Author: gomo

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Simple Gluten-Free Apple Crumble

Gluten-Free Apple Crumble | cHow Divine

I hope everyone had a lovely Valentines day. Mine was a mixed bag. We had a nice, no frills dinner at one of our favorite sushi joints and had a great time. Now for the bad: my mom threw away my keepsakes, including a small antique headpiece I wore at my wedding and a broken plastic music box my dad gave me on my 7th birthday.

I probably should have brought them with me when I moved, but storage is a huge issue here. And they were only occupying a small space in the closet in my old room. It makes me so sad that it was taken out to the curb along with the trash, treated like trash. I know it’s just stuff. But they can never be replaced. I can never go back in time to recreate my wedding. And no fancy music box would carry the same meaning as the one given to me by my dad years ago. I always considered myself a pragmatist. What do you know? I’m a bit of a sentimentalist after all…

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Bulgogi Gimbap

Bulgogi Vegetable Gimbap | cHow Divine

I try to make a lot of banchan (Korean side dishes) on the weekends. During the week, I can just eat them cold right out the fridge with some steamed rice that’s always waiting for me in my trusty rice cooker. If I’m feeling a little more ambitious, I would fry up an egg and make bibimbap. And if I’m feeling even more ambitious, I would make gimbap. It doesn’t happen too often, but often enough for me to sate my occasional gimbap cravings. On a side note, you may also know gimbap as Korean “sushi” because of its similarities with the Japanese Futomaki.

This week, I had plenty of vegetable banchan in the fridge that I needed to finish. And I also had some top sirloin in the fridge that I didn’t want to freeze. So I decided to make some bulgogi gimbap. I guess I was feeling ambitious this week…

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Easy Peasy Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)

Kimchi Jjigae

I didn’t cook much as a college student. It was mostly dorm food, cheap takeout, or whatever was on sale – preferably instant – at the market. But there was one thing I made that I was proud of: Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew). Truthfully, the end result had very little to do with my limited skills at the time. It’s really difficult to mess up Kimchi Jjigae. As long as you have some decent kimchi that is slightly beyond its prime (sour kimchi), the simmering does all of the work in bringing the flavors together. Nevertheless, I felt like a great cook whenever I made this and lapped up all the praise that came my way.

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Mushroom “Risotto”

Gluten-Free Mushroom Risotto

I love cheese. I love aged, fresh, fragrant, stinky, hard, soft; you name it I love it. So it should come as no surprise that I love risotto. I love the creamy and soft texture, and the rich taste. But unfortunately, I am terribly lactose intolerant.

Over the years, I’ve tried many non-dairy or vegan substitutes for cheese. Expectedly, none actually tasted like cheese. They just tasted oily. I even searched all over town, and found, Daiya “cheese,” the supposed answer to my prayers. Not even close to the real thing. Obviously, the people who laud this “cheese” has quite a different interpretation of cheese. So I decided to stop trying to substitute cheese with its dairy-free alternatives. Instead, I began creating and cooking dishes that are reminiscent of the creamy and rich texture of cheese dishes.

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The Heiress – Progressively Backwards?

The Heiress

Forgive me for stating the obvious: this is a food blog. But I do have other interests and want to write about them on rare occasions. Well, today will be one of those occasions.

I love Jessica Chastain. She is the only reason I sat through 2 hours of The Help. So when I got a chance to see her in The Heiress, a play based on a Henry James novel, I couldn’t pass it up. I’m not a theatre critic; and I will leave the detailed critique of the acting and the set design to them. But I will say that I enjoyed the performance immensely. Instead, I will give you my – hopefully original – take on the play.

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