Korean Style Soup

 

This is my take on a Korean Style Soup.  The tofu I used was soft, but not the tube-shaped style that is typically used in soondubu.  It came in a tray.  I don't have a special cooking stone bowl pot, so I had to cook the soup in a regular pot as well as the egg.  When this is served to me in the restaurant, they give the egg to you to crack into the soup yourself.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
  
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 ounces pork belly, chopped
• 4 Tablespoons Korean red pepper powder
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
• 2 cups water
  
• 1/2 cup kim chee, chopped
• 3 ounces mushrooms
• 1 cup bok choy
• 2 eggs

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as described above (chop)
2. Heat canola oil in pot.
   
3. Add garlic, green onions, and yellow onions to the oil and stir fry until fragrant.
4. Add pork belly, stir fry, and cook well.
5. Add Korean red pepper powder, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce and stir.  Let simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors come together.
6. Add water and bring to a boil.
7. Add kim chee and stir.
8. Add mushrooms and bok choy.  Push it under the soup and bring to boil.
9. Crack eggs directly into soup and let it sit until the whites of the egg turn white.
10. Serve immediately.
11. Enjoy!

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
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Spinach Side Dish

 

I used Maangchi’s recipe for this dish.  I made an entire Costco-size bag worth of spinach, so I doubled the recipe. I did a couple things differently - crush the sesame seeds and add some red chili flakes. Thank you @maangchi 

Ingredients:

• spinach
• sesame seeds
• sesame oil
• soy sauce
• green onions
• red chili flakes (a dash)
  

For measurements and instructions, visit Maangchi's website for her recipe.  Here is the link: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sigumchi-namul

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
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Gochujang Cucumbers

My buddy had a bunch of cucumbers and gave me some.  I wasn't sure what to make with them and found a recipe online for gochujang cumbers.  It was quick and easy to prepare.  I added some hot chili oil and chopped them up instead of slicing.  I enjoyed it and ended up buying more cucumbers and making this again after I ate the first batch.

Here is the link to the original recipe from cooking with a wall flower. https://cookingwithawallflower.com/2020/04/08/gochujang-cucumbers/

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
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Kim Chee Firm Tofu Soup

Alright don't hate me, but I go outside.  Let me explain.  Before all this COVID-19 madness started, I was working on improving my exercise routine.  I started going to the gym regularly and it was becoming a habit.  I wanted to work my jogging up to 10 miles per week.  I actually used to jog a lot.  A two-mile or 4-mile run was normal for me years ago and so was 10 miles per week.  I used to do a lot of 5K runs as well. 

Obviously, I've slacked off hard and I want to get back into it.  By mid-March, I had worked my way up to 3-5 miles per week and felt pretty good about it.   A number of events and personal changes in my life happened.  Additionally, I had to move as the place I was living in was being sold.  I gave up my plants, my entire container garden.

I now work remotely and may get a pay cut soon.  I understand that the previous projected budget for this fiscal year is now a lot less and that adjustments must be made. I know that I'm lucky to still have a job and I am better off than a lot of people and I am grateful for that.  A pay cut is much better than getting laid off and losing medical coverage.  I am aware of this and I am thankful.  I know a lot of people are stressed out right now.  Life is not normal and we are all doing our best to cope.  Don't be mean and talk shit to me.  Everyone has their own struggles.

I go outside to go walking for exercise.  I would like to attempt to jog, but I wear a mask and it's already hard to breath.  I push the crosswalk buttons with my elbows and wash my hands/arms when I reach home.  Yesterday, I tried lifting some weights at home after my walk.

Anyway, I went to the UPS store to return some items.  After moving to a new place, you realize you need some things.  Some things I purchased didn't work out.  For example, the over-the-toilet shelf was missing some pieces and the lazy susan spice rack couldn't fit in my cabinet.  There is a Korean grocery store just under the UPS store, in the same building.  Since I was already there, I decided to stop by.  I got a big container of whole cabbage kim chee and a bento.  It was great because I was able to make numerous meals with the kim chee, including this soup, another batch of kim chee soup with seafood, and a fried rice.  Being able to make a ton of meals with something helps reduce the amount of times you have to go out to get food.

I used firm tofu because that's what I had available in my fridge.  The soft tofu soup made with SOFT tofu, which is the authentic way is much better.  The broth is also much better the authentic way.  This is just my easy variation.  I ate it with some brown rice.

I honestly don't know if I used un choy or pak choy or a different kind of choy.  I googled it and was still unsure.  Let me know if you know, when you watch my videos.  Thank you!

Ingredients:

• 2 Arabiki sausages, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup kim chee, chopped
• 1/2 block firm tofu, cubed
• 2 cups water
• 1 bunch un choy, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 Tablespoon chili oil 
• 2 Tablespoons green onions, chopped

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as described above (chop, cube).
2. Add sausages to pan. 
3. Stir fry until slightly charred all over.
4. Add kim chee, water, tofu, un choy, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and chili oil.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Garnish with chopped green onions.
7. Enjoy!

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
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Korean Style Seafood Bok Choy Chickpea Pancake

I wanted to make a Korean style pancake with a lot of vegetables.  I also wanted to experiment with chickpea flour since I already had it at home.  Supposedly, it's very nutritious but I don't know what it has, like vitamins or whatever.  You can google it if you're interested.  I know it contains fiber like any other bean and that's why you fart when you eat a lot of beans.

Real Korean pancakes don't use chickpea flour, a lot of recipes even say pancake mix.  My local Korean store stocks pancake mix.  I checked the ingredients for one of them, which were flour, baking soda, and msg so it didn't seem complex.  I basically looked at several recipes and made my own variation.  I also found a veggie pancake that sounded delicious.  I'll have to try that another time.

I think this turned out just okay.  My pancake didn't hold together as well as it should have.  This was probably due to the use of chickpea flour instead of regular flour or pancake mix.  Another thing that I would also change is the shoyu (aka soy sauce) in the sauce.  I used a brand called Kikkoman because someone gave it to me and that's what I had on hand.  He was gonna throw it out, that's the only reason I took it.  I didn't want it to go to waste.  But it has a distinct umami flavor that I don't care for and it tastes very salty.  My favorite shoyu is low sodium Aloha brand.

If you'd like to try and make it exactly the way I did, the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients for Pancake:

• 1 cup mixed seafood, defrosted
• 3 cups bok choy, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 3 stalks green onion, chopped into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 2 Tablespoons oil for cooking

Ingredients for Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon gochujang (red pepper paste)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
• 1 sprinkle toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as listed above (slice, chop, defrost).
2. Heat large pan.  Add oil.
3. Add bok choy, white onion, and green onion. Stir fry until half wilted.
4. Add seafood, sprinkling around the pan evenly.
5. In a bowl, mix chickpea flour with water and egg.  Pour batter all over vegetables and seafood.
6. Let sit for a few minutes to set before flipping over to help keep the pancake intact.
7. Flip and let cook through.
8. In a separate bowl, mix all ingredients for sauce together.
9. Serve pancake with sauce.
10. Enjoy!

IG: @abundanceofvegetables

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