Just got my good news from Maangchi today, or more likely, i just read her email. I am now featured in her website! yipee! 
When i started this Korean Food Kraze, i started searching the internet for recipes, well, if you've read my first blog, you'll know exactly what i mean... If you haven't, then you should... LOL. First 3 food i made were Jajangmyeon, ddukbokkie and Bibimbap... and i was so happy i made them, i posted a tweet thanking Maangchi for the recipe and a link to my blog about it! And guess what? she thought it was awesome and asked me if i wanted to be featured in her website... along with my fellow Korean Food Fans! I'M SOOO HAPPY! 
i mean, it might not be a big deal to anyone else, but it is to me! hehe... THANK YOU MAANGCHI! :)

here's a link to Maangchi's Avid Fans 

Thanks again Maangchi! woohoo! I'm a Korean Food Fan! Can't wait to try out more recipes! 

I have officially entered the real world. I started work last Monday, and to celebrate my success, i took out my over marinated Bulgogi and heated up my grill! Perhaps it was too early to celebrate but, i couldn't help it... 
The meat have been marinating for almost 3 days, and since i am working now, i don't know if i could find time to make it. 
I planned to make my Grilled Bulgogi with some Kimchi Fried Rice, but then again, my life is never easy is it? I ran out of Kimchi... so i decided to just make it with some Shanghai Fried Rice, with the Chorizo and Egg, which turned out quite yummy! 
And then, i took out my grill... oh wait! WHAT GRILL??? I wanted to make the Bulgogi as authentic as i could, but couldn't buy the Korean Stove Top Grill anywhere... ---i know, my life sucks huh? but then again, I've always been smart enough to find alternatives... although, grilling it over charcoal, like we Filipinos do to kebab would've been my next choice, i think at that time, i was too lazy to find the grill bars? and burn up a pit fire. So, i ended up GRILLING? my Bulgogi on a frying pan! LOL...
The end result? 

looks yummy huh? it looks good, but tastes even better... this was the only good picture i took, the rest were blurred and the lighting sucked... probably because i was starving! Not to mention, i forgot to take a picture of the Shanghai Fried Rice... LOL... oh well, there's always next time right? 

this is the grill i was talking about! I seriously need it! I've been from Korean Store to Korean Store looking for this God-forsaken piece of kitchenware and i still can't find it... i wonder if i could order it online? hhhmmm.... definitely something to ponder about!






So what's next? Let's see... i still have to make some Pan fried Tofu, Japchae, Samgyeopsal gui and Soegogi gui, not mention i have to perfect my gyeranmalyee...
so many food, so little time... i hope i can find time to make all these next week... :) 

keep cooking everyone! :)

Five days ago, i caught the flu from i have no idea who...i had a fever and a headache then after i got better, i then got a cough and a really nasty cold... Maybe it had something to do with the fact that i went to the premiere of NEW MOON with a fever... but i didn't regret it, i think those who have seen it would absolutely agree with me. Besides the fact that i was drooling over Taylor Lautner and his "ehem" hot new bod, the movie was sooooo much better than twilight, and having read the whole saga, i was quite happy with the result...
So anyways, as i was saying before being distracted with my new craze for Jacob Black! I was having a hard time breathing because i had such a runny nose. It baffled me when i was trying out the internet diagnosing or whatever... and for some reason he gave me a diagnosis of SEVERE PNEUMONIA and POSSIBLE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME?????? I was like what? ITS A FLU!!!  i think i would know if i had pneumonia or ARDS seeing as i had an X-Ray 2 days before and I did have a full medical check-up... wouldn't the doctor checking me know better? i mean right? plus, it helps that i am a NURSE... i think i'll know if i have pneumonia or ARDS...

So, for the past few days, i stayed home, rested to my hearts content and drank a lot of fluid...finished a whole box of Kleenex and... marinated some BULGOGI!!! 
 i know, so far out right? well, i cook when i'm sick... i was supposed to make my Bulgogi Barbecue and Stew today, but seeing as i am sick, i might as well postpone it for a while, plus, it'll marinate longer... so, what i did make today was PORRIDGE... very healthy Abalone Porridge with Potato Side dish... 
 

 Truthfully i'm not a porridge kind of person, but i remember when i was little, my mommy used to make me porridge with squash when i was sick, and since me as a child didn't exactly like the squash or any vegetable for that matter, i usually had my porridge with ba'-hoo... i have no idea if that's how you spell it...it's basically pork that's dried and powdery that i love more than anything... i think some call it pork floss, my aunt from Taiwan used to bring a lot of it when they came to visit.. and i remember my dad calling me the ba'-hoo monster... because i would eat it all the time. I had it with just plain rice, sometimes bread and most of the time, i just eat it as it is...

 My Sick food... the porridge did work wonders... i had this for dinner while watching my favorite show (Family Outing) and i could feel being rejuvenated. What i love about it is that, it's not too heavy on the stomach, it was very warm in contrast to the very cold weather, plus, my runny nose, isn't runny and my throat is feeling soooo much better...

The potato side dish, i'm not so sure i'd call sick food, but it was really good... the original recipe calls for just plain 'ol potatoes, but i had sweet potatoes and added a bit of some plain ones... i think it turned out quite well, and maybe it's a bit weird for most of you having two carbs for dinner, it was actually pretty good, though i don't think it works well for those who are watching their weight...

Overall, i think my sick food was great, i didn't feel like barfing, i tasted flavors again today, since my clogged nose had been preventing me from tasting anything for the past few days. And, i am feeling soooo much better everyday. i think i'm gonna have to continue with my sick food for a few days before i can make my bulgogi barbecue or even the stew... I have a whole lot of soups that i'm excited to make... Wish me luck! and... keep cooking!

...So i made some... After days and days of being idle, plus the fact that i did go job hunting and i got sick... i am now somewhat recovered and cooking again... forgive my absence, i did try... 

Chicken is a staple in every ones diet (well except those who are allergic to it, which i find very sad). I love chicken, and so far, i haven't met anyone who doesn't like chicken... it's the easiest thing to cook, easiest thing to eat and it's actually the cheapest...i think... you can find it everywhere... 

So, to put some twist on the regular crispy fired chicken, i added some sweet and spicy sauce, some nuts, and some sesame seeds... it's called Dak Kang Jung or Sweet and Crispy Chicken.

But, it is never that easy for me is it? I actually had to run to the market today to make this.. i forgot to buy some ginger, and of course... i have NO chicken in the freezer!!! 
So i went to SM, went grocery shopping for about 10 mins. was shocked to see the new bags the supermarket provided... 

 I was pretty happy to see they're starting to use the brown paper bags. it's actually friendlier to the environment, plus! you can use their green bags and you get extra points on your advantage card... yay! for SM!

So anyways, i was also happy to make this dish, it gave me the reason to finally use my new found ingredients that i bought two weeks ago when i went to the Korean grocery... I already used my sempio white vinegar making the kimbap last week, and i wanted to open up the corn syrup this time. i actually bought a big bottle so i wouldn't have to keep looking for it if i ran out...

Final verdict?

it was really yummy! it was like main dish and dessert rolled into one... i had 3 of my favorite things in it, nuts, sesame seeds and chicken! I had great chicken today! I had this with just steamed rice and water, and it felt like it was one of the best dinner i had... i think i'll try it with some soup next time, i don't know what would be good... one way to find out! ...keep cooking everyone...

A closer look...

HAVE YOU SPOTTED THE CRUSHED RED PEPPER?

I've always wanted to learn how to roll sushi, and today was the day i did. It was very fulfilling i might add and definitely a dream come true. 
Ever since i was young-er... I've always admired those little rolls i had every time i eat at a Japanese restaurant. They were neatly made and looked like some dude in the kitchen spent half an hour rolling them to perfection. And today, i was that dude (or dudette) in the kitchen, and i felt his pain...
When i decided yesterday to make the "kimbap" , it kept me awake the whole night, agonizingly remembering the days when my sister and i tried making sushi...believe me, the memory still haunts me.
And so, setting aside my bad experience and putting on my game face, i woke up early, well earlier than expected, and made rice...which was a nightmare. FYI, the rice they use for sushi and maki and kimbap and whatnot, are short grain starchy-sticky rice, which helps in sticking things together for the rolls. And because the fates hate me, i had to work with long grain unstarchy-unsticky rice... i then had to Google  "How to make Long Grain Rice Sticky," which then gave me the result of "Do Not Attempt To Make Sticky Rice with the Long Grain Kind..." Why do they make my life so complicated? and so, because i was too lazy to go out, and buy some of the sticky kind rice, i used the long grain anyways, just to laugh at fates face! ha! and it worked... 
After searching the internet over and over again...it gave me the answer of soaking the rice for 30 mins. before cooking it... and that's exactly what i did... and voila! i made long grain sticky rice!!! eat that "Do Not Attempt To Make Sticky Rice with the Long Grain Kind..." 
And so, Following my dramatic attempt to make sticky rice, i now had to move on to an even greater dilemma, the rolling!
You have no idea how many times i replayed the video of maangchi (my korean cuisine mentor) rolling the kimbap.... i stared and stared and stared at the computer monitor memorizing each and every step... and i believe it paid off... The Final Verdict? I'll let you decide... 

Not one, not two... but eight! i rolled eight kimbaps continuously on my first try! I was so proud that i just had to stop and give myself a pat on the back...I feel like a Jedi Master of Rolling ( i am so lame). Okay! maybe that's taking it too far, but you have to admit, for a first timer (sushi bad experience doesn't count), i'm pretty good. It actually gets easier when you get the hang of it, and it helps that i had a video that pointed out all the wrong things we did before. 
So basically, I would conclude that i'm not an expert... I may have rolled eight, but looking at the time spent... I'd have to say, i need more practice, and practice i will do... 

Please excuse the uneven edges. That's what happens when you use a knife that can't even cut through cotton... I need a new knife.

 



Here you see a picture of my adorable grandmother eating the kimbap i made...
My ama is sooo cute...










Having rolled eight kimbaps, i had leftovers that even i can not finish on an empty stomach. 
So, i decided to bring some to my dad's office, where hungry people are waiting to be fed...LOL. I did a relocation program on the kimbaps in my handy dandy lock&lock. When i got there... it was like magic... now you see it, now you don't! My dad's office buddies gracefully returned my lock&lock  and told me to return with more kimbap! they actually loved it! 
...and i gave myself another pat on the back!

The first time i ever had kimchi, i barfed. i remember cursing that day quite much. i hated everything about it, the taste, the way it looked, especially the smell! But, that was about a few years ago. If you have read my previous blog, I'm recently in my Korean Kraze phase and "Kimchi" being a staple in Korean Cuisine... well, i had to give it another chance. 

I just found out recently that kimchi isn't all cabbage, i mean, there's the cabbage kimchi and there are others made of cucumber and some made of radish. I decided to make the cucumber one, the oisobagi as they called it... i picked this one because, i generally love cucumber, and i did think i was gonna like this one. So, i got my ingredients prepared, checked my Korean Cooking Bible (www.maangchi.com) and got started... 

                                                                      the end result?

My first ever home made oisobagi or stuffed cucumber kimchi... it was absolutely delicious... it was fresh, loved the juice, there was no smell, and made wonderful magic in my mouth! 
Now, if any of you ever visited Maangchi's site before, in her oisobagi recipe, she made some radish soup to go with the kimchi... and you know what? what the hell! the recipe was one of the easiest i know of, and i had all the ingredients available in my fridge, so i made some...
I LOVE MAANGCHI! She knows exactly what she's talking about! the soup was so refreshing... it was delicious...and it totally complemented the oisobagi... overall... i had one of the best meals and did i mention? this is soooo low in calories! plus! no oil...i am sooo proud of myself!

My very yummy dinner.  Some freshly made oisobagi, refreshing radish soup and i had to have my bowl of steamed rice.

  

photos: by me

It all started with "Boys Over Flowers" and the ever gorgeous Yoon Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong). I was in my 2nd week of in-house (for the board exams) when my roommate's boyfriend brought with him his ever trusty PSP, packed with "Boys Over Flowers" episodes... at first i was a little reluctant, as you may call it, to watch with my friends, as i have sworn myself to studying and i always thought that "korean novelas"??? as it is called where i'm from, is a little weird, a little cheezy for my taste...but, i started watching it anyways.

Maybe it's because of being imprissoned for 21 days in a dorm full of girls with nothing more than my iPod for entertainment, or the fact that all 3 of my roommates are in love with KIM BUM (can't remember his name in BOF). But, i was practically as addicted as they were... i mean sure, the guys were hot (which is new for me...), and the plot of the story was somewhat catchy. not to mention the very very cheezy lines the gorgeous guys deliver... total knock out for me... i hated to admit it, but i was caught in the K kraze as i'd like to call it.

and so, days passed and i wanted more episodes of BOF, but none came and my obsession grew bigger... (okay,maybe obsession is too strong.) the day after i went home from the in-house, was like a breath of fresh air... i remember searching high and low in the mall looking for the complete set of DVD with the subtitles(as i cannot understand korean), but they were nowhere to be found... my only salvation... i found 2 blocks away from my house ---if you're where i'm from then you know exactly what i mean. but anyways, i bought my DVD for Php80... which would convert to about $2 more or less... cheap ha?

and so, for the next few days... i was stuck in my room, watching the 25-episode drama... seriously...finished it in 3 days and wanted more...and so, i went online, searched for Ji Hoo (as he is my favorite F4) and stumbled upon the band SS501... ( i guess by this point you can trace as how i got to know the other Kpop Idols : DBSK, Shinhwa, Super Junior, Big Bang, F.T. Island, 2 AM, 2 PM, and all the others).

And, like any other FANGIRL, you watch the shows they're in... Family Outing, Infinity Challenge, Idol Army, Full House and Star King to name a few... and then, another Kraze came over me... i noticed that every time i watch most of these shows, or most Korean Variety Shows, there is always FOOD... I've always wondered how Ddukbokki, jajangmyun, bibimbop, etc. tasted. As at that time, i was only familiar with KIMCHI... (which i absolutely detest - hate the smell, i can't stand it ---i'd wanna eat it, but the smell gets to me every time). so, like any other person, i started searching for Korean Restaurants... to my dismay, they don't sell jajangmyun, bibimbop nor ddukbokki... what the hell was i suppose to do?

Maangchi to the rescue... i started searching online for recipes and all that, and i stumbled on www.maangchi.com, which by the way, is an all korean recipe website and, lucky me, she speaks english really well... it was easy breezy... i got the ingredients listed, i downloaded her videos, i went off to the market and bought most of it... i had some slight bumps with the other ingredients, such as the frozen rice cakes, cosari, and the black bean paste for the jajang, but luck is on my side these days... i found a korean convenience store (Assy? Mart) a 3min. walk from where i live, and they had what i was looking for...

i made my first bibimbop (picture above)... and it tasted amazing...then i tried my hand on Ddukbokki and finally, some jajangmyun (pictures above), that i had for dinner today... they were all GOOD...(yes! i made all those)

my K Kraze is a definite knock out... i started from Boys Over Flowers to Cooking Korean Cuisine... I wonder what's next?