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.

Korean Soft Tofu Clam Stew, bring out the innocence in you

 

 Have you ever tried to run away from your home when you were a kid?
I think I did once, but only lasted less than 1 hour. I was 7 or 8 years old, I think. I was mad at my mom and my sisters for some reason. I only went about 3 blocks, got scared, and went back home. I don't think my mom ever noticed that I was gone.

 I went to Norman Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge last weekend. Stockbridge is a beautiful town in west end part of Massachusetts. I understand why Mr. Rockwell loved that place so much.
It was about 8 hours drive form Northern Virginia where I live. Why did I go there?
Well, I was in the mood of New England clam chowder and missing the beautiful fall foliage there, plus I always have been a fan of Mr. Rockwell's works. I saw his famous "The runaway" and it reminded me of my somewhat-forgotten childhood.

 There is no artist that captured everyday life of American people more charming and nostalgic than Norman Rockwell did. Even though I did not grow up in this country, I could still relate my Korean childhood and rediscover my innocence through his works. They are honest, sincere, and yet brings out smile from your heart.

My family of four continue the journey toward the east from there, Cambridge, MA.
We used to live in Cambridge while my piano man was attending law school.  It has been 10 years since we left. Some stayed the same but some has changed. I remember how much I enjoyed the fall season in this region of U.S. We often went to the farm in Vermont to get maple syrup and cheese, go up to Maine to eat lobsters and see the northern ocean.

 The lake at Concord, MA

I did have my clam chowder, twice, in our 4 days of trip! One in the roadside caboose cafe of small town in Connecticut, and the other one in the famous Colonial Inn at Concord, MA. They both were good.

So, what does this Korean soft tofu clam stew called Soondubu Jjigae(순두부찌개) has to do with Norman Rockwell or New England?
Nothing! Absolutely nothing!
I don't know Mr. Rockwell ever had tofu in his life but he should have eaten clams, though.
I just wanted to comfort myself in this chilly weather with this hot stew and try to find my Korean innocence along the way.

Warning! This is spicy stew, in case you want to knock yourself out...

 The list is long this time.

Korean soy sauce, chili oil, chili flakes, mushrooms, clams, Asian leeks,

red and green chili, onion, garlic, dried anchovies and sea kelp, egg, beef, and soft tofu...

 Did I miss any? 

I hope not...

 Close up for the main ingredients;

The clams, beef, and the tofu

I happened to have precooked clams (that's why their mouths are open) in my freezer 

so I did not have to clean myself.

If you buy fresh clams (even better), soak them in salted water in a bowl covered with dark plastic bag  and keep them in the fridge over night.
That will get rid of all their ocean gunk in them.

  

First, make anchovy stock.

For detailed instruction click here.
You will need about 1 1/2 cup.

Prepare the vegetables.

Chop, dice, slice, tear or whatever...

In a heavy bottom pot, heat the chili oil over medium heat.

Saute beef, onion, garlic, with chili flakes for 2 minutes.

Now, I added 1Tbsp of chili flakes. That is on the very milder side.

If you want to knock yourself out add 2Tbsp or more.

If you want to knock someone else out... 

Well, all I can say is, follow your guts.

He/she might curse you when he/she sits on the toilet.

Add the stock to the pot.

Let them boil, about 1 minutes.

Cut the tofu package with knife.

Don't panic if the water squirt out.

Squeeze out big chunks of tofu into the pot.

Let it boil for 1 minute.

If you are using fresh clams, add with tofu and boil for 2 minutes.

Add mushroom, and chilies.

I add my clams last since they are already cooked.

Season with Korean soy sauce.

You can use fish sauce instead as a substitute.

Lastly add Daepa (Asian leeks), and crack one egg in the pot.

Turn off the heat and cover.

The heat in the pot will cook the egg white and some yolk.

If you want your egg to be cooked completely just keep the stove heat on.

Taste it first and season with salt and pepper if you need.

You can add a tiny bit of sesame oil if you like.

Done!

I am having a lunch with meditation,

with a tissue in one hand in case I need to wipe my nose.

Life goes on with time no matter what.

We all get older and wiser.

Our body will fade away just like the leaves,

but our spirit will remain the same. 

Once in a while,

Bring out the innocence of the past. 

You will find gratitude and joy of life itself.

For that reason,

I thank to Mr. Rockwell

for the memories of my childhood in a country far far away...

 Soft Tofu Clam Stew

(순두부찌개, Soondubu Jjigae)

 makes 2-3 servings

1package soft tofu
1/4lb beef chuck in small chunks
1/3lb clams cleaned
1/2 small onion diced
1 garlic chopped
1Tb chili oil
1-3Tb Korean chili flakes, depends on your preference
1/2 package Enoki mushrooms or other types of mushrooms
1 1/2C anchovy stock*
1/2 red chili sliced
1/2 green chili sliced
1/2 Asian leek sliced
1Tb Korean soy sauce or 2tsp fish sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2tsp sesame oil, optional

Heat chili oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Saute beef, onion, garlic with chili flakes until beef is browned and the onion becomes translucent. Add Anchovy stock to the pot. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes.

Cut the tofu package and squeeze out the tofu into the pot. Make sure you keep the tofu in big chunks. Add clams and let the stew boil for 1 minute. You will see the clams starting to open. Add the mushrooms, chilies, and leeks. Season with Korean soy sauce or fish sauce.

Crack one egg and add it to the pot. Cover the lid and turn off the stove heat. The heat inside of the pot will cook the egg. if you want to cook the egg completely, just keep the heat on for 1 more minute.
Taste it first and adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper. You can drop a tiny bit of sesame oil if you like.
Serve with hot bowl of rice and make sure you have a napkin with you.  :)

*Anchovy stock
6-7 dried large anchovies
2-3 slices of dried sea kelp
2 cups water

Combine all in a pot, cover, and let it boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 20 minutes covered. Remove the anchovies and the sea kelp.

Printable recipe

Broiled Yellow Croaker, worry about the fish smell?

"Mommy, why is this fish's mouth is so wide open?" That was the question of my son, the toothless, asked when he saw these broiled fish on the dinner table. "Well, because he is screaming to tell me that the oven was too hot for him" That was the answer I could come up with. LOL! :D

I literally grow up eating fish pretty much on the daily bases. My parents loved fish, or anything that grows under the water. It has to be fresh, mostly alive when they buy them. 

The other day I went to the local wet market in Wan Chai to look for fresh fish. They call it "wet" because the ground in the market is wet. Make sense! 

I like to go there often to see local people's way of living. There is something about market that teaches you the importance of life, the energy, and the diligence. People sell, people buy..., beautiful produce..., hard working locals to get by their daily needs.  Things that you don't feel the same way from the big grocery stores where everything is nicely prepacked and displayed.

I took my camera with me last time to see the local produce through the lense.

Here are some I would like to share with you...

This is the local tram stop at Wan Chai market.

This is the tram.

It only cost HKD$2 (25 cents US) to use it. 

 

One of the market entrance.

 one of the many fish stands.

 A man cleaning fish for his customers.

The life of fish!

 

Well ripened papaya

 

 The dragon fruit. 

Looks gorgeous outside but not so sweet inside...

Not a big fan of these fruits.

 

 Mangosteen, 

one of my favorite tropical fruit.

White flesh inside, very sweet and juicy.

 Jackfruit, Durian

Not a big fan, either.

Sponge gourd.

 

The kindest lady I know in the Wan Chai market.

although I don't speak Chinese, and she doesn't speak English well either,

she always greets me with smile and gives me a bunch of green onion for free

even if I buy just a single zucchini.

 

That is ox tail!

and the lady on the right bought it.

I wonder if the butcher removes all the hair out of that tail...

Kinda gross to me....

The yellow croaker, the star of today's posting!

One of my favorite fish and my kids just love them.

Now, we will end the tour of the market here. More comes later!

I will share with you how you can enjoy these yellow croaker in a simple broil method.

Pull your sleeves and let's get to work on this fish!

Some people hesitate cooking fish because of the smell.

Yes, if you don't treat the fish well, it will smell up your kitchen pretty bad.

Always look for fresh fish.  That is the first step.

Here are some tips how to choose fresh fish.

1. Look at their eyes. Bright and clear is the one you need to look for.

2. Smell it. Fresh fish is not stinky. It should smell like clean water.

3. Shiny? Yes. Dull? No

4. Look for bright red gills. Old fish will have darker brownish gills.

So you got the fish, the whole fish?

You would think your fish man cleaned all the scales and get rid of inside stuff?

Well, unless he has a crush on you, the chances are NO!

Scales are the one causing the most smell when cooking,

and you need to remove as much as you can.

 

The fish guys usually remove the body part's scales very well but not around the head.

So, shave his head, please!

Say hello darling!

 

Remove more scales around the fins as well.

 

Wash them good.

Cut off the fins.

Why?

They are the ones get erected in the heat and get burned fast.

Besides who eats the fin?

(except the shark's fin...)

Trim off these fins as well,

and more...

Well, these guys are all shaved and trimmed, slick!

Get some coarse salt.

Sprinkle salt inside and

out.

 

Cover with plastic wrap.

Here is what you need to decide.

I would like to eat this fish for dinner that night so I let them chill for about 6 hrs until ready.

The amount of the salt in the recipe is based on that time.

If you don't have much time, increase the amount of salt.

Also, you can freeze these guys for later use. 

Just wrap them individually and put them in zip lock bag, 

keep them in freezer up to couple of month.

How to thaw?

You can use microwave but I prefer this way.

Dunk the entire zip lock bag in the cold water for 20 minutes.

They are as fresh as before!

Ready to broil?

First, Wash the fishes again to remove excess salt. Set aside.

I will show you my secret of broiling fish without the worry of smell during cooking.

These are the peels of fruits, and veges.

Oranges, limes, lemons, apples, pears, onions, ginger, herbs,

any roots or leaves of veges such as celery, you name it.

Even watermelons or cantaloupes peels are good to use.

Do not throw away those peels. Recycle, baby!

Put them in a big zip lock bag and keep them in the freezer.

They are the fish smell busters!

Not only that, they infuse the fish with nice aroma, and keep them moist and flaky.

I even use them when roasting chicken. Wonderful!

Line a jellyroll pan with foil and spread the peels. Easy clean up!

You need a lot to cover the entire pan.

Place a rack on top of the peels.

Remember to spray the rack with oil spray, otherwise your fish will stick on.

Now, go back to the fishes and give them a few slits on both sides.

This will help the steam to escape and help even cooking.

Place the fish on top of rack and sprinkle just a little more salt on top if you like.

If your fish has been cured with salt for a long time you don't need to add more salt.

Pour about 1/4C of water in the pan. This will prevent the peels from burning.

 

Put them in preheated hot oven with broil setting, about 3 inch below the heat.

Broil for 8-10 minutes each side. 

Always check during that time to make sure they are not burning.

You might smell just a tiny bit when you open the oven to flip the fish to the other side.

But it should be gone by the time when fish is all done.

You will be amazed that you don't smell the fish at all.

Here is the perfectly broiled fish.

If you broil these guys without the peels,

you will be pinching your nose by now,

and the air in the room will be filled with fish smell for a few days. Yikes!

But how about the cutting board, knife, or your hands that cleaned these fishes?

Yes, They will get smelly. 

What do you do?

 

(So lucky to have extra hands here!)

After you clean them with soap,

You can use vinegar or lemon juice.

But I use sugar, white or brown, and rub them.

I don't know how, but somehow it works.

Your hands will feel so smooth, too.

Try it!

I usually serve this fish with Korean soy sauce (gook ganjang).
A tiny bit of dipping is all you need.

Tastes awesome that way!

Fish A : "Dude! that oven was so hot."

                     Fish B : "What did you expect? An air conditioner?"

Broiled Yellow Croaker

(Jogi guwi, 조기구이)

serves 2-4

2 whole yellow Croaker, scaled and cleaned

1/4C coarse salt

Bunch of frozen fruit and vegetable peels (orange, lemon, lime, onion, celery, ginger, etc)

1/4C water

Oil spray

Korean soy sauce for dipping, optional

1  Remove all the scales on the fish including body, around head, behind fins.

Wash them well. Trim off all the fins and sprinkle salt inside and outside of fishes.

Place on the plate and cover with plastic wrap. Let it chill for 6 hours or overnight.

2  When ready, preheat your oven on broil setting. The rack should be about 3 inch from the heat.

Wash the fish again to remove excess salt. Set aside.

3  Line a jellyroll pan with foil and spread the frozen fruit and vegetable peels all around. Spray a broil rack or mesh with oil spray and place on top of the peels.

4  Give a few slits on both side of fish with a knife and place the fish on top of the pan.

Place the pan in the hot oven with broil setting. Broil for 8-10 minutes each sides. Carefully flip in between.

Serve with Korean soy sauce if you wish. Dip bite size fish just a little bit in the sauce.

Printable recipe