Korean Sweet & Sour Pork - Tangsuyuk

I think this dish is originally from China, but we Koreans love it so much that we have made it our own.  The combination of the crispy deep fried pork and the tangy sauce is what makes this dish a winner.  Goes great with steamed white rice and any other side dishes you may have lurking in your frig such as spicy kimchi or fresh bean sprout salad.

Ingredients:
-1 kg pork
-Salt & pepper
-1/2 red pepper
-Small bowl of pineapples
-Cooking oil for deep fry
-Corn starch mixture: 1 cup corn starch, 1/2 cup water, 1 egg white
-Sweet & sour sauce: 2 cups of hot water, 8 tbsp sugar, 6 tbsp white or apple vinegar, 1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions:

-Cut pork into thin strips. Season with salt and pepper.

-Combine and mix corn starch mixture, mentioned above. Set aside 2 tbsp of this mixture for the sweet & sour sauce.

-Add meat to the mixture and mix well so that everything is well coated.

-Deep fry pork until golden and crispy.  Place fried pork on paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

-Chop up red peppers and pineapple.

-Combine ingredients of the sauce mixture, mentioned above, in a sauce pan.

-Over medium heat stir the mixture for about 3-5 minutes.

-Add red peppers and pineapple.

-Add the 2 tbsp of the cornstarch mixture you set aside.  Stir often as the sauce will thicken quite quickly.

-Add the sauce to the deep fried pork and serve immediately.

Optional:

-Add other vegetables into the sauce such as onions, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.

-Deep fry the beef in advance and prior to serving, deep fry once again before adding the sauce.  This makes them extra crispy.
-Substitute pork for beef.

Korean Seafood Pancake

These pancakes are easy to make and easier to eat since they are super delicious. Any favourite ingredients can be used.  I bought a small package of assorted frozen seafood, which consisted of mussels, squid, shrimp and scallops.  Be sure to make the dipping sauce first, so that you can immediately eat your pancakes when they are finished frying.  They are also delicious at room temperature. 

Ingredients:
-1 cup flour
-1/4 cup cornstarch
-1 egg
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 cup water
-1 cup of assorted seafood
-5 stems of green onion
-Handful of chives
-Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:
(Makes approximately 12 small pancakes)

-Mix together the flour, cornstarch and salt.  Add egg and water and stir until you get a smooth consistency.

-Chop up onions and chives into 1 inch pieces.  Chop up the seafood (package I bought was already in small convenient pieces).

-Combine flour mixture with onions, chives and seafood.  Mix well.

-In a frying pan, heat oil on relatively high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the mixture and fry on both sides for about 3 minutes each or until each side is golden and crispy.  Add oil as needed.

Optional:

-Make 1 large pancake and cut up like a pizza or make small mini pancakes.

-Rather than seafood, other ingredients can be used such as carrots, zucchini and kimchi.

Dipping sauce:

-Combine and mix 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons apple vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, dash of sesame oil, 1 tablespoons sesame seeds, pinch of Korean red pepper flakes and chopped up green onions or chives.

Sundried Tomato, Goat Cheese and Pesto Palmiers

These palmiers are easy to make and any of your favourite ingredients can be used.  I like using sun dried tomatoes, goat cheese and pesto sauce, the intense flavours of the Mediterranean.  Easy to eat finger food and goes great with an aperitif (cocktail time).  Cheers!

Ingredients:
(Approximately 15 rolls)
-1 package puff pastry
-3 tablespoons pesto sauce
-4 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes
-4 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Instructions:

-Chop up the sun dried tomatoes.

-Spread the pesto sauce on the puff pastry.  Add the sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese.

-Roll the pastry from both ends until they meet in the middle. 

-Be sure to roll tightly. Rolling too loosely can end up being very messy.

-Cut into 1 inch slices.
-Place slices on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.

-Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 220 degrees C.
-Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kimbap - Korean Rice Roll

A bit time consuming to make, but well worth the efforts.  Koreans like to take kimbap for picnics since it's easy to pack and eat.  When I went to Korea for my brother's wedding, they took us to an adventure park called Ever Land.  My brother's wife's grandma made a whole bunch of kimbap and we had a swell time eating this on a park bench for lunch.  Nothing better than a day of riding roller coasters and eating kimbap!

Ingredients:

-2 cups of short grained rice

-10 sheets of seaweed

-400 grams of ground beef

-2 carrots, 3 eggs

-1 stick of Korean pickled radish

-Beef marinade: 7 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 tsp minced garlic

-Seasoning for rice: 2 tbsp sesame oil, 5 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 5 tbsp sesame seeds 



Leave an inch from the bottom without rice.

 Instructions:

-Marinade the ground beef with ingredients mentioned above for 1/2 hour.  Pan fry the meat until well cooked.

-Rinse rice until water runs clear.  Cook rice. Season with ingredients mentioned above. 

-Shred the carrot and saute in vegetable oil until soft. 

Use the inch from the bottom of seaweed to fold
over the beef, carrot, radish and egg.

-Mix the eggs + 2 tbsp water in a bowl.  Heat up oil in a fry pan and add egg.  Cook on both sides, like an omelet for a few minutes.  Let it cool and eventually chop up into 1/2 inch strips.

-Julienne the yellow radish.

-To roll the kimbap, spread the rice thinly on the seaweed sheet, leaving an inch from the bottom empty.

-Add the beef, carrots, radish and egg.

Use the bamboo roller to finish rolling the kimbap.

-Use the inch from the bottom of seaweed to fold over the beef, carrots, radish and egg. 

-Roll the remaining seaweed sheet with the bamboo roller.

-Cut the kimbap into 1/2 inch slices.

Optional:

-Any ingredients can be used in kimbap such as crab, spinach, cucumber, etc.

Mountain of kimbap!

Tips:

-Cover the bamboo wrapper with saran wrap so that the rice doesn't get caught in between the sticks.

-Use a very sharp knife and wet with water before cutting the kimbap roll.

Take out kimbap
for my mother-in-law.

My stash of kimbap.
Yum!

Roasted Red Bell Peppers

Red bell peppers are the best and I love everything about them, its shape, colour and taste.  Roasting them is fairly easy and really brings out  the sweet taste of these peppers.  They can be eaten on baguette slices, in sandwiches or topped off on salads and tarts.

Ingredients:
-Red bell peppers
-Olive oil
-Garlic
-Parsley

Instructions:

-Place peppers on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes. 

-After 15 minutes turn the peppers so that each side is evenly roasted.  The skin of the peppers will turn black and bubbly. 

-Once the peppers come out of the oven, immediately place in a bowl with a lid (I simply put a plate on top of the bowl).  The peppers will sweat and make the skin of the pepper easier to peel off.

-Once the peppers are cool, carefully peel off the skin with your fingers or knife.

-Cut up the peppers into medium pieces and discard the seeds. 

-Place peppers in a jar and completely cover in olive oil, adding garlic slices.  Can be kept in the regrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

-Before serving, I like to add chopped parsley to the peppers.

Cucumber Yogurt Dip

I am a junk food junkie, but from time to time I need to eat healthy, so here is a great way to eat veggies with this refreshing cucumber yogurt dip.  Serve with any of your favourite veggies and sliced baguette or pita bread.  Oh and by the way no double dipping please :-)

Ingredients:
-250 grams of plain yogurt (2 small containers)
-1/2 cucumber
-1 teaspoon salt
-Juice of 1 lemon
-2 minced garlic clove

Instructions:

-Peel and grate the cucumber.  Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to draw out the excess moisture.

-In a bowl, combine and mix the yogurt, lemon juice and minced garlic.

-With your hands, squeeze the water out of the grated cucumber.

-Add cucumber to the yogurt mixture and mix well.

Banana Chocolate Triangles

The combination of bananas, chocolate and whipping cream makes for a great end of meal dessert!  Not a light dessert, but definitely a delicious one!  These triangles can be prepared in advance and baked right before serving.

Ingredients:
(makes 8 triangles)
-2 bananas
-2-1/2 tablespoons white rum
-2 tablespoons butter
-2 tablespoons sugar
-16 small chocolate squares
-4 feuilles de brick (I think it's called phyllo pastry in English or use spring roll wrappers).

Instructions:
-Peel the bananas and slice.
-On medium heat melt butter in a fry pan and eventually add the bananas.  Stir often.  Sprinkle the sugar on top and mix well.
-Once the bananas are mush like (approximate 5  minutes) add the rum and let it absorb into the banana mixture.
-Once the rum has absorbed into the banana mixture, let it cool, before making the triangles.
-Follow photo instructions below to make the triangles.  Do not over stuff!
-Bake triangles in the oven at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes or until the exterior is golden and crusty.
-Serve immediately and warm.

Optional:
-Goes great with a scoop of vanilla icecream.
-Decorate with whipping cream and chocolate.

1.  Cut in half.

2. Place the round edge down.

3. Place the mixture (about 1 tbsp) +
2 chocolate squares near top corner.

4. Take the bottom of the pastry and
fold up towards the banana mix.

5. Take the top right corner and fold
down.  This makes a mini-triangle.

6. Take the bottom right corner and fold up
to the top line, making a big triangle.





7. Take the top right corner and fold to the
bottom line, keeping the triangle shape.

8. Take the bottom right corner and fold to
the top line, keeping the triangle shape.



9. With the leftover pastry bit,
tuck into the fold.



Baked Chicken with Prunes and Olives

Opposites definitely attract as the sweet taste of the prunes combined with the salty olives is absolutely delicious!  I like to serve this dish on a bed of couscous, otherwise it can also be eaten with steamed rice or roasted potatoes. 

Ingredients:
-4 to 6 pieces of chicken thighs/legs
-1 lemon, quartered
-1 cup pitted prunes
-1 cup pitted green olives
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-3 tablespoons apple or red wine vinegar
-3 cloves of minced garlic
-Salt & pepper

Instructions:

-In a baking dish, toss together all of the ingredients.

-Season with salt and pepper.

-Bake in the oven at 200 degrees C for about 50 minutes.

-After baking, squeeze the juice of the cooked lemon into the dripping sauce and throw away the lemon skin.

-Serve on a bed of couscous along with the dripping sauce.