Braised Tofu and Radish, the Korean tofu dish

I love tofu and I hope you do, too.

This has to be one of my favorite tofu dish.
Partnered with mellow radish and a little bit of chopped shrimp, I don't need anything else on my table to finish out a bowl of rice if I have this.

With a good source of soy protein, calcium, and vitamins from the radish, you have quite a nutritious dish that screams to be Korean.

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! 

Baby Radish Kimchee, only for the early birds

So I went to my handy-dandy Korean store the other day and noticed a bunch of ladies gathered-up in the produce section, head to head around the pile of green thingy, trying to grab them as much as they can. I went close to see what they are digging in for.  

For my surprise, those green thingy were the young Korean baby radishes. They are only available in spring (sometimes early in the summer). They came to market quite early this year.

They are basically baby radish that had been harvested when they just started to grow. Tender, mild, crunch..., they make wonderful Kimchee for the warmer season. They don't get available in the groceries that often. No wonder those ladies are packing their plastic bags with these cuties. Of course all of them were all Koreans! 

Being a Korean housewife I had to be part of that early bird deal (they were selling very cheap) and was able to grab two bunches in the midst of all those desperate housewives.

So, I am going to show you how you can make a wonderful Kimchee with these babies. It is called  Yulmoo Kimchee (열무김치). It is easier and quicker to make (good news, right?) than most cabbage kimhcee. However, in most cases, this kimchee has more watery, juice like filling than other kimchee. The addition of fresh chili makes the juice so refreshingly cool and tangy once fermented. It will make a wonderful cold noodle dish - one of my old time favorite summer lunch, or a quick Bibimbap as well. A true rustic Korean way of enjoying the radish babies...

By the way, why all the babies have to be so cute whether they are of humans, animals, and even vegetables?

*****

 Here are what you need. Baby radish, Asian pear, red chili, Korean chili flakes, garlic, salted shrimps, anchovy sauce, ginger, garlic, onion, glutinous rice powder, and sugar.

 

First thing you need to do... Make rice glue. Combine water and rice powder and let it boil until it gets slightly thicken, about 3-5 minutes string constantly. It will be very runny like syrup. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

 Cut off the piggy tails from the radish babies. Scrape off the outer skin gently with a blade of your knife. On the base, where the white meets green stems, remove all the soiled part of skin by cutting off a little.

Cut off the very end leafy part of the stem. They will be too tough. Discard!

You can say Good-bye or Sayonara to them. I usually save them to make soup, though...

 

Slice the radish to your middle finger size. Sorry! For being a decent educated woman, I just can't show my middle finger to you. Hope you understand.

 Rinse them gently twice. Be gentle! They are babies...  Drain well.

 Now you will need a good quality Korean coarse sea salt, about 1/2 cup.

 Take about 1/4 of these greens and sprinkle some salt all over. Repeat the layers.

 Let these babies to absorb salt for about 1 hr, turning once or twice in between.

You will see what salt did to these green guys. It sucked the life out of them.
Bad salt! No dessert for you!

 Rinse about 2-3 times and drain well. Be very gentle when you rinse them. DO NOT rub or massage. If you act rough on them they will be grassy on you.

 Meanwhile puree the pear in a blender. I love to see how the solid matter becomes liquid in one touch button.

 You want to filter the puree to get rid of the fiber and the foam. You will get clear juice that way, which creates gorgeous color and texture in Kimchee juice later on.

Process fresh chili, anchovy sauce, salted shrimp, garlic in a blender. You don't need puree finely on this guys.

 Now, get a big mixing bowl. Place the radish greens, add chili mixture, Korean chili flakes, sliced, fresh chilies and onions, sugar, and ginger. Pour the cooled rice glue and the pear juice.

 Very gently toss all together. Taste the juice to see if it is seasoned right for you. Add more anchovy sauce or salt according to your taste.

Two bunches of these baby radishes fit just right in a large ziplock container. 

Let it sit on the counter for 1-2 days and keep in the fridge for at least 1 week to ferment. 

This radish kimchee won't taste that good when freshly made but once they get fermented? 

Well, you won't get enough of them...

After one week...

Still vibrant in color,

Crunch yet tender greens,

The divine taste of the juice,

Behold! 

the Korean baby radish kimchee is ready to eat...

Baby Radish Kimchee

(열무김치, yulmoo kimchee)

2 bunches Korean baby radishes

1/2 cup Korean coarse sea salt

1/2 large onion, sliced

3 fresh red chilies, sliced

3 Tbsp Korean chili flakes 

2 tsp sugar

1 Asian pear, peeled, seeded, pureed, and filtered to collect clear juice

Rice glue:

2 Tbsp glutenous rice powder

4 cups water

Filling:

4 fresh red chilies, diced

4 garlic cloves

1/2" ginger stem, peeled or 2 tsp pureed ginger

3 Tbsp salted shrimps

1 Tbsp anchovy sauce

Make a rice glue by combining water and the rice powder with a whisk in a small pot, and bring to boil. Let it thicken, about 3-5 minutes, stirring constatnly. The glue will be very runny almost like a syrup. Remove the pot from the heat and let the glue cool completely.

Cut off the long tails of the white part of the radish greens and scrape off the dirty outer skin with a blade of your knife. Make sure to clean on the base where it meets the green stems. Cut off the very end leafy parts of the stems as well. Discard them or save them for other uses, such as soup.

Cut the greens into about 2 1/2" - 3" long pieces.

Rinse the baby greens twice gently and drain. In a large mixing bowl spread 1/4 of the greens and sprinkle the 1/4 of salt all over. Repeat the layers until all the green gets sprinkled with salt evenly. Let it sit for 1 hour, turning them once or twice in between. You will see some water extracted from the greens and the volume has been reduced to nearly a half. Rinse 3 times very gently and drain well.

Process all the filling ingredients in a blender or food processor. In a large mixing bowl combine the radish greens, sliced chilies and onions, Korean chili flakes, pear juice, rice glue, and the filling. Toss very gently with hand until everything gets incorporated. The whole mixture will have lots of liquid. Taste the juice to adjust your seasoning if you need. You can add more salt or anchovy sauce according to your taste.

Transfer the Kimchee into airtight container. Let it ferment on a room temperature for 1-2 days and continue to ferment in the fridge for 1 week before you serve. Serve cool.

Printable recipe

Braised Mackerel, Holy mackerel

I like fish, fish of all kind - white or pink, fat or skinny, long or short.
Growing up in a southern fishing town, seafood was abundant on our family table. They were all fresh, nothing from canned or frozen. I hardly ever had fish that has been dead for a few days, or came as frozen or kept in coffins (canned). But there is one fish dish that I actually prefer canned over fresh. It is the braised Mackerel with radish.
Two reasons... They are tastier, and they tend to be less fishy than fresh ones during cooking. Oh! add one more. They are quicker to make, too. Oh! another one - they are ultra cheap, cheaper than fresh.
If you allow me to add one last more, you can even eat their bones. Yes, bones! They are soft enough to enjoy and offers natural calcium.

 

So, I ended up giving you 5 reasons why you should try the canned mackerels. I also strongly suggest to eat with cabbage for this dish. You will know why I recommended that when you taste it.
Mackerels are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is essential in brain growth, and help keep your blood fresh and thinner.  So good for your heart. Of course, there is a worry about mercury intake, but as long as you avoid king mackerels, and you don't eat them every single day, your body will take great benefit from these blue fatty fish of deep ocean.
Okay, let's stop talking and start cooking.

*****

 You will need;
Canned mackerel, Korean radish, onion, garlic, Korean chili flakes, soy sauce, Korean soy sauce, rice wine, cabbage, green onion, and black pepper.

 Take the mackerel out of his coffin. Strain and reserve the juice.

 Cut up the radish, onion, green onion, and chop some garlic.

Put radish and onion in the pot and place the mackerel pieces on top.

 I forgot to add my ginger in the list. In a bowl combine all the sauce ingredients with reserved canned juice and pureed ginger.
Ginger will help boost the flavor and cut down any fish smell it might have.

 Sprinkle sauce all over them.

Let it boil. Reduce to heat to low and simmer, covered, until the radish gets soft, about 10 minutes.

"Holy Mackerel!" That was super fast!
They are done. Throw some green onion at the end.

 This is an optional but your mackerel will like the partnership with cabbage.
Just tear or cut off each leaf from the base of cabbage.

 

 Cook them in the boiling water with some salt, about 3-4 minutes, until soft. Drain and rinse.
That's all.

If you allow me a serving suggestion...

Place some rice, a piece of mackerel, and the radish with delicious sauce on a cabbage leaf, and wrap around or bunch it up.

Here is the dilemma...

How can I put the whole thing in my mouth?
Koreans never bite off anything that is wrapped. 

I wished that my mouth was as big as Angelina Joli's.

But I did. 

I did put the whole thing into my mouth. 

"Holy Mackerel!"

I praised it not for my capability of putting this huge wrap into my mouth,

but for the holy taste that came from this divine fish.

You better believe!

Braised Mackerel

(고등어 조림, godenguh jorim)

2 servings

1 can (14 oz) Mackerel, strained and the juice reserved

1/2 lb Korean radish, diced into 1/4" thick slices

1/2 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp Korean soy sauce

1/2 tsp pureed ginger

1-2 Tbsp Korean chili flakes

1 Tbsp rice wine or Mirim

8-10 cabbage leaves for wrapping, optional

Put radish and onion slices in the shallow pan, and place mackerels on top.

In a small bowl, combine the reserved canned mackerel juice with garlic, soy sauces, ginger, rice wine, and chili flakes. Sprinkle the sauce all over the mackerels in the pan.

Bring them to boil and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered, until the radish gets tender. Serve hot with rice and steamed cabbage leaves.

For the cabbage, Tear some leaves from the cabbage and cook them in the boiling water with some salt for 3-4 minutes until they get soft. Drain and rinse. Use these leaves to wrap around the mackerel, radish, and some rice. 

Printable recipe

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.