Kimchee Jjigae 2, the easiest Korean stew you can make

After indulging myself with deep-fried turkey feast for Thanksgiving and got busy taking all the Christmas stuff out to decorate the house afterward...

I simply don't have much energy to cook. 

But I gotta eat..., you know.

So here I am.

I am going to make an easiest Kimchee stew in the world.

Only 4 ingredients and you will get a nice pot of stew that can awaken your soul for the spirit of Christmas. 

All because I found a container of store-bought kimchee (kimchi) I purchased about 2 month ago that I totally forgot about its existence... (I left it in my 2nd fridge where I don't check often)

Gogalbi, not your ordinary galbi

 I am a southern gal and I have to admit that I really love southern style Korean food.

If you ever visit Busan of South Korea, there is a district called Nampo-dong; very famous for their seafood street vendors and restaurants.
You will smell smoky grilled fishes and other sea creatures on every little ally; Fun hang-out place with friends.

The dish I am introducing today is called "Go-galbi" originated from Busan.
It almost sounds like express take-out Korean BBQ dish but it is not.
Well, it can be..., I guess.
It is actually a mackerel(Go-deong-uh) slobbered in sweet tangy chili sauce.
They call it "galbi" because it is cooked like galbi and meaty like galbi.
I don't own a open flame brick BBQ pit in my cosmopolitan cave, so I will adapt the traditional cooking method into my everyday humble skillet over the gas burner.
It tastes as good as the ones in the restaurants.

Doenjang Jjigae, the ultimate Korean comfort

Doenjang Jjigae (Korean soybean paste stew) reminds me of my father.

As I recollect, he loved this stew.

My father passed away almost 6 years ago by car accident.

And I didn't even get to say good-bye to him.

After he is gone I realized that I never had a chance to serve this stew for him.

In fact I never got a chance to cook anything for him.

And that hurts me...,

and brings me to tears.

I know he would have enjoyed this stew very, very much.

My mother used fix this stew quite often just for him.

Of course her Doenjang paste is all home-made, and she has her secret to give this stew more depth.

Crisp Korean Beef Salad, and a jar of citron tea

It is a wonderful season...
to catch...
a cold these days.

You know that I am not asking you to get sick, right?
I mean most people I know have suffered from cold or flu, some with very nasty ones, this past week or so.
So I am going to introduce you a typical home remedy that Koreans, at least in my household, use when we get sick from those mean viruses.

Fried Anchovies and Peanuts, love or hate?

Before I start this post I would like to ask you if you've ever seen "Kimchi Chronicles" on PBS or on Youtube.

Marja Vongerichten did a wonderful job introducing Korean cuisine and I enjoyed seeing a few episode myself. She recently published her cookbook.

They launched Korean cooking video contest on Youtube and I thought you might be interested in.

Check the link below.

The Youtube video and the contest announcement

Give yourself a try if you are enthusiastic about Korean food. 

Who knows? You will be the chosen one! 

Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes

There is something about rain that makes you crave greasy sweet food.

It must be a global phenomenon thing... 

My American friends, Japanese friends, European friends, they all love to eat something sweet, something slightly greasy when there's water falling down from heaven.

It's been raining every single day here and I finally decide to make some Hotteok, the Korean sweet pancakes.

Besides I found a very special treasure the other day to make this sweet Goddess.

Radish Beef Rice Bowl

 

"No vitamins are better than fall radishes. So eat your radishes now!!!"

Every fall my mother forced to feed us radishes. 

Radish soup, radish salad, radish kimchee, ... and the radish rice - the worst one.

I HATED it.

I don't think radish is kids friendly vegetable at all. It is bitter and peppery. 

If you cook them they get mushy...,  and kids ain't like mushy stuff.

However my tongue has constantly been evolved. I love these peppery radishes now. 

I finally became a grown-up, hallelujah!