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15 dishes from 2021

Happy New Year! 2021 has been an incredibly hectic year for me. A main reason I have not been active here since April. In May, my husband and I left our beloved Hong Kong, our second home that we had lived for over a decade. I’d always moved a lot, and never lived anywhere longer than 4 years until I moved to our 58th floor flat in the west side of Hong Kong Island. Our flat with a stunning view of Hong Kong’s skyline and harbour was my 23rd home, and I had lived there for over 11 and a half years. Leaving Hong Kong was as hard as I expected but leaving my close friends was much harder than I imagined.

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Vegan and vegetarian noodles, nooddles, noodles

Can you believe it is October? It is so easy to lose the track of time this year. I know fall has started in many parts of the world, but where I live late summer weather, which is a lot more bearable than early and mid summer weather, is here to stay for another few weeks. I promised to post more cold noodle recipes during this summer but I only seem to have shared them on my Instagram. (By the way, please check out my Instagram if you haven’t yet). So I decided to share 3 recipes today. They are all quick and easy, healthy and light with a little kick from spicy sauce. They are perfect for summer but good for any time of the year. Continue reading Vegan and vegetarian noodles, nooddles, noodles

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Kimchi, pork and Asian chives dumplings “Mandu” with spicy dipping sauce

Can you name one person who does not like dumplings? I certainly can’t. I can’t even think of anyone who wouldn’t shout out “I love dumplings!” with a big smile in their face. I think anywhere in the world has its own version of dumplings. And they are often associated with warm fuzzy memories of home, family and holidays. Like every Korean kid who grew up with their grandma, homemade dumplings (Mandu in Korean) were staples that we had to have during the festive seasons. Continue reading Kimchi, pork and Asian chives dumplings “Mandu” with spicy dipping sauce

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20 minute meal – Tofu kimchi scramble with chilis and chives

tofu kimchi scramble

Without a doubt “Tofu kimchi” is a Korean soul food. And it is also a perfect example of a dish that was born out of necessity. Just until a few decades ago Korea was extremely poor, which means most people had to make the best of whatever they had. And so many of those dishes that came from the hardship in the past have in fact become the backbone of Korean cuisine. They might have been the only options for those who were in my grand parents and parents generation back then, but now they are kind of dishes that we all love and cannot imagine living without. And for that I feel quite lucky and grateful.

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Turmeric coated Tofu and Asian pear salad with Kimchi dressing

Superfood Tofu kimchi salad

Like our neighboring countries in East Asia, Tofu is one of the most essential ingredients in Korean diet. Koreans eat it steamed, boiled, cooked in soup, lightly fried, braised or even raw. I too have eaten countless tofu in my lifetime, and it had been a kind of food I was so used to eating that it almost became too insignificant to have an opinion about. But things changed a little when tofu started gaining a reputation not only as a healthy food but also as a bland and tasteless food that gives almost no pleasure of eating.

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How to use old sour kimchi – Kimchi fried rice

As kimchi started gaining its superfood status, my friends started asking me all sorts of kimchi related questions. And two of the most common questions among them were 1. Does kimchi ever go bad if you keep it too long? 2. What do you do with a few weeks or months old sour tasting kimchi? Continue reading How to use old sour kimchi – Kimchi fried rice

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Hangover breakfast – Kimchi and barley flour pancakes

kimchi pancakes

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

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Spicy chicken and Kimchi quesadilla with avocado mash

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