My apologies to my readers. Lately, I haven't had time to cook for myself because of my busy schedule(finals and work). But, I haven't stopped eating my Korean meals.
Yesterday I ate leftover ddukkbokki from the Rabokki I made earlier in the week and today I ate ramyun. Easy meals for a busy schedule. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have time to make Japchae, sweet potato noodles stir frye.
Wait for it!
5.19.2011
5.17.2011
Day 9: Bibimbap
Let's talk, Bibimbap! Bibimbap is basically the korean 'chinese fried rice' but interactive because you get to stir it. It's white rice and on top you have a bunch of veggies and meat and finish it off with sesame oil and red pepper paste. They bring it in a hot bowl and on top it has a raw egg. Since the bowl is still sizzling hot, the egg cooks when mixing all the veggies and meats with the rice.
I first tried it when sister attempted to cook it last summer and it was good but now that we have all the ingredients, it taste better. When I ordered it last year in NYC's Ktown, I found it bland and to big for me to eat it by myself. I made a few adjustment so that it would please our 'boricua' palate.
Chulbal! RECIPE TIME!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of white short grain rice(cooked in a 2:1 ratio)
1 package of ground lean turkey meat
minced veggies for meat
1 tblsp of soy sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
half of zucchini choped
2 carrots chopped
1 cup of mushrooms
Red Pepper Paste
Fried or raw egg
Directions:
1. In medium heat, cook meat veggies with spray PAM. After 4 mins, add turkey meat. Add soy sauce and sesame oil.
2. In the meantime, cook veggies in medium heat(spray PAM) separately with a lid to steam veggies so they cook faster. Add salt for more flavor.
3. When all is cooked, serve cooked rice in a bowl. Add veggies, meat, red pepper paste, and sesame oil. (I fried my egg because if i did the raw egg in my bowl it wouldn't cook)
4. Mix. Stir. Do it! There you have it! Easy!
Jalmukemsimnida!
It's a good hearty dish that can be eaten with kimchi(as every other korean food)!
5.16.2011
Day 8: Eating out
Every time I eat out it gets extremely difficult to find a place that's different, cheap, asian, and good. The last two times I ate out was at Mhan Chung. It's not that I'm tired of going there but I need new places to eat.
So, today mom and I went to run errands and we finally found El Ñaqui. El Ñaqui is a truck that makes casual gourmet food on wheels. I had read about it on the paper and thought "Finally, a truck that serves good quality food at cheap prices". It's not your typical El Churry sandwich(not that I have anything against it). El Ñaqui offers a small menu but everything looks delicious and different.
So, today mom and I went to run errands and we finally found El Ñaqui. El Ñaqui is a truck that makes casual gourmet food on wheels. I had read about it on the paper and thought "Finally, a truck that serves good quality food at cheap prices". It's not your typical El Churry sandwich(not that I have anything against it). El Ñaqui offers a small menu but everything looks delicious and different.
The make ñaquis which is basically a sandwich in 'pan sobao'. I had 2 ñaquis and a coke for $7.75.
menu
Mine was a chicken ñaqui. It is korean style chicken with onions, cucumber relish, ñaqui sauce, and shoestring potatoes in pan sobao bun. TO DIE FOR! You can't get more BoricuKorean than that. I'm not a fan of cucumbers but here it worked. The freshness of the cucumber goes well with the korean flavor of the chicken. It feels light! I like things spicy so I added extra tabasco sauce. It was so big that I only ate one!
As soon as a finish my BoricuKorean Diet, I'm going back to eat their award winning ribs and guava chicken wings! It's a must!
chicken ñaqui
If you want to go to El Ñaqui, it is near Metro Office Park in Guaynabo, PR. They are located in a parking lot(yeay for parking)!
5.15.2011
Day 7: Keeping it Asian pt 2.
Today, we went lunching to our favorite place(again!), Mhan Chung! I really can't get enough of this restaurant! It's that good!
Anyways, we pretty much ordered the same dim sum from the other day.*read day 5 of BoricuKorean* Decided to try another dish so we ordered spicy fried pork loins. It was very flavorful. Even though it didn't have any sauce, the pork loin was salty and it had a hint of spicyness. It was served with jasmine rice.
The other dish that we ordered was one of our favorites, Beef Rendang! It's a steak with chili sauce and brocoli served with jasmine rice. I don't know how to even begin to describe the amount of flavor this steak has. Don't be fooled by the chili sauce. It's not that spicy. Steak is juicy and salty. It doesn't lack flavor at all! It is so good that we ordered 2 of these!
Anyways, we pretty much ordered the same dim sum from the other day.*read day 5 of BoricuKorean* Decided to try another dish so we ordered spicy fried pork loins. It was very flavorful. Even though it didn't have any sauce, the pork loin was salty and it had a hint of spicyness. It was served with jasmine rice.
The other dish that we ordered was one of our favorites, Beef Rendang! It's a steak with chili sauce and brocoli served with jasmine rice. I don't know how to even begin to describe the amount of flavor this steak has. Don't be fooled by the chili sauce. It's not that spicy. Steak is juicy and salty. It doesn't lack flavor at all! It is so good that we ordered 2 of these!
5.14.2011
Day 6: Ddukguk(rice cake soup)
Yesterday was a soup day. Weather was stormy and I needed something warm and healthy. I made Ddukguk which is rice cake soup in beef broth and eggs. This soup is mostly made for korean new year. It's not your hearty flavorful soup but it was good. I tend to go for spicy and lots of flavor so this was definitely a change. Ddukguk is supposed to be made with sliced rice cakes but since I don't have that, I used the ones from Ddukbokki.
Soup goes really well with kimchi(everything goes well with kimchi), green onion salad, and...wait for it... SWEET PLANTAINS!
Now, Chulbal! Recipe Time!
Ingredients:
6 cups of water
1 can of roast beef(rinse beef broth)
3 tsp fish sauce
3 cups rice cake
green onion
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites and 1 egg yolk
Directions:
1. In high heat, add water with rinsed beef and wait for it to boil.
2. In separate bowls, mix the 2 egg yolks and the 3 egg whites with one yolk. Beat them(like when doing scrambled eggs)!
3. In a separate pan, cook the egg yolk mixture. Turn the stove on high heat. With a towel paper, spread the canola oil. Turn off stove and add the egg yolk mixture. Move it 'til it forms a thin layer on eggs. (Cooks pretty fast). Cut into strips as a finishing touch for the soup.
4. When beef is boiled, add rice cakes, sesame oil, fish sauce, salt, and green onions. Cook for 3 mins and then add egg whites and yolk mixture. Turn off stove and serve hot. As a finishing touch, add the egg yolk strips for visual impact.
Jalmukesinminda!
Serve with kimchi, salad, sweet plantains or any other banchan you like!
5.13.2011
Day 5: Keeping it Asian
So, what happens when I don't have time to cook and decide to eat out? I go to an asian restaurant.
Today, my friend and I decided to have a lunch date and went to Mhan Chung. It is a Malaysian restaurant and my go-to place for dim sum and chinese food. They have a pretty good variety of dim sun. Usually, I go for the steamed pork buns or fried sticky bun but I decided to try a new one. I kept it traditional with my juicy steamed pork buns. TO DIE FOR! You have to take a small bite to let the steam out and let it cool cause if you eat it all at once your mouth will burn because of the explosion of the juice.
The new dumpling that we ordered was a shrimp and chives dumpling. My new favorite! It's crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. The shrimp and chive flavors are very pungent. I ate it with the duck sauce that they bring as dipping sauce for the fried wontons. It gives it a nice touch.
After we ate our dim sum, our main cause arrived! I warned my friend that it was going to be a BIG plate and I was right. We ordered Nee Goram(i think it was called that way) and it could feed easily 3 people. Nee Goram is indian noodles with squid sauce, bean sprouts, tofu, veggies, and lots of other yummy stuff.
You should try it! Mhan Chung is in front of La Concha's casino in Condado. It has free parking so that's a bonus! AND its opened 'til 2am!!!!
Day 4: Kimchi Bokkeumbap
Today I'm posting yesterday's recipe since blogger was down all day.
Let's talk Kimchi Bokkeumbap. Kimchi Bokkeumbap is fried rice with kimchi and veggies. I made it yesterday as quick lunch because I didn't have time for a more elaborate meal. This is an emergency fast meal with what you have in your fridge.
Chulbal! RECIPE TIME!
Ingredients:
2 cups of rice
1 1/2 cup of rice
1 tbsp red pepper paste
Directions:
1. In medium heat, cook kimchi for about 3 mins.
2. Add red pepper paste and mix well.
3. Later, add white rice and mix well.
Let's talk Kimchi Bokkeumbap. Kimchi Bokkeumbap is fried rice with kimchi and veggies. I made it yesterday as quick lunch because I didn't have time for a more elaborate meal. This is an emergency fast meal with what you have in your fridge.
Chulbal! RECIPE TIME!
Ingredients:
2 cups of rice
1 1/2 cup of rice
1 tbsp red pepper paste
Directions:
1. In medium heat, cook kimchi for about 3 mins.
2. Add red pepper paste and mix well.
3. Later, add white rice and mix well.
Ta-Da! It's done! Easy as 1-2-3! Jalmukesimnida!
5.11.2011
Snack Attack: Hoddeok(sweet pancakes with brown sugar filling)
Ever since I started the BoricuKorean Diet(3 days ago), I've been craving sweets. It has been difficult because Koreans usually eat very little sweets and what they have is very different as to what we eat here for dessert.
Therefore, I researched 'til I found this recipe for Hoddeok. Hoddeok is a sweet yeast pancake with brown sugar and walnuts. It's delicious! It satisfied all my sweets craving even more than I had imagined. Crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside with the melted-syrupy sugar. It's beyond amazing!
Chulbal! RECIPE TIME!
Ingredients:
Dough
1 pack of yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix water, yeast, sugar, salt, and canola oil. Stir until all is dissolved and mixed well.
2. Add flour to the yeast mix. Mix with a rice spoon until all the flour is well integrated with the wet ingredients.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour so it can grow.
5. After the hour, check the dough(If it hasn't risen, leave it a few mins extra). Knead the dough in the bowl to take out the excess air and bubbles. Let it rest with the lid for 10 mins.
6. After it has risen again, knead the dough in a table cutter covered with flour so it doesn't stick to your fingers.(use as much as you like but don't abuse of it). After kneading form a ball and cut them into 8 mini balls.
7. Flatten the dough in your hands and fill it. When finished filling, close it forming a dough ball(like steamed buns).
8. Heat in medium 1 tbsp of canola oil in a flat pan or griddle. When it is hot, place the hoddeok. Flatten them forming the shape of a pancake. Place a lid when cooking so the sugar will melt and create a syrup.
ASSAH! It's done! The final result is sweet but not overly sweet.
Hoddeok season is winter because it helps keep your body warm. It's a good hearty snack or breakfast. Try it! It's soo worth the long process!
Therefore, I researched 'til I found this recipe for Hoddeok. Hoddeok is a sweet yeast pancake with brown sugar and walnuts. It's delicious! It satisfied all my sweets craving even more than I had imagined. Crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside with the melted-syrupy sugar. It's beyond amazing!
Chulbal! RECIPE TIME!
Ingredients:
Dough
1 pack of yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix water, yeast, sugar, salt, and canola oil. Stir until all is dissolved and mixed well.
2. Add flour to the yeast mix. Mix with a rice spoon until all the flour is well integrated with the wet ingredients.
3. Cover the dough and let it rest for an hour so it can grow.
4. While the dough rises, start the filling by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.
5. After the hour, check the dough(If it hasn't risen, leave it a few mins extra). Knead the dough in the bowl to take out the excess air and bubbles. Let it rest with the lid for 10 mins.
6. After it has risen again, knead the dough in a table cutter covered with flour so it doesn't stick to your fingers.(use as much as you like but don't abuse of it). After kneading form a ball and cut them into 8 mini balls.
7. Flatten the dough in your hands and fill it. When finished filling, close it forming a dough ball(like steamed buns).
8. Heat in medium 1 tbsp of canola oil in a flat pan or griddle. When it is hot, place the hoddeok. Flatten them forming the shape of a pancake. Place a lid when cooking so the sugar will melt and create a syrup.
ASSAH! It's done! The final result is sweet but not overly sweet.
Hoddeok season is winter because it helps keep your body warm. It's a good hearty snack or breakfast. Try it! It's soo worth the long process!
Day 3: Korean BBQ with kimchi and green onion salad
Today was a looong day of full-on korean cooking! Special guest sous chef, Andrea Soto, helped with everything because today's meal was a pretty hectic process. We did Korean BBQ with chicken and a sauce I bought from La Hacienda: Meat Center called Korean BBQ Sauce(creative, huh?). *Later, I will do a homemade marinade for the meat* Korean BBQ is very fun to eat(and kind of messy). You wrap the meat with lettuce and add the sauce or whatever banchan(side dishes) you have. What better banchan than kimchi and green onion salad to go with our lettuce wraps?
Before today, I was definitely not a fan of kimchi. Kimchi is fermented spicy crunchy cabbage made out of veggies and different spices. This is the most common banchan since it's like bread is to us. It's supposed to cure whatever sickness you have and leave you with beautiful skin.
Traditionally, you have to dig a hole in the ground and store the kimchi 'til it's fermented but we boricuas don't have the patience to wait for food to be eaten so we skipped that whole process. After doing my version of emergency kimchi, I'm kinda loving it right now. It gives the perfect contrast between the meat and sesame green onion salad..
Lastly, we did one of my favorite side dishes, green onion salad. It has a very powerful sesame flavor. It's easy to do and you can basically eat it with anything else, not korean related.
Now, Chulbal(Let's start)! RECIPE TIME!
GREEN ONION SALAD
Ingredients:
8 green onions
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp sesame seed
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Chop green onions in 1" pieces and rinse. After rinsing, add water and salt. Set aside for 10 mins.
2. In the meantime, toast sesame seeds if not toasted.
3. After toasting, rinse water from onions. In a separate bowl, mix onions with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top for a finished look!
KIMCHI Time!
Ingredients:
1 napa cabbage
1/4 cup of kosher salt
1 cup of water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup of red pepper paste (substitution = red pepper flakes with paprika)
5 green green onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Directions:
1. Thinly chop cabbage. Add 1 cup of water and salt. Shake. Mix. Scramble. Do the Wobble Wobble. Every piece of cabbage must be covered with water and salt. Set aside for 10 mins.
2. While the cabbage soaks up all the water, mix in a separate bowl red pepper paste, fish sauce, sugar and sugar. After mixing, add carrots and onions to paste.
3. After 10 mins passed, clean the cabbage 3 times with water. Drain all excess water!
4. After cleaning the cabbage, mix both paste/veggies with cabbage. Mix with your hands(gloves on) for about 5 mins.
5. Assah! Emergency(not fermented) Kimchi is done!
KOREAN BBQ: Marinated Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs of chicken(any other meat is fine)
1/4 cup of korean bbq sauce
Directions:
1. Cut meat in about 1" pieces. In a large plastic bag, mix korean bbq sauce and chicken. Shake. Mix. Scramble. Do the Wobble Wobble. Leave marinating for 4 to 8 hrs. The longer the better.
2. After 4 hrs, grill meat in about 400 degrees.
3. After meat is cooked, it's LETTUCE WRAP TIME!
This meal is delicious, light, and healthy. You have the spicy from the kimchi, sweet and spicy from the chicken marinade, and sesame flavor with the onions. All wrapped in lettuce! I'd say it was a very successful korean cooking day!
Before today, I was definitely not a fan of kimchi. Kimchi is fermented spicy crunchy cabbage made out of veggies and different spices. This is the most common banchan since it's like bread is to us. It's supposed to cure whatever sickness you have and leave you with beautiful skin.
Traditionally, you have to dig a hole in the ground and store the kimchi 'til it's fermented but we boricuas don't have the patience to wait for food to be eaten so we skipped that whole process. After doing my version of emergency kimchi, I'm kinda loving it right now. It gives the perfect contrast between the meat and sesame green onion salad..
Lastly, we did one of my favorite side dishes, green onion salad. It has a very powerful sesame flavor. It's easy to do and you can basically eat it with anything else, not korean related.
Now, Chulbal(Let's start)! RECIPE TIME!
GREEN ONION SALAD
Ingredients:
8 green onions
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp sesame seed
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
Directions:
1. Chop green onions in 1" pieces and rinse. After rinsing, add water and salt. Set aside for 10 mins.
2. In the meantime, toast sesame seeds if not toasted.
NOT Toasted
TOASTED
3. After toasting, rinse water from onions. In a separate bowl, mix onions with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top for a finished look!
KIMCHI Time!
Ingredients:
1 napa cabbage
1/4 cup of kosher salt
1 cup of water
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup of red pepper paste (substitution = red pepper flakes with paprika)
5 green green onion
1/2 cup shredded carrots
Directions:
1. Thinly chop cabbage. Add 1 cup of water and salt. Shake. Mix. Scramble. Do the Wobble Wobble. Every piece of cabbage must be covered with water and salt. Set aside for 10 mins.
2. While the cabbage soaks up all the water, mix in a separate bowl red pepper paste, fish sauce, sugar and sugar. After mixing, add carrots and onions to paste.
3. After 10 mins passed, clean the cabbage 3 times with water. Drain all excess water!
4. After cleaning the cabbage, mix both paste/veggies with cabbage. Mix with your hands(gloves on) for about 5 mins.
5. Assah! Emergency(not fermented) Kimchi is done!
grill kimchi for a milder taste
Ingredients:
2 lbs of chicken(any other meat is fine)
1/4 cup of korean bbq sauce
Directions:
1. Cut meat in about 1" pieces. In a large plastic bag, mix korean bbq sauce and chicken. Shake. Mix. Scramble. Do the Wobble Wobble. Leave marinating for 4 to 8 hrs. The longer the better.
2. After 4 hrs, grill meat in about 400 degrees.
add veggies if you want
GO TIME! Jalmukesumnida!
This meal is delicious, light, and healthy. You have the spicy from the kimchi, sweet and spicy from the chicken marinade, and sesame flavor with the onions. All wrapped in lettuce! I'd say it was a very successful korean cooking day!
5.10.2011
Day 2: Shin Ramyun
So today we are talking about SHIN RAMYUN! Ramen is famous for being the cheap-boring-go-to college food but if ramen tastes like shin ramyun, I would be a happy camper! I literally could eat this all day. It's THAT good!
Shin Ramyun is spicy and very flavorful(definitely not your typical Maruchan ramen). Sadly, they don't sell it in PR so we have to work with what we have. (Tip: You can find variety of different kinds of ramen in the asian markets of PR similar to this one)
Ingredients:
550ml of water
Package of Shin Ramyun(Maruchan ramen will do)
Slice of processed cheese(I use Singles Fat Free Cheddar)
Egg(beaten)
Scallions
2 tsp red pepper paste *if using maruchan ramen*(substitution = chili powder or red curry paste)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Add water to pot and turn heat up to high. Start your timer at 7min 26 secs. In the meantime, add flavor pack (and red pepper paste if using maruchan). Wait for it to boil.
2. At 4mins 30 secs, water will be boiled and add noodles.
In the meantime, DANCE to f(x)'s "Danger" just because. Besides, by the time you finish watching this it's cheese time!
3. 30 secs before the time is off, add slice of cheese(don't judge! it's extremely delicious) . Then, 4 secs before go time, add beaten egg. HURRY!(ppali ppali). THEN, *beep beep* Shin Ramyun is done!
4. Assah! It's done! Add scallions on top for a nice green color!
It's go time, baby! Jalmukesumnida!
Feel free to add veggies, mandoo(dumplings), meat, anything you like! Ramyun can be fun if you experiment with it! It doesn't have to be plain ramyun with chicken flavor.
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