이남장 - Lee, Nam Jang or Nam Jang Lee

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!I'm not doing much cooking out here in the Motherland only because I have a wonderful MIL who bans me from entering the kitchen. No, really. She doesn't let me cook at all. I <3 my MIL. Anyhow, let me begin this post by saying I am not in anyway affiliated with any of the restaurants I'm recommending. If I were - I'd be rich doncha think? =P These

Greetings from Korea

Street Foods. You can't go wrong with this. =) Hope everyone has a very, Merry Christmas!

Cow Parts

MOOOOOOO.  That’s me being a cow. Hello all!  I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving break – yes I realize I’m a bit late.  Anyhow, I thought I would do a short little blog on cow parts.  I made beef tang no less than four times already this winter so I thought I would share some of the different parts of cow you can buy at the butcher shop so you can see what it looks like.   Knee caps.  If

Fresh Kimchi–Gut Jul Eeh Kimchi with Raw Oysters

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  I’m sure our dinner table isn’t much different from some of the other Korean-American dinner tables out there.  For as long as I can remember we have always had Korean food on Thanksgiving.  It wasn’t until I was old enough to learn how to roast a turkey that our family started having turkey on Thanksgiving.  =P  Now our tables look like a mix of the

Random…

I made do-gan-neeh (basically same process as gom gook using different parts of the cow – in this case, cow knee bones) tang yesterday and added some beef eye of round into it as well.  I took a big piece of beef eye of round and added it to the boiling broth.  When it was just under two hours, I removed the beef and let it cool down.  Once cooled, I took a large, sharp knife and sliced the beef

Ggak Ddoogi–(깍두기)–Version 2.0

  Is fall/winter (they sorta just blend in SoCal don’t they?) finally hitting SoCal?  About time, eh?  It has been hot for so long that I’m sort of welcoming this cold.  SORT OF.  I’ll always be a SoCal girl and that means my body can only tolerate so much cold.  On a side note, the MR has been out of the country for almost a month now leaving our house feeling a bit empty.  It has been just

Steamed Egg – (계란찜) - Version 3.0

This California weather is sort of crazy, isn’t it?  EARTHQUAKE weather for sure.  =/  Growing up in Cali, I’m so used to earthquakes.  I’ve been through quite a few of the big ones so they hardly bother me anymore – but still the thought of the next big one is pretty scary.  =P The rain has made it a lazy day today.  All of Munchkin’s sports activities this week have been cancelled due to rain.

Spicy Chicken Gizzards – 매운 닭똥집 볶음

I started this recipe a couple weeks ago, but never had the time to finish up the post. I’ll attempt to finish it now from my memory.  =P   I’m reusing the pictures from my older post on Fried Chicken Gizzards because I completely forgot to take pictures during this stage.  Basically, cut your gizzards up wash in some flour/salt and then boil it for about 10 minutes to rid of all impurities

Chicken Porridge with Vegetables

I haven’t made this type of jook in so long…since Munchkin was a baby?    Ingredients Needed: 1 small chicken breast 1/2  CUP white rice, 1/2 CUP sweet rice 6 CUPS of various chopped vegetables 1 can vegetable broth 1 32 OZ box of chicken broth 2-3 CUPS water   We are a small family of three, so we hardly ever eat whole packs of any type of meat.  As soon as I get

Spicy Chicken BBQ – Dak Galbi – 닭 갈비

I had all the ingredients for Dak Galbi conveniently on hand, so I decided to give it a go tonight.  I was going to save this post for later, but decided what the heck - I’ve been on a blogging binge eh?  =P   Ingredients Needed: 2 small chicken breasts - I buy the thin breast filets at Ralphs and saran wrap each individual breast and store them in bags in the freezer – I will take a

Choong Chun Dak Galbi - (Restaurant Review)

A couple of weeks ago, nine women met up for some dak galbi at Choong Chun Dak Galbi in K-town.  I know this place has been around for some time, but if you haven’t tried it yet – you should try it at least once.  It’s not mind-blowing by any means, but it’s one of those restaurants I say you should try at least once.   Anyhow, the reason I posted this picture up is because I plan on

Serrano Chilies in Vinegar Sauce

I was at Bristol Farms a couple of weeks ago and saw that their Serrano chilies looked particularly fresh, so I picked up a bunch.  At first, I was going to pickle them in soy sauce, but then I remembered the chilies they serve at Thai restaurants and decided to make those instead.  Anyhow, here goes my rendition.  I made this over the weekend and did a taste test today and so far, so good.

Spicy Serrano Chiles in Vinegar and Sugar

Yup, an update will be coming soon.I promise.It's nothing fancy, but it's something in my fridge at the moment. =)I missed you all once again.Hope you have been well.

Chicken Gizzard Stir-fry - Dak Ddong Jjip - (닭똥집 볶음)

  Our lives have been so busy these last two weeks now that Munchkin is officially a Kindergartener.  I know it’s such a cliché, but it seriously seems like just yesterday that he was born and look at him now - all grown up and going to school to LEARN.  Munchkin has been in preschool since he was 2.5 years old, so this adjustment has been pretty easy for him…so far.  He’s bringing home homework

Noo-Roong-Ji (누룽지) – Burnt Rice Snack (?)

Hello everyone!  I know I’ve been MIA forever and ever.  This blog is always in the back of my mind and I often think, “This is the week where I will finally update…” and then another week passes and I find myself  doing other things.  =/  So again – my apologies first. Life has been trudging along as usual.  I’m quickly approaching my two-year cancer anniversary and it’s unbelievable how

Onion Salad

Once again, I’ve been on a blogging hiatus and I apologize for that.  The weather has been SOOOOOOOOOO hot here in SoCal that just the thought of going into the kitchen and turning up the heat was suffocating.  I felt bad about not cooking more often, so this past weekend we headed to K-town and picked up some meat.  On Sunday we had some yummy steaks and today we ate cha-dol-begi. Enough

100.000

It's yet another sleepless night so I decided to check out my google analytics (really cool!) and found that I have had over 100,000 (103,702 to be exact! =P) unique visitors to this site.WOW! =OWho knew that Korean food could be so popular?!So I just wanted to say THANK YOU again to each and every one of you who visits this site. I'm sorry I don't update often, but like I say all the time

Mook Moochim – 묵무침

EDIT:  A reader informed me that I forgot to mention that I used red pepper powder.  Oops.  Yes, I did use red pepper powder and apparently forgot to write it down.  Sorry!  Recipe has been updated. There are many ways to eat mook.  You can eat it straight, you can eat it with just sauce, you can eat mook bap, or you can make mook moochim!  I had a lot of fresh vegetables in my fridge and

Mook – (묵) - Part 1

I know I’ve been slacking off on the updating department again.  Once I heard the news that my scans were clear, I no longer needed this blog as much.  This blog takes up a lot of my time, so running a household, running a business and trying to update this regularly starts to become a little much sometimes.  I’m working from home today, so I finally had the opportunity to sit down and update.  I

Chicken with Potatoes – DakDoriTang - (닭도리탕)

I’m about to have a heart attack watching this Lakers game.  I know true sports fanatics will say THIS is the way to play and that the excitement is what makes it real sports, but honestly I wish it could be a simple repeat of Game 6!  Anyhow, I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that there are various ways to make the same dish.  There’s no right way and no wrong way.  Whatever tastes best to you,

Red Pepper Paste Tofu Soup - Gochujang Dooboo Jjigae - (고추장 두부 찌개)

I have *not* been cooking lately.  Whenever I get a scan, I’m pretty much a ball of nerves until I get the results.  Literally, life is on *hold* and I don’t breathe again until I hear the words, “All is clear and there is no evidence of disease.”  I know I shouldn’t let these stupid scans run my life like that and I’m hoping with more years under my belt, I will learn to control my emotions a

Egg Roll with Corn and Cheese - (콘 치즈 계란말이)

It’s that time of the year again.  =/  I’m sitting here on the eve of yet another scan.  This is the time where I learn if I get to live life as normal again for the next six months or if I’m a *patient* again.  I go in for an MRI early tomorrow morning.  Not.looking.forward.to.it.  AT ALL.  It’s weird living as a cancer patient.  Life after treatment was supposed to be *great* and oh so

Shik-Hae – Sweet Rice Drink (dessert!) - 식혜

After reading one of my recent comments about shik-hae, I immediately started craving it.  I have a thing with food.  If I want to eat something.  *I MUST*  or I become one cranky lil old woman.  =P Ingredients Needed: 1.5 CUP cooked rice (1/2 sweet rice, 1/2 short grain white rice) 3/4 CUP yut gee-leum (fine malt powder), 1 gallon water 1/3 CUP sugar (add as much as you want to your

Dol Sot Bibimbap - (돌솥 비빔밥)

Every time my family has an event, I make sure and collect some of all the leftover banchans.  =P  I love that my family that lives less than two miles away.  Anyhow, bibimbap is SUPER easy to make…if you have all the ingredients.  I would *never* go about and try to make each and every ingredient by myself because, quite frankly, I’m lazy.  However, on days like this when all the banchans are

Gom Gook - (꼬리 곰탕)

One of my readers asked me to find them this recipe (hey h!) and I’m currently working hard to move all my pictures onto Picasa.  The quality of the pictures seems to be a lot crisper and cleaner than where I had them loaded previously.  Yes, it’s time consuming.  I realize now that I have over 100 recipes on this blog.  =O  When did I cook so much?! Anyhow, this is a really old post, but I

Jae-sah at the KC Household

As I mentioned, it was our grandfather’s jae-sah yesterday so our family met up for dinner at my parent’s house.  Although our family is Christian, I always found it interesting how they never forget to honor the deceased.  The following pictures are what we ate.      Spinach, Gosari, and Doraji.  This picture reminds me I never posted a gosari and doraji recipe.  I will have to do that in the

Cucumber Banchan

            The MR and Munchkin are both big fans of cucumbers.  I can cut up raw cucumbers and Munchkin will carry it around the house just chomping away.  This love of cucumbers has forced me to build up an arsenal of cucumber recipes in the last, now almost six, years of marriage.  I have cucumber banchan 1, cucumber banchan 2, cucumber banchan 3, cucumber banchan 4, cucumber banchan 5…well

Food From Korea 2010 – Part Four

While in Korea, we had the opportunity to visit Jejudo for two nights.  The last time I was there was exactly 10 years ago and I must say the little island has changed.  The streets are all paved and it’s so easy to get around!  We were fully able to get around ourselves with just a navi and rental car.     We were in a mart and I saw this!  So cool.  Spam in a pack!  I’m told they now have

Food From Korea 2010 – Part Three

     THIS!  OMG.  THIS was perhaps the best jjambong I ate in my life.  It was a little hole in the wall with no more than 10 tables, but there was a line out the door.  The MR actually went back the next day to eat it again.     Street food in Insadong.     Boong-uh Bbang!  Totally brought me back to my childhood.       Octopus Leg.  I love octopus leg.  My uncle used to

Quail Eggs in Soy Sauce - (메추리알 조림)

While at the Korean grocery store, I happened to come upon some quail eggs and decided to buy them.    Ingredients Needed: 20 quail eggs 10-15 garlic cloves, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper 2 CUPS water, 1/4 CUP soy sauce, 1.5 TB sugar, 2TB cooking wine   I just bought one package of eggs.   Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes and then rinse them under cool water.

Food From Korea 2010 - Part Two

I don’t remember the names of all these restaurants, though I’m sure I have pictures of the sign post somewhere. I will just upload these pictures and if anyone is really interested in visiting a particular restaurant, leave a comment and I’ll go and dig up the name.      I loved how most of the restaurants were so kid friendly!     Lunch at Xin Restaurant.  I asked the family to

My Camera

I know some people have been asking here and there.99.9% of the food pictures on this blog are taken with my Canon 50D with this Tamron lens. I am probably one of the few food bloggers that use *gasp* flash in ALL my food pictures. The reason I use flash is because we live in a condo that faces the opposite side of the sun. I have minimal natural lighting. =P I do have another lens that I

Food from Korea 2010 – Part One

My closet is emptied and I’m finding it really hard to put everything back in.  I’m supposed to gather up the winter clothes and take them to my mom’s house for storage, but instead I thought I would torture my readers with some food pictures taken in Korea.  =P  It’s lunch time now, right?   Enjoy!     Family dinner at home!     Lunch with the MR and Munchkin at Shinsaegae.  I only

BooChoo Jun – 부추 전

This past weekend was definitely a much needed break for our family.  We spent *every* single day together out and about and doing something or another.  I already mentioned in my previous post that we stocked up on groceries.  While at the store, they were having a *sale* on boo-choo (Korean chives), so I decided to stock up and make some jun/jeon. I washed and cleaned THREE bunches of boochoo.

Are you a FAN yet?

You're not? Well then, what's stopping you?!Hurry up and get to it please! =)CLICK ON THIS and hit "LIKE" next to Korean Cuisine.THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!P.S. I'm BAAACKKKK! ;)P.P.S. And NO the insurance fu**tards have still not approved my next set of MRI's. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they get off their lazy butts and do so in the next week or so. I'm *very* curious to see

Rolled Egg – (계란 말이)

I’m currently in the midst of using new publishing software to make posting on this blog a bit easier.  I’m a bit comp-illiterate so trying to figure out how to use a new platform is quite time consuming.  You might see a lot of posts coming up and down over the next few weeks while I try and get everything sorted out.  =P  Please bear with me. Anyhow, over the weekend we dropped by K-Town to

Ojinguh Bokeum Version 2.0 - Squid Stir Fry - (오징어 볶음)

Both the MR and Munchkin *LOVE* squid. When we go to a Chinese restaurant, Munchin is not like other kids. He doesn't ask for jja-jang-myun at all and will instead ask for jjam-bbong AKA the noodles with ojinguh. =P We took advantage of the long weekend and headed out to Santa Monica Beach yesterday. We acted like total tourists and rented bicycles and zipped up and down the beach. If you

Facebook!

Do you have an account? If so, become a fan!I figure it will be a quick way to get updates on my blog. I also intend to make a photo library with links pointing back to this blog so that you can find recipes more quickly.Hop to it already...GO AND "LIKE" ME!P.S. There's a real post below so keep scrolling down! =P

Momil Gooksoo in Soba Sauce

HELLOOOO! Is anyone still out there? I know I've been a really bad blogger and haven't had an update of substance in a long time. In fact, I feel kinda guilty coming back today since this post will also be a *non-recipe* of sorts. Anything not made from scratch, doesn't constitute as a *real* recipe to me. But I digress... I'm not sure if you've noticed yet, but I really like NOODLES. I

Mook

I suppose it's another one of those late nights... While in Korea, we enjoyed mook everywhere we went. Eating mook at various restaurants in various forms totally made me reminisce my childhood. My parents were always hard workers, so my lil bro and I were often left in the care of a "halmoni". One of the halmonis I remember the most was the one who would pick up acorns on the street. She,

It feels good to be home.

We're back from Korea! It feels SO good to be home. I ate and tasted so many new foods. There are many things I want to try and copy! =P Stay tuned for some new recipes. I'm going to attempt to replicate some of the great dishes we ate while in the motherland. I think I'll start by trying to make THIS. Momeel gooksoo + dongchimi gookmool = heaven on a chopstick!

Greetings from Korea!

We are safe and sound in Korea. All the family here has been intent on feeding us until we pop. But all we've been craving is street food. =P

Spam Kimbap

On lazy weekends, once in a blue moon I’m crazy enough to make kimbap.  It’s literally an all day event! Once I get started, I sit there and make kimbap all morning and sometimes all afternoon! And about halfway through the rice, I ended up running out of ingredients for gogi kimbap. So I dug through my pantry and found this can of SPAM.

Spicy Crab Soup - (꽃게탕)

I made this over the weekend, but I've been lazy to put it up. Like always, there are a variety of ways to make this dish, but I tend to cheat and buy the marinated crab at the K-markets.  Why?  Because it's already fully seasoned and all CLEAN and cut - bottom line, it saves me a lot of time.   I would say this is roughly about 1 lb. of spicy crab. When the K-market has fresh ggot-gae (

Veggie Udon - 야채 우동

The following is one of my "cheat" meals, meaning it's not completely from scratch. I make this a lot on lazy Saturdays and Sundays when I don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen.             First bring 3 cups of water to a boil with a strip of dashima.   Here's where I cheat. I add 3 TB of the udon sauce. It's quick, it's easy and tastes a lot better than

Uh-Mook Jorim - Fish Cakes - 어묵 조림

I apologize about the sporadic updates. One of my New Year's resolutions was to spend more time on this blog and hopefully make a mini-cookbook by the end of this year. =P We'll see how that goes since I'm not very motivated to do much these days. I've put up an uh-mook bokeum recipe up before, and this following recipe is quite similar, only with more liquid. Instead of pan-frying the

Rice Cake and Dumpling Soup - 떡만두국

Let me preface this post by saying there are many ways to cook a dish. There is no right way and no wrong way. If it tastes great to YOU, then you did it the right way! I realized today that it has been about a year and a half since I started this blog. I've been going through some of my old recipes and my cooking has definitely evolved from some of those older posts. In present day

Seafood Kalgooksoo - 해물 칼국수

My friend and I were dining at Moo Dae Po II (I wonder why it got such a bad review on yelp?) the other week and they had this seafood noodle pot that they gave us at the end. They used thinner noodles at the restaurant, but kalgooksoo noodles is what I had in my pantry so it had to do.   Not to be a noodle whore, but these didn’t taste that great.  =/  I would suggest choosing a thinner

Cold Moo (Daikon) Kimchi

It's another sleepless night, so I thought I would finally go and update this recipe. Basically, I just used my mandolin to slice the moo up into thin slices. Dongchimi moo is a lot smaller than the regular sized daikons, so it actually fit right through my mandolin pretty nicely.   See how thin it is? I then salted it and let it sit out for a few hours. This

Dongchimi (Daikon) Kimchi - (동치미 김치)

I realized that I never got around to posting my Donchimi Kimchi recipe. I made this a few times over the years and just found pictures of it from the last time I made it last summer (before I got sick). Anyhow, this time I was at the K-market and found that they had the baby moos perfect for making donchimi kimchi, so I couldn't resist.           Each of these were a bit bigger than a