Sweet and Sour Pork 탕수육 Tangsuyuk

So guys, I'm back today to continue my week of posts. Yesterday was a pretty simple dish that would have worked perfect for breakfast this morning. Today I'm going to continue with the Korean food theme and I'm going to teach you guys how to make tangsuyuk (탕수육) which is sweet and sour meat with vegetables.

It is very much the Korean variation of your sweet and sour pork from Chinese restaurants. This dish is more of a crowd-pleaser, consisting of a pile of battered, crispy fried pork or beef strips in a sweet, tart apple & vinegar based sauce.

The dish is also laced with pickled snippets of cucumber, carrot, and sometimes cubed pineapples that offer a variety of color as well as taste. It is usually eaten as an appetizer, ample enough for a quartet of diners to share. When eating, the meat is usually dipped in soy sauce mixed with vinegar and crushed or powder red pepper flakes which will add some spiciness to each bite.

Today I'm going to introduce the pork version of this dish.

Ingredients
12 oz pork
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ onion, sliced
¼ carrot, sliced
¼ cucumber, sliced
1 cup corn starch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Vegetable oil for deep-frying meat
Salt & pepper
Sauce
1½ cup water
½ tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt

Method
1. Mix 1 cup corn starch and 1 cup water, stir well, and let sit for 1-2 hours.
2. After the corn starch and water are separated, carefully drain water.
3. Heat oil in a large pot to fry. Don't fill more than a half way.
4. Cut pork into thin strips, add 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/16 teaspoon pepper and egg, mix well.
5. Put meat in a corn starch batter, mix well with hands.
6. Once you are done consistently coating the meat with batter, deep-fry it in oil until golden. *The key for crispy meat is to fry twice, so before serving it, fry once again.
7. Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to a hot pan and sauté vegetables briefly for about 1-2 minutes.
8. Add sauce ingredients, stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil.
9. In a separate bowl, mix 2 tbsp of corn starch and 2 tbsp of water to make slush.
10. Then add the slush to the boiling sauce and stir until it gets thick.
Important thing is to put corn starch mixture to the boiling sauce. The slush may not mix well if you put in lukewarm sauce.
11. Continue boiling for 4-5 minutes.
12. Once the sauce is complete, pour it over onto the meat and serve hot.





And there you have it, a simple dish to serve with dinner tonight.

Remember that there will be another post tomorrow, so keep happy, healthy and safe until then.

Spicy Seafood Noodle 짬뽕 (Jjam Ppong)

Hey guys, day three of the week.

Ok, it admit it. I'm kinda starting to hit a slump here, literally. I am really tired at the moment. Friends came over today and we made our costumes for this things next week. Anyways, because I am really tired, I'm just going to post a quick post. I'll try and post more tomorrow.

So today I'm not posting a rice dish. It is a noodle dish. Today I will be introducing you to Spicy Seafood Noodle or Jjam Ppong (짬뽕). This is pretty much noodles in a seafood broth. This is a dish similar to jajangmyeon which also has origins from China.

"Jjamppong is a popular noodle dish that is prepared in a red, spicy seafood broth containing hearty vegetables and variety of seafood. This dish presumably has its origins in Japan with influence from China and is known to be very popular at various restaurants or even at homes. Instant noodle versions are also popular which can be prepared within minutes.

However, to enjoy this authentic dish, many Koreans go to Korean/Chinese restaurants where noodles are mixed in with real seafood such as squids, shrimps, clams and scallions. Fresh vegetables such as onions, red peppers, green onions as well as many others are included in this dish to compliment the spiciness of the base soup. Jjampong is considered to be mild to high in spiciness so expect to sweat while consuming this dish."

That is a description of the dish, and a bit about it's history. Now, on to it's recipe:

Ingredients
1 package fresh egg noodles
½ cup pork, thinly sliced
½ cup squid, cleaned and thinly sliced
8 small shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 mussels, scrubbed
5 dried black mushrooms
½ onion sliced
½ carrot, cut into match-stick pieces
¼ napa cabbage, cut into 1x2 in pieces
2 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red chili peppers, seeded and sliced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
7 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
½ tbsp gochugaru (red chili pepper flakes - optional for spiciness)

Method
1. Soak mushrooms in warm water and cover for 30 minutes. Drain. Slice and set aside.
2. Bring mussels and water to a boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes or until the shells open. Lift out mussels and set aside. Retain liquid and add 7 cups of chicken broth.
3. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions until tender but firm to the bite. Drain well and set aside.
4. Add olive oil to a wok or frying pan.
5. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 5 seconds. For spicier taste, add gochugaru.
6. Add pork, shrimp, squid, mussels, and stir-fry.
7. Add onions, carrots, red chili pepper, and green onions and stir-fry.
8. Add cabbage and chicken broth mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and let simmer.
9. Add soy sauce.
10. Add salt & pepper to taste.
11. Place noodles in a large soup bowl and pour hot soup mixture over noodles

And there you have it. A delicious hearty seafood meal, you is going to warm you up in this cold weather.



That is it from me today. Until tomorrow remember to stay healthy and happy. See you tomorrow.

Mandu 만두

Kekeke, as I said yesterday here is another blog post today. I'm relishing the amount of free time I have at the moment after exams. Anyways...I've been thinking about what to blog about today and I figured that it was about time that I had introduced a staple in Korean Cuisine. Mandus (만두) , if you like or enjoy Chinese food then you are likely to have encountered the Chinese equivalent of this before, dumplings.

Now for a bit of a history lesson: Mandu (만두) are believed to have been first brought to Korea by Mongolians in the 14th century during the Goryeo Dynasty. The state religion of Goryeo was Buddhism, which discouraged consumption of meat. Mongolian invasion of Goryeo relaxed the religious prohibition against consuming meat, and mandu was among the newly imported Mongolian dishes that included meat.

Another possibility is that mandu (만두) came to Korea at a much earlier period from the Middle East through the Silk Road. Historians point out many cuisines based on wheat, such as dumplings and noodles originated from Mesopotamia and gradually spread from there. It also spread east along the Silk Road, leaving many versions of mandu throughout Central and East Asia.

But it doesn't really matter how you look at the history, all you need to know is that these things are delicious. They can be eaten a number of different ways, they can be boiled, steamed or fried. They are really versatile and the fillings are up to you, there are probably 100 different ways to eat them. This is also a popular street food that is eaten by Koreans in winter.

I'm going to show you how to make a simple mandu with a pork and beef filling. The recipe is a bit long and it is split into parts, but I'm going to tell you a short cut at the end of it. OK? Let's go

Ingredients:

1 cup of ground pork
2 cups of ground beef
2 cups of chopped boo chu (Asian chives)
4-5 soaked Shiitake mushrooms
half onion
half package of tofu
3 cloves of minced garlic
salt
sugar
sesame oil
vegetable oil
fish sauce
egg
green onion
mandu skins (60 discs) <-- dumpling skins from the Asian grocer will go

Make filling:

1. Place 1 cup of ground pork and 2 cups of ground beef into a big bowl.
2. Add 1 ts of salt, 1 tbs of sesame oil, ½ ts of ground pepper and mix it by hand and push the mixture of meat on the side of the bowl.
3. Wash asian chives (bu chu), dry well with paper towel or cotton cloth and then chop them to make 2 cups. Add 1 tbs of oil and mix it up. Place it in the big bowl next to the ground meat.
tip: oil will coat vegetables so that liquid would not come out from it
4. Chop 4-5 soaked shiitake mushrooms and half an onion and put it into a small bowl.
5. Add 1 ts of soy sauce, 1 ts of sugar, and 2 ts of sesame oil the small bowl in the last step. Mix it by hand and then transfer it to the big bowl.
6. Squeeze half a package of tofu using cotton cloth or paper towel and put it into a small bowl. Then add a pinch of salt, 1 ts of sesame oil and mix it and put it next to chopped chives.
7. In the big bowl, add 3 cloves of minced garlic and mix all ingredients by hand.

Make Mandu:

1. Place one mandu skin on your left hand and put some filling mixture on the center of the skin.
2. On the half of the edge of the skin, put a little cold water with your fingertips.
3. Fold skin in half over filling and press edges together to make ripple shape.


To Fry
1. Place some vegetable oil on heated pan and add mandu.
2. Lower the heat over low medium and cover the lid of the pan to cook.
3. A few minutes later, open the lid and turn over each mandu. Place 2-3 tbs of water and cover the lid. Cook a few minutes more over low heat.
4. When the mandu is golden brown, transfer it to a plate.
5. Serve hot with dipping sauce (equal parts vinegar and soy sauce).

To Steam

1. Place the mandu in the freezer to harden for an hour or so.

2. Just place a steamer or metal colander over a boiling pot of water.

3. When water starts to boil, place frozen mandu like so. Don't overlap them. They'll stick to each other.

4. Cook about 5-8minutes or until the wrapper has turned a more transparent colour. Tip: If you are unsure you can check the inside and see if the meat is cooked.

5. Serve with soy sauce.

To Boil

1. Bring to the boil a pot of water, enough for the number of mandus you are cooking

2. Carefully place the mandu's in so that you do not scold yourself

3. Cook till the mandu's rise to the surface of the water.

4. Scoop out and serve with soy sauce.

And there you have it, three different ways to eat the same thing. As I had said before to make the dish is actually a bit tedious and long. The cheats way is that you can always go and but frozen mandu from the grocer and just cook them yourself, but isn't it nicer too eat food that you have made by hand?

Anyways, maybe spend this week making a supply of mandu and I'll be back with another recipe next week ^^

Jajangmyeon 자장면

I know that this dish is not strictly a Korean dish because it was derived from a Chinese dish, but for the sake of this post let us pretend that it is purely Korean. The dish is quite easy to make, it is almost as simple as making pasta. With the twist being
that is is Asian and not Italian.

Jjajangmyeon was first created in the city of Incheon, where early Chinese migrants to Korea began to settle in the late 19th century. The dish was arguably first developed in a Chinese restaurant called Gonghwachun (공화춘; 共和春 - meaning Republican Spring) in Incheon around 1905. The city of Incheon sponsored the "100 year anniversary of the birth of jajangmyeon" in 2005.

The dish originated from zha jiang mian (炸醬麵, literally "fried sauce noodles") in China's Shandong region. The pronunciation of the dish's name is nearly identical to that of its Korean counterpart. But Korean jajangmyeon differs from Chinese zha jiang mian, as Korean jajangmyeon uses black Korean chunjang including caramel, and onions that Chinese zha jiang mian does not use. Korean-style jajangmyeon has also been gaining popularity in China recently.

Noodles
Jjajangmyeon uses thick noodles made from white wheat flour. The noodles, which are made entirely by hand and not by machines, are called sutamyeon (수타면; 手打麵) are praised in South Korea as an essential ingredient of good jjajangmyeon.

Sauce
The sauce is made with a dark soybean paste called chunjang (춘장). The paste, which is made from roasted soybeans and caramel, is called chun

jang when unheated, while the heated sauce (containing vegetables and meat or seafood) is called jjajang (literally "fried sauce"). Chunjang is stir-fried with diced onions, ground meat (either beef or pork) or chopped seafood, and other ingredients. When cooking the sauce, usually meat stock is added to reduce the salty taste of cooked chunjang, and potato starch or cornstarch is added to give the sauce a thick consistency. The sauce is served hot over noodles, sometimes with sliced raw cucumbers.

Accompaniments
Jjajangmyeon is always served with a small amount of danmuji (단무지). The dish is often served with a small amount of sliced raw onions, seasoned with rice vinegar, accompanied with a little jajang sauce. The diner eats the noodle with danmuji and onions dipped in jjajang sauce.

There are a number of variations available for the dish.

Including ganjajangmyeon (간자장면), which is jjajangmyeon served with the jajang sauce without the starch, with the sauce and noodles being served separately in different bowls, and samseon jajangmyeon (삼선자장면), which incorporates seafood such as squid, shrimp, sea cucumber, and others (but never fish). Samseon ganjajangmyeon (삼선간자장면) consists of noodles served with sauce, which contains seafood on the side.

Instant jjajangmyeon is also popular in South Korea. Dried noodles is boiled in the same manner as instant ramen with dried vegetable bits, drained, and mixed with jjajang powder and a small amount of water and oil.

Now for my version of the dish.

Ingredients:
Cooked Noodles (Thick in size and chewy) 300 g
Pork 50 g
Onion 1/2 of a whole
Potatoes 50 g
Zucchini 30 g
Ja-jang sauce 3 Tbs (available in all Korean grocery stores)
Cooking oil 3 Tbs
Corn Starch 1 Tbs
Water(or Broth) 1/2 Cup
Ginger, black pepper, sesame oil

Preparation:
1. Cook the noodles in boiling water and rinse them off with cold water.

2. Cut the onions, zucchini and potatoes into pieces, approximately 0.5 cm in length.

3. Also cut the pork in the same fashion (0.5 cm in length).

4. Slowly stir the ja-jang sauce in cooking oil at a simmer. (The cooking oil should shrink the ja-jang sauce in half in content.)

5. Mix the corn starch with water. (1 Tbs of corn starch to 2 Tbs of water is fine).

6. Cover the frying pan with oil and cook the pork with chopped ginger until the pork is completely cooked. Then add in the chopped vegetables and stir-fry some more. Then add one cup of water and let it come to a boil. Add in the corn starch/water mix and let it come to a boil.

7. Place noodles on a bowl and pour the ja-jang sauce over the noodles.

I know that it doesn't look the appetising from the photos, but it is REALLY hard to take photos that look good when you have a lot of black sauce on top. But it does taste amazing so I hope that will make up for the bad photos. This dish is also not spicy so it is something that everyone should try, it is really filling too.

Anyways, that is all from me. I hope you guys have a great week. And I might not be posting for a while because I have exams coming up in two weeks and I need to study. We'll see what happens though.