Last Saturday, we hosted our annual Thanksgiving/Christmas party. It seems to have become our little tradition now that we have done it for 3 years in a row. And I have to say I really enjoy the whole process from shopping for grocery (especially when I get to go to a cheese corner ;-)), preparing food and setting the table to watching my friends enjoying my food. Continue reading Between Thanksgiving and X-mas: Easy party platters
Ever since the success of Korean American chef Roy Choi’s ‘Kogi BBQ taco truck’, Korean and Mexican fusion has been huge. It really is a genius combination of flavors that totally make sense. Both cuisines are saucy, hearty and down to earth. And they are very hot and spicy relying heavily on chilis. Somehow when all those strong flavors get mixed together magic happens and everything becomes even more fiery and tasty. Although I have to say, putting cheese on food in Korea started way before ‘Kogi truck’. Cheese in instant noodle soup, BBQ chicken, rice cake, omelette, Kimbap (Korean sushi roll) and Kimchi fried rice…you name it, we’ve had it as long as I remember. What can I say we are just obsessed with stinky fermented food :-). Continue reading Spicy chicken and Kimchi quesadilla with avocado mash
Salmon is something I cook at least a couple of times a month, especially when I want a light and nutritious meal with lots of flavors. I really enjoy poaching salmon because it keeps its flesh ever so delicate and moist as well as being healthy. For me the best part is to be able to play with poaching liquid with different ingredients. In this post I will be sharing a recipe with classic Asian flavor combination of miso and ginger. No matter what you have in the liquid, the key is not to poach your fish in a boiling hot water. Let’s face it, there is nothing worse than tough and overcooked fish (well, besides overcooked chicken)… Continue reading Miso and ginger poached salmon with warm soba noodles
Inspirations for a dish you make can come from anywhere. I often think about what I am going to cook next when I am eating (obviously..;-)), watching cooking shows and reading cookbooks or magazines. But I think the most genuine way to get inspirations is from beautiful ingredients you have in hand. I am so green with envy when I see other food bloggers who live in gorgeous countryside growing their own ingredients for their recipes. So when I got these stunning purple sweet potatoes from a friend, my mind immediately went on thinking what I could do with them. Continue reading Ricotta and nutmeg purple sweet potato mash on toast
Growing up my brother and I probably had at least 2-3 ‘Omurice’ a week. ‘Omurice’ is one of the examples of ‘Yoshoku’, which refers to Western influenced Japanese cuisine. And this type of cuisine is also very popular in Korea. The typical Omurice we used to eat had fried rice with vegetables, ham or bacon wrapped inside thin omelette and topped with tomato ketchup. My little brother loved the combination of these flavors so much that he would ask me to make simpler version at home, which is steamed white rice topped with fried eggs and drenched in tomato ketchup. Continue reading Fried omelette rice with sweet and spicy tomato sauce
I love pretty much any kind of hearty food. But if I had to choose one, I would definitely go for a pot of hot stew or curry. I often call it a “belly warming food” :-). Being Korean, I grew up with soup and stew, which are essential parts of Korean cuisine. But I think these kinds of food are just so comforting to anyone no matter where you are from. So today I decided to make hearty, comforting, quick and easy one pot curry (not much washing up!) mainly with South East Asian ingredients (I need to use leftover coconut milk from the dairy-free rice pudding I made for my previous post ;-)) and a little bit of Korean flavor. This dish is mildly spicy but if you want to add some serious heat you could use hot Thai chili. This curry sauce will also work well with chicken or white fish. Continue reading Coconut and Korean red chili paste “Gochujang” prawn curry
My inspiration for this recipe is an Indonesian black rice pudding, which was specially requested by a friend a few weeks ago. She’s always had a sweet tooth, so it was not a surprise that she fell madly in love with the rich sweet rice pudding while her recent stay in Bali. Since I am also a fan of the dish myself I decided to give it a go, but with a little bit of twist. Continue reading Dairy-free coconut black rice pudding with almonds and raspberries
As my healthy-ish eating continues after an over-indulgent holiday, I just couldn’t stop dreaming about a bowl of pasta. Honestly, who doesn’t like pasta? I think the world will become much happier place if we can all eat pasta everyday without worrying about the carbs…Anyways, I have kept some whole wheat penne in my cupboard so I’ve decided to make rich tomato sauce to go with it, but without any meat or seafood. Instead I am using dried ‘funghi porcini’ (porcini mushrooms), which will give the sauce great depth of flavor. I came across with these magical little ingredients a couple of years ago, and I rarely leave them out when I make meatless tomato sauce. Continue reading Whole wheat penne with funghi porcini tomato sauce
I have indulged a little too much on meat and desserts over the two weeks holiday in the states, so I have been trying to prepare light meals and snacks with more vegetables and healthy carbs. This dish is just what I need, packed with nutrients and flavors made with ingredients I always have in my kitchen. I like using Middle Eastern spice when I cook with bulgur wheat, and cumin works perfectly well in this recipe. The tangy lemon yogurt sauce adds freshness to fritters. This recipe can be great for finger food at a party as well. Continue reading Cumin pea and bulgur fritters with lemon yogurt sauce
Lamb chops are my go to dinner menu when I want to do something special. They are so good as they are, but also incredible with fruity sweet and sour sauce. This sauce has intense and tart cherry flavor as well as warmth from marsala and cinnamon. I’ve roasted lamb chops in the oven instead of pan-frying (which is perfectly fine as well) so I could pay attention to the sauce while the meat is cooking. Great dinner party dish if you want to impress without hassles. Continue reading Lamb chops with marsala cherry and cinnamon sauce
