Tag: sweet and spicy

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Soba noodle salad with Korean chili paste “gochujang” sauce

korean platter noodles

I miss good authentic Korean food all year round, but there are a few cold dishes that I miss even more when summer hits Hong Kong hard. One of those dishes that I’ve been missing a lot lately is “Jaengban Guksu”, literally means noodles on a plate. It is cold soba served with lots of fresh vegetables and spicy Gochujang (fermented red chili paste) sauce and boiled eggs. Although called noodles, I think what it really highlights is the crunch vegetables. This dish is sweet, spicy, refreshing and quite healthy. The recipe doesn’t require any specific kind of vegetables, you can use whatever you like as long as they bring crunchiness to the dish. Cucumber and carrots are commonly used in Korea, and sometimes we add fruits like Asian pear. Apple will work great as well. I personally love adding as many rainbow color veggies as I can, not only for nutrition purpose but for making things more fun and pretty as well.

Continue reading Soba noodle salad with Korean chili paste “gochujang” sauce

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Sweet, sticky, spicy chicken wings with orange & honey glaze

The first thing I do when I come up with a recipe is taking a note on my phone. Then I usually move onto testing it, and make necessary changes. If I decide to post the recipe, I either picture what the dish is going to look like in my head or doodle it out on my sketch pad. I remember finishing all those steps for this recipe months ago. I was ready to work on my post, then my husband and I went to a bar (nice bar, not a trash one) and ordered chicken wings. And oh boy, were they the worst chicken wings we’d ever had…I think they were one of the worst things I ever had to put in my mouth. I just couldn’t get it, who messes up chicken wings? Not only we stayed away from eating any type of chicken wings after that, I couldn’t even hear the word ‘chicken wings’ without having a gag reflex. Continue reading Sweet, sticky, spicy chicken wings with orange & honey glaze

Posted on by — 4 Comments

‘Tteokbokki‘ – Spicy Korean rice cakes with 7 minute eggs

Spicy rice cake, known as ‘Tteokbokki’ is an ultimate Korean street food. Every single one of us grew up eating this and it was the very first dish I ever cooked at home using my little brother as a taste tester. It is still extremely popular anywhere in Korea, where we have countless little joints, street vendors and even one of the streets of Seoul named after it (guess what kind of restaurants you can find there 😉 ). And if you are a foodie planning a trip to Seoul, this area is worth stopping by. Continue reading ‘Tteokbokki‘ – Spicy Korean rice cakes with 7 minute eggs

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Fried omelette rice with sweet and spicy tomato sauce

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

Posted on by — 11 Comments

Coconut and Korean red chili paste “Gochujang” prawn curry

korean chili paste curry

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

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Spicy and sweet pork stir-fry with Korean chili sauce

This is one of my all time favorite Korean food. Essential ingredient of the sauce is fermented Korean red chili paste called ‘Gochujang’, which is very commonly used in Korean cooking. Its complex spiciness is well balanced with the sweetness from onion and honey in this dish. Feel free to add a bit more honey if you want extra sweet flavor. And if you are worried about the heat taste the sauce after adding 1-2 tablespoons of chili paste then adjust the amount to your liking. Best way to serve the pork is to with fresh lettuce and fluffy rice. Continue reading Spicy and sweet pork stir-fry with Korean chili sauce