Warm Noodle Soup 잔치국수 Janchi Guksu

I'm back with another  recipe, finally. I have had so much happening lately. This week I have had work and also all of my exam results have been released. So now I'm faced with the problem of what I should apply for in university. My results weren't too and so I have a pretty large choice of courses, but I don't know what I want to do yet...still.

It's cold in the Northern Hemisphere these days and as it approaches Christmas we all want some more homely and warm food. So today I'm going to bring to you a warm version of something that I have made before.

I'm going to post a recipe for janchi guksu 잔치국수 which is a simple warm noodle dish made with thin wheat flour noodles  that are usually in a clear anchovy or beef broth. It is typically topped with thin strips of beef, eggs, and vegetables. I have previously posted a cold version of this dish that you could eat in summer, this is more suited for colder times. You can find my other recipe here.

Noodles symbolize long and happy lives in Korean culture. Thus, this noodle dish is traditionally served alongside other special occasion foods at large feasts such as weddings. The name of the dish comes from that tradition. And you know what, there is no better time to hope for longevity that at Christmas.

Today's recipe is going to have an anchovie broth but you are welcome to use a beef broth if you wish.

Ingredients
250g somyeon  noodles
Anchovy Broth
10 - 12 medium to large dried anchovies (myulchi)
1 square dried kelp
100g Korean radish, cut into cubes
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 of scallion
6 cups water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Toppings 
1/2 zucchini julienned
1 small carrot julienned
1 egg, beaten and fried into a thin sheet
100g beef, cut into thin strips (if you make a beef broth use the same cut of beef)
2 sheets of dried seaweed
1/2 scallion chopped

Method
1. Wrap all the anchovies and kelp is a cheesecloth and secure it into a pouch.
2. Add all broth ingredients to a medium pot. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 10 minutes, uncovered.
3. Remove anchovies and kelp from the broth.
4. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste and boil for an additional 15 minutes over medium heat.
5. Remove all vegetables from the broth. Keep it warm over very low heat while preparing the toppings and noodles.
6. Season the beef strips with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, and pinch black pepper. (If you use a beef broth season the cooked meat) Set aside while preparing the vegetables.
7.  Lightly sprinkle salt over zucchini and set aside  for 5 - 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid from salted zucchini and sauté in a lightly oiled pan over medium high heat (1 - 2 minutes).
8. Sauté the carrots in a lightly oiled pan over medium high heat (1- 2 minutes), sprinkling salt and pepper to taste.
9. Sauté the beef in a pan for 2 - 3 minutes over high heat. (skip if using a beef broth)
10. Cut the seaweed into thin strips.
11.  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cook somyeon noodles according to the package instructions. 12. Drain quickly and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Continue to drain and rinse in cold water.
13. Make two one-serving size mounds as you remove from the water. Place the mounds in a colander to drain. Place the noodles in a serving bowl.
14. Pour the hot broth over the noodles.
15. Nicely arrange a small amount of each topping on top of the noodles.
16. Finish the dish off with a sprinkle of the chopped scallions.
Serve the dish whilst still warm and you will have everyone feeling warm and toasty and right at home with the meal that is a reminder of the good times at home.

There seems to be a lot of work that goes into the dish but the end result makes up for all of it with the taste being absolutely amazing.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe because is perfect as a home cooked meal to prepare you for the amazing Christmas dinner that you are bound to have. I hope that you all stay safe, healthy and happy until my next post.

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Spicy Cold Noodles with Kimchi 김치 비빔국수 Kimchi Bibim Guksu

So today is the last day that I need to be posting for a whole week. I'm a bit sad that the time has flown by, but there are lots of things that I need to do, such as school, exams and think about a whole lot of other stuff as well.

Anyways to end the week I am going to introduce you to another summer favourite. It is very somilar to another dish that I have done before, but this is has some extra ingredients. Kimchi Bibim Guksu (김치 비빔국수) is a twist on the bibim guksu that I talked about last time. If you haven't read the recipe before you can click on the link to check it out.

To save time I'm not going to talk about the history of bibim guksu again, you can check it out on the other page. Instead I am going to go straight into the recipe for kimchi bibim guksu.

Ingredients
8 - 10 ounces somyeon (somen) noodles
1 cup thinly sliced kimchi (fully fermented)
1/4 cup juice from kimchi (use a little more soy sauce and vinegar if unavailable)
1 tablespoon Korean red chili pepper paste, gochujang (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn syrup (use honey or more sugar if unavailable)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice or apple vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Optional garnish
4 perilla leaves, kkaennip, thinly sliced
(or cucumber or lettuce, thinly sliced)

Method
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil while preparing the kimchi sauce.
2. Thinly slice the kimchi and place it in a medium size bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and mix well.
3. Add the noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (3 - 4 minutes). Drain quickly and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water again. Repeat until the noodles become cold. Drain well.
4. Combine the noodles with the kimchi sauce, and toss everything until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste, if necessary.
6. Garnish with your choice of the optional vegetables and serve cold.

And there you have it, a simple dish to serve for lunch or dinner in the summer heat.




That is it from me for this week. It may be a while until I post again because things are starting to get hectic. I will try and keep on posting but don't expect too much yet. There are a number of recipe that you can try out on my site if you don't know what to cook for dinner, lunch or breakfast. So remember to stay happy, healthy and safe.

Bibim Guksu 비빔국수

Hey guys, so it has been a while since I have last posted hasn't it? Well the school term is almost over so there have been exams so I have been busy studying and haven't really had the opportunity to blog. But I do have some time today so I will be blogging again, finally.

Today I will be introducing you to the Korean dish "Bibim Guksu". Sounds sort of familiar right? Remember bibimbap? Kong Guksu? Well this dish is like a combination of the two. It is just mixed cold noodles really...simple and delicious. Perfect for a hot summers day when you don't want to do to much.

Bibim guksu is made with very thin wheat flour noodles called somyeon with added flavorings and is one of the most popular traditional noodle dishes in Korean cuisine. It is also called guksu bibim or goldong myeon, all of which literally mean "stirred noodles" or "mixed noodles". The dish is especially popular during summer, perfect for those of you in the Northern hemisphere now.

There are many kinds of cold noodle dishes in Korea however, spicy cold noodles have historically been appreciated by spice-loving people in Korea and recognized internationally. This dish is distinct from other cold noodle dishes from different cultures due to its strong spicy flavor produced from the combination of red pepper powder, gochujang, and minced garlic, along with a sweet-and-sour flavor created by vinegar and sugar. Most spicy cold noodles are prepared with a slight touch of sesame oil to enhance the richness of its flavor.

Typically the dish would be prepared by stir frying diced beef, julienned pickled cucumbers, and mushrooms in sesame oil, which is all mixed together with the cooked noodles, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds and sugar. Garnishes placed on top and around the spicy noodles include hard-boiled eggs, pickled mu (radish), dried gim strips (laver), sliced cucumbers, and sometimes sliced Korean pear or tomato.

Now, that is enough background, it is about time that I shared the recipe for it....

Ingredients
200g somyeon noodles or soba noodles
1 tablespoon gochujang (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn syrup (use honey or more sugar if unavailable)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice or apple vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Optional
Hard boil egg
Julienned cucumber
Julienned carrot
Julienned red cabbage
Julienned lettuce

Method
1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
2. Add the sauce ingredients and mix well.
3. Add the noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions (3 - 4 minutes). Drain quickly and shock in cold water to stop cooking. Drain and rinse in cold water again. Repeat until the noodles become cold. Drain well.
4. Combine the noodles with the sauce, and toss everything until the noodles are evenly coated with the sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste, if necessary. Garnish with your choice of the optional vegetables and serve cold.
NOTE: You can also try adding a bit of crushed ice to the noodles as you mix the sauce, this will make the dish extra refreshing and fun as as you also bite into ice.




And there you have it, a simple dish to serve up during the summer heat to keep you cool and refreshed.

This is it from me today, I will try and post more in the upcoming weeks, but I will have exams in about a month so I may not be able to post a frequently. I will try my best to keep on posting even though there will be major events going on such as uni entrance exams, but if I am missing it just means I am studying and I will be back sooner or later.

So until next time, remember to stay healthy, happy and warm if you are in the southern hemisphere and cool if you are in the northern hemisphere.

Jjol Myeon 쫄면

Hey guys. So today is the second last day of my week long posting T_T I'm sad, but school is resuming on Monday so there is no choice bu for this to stop. At least I promise to post every day in the holidays which are coming up soon.

Today I will introduce to you a noodle dish called Jjol Myeon (쫄면) which refers to either a type of Korean noodle that has a very chewy texture and are made from wheat flour and starch or a cold and spicy dish made with the noodles and vegetables.

The story behind the name is that the letter “Jjol (쫄)” came from the first letter of the Korean word jjolgit jjolgithan “쫄깃 쫄깃한,” which means very chewy and elastic. The letter “myeon (면)” means noodle in Korean. Interesting right?

The history of the dish is that Jjolmyeon is one of the most popular noodle dishes in South Korea, especially among young people at bunsikjeom (Korean snack restaurant).It is the representative dish of Incheon, where jjolmeyon originated in the early 1970s by a mistake made while making naengmyeon. Noodles larger than regular naengmyeon noodles were made at a factory and instead of being thrown out, were given away to a nearby bunsikjeom. The owner mixed the noodles with gochujang sauce and jjolmyeon was born. An accident caused the creation of one of the nation's most loved dishes.

Anyways, that is enough talking from me. Now to the recipe:

Ingredients
2 Packs Jjol Myeon Noodles
2 Handfuls Bean Sprouts
⅓ Cucumber
½ Carrot
¼ Cabbage
1 Hard Boiled Egg
Sauce
2 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste
2 Tbsp Brown Rice Vinegar or Apple Vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder (Optional)
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Oil

Method
1. Remove any bad parts from the bean sprouts and wash them. Cover 2 handfuls of bean sprouts with water in a pan, and boil them for 10 minutes. Cover the pan with a lid. Don’t lift the lid until the bean sprouts are finished cooking otherwise, the bean sprouts will have a raw bean smell and taste. Rinse in cold water and drain water.
2. Julienne the cucumber and carrot into same length pieces. Slice the cabbage thinly. Cut the hard boiled egg half.
3. In the boiling water, add the jjol myeon noodles and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Wash the noodles in cold water twice and drain the water.
Sauce
5. In a small bowl, mix 2 Tbsp red pepper paste, 2 Tbsp vinegar, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp red pepper powder, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp sesame seeds, and 1 tsp sesame oil. If you don’t want yours spicy, then skip the red pepper powder.
6. Place the noodles on a plate, and put cucumber, carrot, cabbage, and the bean sprouts on top. Pour 2 to 3 spoons of sauce on top of the vegetables. Add the egg on top of the sauce. Mix all ingredients together before eating.



And there you have it, a delicious looking meal that is sure to satisfy your tastes. Spicy and tangy, what more could you want?

That is it from me today. There will be another post tomorrow ^^

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.