Hobak Namul (Korean Stir-Fried Zucchini)

Hobak Namul is a popular Korean side dish (banchan). It is also very easy to make and requires very little time, 10-15 MINUTES MAX.

Usually, Chosun Hobak (Korean Zucchini) is used for this dish. They are rounder and fatter than the thin zucchinis available in most American grocers. And the flesh is slightly sweeter. I’ve been pretty spoiled; because my maternal grandmother grows them in her backyard. Most years, she has an abundance during harvest season. She has enough to share them with her friends and neighbors. Needless to say, she’s a very popular woman. And she has enough leftover to store them for later use after the season is over.

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Kimchi Fried Rice and Creamy Black Bean Burritos

When I make guacamole, I always make a ton. I want to expend the energy once and milk the benefits of my labor for a few days. I’m kind of lazy that way. And when I have leftover guacamole (remember to store it properly), I always make one or more of three dishes. I’ve already posted two of the dishes: the sweet potato and black bean tacos and the TLT (tempeh, lettuce, and tomato sandwich). And the last of the troika is the kimchi fried rice and creamy black bean burritos.

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Korean-Style Grilled Skirt Steak

My beef cut of choice is the tenderloin. If it were up to me, I would only get the tenderloin – not a lot of fat AND tender. But as a benevolent wife and partner, I let my husband pick the cut sometimes. 🙂 I love the buttery texture of tenderloin. But My husband goes more for flavor than texture. And he thinks cuts other than the tenderloin are more flavorful. One of his favorite cuts of meat is the skirt steak. He loves the “fatty” flavor of it. So I get it once in a while.

As you may have guessed or already know, skirt steak is not the most tender of cuts. But it’s not a lost cause. You can do a few things to make the meat more tender to the bite.

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Miyeok Juk – Korean Sea Vegetable Porridge

Why not serve something unconventional for Mother’s Day? Something with significance and meaning, albeit from another culture?

Miyeok (sea vegetables or seaweed) is a food/ingredient that evokes mothers or motherhood in Korea. In Korea, most postpartum women – maybe almost all – eat miyeok guk (seaweed soup). In fact, hospitals serve miyeok guk to postpartum women to replenish nutrients that may have been depleted during childbirth; and they continue to consume the soup during lactation due to its properties that are believed to stimulate lactation. So it’s apropos that it is traditionally served on birthdays as symbolism for the first food consumed after birth. Thus, it is also a food that connects the mother and child.

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