Ddukbokkie (Hot and spicy rice cake)

I think I've been watching too much Korean drama/variety show. Some of the popular dish which were introduced to me from the shows are jjajangmyun and ddokbokkie/tteokbokki. This time, I'm experimenting with ddokbokkie, or hot and spicy rice cake. It is a very popular snack which is commonly purchased from street vendors

I made my own ddok (or sticky rice cake) from scratch during my first attempt. The rice cake is made of rice flour, water and sometimes, sesame oil. The rice flour used in preparing ddok is very different than the usual rice flour which we used in Malaysia. I took the initiative to grind my own rice flour using short grained rice to make them. I think, it's important to know a bit more of our ingredients. Of course, the hardest part in preparing the ddok is the kneading process. The dough is a bit tough!

Of course, you can either buy your own ddok, or made them from scratch. On my second attempt to prepare ddokbokkie, I finally bought myself a packet of ddok from the Korean grocery store. It's interesting to compare the taste between the fresh made ddok and the prepared ddok. But, if you want to made your own ddok from scratch, you can visit Aeri's Kitchen. There's the step by step tutorial and youtube link. 

Ddukbokkie (Hot and spicy rice cake)

(recipe from Maangchi)

300g Tube shaped rice cake for ddukbokkie 

3 tbsp Hot pepper paste  

1 tbsp or less sugar

4 cups water 

7 large (or more if you're using the smaller size )dried anchovies with heads & intestines remove

1 stalk green onions (cut into long pieces)

fish cake

sesame seed

1. Separate the tubes of rice cake into individual pieces.
2. Add water in a pan, and add dried anchovies. Boil the water for 10 minutes over medium heat. Dried anchovies made your ddokbokkie taste even more delicious.
3. Remove the anchovies and add in the rice cakes. Stir in hotpepper paste and sugar. Stir it constantly. Stirring is important.
4. Add in green onions and fish cake (this is optional) and continue stirring.
5. Keep stirring until the sauce is thick and the rice cake is shiny.
6. Transfer it to a plate and serve! You may sprinkle some sesame seed for garnishing.

Kimchi Fried Rice

It still amazes me on how much dishes you could create with kimchi. This time, I made Kimchi Fried Rice when I was super hungry and had limited ingredients in the refrigerator. It’s quick, cheap, delicious and nutritious.

Kimchi Fried Rice

½ cup Napa Kimchi (chopped)

1/3 cup Chopped Onion

1 tsp Gochujang

1 tsp Soy Sauce

1/3 cup Sliced Beef/Chicken (I used Sausages)

1 cup Rice

Salt to taste

Sesame Oil

1 # Fried Egg

1. Heat pan with some oil. Add in chopped kimchi and onion. Stir for 3 minutes.

2. Add gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) and soy sauce in the pan. Then, add in sliced meat.

3. Add in rice and coat well. Add in salt to taste.

4. Transfer rice to a plate and drizzle some sesame oil on top.

5. Top rice with fried egg before serving.

Eggplant side dish (gaji namul)

I made this Korean eggplant side dishes some times ago. I learned a bit about Korean cooking while I was in culinary studies, and was interested on how healthy their dishes are (with little oil and all that). When I wanted to look for any Korean recipes to try, I always headed to Maangchi. She had lots of amazing recipes, tips and videos!

This recipe is quite simple and tasty.  The steam eggplant is really soft and tender. And the best part is that it requires no oil for frying :)

Eggplant side dish (gaji namul)

3 medium sized Asian eggplant

2½ tbs soy sauce

1 chopped green onion

2 cloves of garlic, 

½ tbs of roasted sesame seeds, 

½ tbs of sesame oil, 

1 ts of hot pepper flakes

(I discarded green onion and sesame seeds while I make this, as I ran out of the ingredients.)

1. Cut 3 medium sized Asian eggplants into 2 or 3 pieces. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise
2. Pour 2 cups of water into a steamer, and place the pieces of eggplant inside. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes over high heat.
3. Turn  the heat off and move the cooked eggplant to a bowl. Set it aside to cool down.
4. After the eggplant has cooled, drain the liquid from the bottom of the bowl.
5. Tear each piece of eggplant lengthwise with your fingers, and put the strips into a large bowl.
6. Add these seasonings to the bowl: minced garlic, hot pepper flakes, chopped green onion, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
7. Mix it all together with your hand. Serve with rice as a side dish.

Mandu

I made some Korean Mandu a few weeks ago. One thing that I love about Korean food is that they used very little oil and they're healthy. I guess, that's why Korean are so slim! I got the recipe from Maangchi. Head over her website and watch the video to learn how to fold and make that ripple shape (Mine doesn't look as good as hers).

In Maangchi recipe, these mandu is pan fried with some oil and covered. My mom deep fried them instead. I think, deep frying them makes the skin a bit tough.

One thing that I love about these mandu is that you can put them in your freezer and fry them later :) It's very  convenient, don't you think?

Kimchi Jjigae/Chigae

I've been keeping this recipe for quite some times. I've always wanted to try this. So, when my brother and I were making some kimchi last time, I took some and made this kimchi stew. They were really easy to prepare. Although I think mine turned out a bit spicy. I should reduce the chili paste next time I'm making this.

Kimchi Jjigae/Chigae (From Maangchi)

200 grams of  beef/tuna

4 or 5 cups of chopped kimchi 

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp of hot pepper flakes

1 tbs hot pepper paste 

onion, 

green onions

half a package of tofu 

sesame oil and water

1. In a shallow pot, put some chopped kimchi and juice.
2. Add sliced onion, hot pepper paste, and hot pepper flakes, sugar, and green onions.
3. Pour water until all ingredients are submerged.
4. Close the lid of the pot and boil it 25 or 30 minutes. (first 10 minutes will be high heat and then turn down the heat over medium heat)
5. Add some tofu and boil it 5 minutes more and put some sesame oil right before serving.

My First Bento Box

I bought myself this cute looking bento box a few months ago because I loved Shannon's BentoLunch.net. I mean, her creations were super cute and she never failed to amaze me. So, I bought this bento box, hoping that someday I might as well create something as amazing as hers. And when I saw that dragonflies on the bento box, I just can't resist myself from buying them!

So, last weekend, I prepared some Kimbab with kimchi and used my bento box for the very first time. I was really excited that I've been using this bento box for the first time! :D

Sushi Fun

My family brought me a sushi set for me a few years ago for my birthday. I've never used the equipments, and they've been asking me when will I be making them some sushi. So, last Sunday, we were having some making some Makizushi.

My brother wanted to try rolling them too, and was given the chance to roll some Kani Kama Maki (imitation crab meat roll) and Tamago Maki (egg roll). My little sister wanted to try too, but I didn't cook enough rice for her to try them.

I added in some Kimchi, in my Maki Roll. So, they should be called Kimbap instead, right? Maybe we could learn another types of sushi as well. I know I've been wanting to use that rice mold I've bought a few months ago. Maybe I could make my first bento too? :D