Yummy Foods Creations

ondeh-ondeh

2009-10-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

This is a local dessert commonly known as ondeh ondeh. Ondeh ondeh is a baba and nyonya dish which originate in Melaka. The original ondeh ondeh does not have a coconut filling. Normally it is made of a sweet potato dough or pandan dough to wrapped with some chopped gula melaka and boiled in a pot of boiling water and then coat with some steamed shredded coconut.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1) 200g glutinous rice flour

2) 150ml pandan juice(screwpine pandanus)or 5 drops of 'Green' food colouring

3) 3 tbs water

4) 200g palm sugar, chopped into a small cube (u can use ‘compressed’ brown sugar)

5) 1/2 tsp salt

6) 15g grated coconut

Methods:

1) Combine the glutinous rice flour, pandan juice and water together, kneading well to form of smooth pliable dough.

2) Bring a pan of water (a lot) to the boil. Lower the heat so that the water simmers gently. Pinch out a small ball of dough the size of calamansi limes and roll in your palms.

3) Make a small well in the centre of the dough and fill with chopped palm sugar. Pinch the dough together to enclose, roll them gently to smoothen and, as you make them, drop them into simmering the water.

4) When the dough balls float to the top, carefully remove them with a slotted spoon and allow any excess water to drip off.

5) Drop the balls into the grated coconut and roll them around to coat evenly. Transfer to serving plate.

Pandan dough:

Sweet Potato dough:

Parmesan Chicken Salad Sandwich

2009-07-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 can flaked/chunked chicken breast
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 medium romaine lettuce hearts
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
2 tomatoes
dash white pepper dash seasoning salt
bread for 6 sandwiches

Methods/Directions:

Drain chicken and flake with fork into medium size bowl. Rip lettuce into small pieces and add to bowl. Cut the tomatoes and add ranch dressing with Parmesan cheese. Mix gently, but well. Use a fork to place chicken salad ontobread. Add dash of pepper and seasoning salt to each sandwich.

Bibim bap (Beef & mixed vegetable bowl) Recipe

2009-07-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

3 cups rice, a handful of soy bean sprouts

4 dried shiitake mushrooms, 1 zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 cup go sa ri (packaged fernbrake in water)

1/2 cup mu (Korean radish), julienne

4 oz beef, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup carrot, julienne, 1/2 onion, sliced

4 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste), 4 eggs

sesame oil, vegetable oil for sautéing

soy bean sprouts seasoning: 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp sesame seeds, a pinch of sugar

shiitake mushrooms seasoning: 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp sugar

zucchini seasoning: 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup water

fernbrake seasoning: 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sesame seeds

radish seasoning: 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup water

beef seasoning: 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp minced garlic
pinch of pepper

Wash rice until the water comes out clean.
Add 3.5 cups of water, cook rice in a rice cooker.
Or cook in a pot on a high heat until the water is absorbed.
Reduce heat to very low, cover with a lid, cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Turn the heat off, leave for 10-15 minutes with a lid on.

Marinate beef with seasonings.

Soy bean sprouts -
Wash and add to a pot, pour 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt, cover the lid.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cook for 5-7 minutes.
Don't peek it, if they smell like cooked beans, they're done.
Pour into a colander, let cool for a while.
Add seasonings, mix.

Shiitake mushrooms -
Dried ones need to be reconstituted, add warm water, leave until softened.
Wash, squeeze out water, slice thinly.
Add to a pan with seasonings, saute briefly.

Zucchini -
Add in a pan with seasonings on a high heat with a lid.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Open the lid, let cool.

Fernbrake -
Drain the water, add oil to a pan, saute with seasonings.
Add sesame seeds at the last minute.
Let cool.

Radish -
Add in a pan with seasonings on a high heat with a lid.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cook for 4-5 minutes.
Open the lid, let cool.

Onion -
Saute with some salt.

Carrot -
Saute with some salt.

Saute beef on a high heat.

To assemble the bowl -
Put rice on a bottom, arrange vegetables around.
Add egg york (or sunny side up, or just fried) on top.

Serve with go chu jang and sesame oil.

Potato Salad

2009-06-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Russian Potato Salad

German Potato Salad

Japanese Potato Salad

Peruvian Potato Salad

I Have 5 different Potatoes to make Salads:

1) German Potato Salad
Makes 4 servings

2 pounds potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
Ground pepper to taste

Directions/Methods

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, but not soft. Drain potatoes. Cut them in half and then in slices.

2. Fry the bacon. When crisp, drain on paper towels. Keep the bacon fat in the pan.

3. Add the chopped onion to the pan. Cook until translucent.

4. Sprinkle the flour, sugar, and mustard powder over the onions. Stir and cook a few minutes more.

5. Add the water and vinegar and cook, stirring for several more minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add back the potatoes and stir to coat and lightly reheat.

6. Add the salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with the minced green onion.

2. Russian Potato Salad
Makes 4 servings

2 pounds potatoes
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mediterranean style yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1 10-ounce package frozen peas & carrots
2 eggs, hard boiled & coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons gherkin pickles, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)
1 cup diced beets (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, but not soft. Drain potatoes. Peel them if you like. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks.

2. Mix the mayonnaise and yogurt or sour cream together with the lemon juice or vinegar.

3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients except the salt & pepper. Pour the mayonnaise mixture on top, toss well, and season with salt & pepper to taste.

3. French Potato Salad
Makes 4 servings

2 pounds potatoes (fingerling, or a mix of small red & white)
1/4 cup chopped chives
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions/Methods

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, but not soft. Drain potatoes. Keep the skins on. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks.

2. Place the potatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle with the chives and tarragon.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, and papper.

4. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and toss to coat well. Let rest at room temperature at least 1/2 hour before serving.

4. Peruvian Potato Salad
Makes 6 servings

2 1/2 pounds potatoes (new potatoes or a mixture of purple, white, and sweet potatoes)
8 ounces cheese (Muenster, white Mexican cheese, feta, or cottage cheese)
1 cup half & half cream or evaporated milk
1 small serrano chili, seeds removed and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon or more ground turmeric, to taste
Lettuce for garnish
3 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
12 olives

Directions/Methods

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil them until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool in a medium-size bowl.

2. Combine the cheese, half & half or evaporated milk, the chilis, onion, salt, pepper, olive oil, and turmeric in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for salt and pepper.

3. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and toss to coat well.

3. Lay a bed of lettuce on a serving plate. Place the potato salad on top. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and olives.

5. Japanese Potato Salad
Makes 4 servings

2 pounds potatoes
1 small carrot, peeled & cut in small pieces
1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
1/2 medium-size cucumber, peeled & cut into small cubes
2 eggs, hard boiled & coarsely chopped
3 slices of sliced ham (about 4 ounces), cut in small pieces (optional)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions/Methods

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes and carrots until tender when pierced with a fork, but not soft. Drain. When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch chunks.

2. Place the potatoes, carrots, chopped onions, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, and ham in a medium-size bowl.

3. Combine the mayonnaise and rice wine vinegar in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables and toss well to coat. Season with salt & pepper.

Soup Prawn Noodle

2009-06-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:

300g of prawn's shell (clean)

50g of rock sugar

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce

1 teaspoon of salt

24 pieces of medium size prawn (marinate with salt and pepper)

2 pieces of hard boil egg (I left this out coz out of egg)

200g of spinach (should use kangkung or bean sprout, but I was not having that too) - blanched

1.5l of water

2 tablespoon of garlic

5 slices of ginger

1 teaspoon of oil

100g of chicken fillet, cut to small pieces (marinate with salt, pepper and corn starch)

1pack of Spaghetti (should use yellow noodle, but I prefer Spaghetti)

Fried shallots and garlic

DIRECTIONS/METHODS:

Saute the prawn shell in the pot. Add in garlic, ginger and stir fry till it turn golden color.

Add in water to boil. Leave it to boil for about 5 mins. Add in rock sugar, oyster sauce and salt.

Sieve the soup and set aside.

In a separate pot, boil the spaghetti with some olive oil and salt.

Add in another teaspoon of oil (from the fried garlic and shallot) and fry the chicken fillet. Add in prawn after 1 min.

Arrange the spaghetti, chicken fillet, prawn and vege in the bowl.

Laddle the hot prawny soup to the bowl. Serve with fried shallot/garlic.

Enjoy ^ ^

Honey sea-coconut and loh han guo herbal drink for cough

2009-06-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Recipe For Loh Han Guo Honey Sea Coconut:

1 loh han guo - remove shell, wash
1 dried mandarin
3 honey dates
6 sea coconuts - slice (you can either use fresh or canned ones, I got mine fresh)
2 or 3 White Fungus
2 or 3 WaterChesnuts
1.5 litre water
Honey to taste (I used wild honey)

Directions/Methods:

Boil all the above for at least 45 minutes to an hour. Serve. The loh han guo is bitter so remove and avoid soaking it in the soup if you do not like bitter after taste.

The honey sea coconut is very delicious due to is chewy texture. I bought the fresh sea coconuts from Sunshine Farlim. It is sold in a large packet, all peeled. I don’t know it the herbal drink helps in curing cough but it is soothing to the throat and makes a great dessert/thong sui.

Enjoy

Japanese Sushi

2009-06-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sushi is the most famous dish outside of Japan and one of the most popular dishes among the Japanese themselves. In Japan, sushi is usually enjoyed on special occasions, such as a celebration.

Types Of Sushis:-

a) Nigri - Small rice balls with fish, shellfish, etc. on top. There are countless varieties of nigirizushi, some of the most common ones being tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg.

b) Gunkan - Small cups made of sushi rice and dried seaweed filled with seafood, etc. There are countless varieties of gunkanzushi, some of the most common ones being sea urchin and various kinds of fish eggs.

c) Norimaki - Sushi rice and seafood, etc. rolled in dried seaweed sheets. There are countless varieties of sushi rolls differing in ingredients and thickness. Sushi rolls prepared "inside out" are very popular outside of Japan, but rarely found in Japan.

d) Temaki - Temakizushi (literally: hand rolls) are cones made of nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice, seafood and vegetables.

e) Oshizushi - Oshizushi is pressed sushi, in which the fish is pressed onto the sushi rice in a wooden box. The picture shows trout oshizushi in form of a popular ekiben (train station lunch box).

f) Inari - Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried beancurd/tofu) bags.

g) Chirashi - Chirashizushi is a dish in which seafood, mushroom and vegetables are spread over sushi rice. It can resemble donburi with the difference being that chirashizushi uses sushi rice while domburi uses regular, unseasoned rice.

How To Make DIY Sushi :

Ingredients:

Cooked octopus.
Cooked prawns.
Raw tuna.
Salmon.
Salmon caviar.
Japanese sticky rice.
Lava seaweed.
Wasabi.
Asparagus.
Shiitake mushrooms.

Directions/Methods:

Pour the cooked rice into a tray.

Finely slice the tuna and salmon.

Put the seaweed onto a sushi mat and press rice down onto it.

Slice the mushrooms and the pieces of asparagus and lay along the rice.

Add the wasabi.

Roll the sushi and cut into slices. Serve with salmon caviar, wasabi and soy.

How to rolled sushi:

1. Rolled sushi, whether it be hosomaki (thin roll) or futomaki (thick or fat roll) is quite easy to make. Thin rolled sushi consists of one or two ingredients while thick rolled sushi usually has three or four ingredients. These instructions are for a thin roll. To make a thick roll (futomaki) cut your nori vertically instead of horizontally, and only cut it into four pieces.

2. Start by cutting a sheet of nori in half. Purists use a knife, amatures fold and tear the nori, I prefer to use scissors. I find that I get the cleanest cut and nicest edge on the nori using scissors.

3. Place your half sheet of nori on the rolling mat like this.

4. Moisten your hands with tezu and spread rice onto the nori using your hands. Leave about 1/2 an inch of the nori bare. Beginners may find it's easier to leave a bit more than that. Spread some wasabi along your rice.

5. Add your ingredient. Here I'm using left over pieces of tuna from sashimi I cut earlier that evening.

6. Holding the mat with both hands, carefully roll the bottom end over the filling, taking care to squeeze and compress evenly across the entire roll.

7. Here I've opened the rolling mat back up so you can see what I've done. If there's a bit too much rice at this point, you can use the back end of your knife to scrape a bit of it away.

8. Continue rolling the nori around the rice and ingredients until the bare nori seals itself. If it doesn't seal on its own, use a slight bit of tezu to seal the edge off.

9. If your knife is sharp enough, cut the roll in half now. If your knife isn't the greatest, put the roll in the refrigerator for a few minutes. This allows the roll to harden slightly to make it easier to cut. Once cut in half, place the pieces on top of each other.

10.Continue to cut the roll into six pieces by cutting through both halves at once. It's bad luck to cut a roll into four pieces, and six is the standard amount.

How To Make Nigri:

Nigri sushi is literally hand-pressed sushi. It's a small oval of pressed rice with a topping firmly placed on top. Usual toppings are thin slices of fish, omelet, or stalky vegetables. Take extra care in pressing the pad of rice. The majority of the skill that can go into this type of sushi centers around how you press your rice and how you press your fish onto the rice

Start by dipping your hands in your tezu. Pull out a small handful of rice

Press the rice into a rounded-off oval about 3/4 of an inch thick. Make it flatter than the finished piece should be. When you press the fish on, it will thicken up in size.

Run the desired amount of wasabi across the rice or the fish. I find it's easier to put it on the rice.

Place the fish on top of the rice, covering the wasabi side.

Place the fish and rice in your palm, and squeeze the fish so that the sides of the fish cover the sides of the rice. Squeeze 5 or more times so the fish is firmly attached to the rice.

For unagi (broiled eel, the brown nigri on the square plate), cut a belt of nori with your scissors (once again I find this to be the easiest way to get uniform pieces) and wrap it around the whole finished nigri to hold it together. Do the same with omelet, the nigri in the center dish.

Enjoy.

Malacca Dishes

2009-05-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

I have tried 3 dishes in Malacca.

They are: The Nyonya Chendol, Nyonya Asam Laksa, and the Chicken Rice Balls.

Places that i have been to try this dishes was the Jonker Walk area.

Here are some of the Picts:

The Chicken Rice Balls Restaurant's Menu...

This is roasted chicken rice balls..

This is Steam Chicken Rice Balls..

The Nyonya Chendol... RM 1.70

Me... Having my Chendol...

The Chendol..

Nyonya Asam Laksa..

Me.. I am eating the Nyonya Asam Laksa..

Asam Laksa and Chendol is located in Jonker Walk : Look For Jonker Dessert
Chicken Rice Balls is also located in Jonker Walk : Famosa Chicken Rice Balls

Cost:
Nyonya Chendol - RM 1.70
Asam Laksa - RM 3.50
Chicken Rice Balls (Roasted and Steamed) - RM 9.20

So Checked it out the place in Jonker Walk.

Enjoy

Shepherd Pie

2009-05-24T19:31:00.000-07:00

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Americans typically make Shepherd's Pie with beef. The English (and Australians and New Zealanders) call the beef dish a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Methods/Directions:

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.

5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.

7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Enjoy !!!

Cheesy Nachos

2009-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Nachos is serve as a starter or tibits..

Ingredients:

1 1/2tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup milk
1 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/8 cup monterey jac, shredded
1/2 tsp. Any habanero/scotch bonnet pepper sauce will do, recommend anything with a "use with descretion" warning on the bottle
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. paprika

Directions/methods:

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, melt butter and stir in corn starch.
Pour in the milk, add cream cheese, and continue to stir until mixture is fully incorporated.
While stirring mix in cheddar and jack cheeses, chili powder, paprika, and hot pepper sauce.
Continue to stir until cheese has melted and all ingredients are well blended.
Pour over tortilla chips.

Enjoy...

Shrimp, Avocado and Dragon Fruit Salad Recipe

2009-05-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

SERVING: 4

Ingredients:

150 gm medium shrimps (prawns), cooked, peeled, and deveined
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 ripe avocado
120 gm lettuce (butter lettuce or red leaf lettuce)
1/2 lime, juice
1/2 dragon fruit

Method:

Combine olive oil, lime juice and minced garlic in a bowl. If the shrimps are too big, chop them into halves. Toss in shrimps and coat with oil mixture well.
Rinse lettuce and drain well. Arrange leaves of lettuce at the bottom of a large serving bowl or platter. Cut dragon fruit in half (see picture shown above). Use the tip of a sharp knife to cut cubes. Spoon out the cubes. The middle ones might be too long, cut into half then. Set aside.
Use similar method to cut avocado in half. I normally don’t use sharp knife to remove the stone of avocado. Instead, I just use a small spoon to run around the stone, and then safely and easily spoon out the avocado stone. Cut avocado into dices, spoon out.
Place half of the avocado cubes on lettuce. Add marinated shrimps, then followed by the other half of avocado. Toss in dragon fruit. Done.

Summer Time Pasta Salad

2009-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (shells, farfalle, macaroni, etc.), cooked, drained
1 medium red onion, diced
2 medium green bell peppers, diced
1 cup diced celery
1/2 lb. fresh pea pods, blanched
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup sliced radishes
1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves minced garlic
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions/Methods:

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Stir some of the dressing into the pasta while it is still warm; pour just enough dressing to cause noodles to glisten. Prepare vegetables. Toss into pasta when noodles are lukewarm, adding additional dressing as needed to coat. Sprinkle and stir in Parmesan cheese. Chill until serving time.

Kim Chi

2009-05-13T03:49:00.000-07:00

Kimchi has been produced in the land of Korea for some 3,000 years. The first literary reference to this pungent food comes in the Book of Odes, China’s oldest collection of poetry. This record speaks of a pickled cucumber represented by the Chinese character “ju” (pronounced “cho” in Korean). Other references more humorously indicate that Confucius was not too fond of the smell of kimchi and would wrinkle his nose when he had to eat it.

A more romantic account is the legend of the poor farmer who had little but cabbage to his name. He carried his small stash of cabbage to the sea to wash it, and in the process, noticed that his skimpy heads of cabbage seemed to plump up under the salt water. Hoping to produce enough bulk to feed his hungry family, he left the cabbages in the salt water on the theory that a longer soaking in the sea would make the heads even larger. Alas, overnight, the salt water played a cruel trick on the farmer, shrinking the cabbage rather than making it grow. Disgusted with his fate, the farmer ate the shrunken cabbage and discovered the taste of the earliest pot of kimchi.

A more practical account would point out that the pickling and salting of vegetables allowed for long-term storage of foodstuffs that would otherwise not be available in the winters in the area we now call Korea. And although the farmers were probably not thinking about getting the daily recommended amount of their vitamins, kimchi provides good quantities of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and iron.

Thus, Kimchi has long been an integral part of the Korean diet both traditionally and nutritionally. This spicy combination of fermented vegetables, salt, red pepper and garlic is a staple in the Korean diet, and together with rice, forms the basis of almost every Korean meal. There dozens of variations on a kimchi theme—the dish changes with the seasons, and different regions of Korea are known for particular kimchi blends.

What goes into a good kimchi? The primary ingredient is cabbage, of course, accompanied by radish, red peppers, lettuce or cucumbers. Regional varieties will include bean sprouts, squash, Korean pear, Korean leeks, pheasant, many kinds of seafood or shellfish, and other vegetables as the maker sees fit. Pickling ingredients often include salted shrimp, cod, or yellow corvina, pickled anchovies and pickled octopus. However, it is the spicing of the vegetables that truly provides the flavor and uniqueness of any given batch. The secrets of kimchi may have passed through the hearts of many generations of family to arrive in today’s kitchen. The combination of red pepper paste, garlic, ginger, salt water, onion, sugar and sesame is crucial to the character of the dish.

Although food preparation techniques have seen changes in the last century, in a traditional Korean house, the fermenting and storage of kimchi will still take place in an earthenware jar stored in a cool, shady place. It is essential to keep the kimchi at a stable temperature to prevent acidification. Yet, it is also important to preserve the fresh quality of the ingredients. Both cooking and refrigeration can destroy the essences of kimchi, so earthenware jars still remain a practical option in many Korean homes today. These jars are a much-prized treasure of Korean history.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-2 whole Chinese cabbages,
-1 Chinese radish (daicon),
-7 green onions,
-2 oz of Minari* (drop worth),
-10 cloves of garlic,
-1 oz of ginger,
-½ cup of shrimp sauce* (Sae wu jut) or fish sauce (Kanari jut) ,
-½ cup of ground red pepper,
-1 cup of large crystallized salt (sea salt or rock salt),
-1 Tbs of regular salt,
-1 tsp of sugar,
-1 red chilly pepper, roasted sesame seeds,
-1 cup of water

*Minari is drop worth, or Japanese parsley, but if you cannot get it, use other kind of parsley. (Be creative!)

*Sae wu jut is shrimp sauce, but you can use other fish sauce.

Directions/Methods:

1. From the base of cabbage make deep cross mark with knife, and use hand to separate into 4 pieces. In about 140 oz (4 liter) of water, pour three cups of big crystallized salt and mix well. Put cabbages in that water and leave them for about 3 to 4 hours. Take them out, wash them with water and drain water.

2. Meanwhile, in a big container, mix ground red pepper with 1 cup of water. Put shredded radish, and mix well until radish become reddish. Cut minari and green onion into 2 inch length pieces. Chop garlic, chilly pepper and ginger well. Put minari, green onion, garlic, ginger, chilly pepper and roasted sesame seeds into the mixture and mix well. Add shrimp sauce (Sae wu jut) or fish sauce(kanari jut), 1 Tbs of salt, and 1 tsp of sugar.

3. Put the mixture from 2. in between every cabbage leaves. Don’t miss any leaf without putting the mixture. Use the outer leaf to warp the ¼ cabbage to keep inner mixture. Fill another container with all the seasoned cabbage. Press cabbage well into the container, and cover it with a lid. Leave it room temperature for about 5 hours (when it is about 70 F (20 C))to 24 hours (When it is about 50 F (10C)).

You can store Kimchi for up to 5 months in a refrigerator. If your Kimchi is too fermented, use them for other Kimchi dishes.

Enjoy ^^

Baked Chiken Wings

2009-05-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

Recipes:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
10 chicken wings

Directions/Methods:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Combine the olive oil, garlic, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large, resealable bag; seal and shake to combine. Add the chicken wings; reseal and shake to coat. Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet.
Cook the wings in the preheated oven 1 hour, or until crisp and cooked through.

Enjoy ^ ^