Since I have a large half-used bag of 부침 buchim pancake mix begging to be brought onto the front lines of my kitchen, I decided to make kimchi okonomiyaki. I’m always in such a hurry — 빨리 빨리 bbali, bbali! So what could be better than adding kimchi to the popular add-whatever-you-like Japanese pancake? Okonomiyaki makes a…
Recipe: Yuja Ramyeon Balls
Ramyeon aka ramen is one of those inexpensive staples expats stock up on in case of a rainy day, or tuck away in a bugout bag. In our house, we’re getting puffed-up foodstuffs out in time for Passover, so I’ve been looking for creative ways to run through the ramyeon. However, how many bowls of instant…
Recipe: Lotus Root Pizza
I have a plethora of chametez in my refrigerator — phyllo dough, ramyeon noodles and the standard package of “skinny bread” — that’s taking a cruise through my alimentary canal before Passover. What do I do with a package of pita bread if I’m not pining for pita pockets filled with falafel? A photo posted on…
Unleavening the planned meals for Passover
The spring festival of Passover (aka Pesach) this year is coming Friday night, and I have less than seven days to get the chametz totally out of my house. Here’s the what, why and how in jettisoning the leavening in Korea, the States and wherever you are. Buttermilk biscuits are chametz, but the premade dry batter sitting…
Recipe: Korean carrot salad (Koreyscha Sabzili Salat)
Korean carrot salad, pronounced Koreyscha Sabzili Salat in the Uzbek language, is ubiquitous throughout the former Soviet Union. The dish was invented by Korean immigrants to Russia’s Far East and the recipe would have stayed there if Stalin hadn’t forcibly deported the Soviet Koreans further west to the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Kazakstan….
Secret Recipe Club: Chicken and Mushroom Millet Skillet
Rice hogs the spotlight as Asia’s premier starchy grain. Most people have no idea millet is an ancient ingredient in Korean cuisine. For thousands of years, Koreans who lived in areas of the peninsula unsuited for rice cultivation were able to sustain themselves and their families with millet. It wasn’t that long ago when plain…
Vinegar Gochujang Sauce (식초 고추장) for National Corndog Day
America has too many made-up food holidays and nothing proves my point like National Corndog Day, which is celebrated yearly on March 19. Corndogs have to be dipped in something. What better dip than a spicy, gochujang based sauce? (Tammy Quackenbush photo) In Korea, they simply call them “hotdogs” and can be found in many…
Five seemingly ancient yet modern Korean dishes
Some popular Korean dishes today have the aura of age due to their rustic, simple appearance but are actually quite new and innovative, compared with Korea’s long history. Humans have occupied the peninsula for more than 5,000 years, according to archaeological and historical research. But Korea’s earliest culinary roots have been established more by archaeology…
Korea’s new fruit diet craze: The Master Cleanse aka Lemon Detox
The Chosun Ilbo reports that the lemon detox diet, aka the Master Cleanse, has become such a craze in Korea, the government believes it is the main reason that lemon imports into Korea heave increased by 31 percent between 2010 and 2011. Spicy lemonade does not a diet make. (Photo by Steve Woods via sxc.hu) The Master…
Recipe: Kimchi Dakgalbi (김치 닭갈비)
Korean barbecue depends on the quality of the marinade. Diners might not have the well-trained sense of a sommelier, but they will detect a difference even if they can’t identify exactly which ingredient they are noticing in a good or bad way. There are two basic styles of marinades: acidic or enzymatic. Commonly used acidic marinades…