Simply Healthy Korean Recipes
I’m not a huge meat eater. But I’ve been eating red meat more often lately.
I’m not crazy about cooking and handling raw meat. I’m a bit of a germaphobe. But more importantly, I really liked the idea of having a positive impact on the environment by curtailing my meat consumption.
Continue Reading Bulgogi Ddukbokki (Non-Spicy Sautéed Korean Rice Cakes) . . .
Generally speaking, Koreans love brisket. I know I do. Whether we slice it paper thin and grill it on an iron skillet (chadolbaegi), braise it in soy sauce broth (jangjorim), or use it as a base for a rich broth for soups, brisket is a beloved part of the Korean cuisine.
Although the brisket can be tough because it’s a pretty well-worked cut of meat, it lends itself well to slow, long braises because of it’s relatively high fat content and marbling. This is precisely the reason why I decided to braise it in place of short ribs in a galbi jjim(Korean braised short ribs)-like dish.
I always need at least one spicy side dish when eating dinner. It’s usually kimchi. It doesn’t matter what type as long as it has a spicy kick. I’ve been making oi sobagi almost on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, we finished the oi sobagi within 3 days of it fermenting. But fortunately, the oi sobagi was so good we couldn’t stop eating it. In either case, we were flat out of kimchi.
So I needed something quick, spicy, and tasty. I decided to try something different and make maewoon sukju namul, which translates directly to “spicy seasoned mung bean sprouts.” It’s not the most traditionally Korean way of eating the sprouts, but seemed the perfect solution to my problem. The dish was so easy and quick to prepare. And it had that spicy kick that I wanted.
Continue Reading Spicy Mung Bean Sprouts Salad – Maewoon Sukju Namul . . .
Oi Sobaegi or Oi Sobagi – Stuffed Cucumber Kimchi – is one of my favorite things to eat in the whole wide world. I should make it more often. It’s actually quite easy to make. But I’ve been using the excuse that I can’t get Korean or Kirby cucumbers from my local grocers.
Truth be told, you don’t really NEED Korean or Kirby cucumbers; I just wanted them. You just need smaller seedless cucumbers that you can pickle.
So imagine my delight when I found bags and bags of small cucumbers during my last trip to Costco. The bag refers to them as “fancy cucumbers.” I don’t know about fancy, but they were the right size AND seedless. So, no more excuses. I MUST make some cucumber kimchi, right?
Kimchi fried rice is one of the most popular Korean dishes. It also is one of the easiest dishes to whip up, which is the reason why it is so popular as a midnight snack.
I had my share of kimchi fried rice as a college student in Northern California. After a night out or during an all-nighter studying for the finals, it was the perfect meal or snack. It also had the benefit of being cheap – important for a starving student!