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…
Korean Spicy Pork (Dwaeji Bulgogi) #WeekdaySupper
This is one of my favorite dishes! It certainly beats out the more popular and better known dish of beef bulgogi. I love the spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet marinade. Broiling or grilling the meat will caramelize the marinade nicely, but a quick pan fry is also sufficient. AND it is best served with rice….
Kimchi Contest in Brooklyn! Bring it!
It’s been a while since my last post, but I hope to start doing some real cooking soon. In the meantime, there will be some serious kimchi making action. My sister entered a team to compete in the New York Kimchi Contest organized by blogger, Maangchi. The event takes place on June 26th in Prospect Park,…
Beef Ddukboki (Non-Spicy Sautéed Korean Rice Cakes) #SundaySupper
#SundaySupper tastemakers are sharing recipes using healthy lean beef. I’m sharing my recipe for beef ddukboki, a weeknight favorite in our household. The more popular version of this dish is very spicy and VERY good. There is also a proper recipe for the non-spicy version and it is called Gungjung Ddukboki or Royal Court Sauteed…
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…