meal of pork & kimchi actually bought cheesecakes and bread from the bakeries LOL. it was ok i would say, the food is still edible but nothing to shout about. here are some pics of the food :


breakfast in jeju island - abalone porridge, with hardly any abalone in it