Spicy Cucumber Salad, for one of those lazy summer day

 

I need to tell you before I start this post that this will be my last one. What! 

(I can see your eyes are wide open! or maybe not, maybe nobody cares...)

Well, I mean my last post until I come back from my trip.  :)

Yes, I am going away for my annual summer trip. This year I am going to Europe. I am taking my two wild munchkins to France, Belgium, Austria, and Germany.  I will enjoy the train rides, the scenery, the castles, the museums, the people, and of course, the food.

I have been so busy studying for this trip this past few weeks. I feel like if I have studied this much while I was in college in my youth(?), I could have gotten the scholarship! LOL.

Anyway I have done my homework and ready to hit the road with my two little ones without my piano man. Yes, just me and my 9 and 7 year olds. So, please pray for me that I can return in one piece, without going crazy....

Today's post is simple cucumber salad that is very popular among Koreans during summer time. I love this salad. It is spicy, slightly sweet, full of flavor, and most of all, it is a great side salad for dishes like Galbi or Bulgogi, or Dakguwi. 

I often serve this with grilled chicken in simple Asian marinade when I feel lazy that I don't want to slave myself in the kitchen in hot summer days.

This is a salad that you can put together within 10 minutes or less, seriously! No joking here!

So let's start. Set your timer to 10 minutes now!

Simple salad, simple ingredients.

English cucumber, vinegar, plum extract(mashil jeup), shallot, garlic, 

Korean red chili flakes(gochugaru), black (or yellow) sesame seeds.

And of course some salt and pepper, too.

Slice cucumber thinly, about 1/8" thick.

If you have to use those American version with thick, waxy skin, peel off some of the skin.

Korean cucumber is even better if you can find it.

Her name is shallot. She is just a gorgeous girl next door!

She only comes in petite size, just like me!

Yes, you are right.  I am short and stocky!  :(

Chop her into even smaller pieces. 

Done? Lovely!

Chop your Mr. Garlic finer than usual.

Because you will eat him raw!

In a shallow bowl combine cucumbers with chili flakes, sugar, garlic, shallot, sesame seeds.

Add couple pinches of salt and pepper.

Add plum extract(mashil jeup) if you have. 

If you don't, don't worry about it.

 No big deal.

...but it is good to have one though :)

Add vinegar

and mix them well with your hands.

You can toss with spoons, but "real Koreans" use hands when tossing vegetables.

It helps the flavor to soak in cucumber.

Gotta taste one slice to check for seasoning!

You might need more salt.

You can chill for 30 minutes before you serve. 

Done! Has it been 10 minutes yet?

Cool, crunch, spicy, and full of flavor!

That's how you fight the hot summer days.

I am going to miss this kind of spicy food a lot this summer! :(

Well, well, well...

My dear friends and fellows,

Hope all of you have so much fun this summer, 

I will deliver your happy regards to Mrs. Mona Lisa in France,

...if I meet her in the Louvre...

Have fresh waffles for snack in Belgium,

...I will think of you when I eat...

And pay my tribute to the Trapp family in Austria,

...for their beautiful sound of music...

And, oh! 

Did I tell you that I will be staying at one of those fairy castles in Germany?

Waiting for my prince charming to pick me up on his white horse...

Well, just for a few hours though, you know...

Eat more food(good food) and be merry,

And I shall be back in August.

By then, 

Live long and prosper!

An-nyeong!

(안녕, Goodbye!)

Spicy Cucumber Salad

(Oi muchim, 오이무침)

serves 4 as side dish

1 English cucumber

1 shallot chopped

1 small garlic clove chopped

1-1 1/2T Korean chili flakes(gochugaru)

2t white vinegar

1 1/2t sugar

2t plum extract(optional)

1t sesame seeds, black or yellow

Couple of pinches of salt 

Dashes of pepper to taste

Slice the cucumber thinly, about 1/8" thick. Place them in a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well with hands until the cucumber slices gets incorporated with the dressing, about 30 seconds.

Taste one piece of cucumber to see if it is sell seasoned. You might need to add more salt.

Adjust seasoning for you liking.

You can chill this salad in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

If you let it sit too long the moisture in the cucumber will be extracted and the salad becomes too watery.

Note: This salad will compliment nicely to Korean grilled meat such as Galbi, Bulgogi, or any Chicken dishes.

Printable recipe

Thai Red Chicken Curry, Sawadtee Kaa!

Sawadtee Kaa!
As much as I love Korean food I love Thai food, too. I have been to Thailand many times over the years and I always enjoyed their cuisines. I love their beautiful tropical beaches, temples, people, and their smiles. It is sad to see their political turmoils which is on going in Thailand these days.
But sometimes these turmoil is unavoidable in order to obtain the democracy and the reformation the country needs. I just hope that it won't cost too much of its people's lives.

Going back to the Thai food, I want to make red chicken curry that is so easy to make and quick to put together. Perfect for weeknight's meal and it is not that spicy either.
Shall we start?

These are what I had in my kitchen to create the curry.

Red curry paste, coconut milk, fried tofu, chicken breast, tomato, egg plant, 

garlic, shallots, ginger(or galangal), lemongrass, and cilantro.

You will also need, fish sauce, chicken stock, Kaffir lime leaves, and brown sugar.

Chop garlic and shallots together. Set aside.

Just chop as fine as you want depends on your mood.

Slice egg plants and tomatoes into wedges.

Whatever size you like...

Cut off a little bit of head and bottom end parts from the lemongrass.

Say "Adios!" to those end parts.

Smack the lemongrass, baby!

This will help release nice fragrance from the lemongrass.

Slice some ginger. (galangal is even better if you have)

-I love the sound of ga-lan-gal, ga-lan-gal-

Slice the fried tofu into whatever size you like, too.

Today is whatever day!

Dice chicken breast into YOUR bite size, not mine!

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in the pot over medium high heat.

Saute chicken pieces until cooked. Remove from pot.

Add lemongrass and garlic shallot mixture to the pot and saute them for 10 seconds.

Mix red curry paste with 2tsp water.

Add curry paste to the pot and add more oil if the pot seems too dry.

Keep stirring for 30 seconds.

Add chicken stock to the pot

and continue to stir.

Add tofu slices,

chicken pieces,

ginger pieces, kaffir lime leaves,

and tomato slices.

In a bowl mix coconut milk with some water to thin out a little.

Add milk to the pot.

Stir them well.

Add eggplants

brown sugar,

and fish sauce. Stir and

cover with lid. Cook for 5 more minutes, adjusting the heat.

When done, taste to see if you need more seasoning. 

Adjust amount of fish sauce for your liking.

That's all folks!

This is slightly thick curry.

If you want thinner, add more chicken stock.

Sprinkle some chopped cilantro on top when you serve.

I enjoyed my not-so-hard-to-make-curry with rice today.

Sometimes a simple meal like this makes you happier than a 5* gourmet.

And this fits the bill in my pocket. 
How perfect?

Khob-kun-Ka!

(Thank you!)

Thai Red Chicken Curry

(Gaeng Khiao Wan Gai)

 serves 2

1 chicken breast half, diced into bite size

2T oil, divided

2 garlic chopped

1 shallot chopped

1 lemongrass, end parts removed and smashed to release fragrance

 2T red curry paste mixed in 2t water

3T chicken stock

A handful fried tofu cut in half

3 Kaffir lime leaves

1" ginger piece, peeled and sliced 

1 tomato sliced into wedges

200g (7oz) coconut milk mixed in 1/2C water

1 Asian eggplant, sliced into desired size

1t brown sugar

1t fish sauce

Some chopped cilantro to garnish

1 Heat 1T oil in the sauce pot over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken pieces and saute until done. Remove from pot and set aside.

2 Add garlic, shallot, lemongrass into the pot and saute until fragrant, about 10 seconds.

Add curry paste and another 1T oil, fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and mix well.

3 Add tofu, chicken, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, tomato slices, and stir them well. Pour coconut milk into the pot and add eggplants. Season with brown sugar and fish sauce. Cover the lid and cook for 5 minutes adjusting heat. When done, taste the curry to see if you need more fish sauce. Adjust the amount of fish sauce for your liking.

Serve hot with rice and some chopped cilantro sprinkled on top

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