Tag: simple recipe

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Basil, mint and Pecorino Romano pesto

Growing up in South Korea, basil was not an ingredient that I was ever familiar with. I ate dishes with basil at Italian restaurants, but I had never seen the fresh basil until I went to study in London. First thing about fresh basil that hit me before anything else was its fragrance. The unique and intoxicating aroma of basil blew my mind instantly. Like Marcella Hazan wrote in her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, “The less basil cooks, the better it is, and that its fragrance is never more seductive than when it is raw.” …What a beautiful thing to say. Continue reading Basil, mint and Pecorino Romano pesto

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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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20 minute meal – Squid ink spaghetti with crab and green chilis

crab chili squid ink pasta

I came down with a terrible flu last week. So terrible that I didn’t even have much appetite (that rarely happens to me), and couldn’t think of what to have for dinner. Fortunately my appetite came back after a couple of days, which I figured as a sign of recovery, and one of the first things I wanted to eat was pasta. In fact, I could eat pasta pretty much everyday, not a problem for me at all. Continue reading 20 minute meal – Squid ink spaghetti with crab and green chilis

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Spicy garlicky soybean paste prawns and soba noodles

prawn noodles with Korean fermented soybean paste

Although my recipes in this blog are mostly vegetarian, I equally enjoy eating and cooking meat and seafood. Unfortunately my husband cannot eat most shellfish, which in fact is my favorite protein. So whenever I am not dining with him or he’s out of town I go hard on eating and cooking shellfish. Not that he banned me from eating them when he’s around, (he only pouts a little if I order them at restaurants sometimes) but sharing our food together is so important to us that I don’t want to cook or eat anything that he cannot enjoy. He was away for over 2 weeks recently, and I was able to come up with a couple of shellfish dishes that I really like during this time. This prawn soba is one of them, and it is simple, healthy, and delicious. Continue reading Spicy garlicky soybean paste prawns and soba noodles

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Summer/Autumn meal – Spiced chickpeas, quinoa, mint & basil

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

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20-minute meal – Garlic and caper butter with parmesan linguine

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

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My version of Sicilian pesto – ‘Pesto alla trapanese’

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…
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Baked ricotta and smoked salmon dumplings in Gyoza skin

I believe almost every food culture in the world has some form of dumpling. It can be essential comfort food sometimes, but it can also be celebratory food for special occasions. The dumpling I grew up with called ‘mandu’ is a great example. It is one of the most popular comfort food you could find anywhere in Korea but it is also something my grandmother and aunts spent all day preparing for big family holidays. They are commonly boiled and served in the soup or steamed and served with soy sauce based dipping sauce. I was a good girl helping my family of course, but only to stay near the steamer and get my hands on delicious piping hot homemade dumplings before anyone else. I have to admit, making dumplings is not the easiest job in the world. Continue reading Baked ricotta and smoked salmon dumplings in Gyoza skin

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Citrus whole wheat penne salad with tomatoes and sweet basil

Recipe for another light and healthy meal today. Although I am dying to recreate my slow roasted pork belly I made 2 days in a row over X-mas and Boxing day, I really feel like I should stay away from a naughty food group for a while (probably just until New Year ;-)). Besides, it is nice to be reminded that simple food made with the freshest ingredients will never disappoint even during the holiday season. This dish is so quick and easy. And you can always add what you like and be flexible with it. As long as you stick with good quality ingredients, the result will always be stunning and refreshing. Continue reading Citrus whole wheat penne salad with tomatoes and sweet basil

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Miso and ginger poached salmon with warm soba noodles

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