Yuk Gae Jang (육개장) - Korean Spicy Beef Soup

This is one of my favorite Korean dishes: it's spicy and hearty but not too heavy. I'm drooling just thinking about it! Turns out, this isn't so hard to make - but you do need to be home for a 2-3 hour stretch because it takes at least 2 hours of total cooking time (even though the prep is not too bad). 

Before...

and After!

I would classify the recipe below as "medium spicy." Adjust spice accordingly and enjoy!

Yuk Gae Jang (육개장) - Korean Spicy Beef Soup

Ingredients:

Beef Brisket – 1.5 lb

[for meat seasoning]
Korean red pepper paste – 4 tb
Red pepper powder – 4 tb (can also use crushed red peppers)

Sesame oil – 2 tb

Sesame seeds – 3 tb

Garlic – 4 tb (minced)
Soy Sauce or Gook Ganjang – 4 tb
Black pepper – 1 tsp

[veggies in soup]

Scallions – 2 bunches (cut in half, julienne; reserve and chopped some for garnish)

Mushroom – oyster or shiitake, 1 pack

[optional ingredients] 
* optional veggies for the soup: Korean peppers, spicy peppers (eg jalapeno), bean sprouts, fern bracken / fern brake (available in Japanese markets)

* optional add-in for the soup: Dak Myun (soak in water)

* optional garnish: egg (fried and sliced thinly)

Best serve with rice.

Directions:

1. Drain blood in brisket by letting it sit in water before cooking. Boil brisket briefly in water and drain. Replace water in pot and cook meat for 1 hour. 

2. Remove meat from beef broth, reserve the broth, cool and shred/peel/cut meat into small pieces. 
3. In a large bowl, mix meat with meat seasonings: red pepper paste, red pepper, sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic, soy sauce/gook gangjang, and black pepper. 
3. Re-boil the beef broth. Add back seasoned brisket pieces to pot.
4. After it comes to a boil, add additional veggies: scallions and mushrooms (and other optional ingredients such as Korean peppers and bean sprouts). Add more water as appropriate. Boil for at least 1 hour*.
6. If including dak myun, add into soup towards the last 5 minutes of cooking.
5. Turn off heat. Taste and season with salt or soy sauce. 
6. Garnish with chopped scallions (optional: and eggs). Serve with a bowl of rice on the side.

* This is what it looks like about 30 minutes into cooking. It looks tasty and is edible but not to its full potential. I find that the soup actually tastes best the next day.

Poached Egg in Microwave

Want a perfectly poached egg in 60 seconds? It's much easier than you think. 

Ta Da!

I love adding this to my home made noodle soups. 

Poached Egg in Microwave

Add 1/2 to 1/3 cup of water in a microwave safe bowl, crack egg into bowl. Depending on strength of your microwave, put in for 30 seconds, take a quick look and add time accordingly*. My lightweight microwave takes about 60 seconds.

* Err on the side of less time, too much time will cause the yolk to explode, which is no fun cleaning up.

Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

This is a traditional Chinese Cantonese dessert that you might have tried at dim sum places. It tastes a bit like coconut panna cotta with a more solid texture, a bit like pudding + jello, not too sweet and light enough to consume after a big dinner. Ok, it's hard to describe so just try it. I might try to experiment with different flavors next... stay tuned!

Before...

and After!

Split Pea Dessert (馬豆糕)

Serves 12

Ingredients:
Split Pea - 3 oz or 3/8 cup
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 fluid oz)
Coconut Milk - 1 can 
Sugar - 8 to 9 oz
Corn Starch - 5 to 6 oz (6 oz for more solid texture)

Directions:
1. Cook split pea in boiling water until soft, approximately 35-40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large pot, heat up 1.5 cups of water and melt sugar in medium heat.
3. In a separate bowl, mix 1.5 cups of water with corn starch.
4. When the sugar is thoroughly melted, add evaporated milk and coconut milk. When ti's hot, turn heat down to low, stir and slowly mix in starch water. 
5. Before the mixture boils, mix in the cooked split pea. Continue to stir; as the mixture boils, it will start to turn white. Let it boil for a few minutes while stirring.
6. Turn off heat. Pour the mixture into a desired container* and let cool. 
7. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.

* I prefer to use large deep glass plates for pour. The dessert will form into a cake-like shape and you can cut into cake slices or cubes for serving.

This is what it should look like after it's poured and cooling.

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup (Instant)

I usually like to make things from scratch but I also enjoy an instant recipe now and then for those lazy days. This tastes like egg drop soup and is perfect as an appetizer or snack. Enjoy!

Before...

and After!

In my opinion, the brand of canned food makes or breaks the dish (taste-wise) so try to be brand specific.

Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup (Instant)

Ingredients:
Chicken Broth - 1 can (Swanson)
Cream Style Sweet Corn - 1 can (Green Giant)
Egg - 1
[optional] Cilantro, Salt, White Pepper, Sesame Oil and Sugar to taste

Directions:
1. Combine chicken broth and corn in pot and heat.
2. Beat egg and season with salt, white peper and sesame oil.
3. When soup comes to a boil, drop in egg mixture. Wait 5 second, then stir very gently. The egg will cook better this way.
4. Taste and season soup with salt and white pepper and/or sugar and sesame oil. 
5. Top with chopped cilantro to serve. For more cilantro taste, you can also added some cilantro stalks in soup before it boils.

Best Kitchen Tools: Garlic Twist

I can't afford to keep a lot of tools in my kitchen because it's so small, but the one tool that I absolutely cannot live without is the Garlic Twist. If you haven't tried it, I urge that you check out the website.  There is a video and everything. You can also buy on Amazon. You can thank me later!

Garlic Twist: the best kitchen tool ever

Image source: www.garlictwist.com

Technique: Egg Separating Tip

Just came across this video (youtube) and I have to share. Apparently, this is a trick that even chefs don't know and it's so simple. Now I just need to find a recipe that requires me to do this because it actually looks fun!

Guacamole

If you need to feed a bunch of party people, there is nothing better than guac & chips. I made this for my friend’s Mexican themed party and was told that it was “so awesome” and “the best.” Yes, they were drunk, but I’ll take it.

Before...

and After!

You don’t need any special tools but a few tricks to note:

• Avocado oxidizes (turns brown once it’s cut), so guacamole is best made and consumed on the same day. If you must store it overnight, keep the container air tight and refrigerate.

• Use ripe avocados. They are not always readily available at stores, so you can buy 1-2 days early and store in room temperature in a brown paper bag.

• Make sure you de-seed the tomatoes. Otherwise, the dip gets runny.

• The below recipe is not spicy at all. Feel free to double or triple the chilies if you want a kick.

Guacamole (courtesy of Dos Caminos)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Avocados, preferably California Haas – 2 large

Tomato, Roma/plum – 1 small

Onion, White/Red – ¼, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Chilies, Jalapeno/Serrano – 1-2, for 2 teaspoons chopped

Lime – 1, for 2 teaspoons of lime juice

Cilantro – 2 tablespoons chopped

Directions:

1. Chop up everything: finely chop the onion, chilies and cilantro. Remove chili seeds if you don’t like spicy. De-seed the tomatoes and chop. Do avocado last because it oxidizes: peel, de-seed, and cut up in small cubes.

2. In medium size bowl, use the back of a spoon to mash up half the onion, chilies and cilantro with a dash of salt. This will help release the oil and flavor.

3. Add avocados and mash. Mix in the remaining onion, chilies and cilantro. Lastly, gently fold in tomatoes and add lime juice. Season with salt and serve with tortilla chips.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce

I am sure there are a million different ways to make this, but this is likely one of the simplest ways. I can't believe I waited so long to try to make this even though I always order it at restaurants! The sauce is really yummy and you can use it to dip bread or add pasta to make this a full meal. Enjoy!

Before...

and After!

If you didn't know this already, when choosing between curly or flat parsley, always choose flat parsley for cooking. Curly is for garnish and has less/no flavor.

Steamed Mussels in White Wine Sauce

Serves: 1-4

Ingredients:
Mussels - 1 bag (~2lb), cleaned
White Wine - 1/2 bottle
Shallot* - 1 small, chopped
Tomato* - 1 small, de-seeded and chopped
Parsley - handful, chopped (flat parsley)
Butter - 2 teapoons

*Adjust proportion of tomato and shallot depending on your preference for red or white wine sauce. Can also add chopped jalapeño/serrano peppers or onions.

Directions:
1. Sautee chopped shallot with butter until it's aromatic. Add chopped tomatoes and mix.
2. After the tomatoes are hot, add some of the chopped parsley and pour in half a bottle of white wine (doesn't have to be nice wine). Turn down the heat, cover and reduce the sauce by half.
3. Season the reduced sauce with salt, pepper and a little bit of sugar to taste. Note that the sauce will taste much better after the mussels are cooked in it.
4. Add the mussels to the sauce pan, cover and cook until shells are completely open. Toss out ones that remain close (which means they were dead).
5. Turn off the heat, mix in the rest of the chopped parsley and it's ready to serve. 

Peppers: Shishito & Pimientos de Padron

Peppers: Shishito & Pimientos de Padron

Looking for a healthy snack or easy appetizer? Look no further than Shishito and Pimientos de Padron peppers! Although from different regions (Shishito is Japanese and Pimientos de Padron is Spanish), these peppers are very similar. They are finger-sized, have thin skin and are slightly sweet, although about every 1 in 10 is spicy. From my experience, the spicy Pimiento de Padron was much spicier than the spicy Shishito... so consider yourself warned!

Pimientos de Padron Pepper Before...

and After!

Shishito Pepper Before...

and After!

The hardest part of the recipe is actually finding these peppers. I will try to keep and update the list as I see them in NYC. I have ordered Shishito from Fresh Direct but they were too large and not very sweet. 

Location:

- Union Square Farmer's Market (Lani's Farm): both

- H Mart in Koreatown (website): Shishito only

- Sunrise Mart in St Marks (yelp): Shishito only

Sautee Shishito / Pimientos de Padron Peppers

Directions: Heat grapeseed* oil in pan until hot, toss in peppers and cook until peppers are blistered, charred and soft (about 1-5 min). Sprinkle salt and serve. You can also let the cooked peppers sit in a paper towel to blot off the excess oil before serving. Enjoy!

* grape seed oil has a higher heating point but oliver oil works too.

Daily Deal: Blue Print Juice Diet

Daily Deal: Blue Print Juice Diet

Not my kinda thing but if you are in NYC and thought about trying this, now is your time! Summer is upon us full force, and the pricey juices are now on sale on Fresh Direct (order here). I'm a big fan of Fresh Direct - actually just had lobster for dinner (yum!) because they were on sale for $5/lb, but sorry, the deal is gone. For Fresh Direct first timers, use code "AFRMT6" for 15% off. Enjoy!

Simple Dinner: Prosciutto & Pasta

Although I love eating out, I very often enjoy a simple and tasty dinner at home alone with my TV.  This is a very easy, quick and foolproof recipe that I turn to a lot. Hope you enjoy!

Before...

and After!

Prosciutto & Pasta

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

Prosciutto - 4-6 slices, ~2-3 oz, cut into thin slices

Pasta - 1/3 box

Garlic - 2-3 cloves, minced

[optional]

Tomatoes - 1-2 small, de-seeded and chopped

Cheese - Parmesan, Romano and Asiago
Butter

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until desired tenderness. Drain and side aside.

2. Heat olive oil in pan (you don't need a lot because the proscuitto is already fatty) and toss in garlic.  Cook for 1-2 min and toss in proscuitto. Cook for 1 min and toss in pasta. Mix well and serve. Season with salt and pepper, top with cheese and tomatoes (and optional butter for kick of flavor) and enjoy!