I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite a while. The reason it took me so long is mainly because of this dish being almost impossible to plate pretty for the pictures and the summer here has been hot as hell (too hot for belly warming stew…!) Weather has finally become so much cooler now, but I have to say this was definitely the most challenging food to photograph. Continue reading Hearty belly warming Korean stew – Deulkkae Sundubu
The night before my husband’s birthday, he asked me if I could make him pancake breakfast the next day. Pancakes are his all-time favorite food, but I had never made sweet breakfast kind before, (because he’s quite specific about how pancakes should be and always makes them the way he wants) so I panicked. If it was any other day I could probably be more relaxed about it, but it was for my husband’s birthday. The possibility that I might mess up his favorite comfort food on his birthday was terrifying. But somehow I managed to pull off simple yet very yummy pancakes without any dramas the next morning. And ever since that day I couldn’t stop thinking about different things I can do for pancakes and started experimenting. A recipe I’m sharing today is the most successful one so far. Continue reading Vegan coconut and cinnamon pancakes with ‘aquafaba’
Summer is finally fading away here. Although temperature is still close to the mid-summer weather of most non-tropical places on earth, it is so much less humid and breezy with clearer sky. And that really makes a huge difference in Hong Kong. Most importantly I don’t feel like melting while I’m cooking in my kitchen any more, yay! For this post, I thought I’d make something that reminds me of late summer and early autumn at the same time. A dish that has the freshness and lightness of summer but also has the warm earthy flavor of autumn. Continue reading Summer/Autumn meal – Spiced chickpeas, quinoa, mint & basil
I came back from Bali earlier this month. And as expected, it was a paradise and more. Actually Bali had been off our holiday destinations list for a while. It was because of an unfortunate incident my husband had, which led to him getting stranded at the airport (old one, not the shiny new one they have now) and having to sleep in a room with a rat many years ago. Understandably he was quite traumatized by what happened and I almost gave up on going to Bali ever. So it was a real surprise that he suggested Bali as our late summer holiday destination. And I am so happy that he’s recovered from the mortifying experience, because I love-love-loved Bali. Continue reading Balinese “Gado Gado” inspired vegetables in peanut sauce
Have you ever watched ‘Jamie’s 15-minute meals’ and tried to replicate his recipes? Unfortunately I was never able to make the dishes from the show in 15 minutes. Well, I am not Jamie Oliver after all so it is understandable I guess. Cooking technique or the speed is one thing but the most challenging part for me is the space. 15-minute meal is all about having everything ready to go in front of you and this includes all the equipment and tools. But I simply cannot layout more than 3 pots or pans in my tiny humble kitchen. So speedy cooking for me usually means that I am making 1-2 pot dishes, and pasta is just a natural choice in this case. Continue reading 20-minute meal – Garlic and caper butter with parmesan linguine
There aren’t that many things that I like more than Kimchi and eggs in this world. Especially when I am hungover and craving for something rich, spicy and refreshing at the same time. If I come home tipsy and I know that I will be hungover the next day, I head to the kitchen and make myself a Kimchi omelet no matter how late it is. This omelet makes me wake up with a puffy face but it also keeps me from having a splitting headache and nausea. I don’t know whether Kimchi actually cures the hangover or our brains and stomachs are just programmed to think that way but Kimchi is one of the most common hangover cure food in Korea. (As you could probably guess, we eat Kimchi for almost anything). Continue reading Hangover breakfast – Kimchi and barley flour pancakes
If you are planning a trip to Korea for the first time, you should definitely go to Seoul. A city that truly never sleeps. You could shop, eat, drink and party around the clock. You could easily have 4-5 meals a day as well as snacks and street food if you can handle it. But if you have been to Seoul and looking for some peace and quiet away from the hectic city, Jeju island (Jejudo in Korean) is the place for you. Jejudo is a volcanic island dominated by Hallasan (shield volcano and the highest mountain in South Korea). There is no place like Jeju island in Korea in terms of natural beauty, clean air and more importantly the food. This was my second time visiting and I fell in love with it all over again. Continue reading The most delicious journey through Jeju Island, Korea
I will be taking my annual spring trip to Korea soon. I normally do this in May because it is the best time to visit Korea in terms of weather and my mom’s birthday usually falls in May (her birthday is based on lunar calendar so it changes every year, I am not kidding)…Anyways, this means it is time to clean out the fridge and cupboards. I don’t always get lucky with what I find, but this time a bag of organic red split lentils and a gorgeous pomegranate caught my eye, yay! Instead of trying to remember what I was going to do with them in the first place or come up with a fancy recipe I just decided to go with something simple and fresh. Besides, I was a little busy packing… Continue reading Spinach, feta and pomegranate salad with lentils
To be honest, I used to hate chicken breast. I just could not understand why anyone would ever eat that tasteless dry meat. I am a huge fan of fatty and flavorful cuts of meat like pork belly, rib eye and duck breast (with skin on of course), so the idea of having chicken breast as main protein in my meal seemed too boring. It was only last year when I started to care more about eating healthy that I decided to give a go with chicken breast. I had tried as many cooking techniques as I could find for months, but perfectly cooked juicy chicken breast I wanted seemed almost unachievable. Continue reading Coconut miso chicken breasts with toasted sesame seeds
I love Italian food. Dare I say I love it almost as much as I love Korean food and definitely eat it as often as Korean food. Although I enjoy cooking Italian dishes, I am a little afraid of posting my recipes. Italians are known to be very specific about their food, and many Italian people I’ve met over the years have proven that theory. So, in order not to disgrace traditional ‘Pesto alla trapanese,’ I have read and watched videos of many different types of recipes, from Nigella Lawson’s to a sweet Sicilian nonna’s. After some researching and experimenting, I have come up with my favorite version, which is vegetarian without anchovy fillets and has no raw garlic. I know what you’re thinking, no garlic in pesto?? Believe me, I have tried…
Continue reading My version of Sicilian pesto – ‘Pesto alla trapanese’
