Chapchae (sweet noodles with vegetables and beef) 잡채

For anyone new to Korean food or if you are cooking for the uninitiated, this is a pretty good dish to start with.

It is a sweet, noodle dish which requires only a few vegetables and often comes with beef, although this can be removed to cater for veggies. It is essentially a side dish but can also be fried up with rice to create a light meal in itself called Chapchae Bap. The noodles are Korean Vermicelli which is a strong, stretchy transparent noodle - I've never seen anything similar to them.

If there is one thing I've learnt about chapchae, it is that, like bulgogi, you can NEVER cook enough of the stuff. Whatever you don't eat the day you make it will always make a nice lunch the next day. If you don't want a complete chapchae fest however, just half my quantities. Also a word on ingredients......the ones I list are suggestions, you can add other vegetables or ommit the ones you don't like.

Ingredients

about 200g of Korean Vermicelli
If you have bought the Ottogi one in the medium yellow packet you are looking at about just over half of this (see bottom of this page for picture).

230g of beef

3-4 table spoons of soysauce

2-3 table spoons of sesame oil

some vegetable oil for cooking

1 heaped table spoon of sugar

3 tea spoons of salt

pinch of black pepper

1 cup of cooked spinach
To achieve this you will need to cook at least 7 big handfuls of fresh spinach in boiling water for about 1 minute

1 large carrot cut into very thin match sticks

7 thin green onions cut into one inch long pieces
or the equivalent depending on the size of green onion you have

1 shallot (small onion) chopped finely

4 shitake/pyogo mushrooms

7 neutari or oyster mushrooms

4 white button mushrooms

mushrooms - use what ever you can get your hands on! If you can find some other varieties as well or instead such as mogi (jew's ear) and songi (pine mushroom) then go for it.

Directions

• Cut the beef into thin strips - if you can use beef that is part frozen this will assist.

• Add the sesame oil to the pan and heat gently on a very low setting. Add the beef and cook gently for a few minutes until it looks cooked on the outside but is not over done. Add the sugar, soy sauce, salt and black pepper and let the mixture cook on a low heat for about 4 minutes. When it is done, put it to one side, or transfer it into a bowl if you need to use the pan again.

• Cook the noodles in boiling water for the length of time shown on the packet - about 6 minutes should do it, but keep checking. Add a little soy sauce and sesame oil to the water to give colour, flavour and stop the noodles from sticking together. They can be a bit of a pain to get in the pan because they are quite rigid. What you can do is soak them in some warm water for a while and then cut them into smaller strands. Even when cooked the noodle will be strong. Drain the cooked noodle in a sieve and rinse in cold water. Get your hands in and make sure that as much of the water as possible comes off the noodles. This can then sit to one side until you are ready to combine the ingredients.

• Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 10 minutes. If you are using songi mushrooms you need to boil them for a few minutes.

• While the mushrooms are soaking, fry together the carrots, green onions and shallots in a little vegetable oil on a low heat for about 7 minutes or until they are soft. You don't want them to brown though...if that happens they will have a slightly burnt flavour...not the end of the world but irritating nonetheless. You probably won't have this problem if you are cooking on gas as you'll have maximum control..unlike my shoddy electric cooker ring.

• Transfer the fried vegetables to a bowl and then cut the mushrooms into strips and fry them in a bit of sesame oil on a low heat for about 8-10 minutes or until they look cooked and soft. Again, don't brown them.

• Mix all the ingredients together except the sesame oil which you should add last as otherwise it will prevent the noodles soaking up the flavour. Heat the chapchae through before serving. You can eat this cold too so don't freak out if its cooled down by the time it hits the table. You will find that the lengths of noodle are ridiculously long and so you can use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut into the mixture and chop it up a bit.
  

Yum.

Chapchae= very happy dinner guests

















Korean Vermicelli

Gori Gomtang (Oxtail Soup)

This one is a little special. It isn't really a recipe...more a technique or a skill (trust me..its got like three ingredients)

It is reputably good for stamina if you believe that kind of thing. It is a lovely heart warming broth which is delicious all year round, although I prefer it in the winter when it is freezing outside. It is particularly good comfort food if you have a cold.

Ingredients

5-6 oxtail sections (not tails...its easier to give the amounts in cut sections as this is typically how one would find them in the shops outside of Korea)
You can buy these in butchers shops or supermarkets

a load of spring onions (7 of the english sized ones...if you have access to the korean ones you don't need so many)

water

rice noodles (optional)


Directions

• Fill a very large saucepan with cold water. Add the oxtails and leave for 2 hours. A lot of blood will come out (mmm yummy). Once the time is up, take the oxtails out while you get rid of the dirty water and rinse the pan. Put the oxtails back in and then fill the pan so the water is about 4 times the height of the oxtails.

• Bring the water to the boil and boil on a high setting for 30 minutes, A lot of fat and oil and dirty looking scum will rise to the top. Spoon this out and get rid of it. Add a little more water to bring the level back up and simmer gently on a low heat for 12-16 hours.
  

• Keep checking the water now and again and keep spooning off the scummy stuff. You will also need to keep topping up the water. The amount of water you end up with determines the flavour of the soup to a certain extent. If there is very little water, the soup won't go very far and will be very greasy but too much water and the soup will lack flavour. You have to experiment to find a happy medium that you prefer.

• Add a generous amount of spring onions sliced horizontally so they are like little rings - USE the green bits! British people tend to only use the white section of the onion which is a waste and you don't get that lovely colour.

• Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with rice and kimchi. Very important that you eat it with Kimchi because the flavours compliment eachother so well. And kimchi rules. But you know that anyway right? In Korea you will often find this served with rice noodles in it...this is delicious and you can just boil them up very quickly.

Dan Ho Pak Salad (Squash Salad) 단 호박

This is a gorgeous sweet, slightly sticky but very fresh salad dish that appears in the salad bars of Pizza Hut in Korea. I'm not sure I've yet be able to recreate it quite like it is in Korea but each time I get a little closer. I will post a picture soon as I'm about to make it again.

You can eat it straight away but I find that if you leave it overnight its better the next day, and the texture is nice and firm. This is a great summer side dish, but can be eaten at anytime....and is especially good along side pizza!!

This recipe will do as a side dish in a meal for 4 people and uses half a squash. However, as I wouldn't want you to waste the other half, you can easily double everything up and then eat it over a few days.

Ingredients

1/2 Korean Ho Pak squash (don't panic..you can use butternut squash too!)

I have always had to make this with butternut squash in England because of the difficulty with getting Korean squash. I scanned country markets in autumn for various squashes and while finding some pretty weird and wonderful squashes (which in my humble opinion are completely underrated) I never found a ho pak until I moved to London. Now I can get one by driving 15 minutes to New Malden (or New Maldong as it is affectionately known).

1/2 a small red pepper - diced into small pieces

2 spring onions/green onions chopped finely

I prefer not to have too much of the darker green bit of the onion in this recipe though

1 small tin of sweetcorn (approx 100g) drained

You need at least 1 tin but I would have another on standby incase you like more corn - you can pretty much fill your boots with the corn

1 table spoon of golden syrup (or corn syrup - but you probably won't get that in England)

roughly 2 level table spoons of mayonnaise


Directions

• Seed the squash and, leaving the skin on, cut it into thick slices, all of the same size. Steam the squash slices until they are soft BUT not in any way mushy. It still needs to have a firmness. If it goes mushy, the salad will be too soft - if this happens let it chill in the fridge for an extra day before you eat it and it should firm up a bit. 10 minutes steaming will probably be fine.

• Let it cool down and then cut the slices into chunks. If there are any bits of really nobbly skin that you don't think you would be able to eat then this is a good opportunity to cut them off. Put the chunks into a glass bowl.
  

• Put the onions, peppers, corn, mayonnaise, syrup into the bowl on top of the squash chunks. Now mash the mixture with the back of a metal spoon until it is mashed together but still a bit chunky. Too much mashing and it will go too smooth.
  

• Taste it and add more syrup or mayo if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Jin Bang 진 빵 (steamed buns with redbean paste)

Its a pleasure to present a guest blog here from my good friend Ben with his recipe for Jin Bang. Ben is possibly the best cook I know, and I am always bowled over by the dishes he manages to construct...and I am always a willing guinea pig! He is also becoming somewhat of a Korean culinary pro so I look forward to further guest blogs from him........


Jin Bang (steamed buns with red bean paste)

Ingredients:

Red bean Paste:
1 ½ cup dry adzuki beans
Sugar to taste.
Touch of salt (optional)

Starter:
1 tbsp active dry yeast (or a British fast action yeast packet)
1 tsp white sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼cup warm water

Dough:
½cup warm milk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp baking powder

Supplies:
Bamboo steamer (or some kind of vegetable steamer)
Baking Paper

Yield: about 15 buns.

Instructions:

Bean Paste:

This is best done in advance. If you have access to a Japanese or Korean shop, you may be able to buy sweet red bean paste or pre-cooked adzuki beans. Otherwise get some dried red beans, measure them out into a saucepan, cover with plenty of cold water, and let them soak for about 8 hours. Drain the beans, replace the water, and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature and let simmer for about an hour, or until they have softened and are just past al dente. Drain again. Add a few tablespoons of sugar to the pan (you may need to add more to taste), let the sugar warm up with the beans. Now use an immersion blender to make a paste. You may find the beans need a little water added for a pliable paste. Mix in a touch of salt to taste if desired. Let cool. This will probably make more bean paste than you need for the bun recipe, so make less if desired.

Dough:

Get two mixing bowls - one small bowl for activating the starter and another large one for making the dough. Start by measuring out the dry ingredients listed under dough, except the baking powder. Put them into the large bowl and mix together with a fork. Set to one side.
Next prepare the starter. In the small bowl, mix together the ¼ cup warm water, the ¼ cup flour, yeast and sugar for the starter. The warm water should be warm to the touch but not hot. Cover the starter loosely and put it someplace warm to activate. In about ten to twenty minutes the starter will have become quite foamy .

Get the bowl with the dry ingredients for the dough. Make a well in the center and add the oil and starter. Start slowly incorporating the flour. Add the warm water or milk a little at a time. You should end up with fairly moist dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and kneed until it is quite smooth. The longer you do this the better the texture of the buns; I’d say 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball. Grease your large mixing bowl with vegetable oil. Lightly rub some more oil on the outside of your dough bowl. Put the dough in, cover, and let rise for one to two hours or until it has doubled in size.

Making the buns:

Punch down the dough with the back of your fist, and then spread it on the lightly floured working surface. Sprinkle the baking powder evenly over it and then knead it for five minutes. Then put half of the dough back in the bowl and cover it again, and pull off bits of the dough you still have out and shape them into spheres. Flatten these with the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Put a rounded teaspoonful (or a little more) of red bean paste on each one, and gently pinch the dough together to form the bottom of the bun. You can put these on squares of baking paper so they don’t stick to your steamer. You should end up with about a six to eight rolls from half of the dough. Take out the other half of the dough and do the same thing. Then cover the rolls - a deep pan will do, as will a "tent" made out of plastic wrap and four tall glasses - and let them rise for another half hour.

Whilst the buns rise, get a bamboo steamer or some other kind of steamer. Bring the water to the boil. Take the risen buns and put them in the steamer (you may have to cook more than one batch depending on the size of the steamer). Put the steamer over the water and reduce to a simmer. Steam for 15 minutes or until firm.

Let the buns cool for a few minutes and enjoy.

From Ben (www.elrohil.blogspot.com)

Bulgogi 불고기 (Sweet Beef)

This is one of my favourite ways to eat beef. It is not complicated to make either, although you need a few hours for it to marinade. This is one of the best things to cook if you are introducing someone to Korean cookery because its not too unusual in flavour or appearence.

This recipe is a combination of a few that I have found in various places, with my own changes too.

Serves about 4 people as a side dish. Quantities are approximate!

Ingredients

1 pound of beef

I have successfully used a variety of cuts before. Sirloin Steak is the best however, although more expensive. A word on quantities..... if in doubt about how much you need, go for more rather than less because meat shrinks when you cook it, and I never seem to cook enough of this stuff when I make it.

1 Kiwi, with skins removed and roughly chopped

I read that you can also use a Fuji apple but I have never tried it. You can get fuji apples in Korean stores in England and also sometimes in supermarkets (referred to on the packet as snacking apples). But I would just buy Kiwi, as you can get those anywhere and it adds a lovely sweet taste to the marinade.

3 tablespoons of sesame oil

I have English sesame oil which is fine. My boyfriend says that Korean sesame oil is better and has a slightly different flavour but it is pricey if you live in England.

3 green onions/spring onions

1 small onion - roughly sliced

1/4 cup of soy sauce

When I say cup I mean small cup. Use Korean or Japanese soy sauce, not Chinese. Japanese soy (eg Kikkoman) is pretty easy to source most places and does fine....I use it a lot.

sugar - add to taste, but probably about a tablespoon

garlic - 2 cloves

black pepper - a dash or two


Directions

• Firstly, slice the beef really thin with a lovely sharp knife, taking care of course not to slice your finger as I once did with some onions. As thin as you can, even if it seems to fall apart. I read in one recipe that you can freeze it and then defrost a little and slice it. I have never tried this myself and I don't think it's necessary unless you are really obssesed with getting it that thin.
  

• Put the sliced meat into a glass mixing bowl, sprinkle sugar over it (probably about 1 tea spoon) and mix it it with your hands...don't go over board with the sugar. You can always add more later.

• Finely chop up the garlic. Chop the spring onions. I prefer to cut them horizontally in the white part so that you have little circles and then vertically in the green part into 1 inch pieces. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the meat/sugar mixture.

• Prepare the marinade by putting the onion and kiwi into a blender and blending until it becomes a liquid.Put that in a bowl on its own.
  

• Mix together the soy sauce, remaining sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Then taste it. It should be slightly salty but sweet too. If it is too salty, add more sugar.

• Put all the mixtures in with the meat and mix well...again with your hands - it gets it properly mixed and feels nice and messy!

• If possible leave this in the fridge to marinade overnight. If that is not an option, try and give it at least a few hours. It does improve the flavour. I have made it all and cooked it in one go beore and it was OK but not as good.

• When you are ready to cook, simply cook in a frying pan on a low/medium heat for a few minutes - depending on how rare you like your beef and serve hot. You don't need to add oil to the pan when you cook it.

What to eat it with - I usually do this as a side dish with rice dishes where there are salad leaves that you can wrap the meat and rice up in. However, it has a gentle, sweet flavour and would go with most things that you want to cook. If you make enough of it you can use it as a main dish.

Enjoy!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my Korean cookery blog!

After talking about it for weeks I finally have a page!

Why Korean cookery? Because its absolutely my favourite kind of food. Its clean, healthy (well mostly!), light, and full of flavours and is a contrast to the stodginess of much British cookery. That stodginess was what I was used to before I spent 9 months in Korea a few years back. I think its fair to say my stomach has never been the same since.

The best thing about Korean food for me is SIDE DISHES. One of the most exciting parts of visiting a Korean restaurant for me is seeing what variety of little dishes come out after you order. It a bit like Korean tapas.

The reasons I am making a blog? ....well I would like to be good at Korean cookery and during that process to collect in one place and share with others, recipes that I have found, been given, changed and put together.

Korean cookery in general is time consuming. That I have already discovered. For me, that is OK. Its part of the art of creating something special. That said, there are some simple and quick things that can be thrown together very easily.

This is not a site for Korean food purists...I am a pure beginner. I also live in London and have to source alternative ingredients where the originals are not available. Fortunately I live in New Malden, the Korean area of London/Surrey where I have access to a proper Korean supermarket, and a few really good restaurants.

Anyway, time I added some recipes!

Claire

Beef Galbi and side dishes at restaurant in Osan City, South Korea