Thank you to Sarah Bates of The Chef Next Door for hosting today's Hot and Spicy #SundaySupper event! Have you heard of the 10,000-hour rule? Author Malcolm Gladwell theorizes that to truly master something, you will have had to log in at least 10,000 hours of practice. This theory was based on a study by Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson. So what does this have to do with kimchi? Well, I feel like kimchi-making requires some level of practice to get to a point where it's easy to make and, most importantly, it consistently tastes awesome. When I first posted a recipe for this same dish, I had only made it a few times and it turned out a decent kimchi...50 percent of the time. Now 5 years later, I've made this particular kimchi a little less than 100 times. And if we're following the 10,000-hour rule, I've got about 9,900 hours become an expert kimchi maker. But I feel like after 5 years or about 100 hours, I've got this dish down. I've gotten rid of a couple of steps, streamlined ...
Perilla Pancakes
Originally published September 11, 2011. I thought I'd revive this recipe for Chuseok! Happy Chuseok! The cool fall weather is here to stay and school is in full swing. It is also the end of the season for kaenip (perilla) and the leaves are fading into a yellowish light green hue. The other weekend, I plucked the remaining leaves and decided to do a few experiments after speaking with my mom. She mentioned that the older leaves tend to be a less tender and a little tougher. Sometimes she steams a bunch of leaves and makes ssam (wraps) or chops them up and makes jun (pancakes) or jang dduk, a special recipe that my mom culled from her mother that sounded really hearty and quite simply, yummy. The recipe incorporates a spoonful of dwaen jang into the batter. (I know, dwaen jang!) I've never actually had the dish before or even heard of such a thing, but the combination of the pungent salty, nutty dwaen jang, and the strong peppery, minty kaenip sounded enticing. If you ...
Some Korean Flavor…
Pa Jun or Korean Scallion Pancakes #SundaySupper
#SundaySupper is on a Mission to bring back Sunday supper around the family table in every home. Amber over at Mama’s Blissful Bites is hosting this week’s #SundaySupper . This Sunday’s theme is “Dishes in 5 Ingredients or Less” (exlcuding salt, pepper, water, and cooking fat). You don’t need a lot of ingredients to have a delicious…
Easy Weeknight Soy Chicken (Ddak Bulgogi)
It’s been a crazy few weeks for me. I just got a part-time gig as a kitchen designer and the hours are pretty perfect since I’m in the office while the kids are in school, but which also means, I have given up all the little free time that I had before. Needless to say,…
Fast and Simple Dwaenjang Guk (Korean soybean paste soup)
After a day of driving around playing chaffeur for my kids and going to multiple stores for this, that, and the other, the last thing I want to do is cook. I then think about the the limited take-out options and reluctantly convince myself that I will be disappointed….again. And if all the stars are…
Korean-style Dandelion Salad
Dandelion greens are in season right now. You should be seeing these leafy greens at your farmers market or grocery store! Get ’em while they’re young and tender. Go directly to the recipe. I thought summer was supposed to be laid back and relaxing. So far I feel overwhelmed playing catch up everyday and I definitely feel…