순두부 찌개 (Soft Tofu Soup)

With the cold weather, I was craving something hot and spicy. So while Andrew was at work, I proceeded to cook this so it'd be done in time for dinner. I've never cooked 순두부 찌개 before so I didn't really know what to do, but it came out decently. I think next time I'll need to use something else for the stock, not just water. It felt like it was missing something. Ideas?

Ingredients
1 pkg 순두부, Sliced (Soft Tofu, it's sold in this tube-like thing at Korean markets)
1/4 cup 김치, diced into smaller pieces (Kimchi)
1/2 tsp 새우젓, diced (Salted Baby Shrimp)
Meat of your choice, cut into small cubes (I used pork belly but you can use beef, seafood, etc)
Mushrooms
Sesame Oil
고추장 (Red Chili Paste)
고추가루 (Red Chili Flakes)
Egg
1 Green Onion, chopped

Start by cooking your meat in a pot. Add the kimchi and about a tsp or so of sesame oil. Add the mushrooms and cook everything together. Next add water until everything is almost, but not quite, covered. Cover and boil. Taste the soup, is it bland? Add the salted baby shrimp. Is it not spicy enough? Add some chili paste and chili flakes. Add the tofu and allow everything to simmer for about 10 minutes. Crack an egg in the soup (if you are using a stone pot, you can do this after you remove from heat because your soup will keep boiling. If not, do this on the stove to allow the egg to cook) Garnish with green onions. Eat with rice!

Courageous Curry

I love curry. It's one of those foods that are just... comfortable! Did I mention it's also really easy to make?

What I like about curry is that you can put whatever you want in it and it's still good. These pictures were taken months ago, but at the time here are the ingredients I used:

Potato, mushrooms, carrot, onion, garlic, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, and beef. Then I looked in the fridge and saw we had some left over spam, so I threw that in too and also some jalapenos. In the past I've used mango, coconut, chicken... basically whatever I had in the fridge.

Just chop everything up bite sized (I like mine a little bit chunkier than bite sized) and cook in a pot for a bit. (First cook your meat, then add your veggies.) Add water until your veggies are ALMOST covered, but not quite. (Like an inch or two of room). The reason for this is that your veggies will shrink and release water and if you add too much water, your curry will get watery. When the water boils add the curry and reduce heat. (Btw, my sister told me to try java curry and it's soooo much yummier than the other brands I've tried.)

When all the veggies are nice and soft, and your curry has thickened, serve over a plate of rice. BUT the MOST important part is to add a little bit of sesame oil before mixing... if you've never tried doing this, it'll blow your mind. Or your taste buds. =)

What unconventional ingredients do you add to your food? Share!

gaeran jjim (steamed egg?)

yeah, yeah, yeah... i know we're not supposed to be eating eggs with the salmonella scare and all. but i say, as long as you're being safe, washing hands, not feeding children or elderly, and cooking thoroughly... live dangerously!

i don't know about you, but for me, gehran jjim is like comfort food. my grandma used to make this for me all the time. this isn't her recipe, more like her recipe on steroids. but give it a try, it's really yummy!

what you'll need:

a small stone pot (you can substitute this for a shallow sauce/saute pan)
eggs
water
green onions
red pepper flakes
saeujeot --salted baby shrimp (you can substitute this for salt)
sesame oil
black pepper (optional)
toasted sesame seeds (optional)

actually, all of the ingredients are optional. you can actually just make it with salt and eggs only. or salt and eggs and green onion only. it's up to you! or you can just not add the eggs and not make it.

i didn't have my camera with me, so i took all these pictures with my phone.

also, like a true korean ajummah, i don't measure out my ingredients. i dont really know how much i put. it's just... an estimate

start by whisking together equal parts egg and water. (i know this picture shows two eggs, but i used 3)

dice up a small spoonful of salted shrimp (i added about half a tsp but since this is your "salt" you can add more or less depending on how salty you want it)

add about this much sesame oil. this is how i always measure my sesame oil: i draw 1 1/2 - 2 circles really quickly to whatever i'm cooking. *shrugs*

this is a regular dinner spoon 1/2 filled with red pepper flakes. add more/less depending on how spicy you want it.

toasted sesame seeds (these don't look very toasted...)

not pictured, but dice up a green onion and throw it in there too!

barf. jk. this is what it looks like after you add everything. i also added a bit of black pepper to taste! mix it all up.

cover the pot and cook on medium to medium-low until you start smelling it. then you know it's almost done. its about... 10-15 minutes? why am i asking, i'm the one writing the recipe

when it's done, it'll be somewhat firm, like jello. here, i took out a big spoonful to show the consistency. as you can see, all my ingredients floated to the top while cooking. sometimes this happens, sometimes it doesnt. *shrugs*

it's not that photogenic, but i promise you it tastes darn good!

nom nom nom

this past weekend (passed? no... past) i wanted to cook some korean food

so i julienned some carrots (by hand, which is why some are thick and some are thin), sliced some onions, diced green onions, and minced garlic... (can you guess what i'm making?)

in a separate bowl, i mixed soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, black pepper, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes... (have u guessed yet?)

i poured the marinade into a large tupperware, and added the garlic and some pureed apple. when the sugar dissolved, i added the vegetables and meat and let it sit in the fridge for an hour.

actually, i got impatient and let it sit for 45 minutes. next, it was cooked in a pan and extra green onions and sesame seeds were sprinkled on top. i also added black pepper for taste... =)

this, is a different story which i do not feel like explaining. why, you ask? because the korean market was out of many of the ingredients i wanted to make this. so i resorted to *gasp* a kit!
but i added vegetables to make myself feel better.

finished product. grr.
normally there would also be odeng... and i definitely would not use a kit!

forgot to include the measurements:
about 1 lb rib eye (sliced really thin)
1 small carrot (julienned)
1 small onion (chopped into slivers)
3-4 cloves of garlic (diced)
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 green onion (diced)
freshly ground black pepper
red pepper flakes