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.

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.

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.

Yangzhou Style Fried Rice, and trip to Yangshuo

"Oh my! Look what I got?"
To my surprise, I found these gorgeous royal blue rice bowls hidden in a box that I abandoned in the storage.
I totally forgot about these beautiful bowls for a few years.
The memory started to flow and I remembered that I got them somewhere near Yanzhou Yangshuo, China.

I traveled Guilin and Yanzhou Yangshuo, two of the most scenic old town of China, several years ago. The scenery along the Li-river supposed to be stunningly beautiful and I was excited to enjoy it, but alas! It was raining and foggy when I took the cruise. All I saw was the misty fogs and the silhouettes of gorges behind.
With disappointment, I was walking on rural streets of unknown town near Yangzhou Yangshuo without much expectation after I landed.
 It was quiet and peaceful to wander around. I peaked at local's daily life, seeing them playing Mahjong, many sitting on their front door smoking...

Kimchee Shrimp Cakes, farewell my Kimchee...

Oh, no! My winter cabbage Kimchee came to an end... :(

There was only one head of Kimchee left lonely in my Kimchee container. Alas! Tears streaming down on my cheeks (just the imaginary tears)... I have to say goodbye to her.

I have enjoyed stews, pan cakes, fried rice, and patties, etc with it all through the winter. It has been a wonderful culinary journey with my fabulous Kimchee this winter.

So for my final farewell party, I made Kimchee cakes with the help of shrimp and tofu.

If you have some nasty fermented Kimchee abandoned in the back corner of your fridge, bring them out to the world. This recipe will bring the dinner in snap. It is quick and easy to make, wonderful for weeknight menu.

Let's get our hands in action! But first, allow me to wipe off my tears... Thank you.

*****

The guest lists are; Kimchee, shrimps, tofu, chives, panko crumbs, eggs, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. 

I used 8 of 21-25 counts big shrimps. Dice them into small chunks.

Squeeze your kimchee to remove her juice. 

Chop her as fine as you can. 

Wrap the tofu tightly with the cotton cloth and squeeze him to remove his juice as well.

In a bowl combine shrimps, kimchee, tofu and some chopped chives (or green onions).

Add panko crumbs, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and an egg. Then I realized...

One egg was not enough to hold the mixture together. They looked too crumbly.

So I added another egg and mixed all with hand by massaging them around. Looks just right.

You want to massage them so the tofu will get mashed and incorporated with everything.

Scoop a spoonful of mixture onto hot oiled skillet. Press gently to flatten down a bit.

I wouldn't worry about making perfect shape on these cakes. Save your worries to other things in life...

Pan fry them for 3-4 minutes on each side over medium to med-low heat, until nice and brown.

That is all to it. Quite simple and easy, right?

My sweet angel loved it.  I meant to serve them as a snack but she ate them like a dinner with some rice.

Time to say goodbye to my dear winter cabbage kimchee.

So long,

Farewell,

and

Auf Wiedersehen.

Winter has ended and the spring buds are popping everywhere.

My favorite season has arrived...

Cherry blossom festival is coming soon here in D.C.

I bet the blossoms will be in their peak in Japan as well.

My thoughts and prayers are with them.

Words can't describe their losses.

But there's always a hope blossoming somewhere,

and

I believe they will make it happen,

with their noble and strong spirit to unite...

Kimchee Shrimp Cakes

(새우 김치전, saewoo kimchee jeon)

makes about 15 patties

1/3 head (about 1/3 pound) Kimchee

8 (21-25 counts) large frozen shrimps, thawed and chopped

8 oz firm tofu, drained

1/4 cup chives or green onion finely chopped

2 large eggs

1/2 cup panko crumbs

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

pinch salt and pepper

some canola or grape seed oil for sauteing

Squeeze kimchee to remove its juice and moisture, chop finely, reserve about 1 cup.

Wrap tofu with a cotton cloth tightly and squeeze out to remove as much water as possible.

In a mixing bowl combine kimchee, shrimps, and tofu. Add chives, eggs, panko crumbs, sesame oil, sesame seeds and season with salt and pepper. With your hand, massage them around to mix so the tofu will get mashed and everything gets incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and sticky.

Heat about 1 Tbsp of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Scoop a spoonful of kimchee shrimp mixture on the skillet and gently press down to flatten a little bit. Saute for 3-4 minutes on each side until nice and brown.

Adjust heat so they won't burn. Drizzle more oil in the skillet if needed.

Serve hot with some rice or eat as it is.

Printable recipe