Green Onion Pancakes, and the story of a blue frog

Once upon a time there lived a young frog boy named "Blue".
They called him "Blue" because he was a very unusual blue frog.
Blue lived with his mother in a small cottage near a little stream deep in the mountain of South Korea.
His mother loved him very much and did the best she could to teach him, so that he could grow up to be well mannered and respectful. But alas! Blue was not the most obedient boy you can imagine. In fact he was quite rebellious and often showed the contrary behaviors.

Pomelo Prawn Salad, the easy Thai salad

Is it March already?

It must be spring then...

Living currently in a tropical land of SE Asia, I often loss the sense of seasonal changes.

Spring is my favorite season. 

I miss seeing green buds blossoming on the trees, daffodils and tulips popping out of garden, and people gathering around Home Depot to look for pretty flowers to plant on their yards. I was one of them.

But I enjoy living in tropical land these days. It does offer good culinary adventures.., a big time!

... Loads of tropical fruits and veges, awesome beaches, can't complain much.

Deep Fried Winter Vegetables, healthy or not?

 Every winter I miss one particular snack that I used to get as a child in Korea.

Loaded with thinly sliced winter root vegetables, and coated with simple batter, then deep fried in hot oil..., this deep fried vegetables are perfect winter snack not only on the streets of Korea but in any household.

My dilemma is that, can this be considered as healthy?

Well, yes and no - depends on how you see it.

I would like to consider it to more of "yes" side.

Root vegetables are packed in nutrients and fiber. No comments on that.

Korean Fried Chicken 2, the spicy version

I received a revelation (?).
"Thou shall make another KFC (Korean Fried Chicken), nevertheless it shall be spicy...".
It was a still small voice that came from my hungry stomach, ha ha ha!
I had posted a non-spicy version of KFC and this is a sequel episode.

Kimchee Tofu Dumpling, Our New Year Tradition

If you come to my house, you will find at least one or two packages of frozen dumplings stored in my freezer any time of the year. I purchase them from the grocery stores, of course.

But during the New Year, I like to make home-made dumplings with my family.

It is a fun activity that you can do with anyone - young or old, and you can store them in the freezer for later use if you can't finish them all at once.

Koreans love dumplings. We steam them, pan-fry them, deep-fry them, boil them, and throw them into soups and stews. Yes, some even juggle with them (?). 

What can I say more?

Cabbage Pancakes

Hello there!!!!

Have I gone too long?

I am so sorry that it took so long to be back, but boy! what a summer I had...

First of all, I traveled to Korea to visit my hometown.

Then, my family had to cross the pacific ocean again to relocate onto a tropical land in SE Asia. Where? well, I will let you know in my next post.

It always takes some time to settle into a new place no matter where you go. I finally was able to put my family onto a routine so that I can come back to blogging.

Korean Fried Chicken, KFC vs KFC

I have a confession to make.
It is about C H I C K E N.
I did not eat chicken for nearly 10 years. I was not a vegetarian nor under any religious restriction but there was a reason.
Here is the story...

I think I was about 9 years old. I was just an innocent little girl living in a small town of Korea. I often visited my grandparents, who lived only a few blocks from us, to play with their dog after school. (My mother would never allowed me to have a dog)
My grandparents lived in a big traditional Korean style house with a large front courtyard with a garden and a common area. They also had several small houses attached to this courtyard for their tenants.
It was one of those ordinary day like any day. There, I saw a scene that I shouldn't have.., a murder scene! A man, whom I believe one of my grandparent's tenant, was killing a CHICKEN. I don't want to describe how he did it. It was graphic enough for my innocent 9 year old eyes. I also saw a large pot with water boiling on the portable stove near him. That was for to remove the feathers of the chicken. I still remember the disgusting smell that came out of the pot when he put the dead chicken in there. I had a very bad nightmare that night. Yes, the dead chicken appeared in my dream and chased me...
Ever since that moment I did not eat chicken. I just couldn't... until I was 18 years old. So, how did I get to eat chicken again? Well, it was the KFC, the Kentucky Fried Chicken!
I grew up, finished high school and went to college in Seoul. My friend took me to KFC for lunch. I never tasted KFC before (I was from a small town where western fast food was not existent at that time).
I, the first time in almost 10 years, tasted chicken. The first bite of those greasy, salty, and slightly crispy fried chicken? Well.., it was a moment of enlightenment. My, oh, my! What have I been missing all these years? I never imagined chicken could taste so good.
Of course my taste bud on chicken has been evolved over the years. (I hardly eat the KFC any more)
I finally overcame the nightmares of the deceased chasing chicken and regained my taste on them - in a deep fried form...

I am sharing with you a special recipe for KFC, not the Kentucky version. 

It is the other KFC, the Korean Fried Chicken.

If you ever travel in Korea you should try the famous Korean fried chicken franchise called "Gyochon Chicken". Their chicken is very popular among Koreans. When I visited NYC a few weeks ago I found the similar chicken restaurant called "Bonchon" near 7th ave and 38th street. Their chickens are very tasty as well.  Honestly if you ever try the Korean Fried Chicken, You won't like the Buffalo wings anymore.

Of course I can not hack the secret recipe for both restaurants, but tried to imitate the flavor. And guess what? I think I came quite close to match.

So, here is my version of Korean Fried Chicken in a non-spicy version. The spicy version will come later some other day when I receive the chicken revelation from up above...

*****

Introducing my A-Team!

Chicken wing drummettes, garlic, ginger, radish, onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch

I like to remove extra skin on the chicken. The skin adds nothing but fat.
It only takes extra 10 minutes of your life but it might prolong your life 10 days longer.

Combine chicken with rice wine, pureed ginger, salt and pepper. Let them chill for 30 minutes.
This will not only season the chicken but get rid of unpleasant poultry odor when frying.

Meanwhile, grate the radish. This is the key ingredient in the sauce, so do not skip.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pot

Bring the sauce to boil first and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, uncovered.
It will get thicken eventually.

Strain the sauce through a mesh. Press gently to get all the flavors out.

A beautiful glaze left behind.  It will thicken more as it cools.

Your chicken wings are cold without their coats. So, cover them with some corn starch in a bag.

Shake them, babe!  Shake, shake, shake!

Heat oil to 170ºC. Drop your wings without any mercy.

I like to deep fry them twice for crunchier texture and color. After 1st frying...

And after 2nd frying.
I sent one wing straight to heaven by putting into my mouth right away.
As good as it gets...

But with the sauce... What can I say more?
Brush the sauce all over the wings.

Sorry, camera shake!  It was so good that I was dancing with a joy.

No words!

.....

Oh!

You will need lots of napkins,

and cold soda to go with them.

And

Just in case...,

Pray before the bed time.

Your chicken may appear in your dream and ask for his lost wings.

"Give me back my wings!!!"

Enjoy!

Korean Fried Chicken

(Non-spicy version)

makes about 4 servings

3 lb (about 22-24 piece) chicken wing drummettes, preferably skin removed

2 Tbsp rice wine or Mirim

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp pureed fresh ginger

1/2 cup corn starch

Oil for frying

Sauce :

5 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

4-5 Tbsp sugar

1/3 cup grated Korean radish or daikon radish

1/2 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 1/2 tsp corn starch

1/2 cup water

In a large bowl toss chicken pieces with rice wine, salt, pepper, and ginger. Chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile combine all the sauce ingredients in a small pot, bring to boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. 

Place a mesh strainer in a small bowl and strain the sauce pressing to get all the juices out. Discard the stuff in the mesh. Your sauce will look like a glaze and will get thicken more as you let it sit. Warm up the sauce when ready to use.

When ready to fry, Heat oil to 170ºC. Toss the chicken pieces in a plastic bag with corn starch to coat evenly. Shake off excess corn starch from the chicken. Drop chicken pieces in the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden (Do this in separate batches so you don't crowd the pan). When last batches are fried, drop first batches in the hot oil again for second frying, about 3 minutes until nicely golden brown. Continue the other batches and fry all the chickens pieces twice. This will help chicken very crisp.

Brush warm sauce over hot chicken and serve immediately.

Printable recipe

Note : I don't mind sharing my personal recipe with anyone but I would love to know whom I am sharing with.  Please, leave a comment if you are printing this recipe. Thank you.

Kimcheese Rice Patties, Kimchee + Cheese = ^.^

When Kimchee meet cheese, it is heaven on earth. I call it Kimcheese.

As you know they both are fermented food, one is from cabbage and the other from milk of cow, goat, and/or sheep. I don't think Mr. Cow ever eats cabbages but perhaps he wouldn't mind having a blind date with Ms. Cabbage in the rice park. Kaboom! You won't believe how divinely delicious they are together.

My brilliant inspiration of putting these two fermented god and goddess together came from the Italian risotto ball I had at my local Neapolitan pizzeria called Pupatella. The true Neapolitan style pizza I love.

When I bite into a risotto ball as an appetizer, something just clicked me as an light bulb. "Why don't I mix Kimchee with cheese to make rice balls?" So I did.

Ooooh! you will love it, my dears... 

They are so meant to be together. Why on earth did I not try that before?

 So here I am... urging you to try this recipe. I will give you two options to choose from.

One is deep fried and the other pan seared. They both are good. The deep fried one offers irresistible crispness while pan seared one offers more aromatic substance to overall flavor. You will need well fermented cabbage Kimchee to bring out the full flavor.
I will share with you my East meets West version of rice patties. Kimchee rocks!

*****

Revealing my glorious ingredients!

Mozzarella cheese, Feta cheese, Kimchee, ground pork, parsley, green onion, eggs, flour, and panko crumbs. 

 

You will also need some cooked short grain rice and Parmesan cheese.

Squeeze your Kimchee to death to remove their juice.

Parental discretion advised. Looks a little R-rated on this scene. Scary...

 Chop Ms. Cabbage as fine as you can.

Saute the piggies in the hot oil until they are no longer shy in pink...

Chop the greens...

 

Add the chopped Kimchee and fry until it gets softened, about 6-7 minutes over medium heat.

When the Kimchee gets nice and soft, add green onion and parsley. 

Remove from the heat. Let it cool down for a few minutes.

 

 Add Mozzarella cheese and feta cheese, stir well.

 Add Parmesan cheese and pinch salt to rice and mix well.

Take some rice onto your hand and flatten it. Scoop the Kimchee mixture over rice.

Take more rice and cover the top. Gently squish it to mold into shape

My brain was tuned to a play-mode that moment so I made into triangle shape. 

If you want some fun, try star shape to see if it works...

 Prepare your coatings for deep frying.

 

 Coat with flour, egg, and panko crumbs.

Deep fry them, babe!  about 170ºC until NGB (Nice and Goden Brown).
Version 1 finished.

Version 2 : Want to know how you can pan sear these patties? Super easy...

 Just press onto Parmesan cheese on both sides.

Sear with a little bit of oil over hot skillet until NGB. You better serve these patties when hot.
Leftovers aren't that great unfortunately.

"Pretty Darn Good!"

A praise from my NOT so Kimchee-lover husband.

"You can totally sell these!"

He cheered me as he was devouring the patty.

I felt good and accomplished, then, made me wonder...

If a man ever tells the truth in regards of food his wife made.

Hmmmmm...

"Did he really like it or did he just say that to make me feel better?"

I hope someone can tell me the real truth.

Hope you like them...

Kimcheese Rice Patties

(김치즈 주먹밥, Kimcheese jumuk bap)

makes 6-8 patties

1/2 lb fermented cabbage kimchee

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/3 lb ground pork

1 green onion, chopped

3 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 cups cooked short grain rice

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

pinch salt

flour, eggs, and panko bread crumbs for coating

oil for deep frying and/or pan sear

Squeeze out the kimchee to remove its juice, chop finely. 

Heat the skillet over medium heat, add oil and saute ground pork until brown. Add kimchee and continue to saute until kimchee gets softened, about 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat, add black pepper, green onion and parsley, toss. Rest the mixture to cool down for a few minutes. Add mozzarella cheese and feta cheese, mix well, and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine rice with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and pinch salt.

Grease your hand with a little oil.  Scoop some rice, about 2 Tbsp, on the palm of your hand and flatten it with the other hand. Put 1 1/2 Tbsp of kimchee mixture on top of the rice. cover with more rice over the kimchee and make sure to cover the kimchee completely. Gently squish the rice patties to make into desired shapes.

For Deep frying, coat the patties with flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Deep fry in 170ºC oil until golden brown.

For pan seared, press the patties onto the rest of the grated Parmesan cheese both sides. Heat a little oil in the skillet and sear the patties until it creates golden crust, about 3 minutes on each side.

Printable recipe

 Note : I don't mind sharing my personal recipe with anyone but I would love to know whom I am sharing with.  Please, leave a comment if you are printing this recipe. Thank you.

Rice balls, the redeeming grace of leftover rice

Do you like rice? I do. 

In fact I eat too much that my every new year's resolution of getting rid of that rice belly never seems to be possible. 

Do you have lots of leftover rice in your fridge and you are thinking of getting rid of them?

Please, don't.

My mother used to say when I was a kid that each grain of rice is like each drop of farmer's sweat. They put their souls to harvest those precious grain and if you waste any, you are disgracing their job.

So, eat your rice, every single grain, to support our farmers.

My rice belly is a living proof of my support, and it is all natural! 
...and I decided to be proud of it until who knows...

Seafood Pancakes(해물파전), the spring onions and the three amigos

 

 My friend Lily called me the other day and asked if I can post the recipe for Korean seafood pancakes. Her 17 year old son, who is fighting with a cancer, is craving for this pancakes and she would like to know how to make it. I am thrilled to introduce this dish for anyone who loves seafood and spring onions. Lily, this one is especially for you and Alex!

This is traditional Korean afternoon snacks on the rainy days. Why rainy days? I don't know exactly why but if you ask any Koreans what dish they are craving most on those rainy days, I promise you that 9 out of 10 will answer for this dish. Who could resist greasy, yummy, fried fritters? Its glorious Korean name is "Haemul Pajeon" (해물 파전,  seafood pancakes or fritters). It basically is a pancake/fritter with any type of shellfish and spring onion batter fried in oil. If you are seafood lover this dish will throw you up in the heaven. I promise!

When Chicken Marries Tofu, many awesome mini patties

 Who knew chicken can marry tofu and they can create such a fine family? They are perfect for each other and produce wonderfully flavored dish with awesome texture. Their kids can be quite versatile. They can serve you as appetizer, a meal with rice, or even as chicken tofu burger with bun. What's your choice?