Women

Jeon Ju Bi Bim Bap

I was thinking of a K Drama today when cleaning out my kitchen. A lady and her daughter cleaned out their fridge of banchan's (side dishes) and tossed a heaping spoonful of steamed rice into a bowl. Then came the GoChuJang and sesame oil. The sound of the mixing alone makes you want to leap through the TV set. Yum! Then I see this photo of South Korea's city JeonJu and marvel at how beautiful a bowl of bi bim bap can be as well as delicious. If offered both versions - the quick way and this gorgeous version, I'd have 2 empty bowls in minutes.

"Around Jeonju: While you're down in Jeonju, makesure you get a taste of bibimbab, or mixed rice and vegetables with gochujang (red pepper paste). The dish that even Michael Jackson fell in love with is native to the city, hence Jeonju bibimbab.There's a steamy version that comes in dolsot, or stone pot. You canget a tasting at one of the restaurants listed in the JIFF Web site.Another local favorite is kongnamul gukbap, or bean sprout soup with rice. Also worth visiting during your stay is the Jeonju Hanok Village,a well-preserved medieval Korean town. You can stay at one of the traditional hanok-style inns, a list of which is also available at www.jiff.or.kr. You can also visit Jeonju city's Web site www.jeonju.go.kr (Korean and English) for more tourism information."

Quoted text and Photo via www.KoreaTimes.co.kr

Chicken Soup :: Sam Gye Tang

Chicken soup is good for the soul!  How do you make yours? The American way or the Korean version "SamGyeTang" with ginger etc? Did you know that SamGyeTang was meant to be eaten on hot summer days to replace nutrients your body has lost during the hot season.

Preparation and serving from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samgyetang

To make samgyetang, a whole young chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice and boiled in a broth of Korean ginseng, dried seeded jujube fruits, garlic, and ginger. Depending on the recipe, other medicinal herbs such as wolfberry (gugija), Codonopsis pilosula (dangsam), and Angelica sinensis (danggwi) may also be added.

Like chicken soup, which is thought to help common sicknesses in the West, it is widely believed in Korea that samgyetang can both cure and prevent physical ailments. Proteins, minerals, and hormones from the whole chicken mixed with the beneficial properties of the ingredients combined in the dish makes it a revered culinary item in South Korea. Only whole uncut ingredients are used for the dish, as they are believed to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients.

Many Koreans enjoy it on three specific days in summer: "Chobok"(초복), "Jungbok" (중복), and "Malbok" (말복), which Koreans believe to be the hottest and most sultry of the year. Food with high nutrient content is eaten to regain the loss of stamina in the summer heat, and samgyetang is a favorite dish.

There are specialty restaurants in South Korea that serve nothing but samgyetang, having gained local popularity through their special recipe for the dish which are often kept secret. The dish is usually accompanied by side dishes and, in some restaurants, a small complimentary bottle of insamju (ginseng wine).

Red Mango | $1 off Smoothies Coupon

Click to see printable version of the coupon. |   Coupon via Red Mango facebook fan page

Here's a coupon good for $1 off any of our smoothies! Expires 8/31/2010. Enjoy!!

Korean Melon 101 :: 참외

Photo via Agricultural Technology and Extension Center, Korea  |  Words by: Kathy Choi Lee

The Korean melon was a very odd fruit for me growing up since you were told to eat the seeds. Hmm.. then as a child growing up in American I thought.. then wouldn't I grow melons in my stomach? I didn't want that! Why do they eat the seeds? I don't know. Maybe its the idea that Koreans don't throw anything away and have a use for everything - back from our war days? Now as an adult and a food connoisseur, I've developed the taste of eating the seeds with the melon's crispy texture. Its a very good combination actually. But, when I serve them to my guests, I always ask, "Seeds or no seeds!" 

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Korean Melon is a medium sized, elongated-oval fruit with a bright yellow and white smooth skin that is ribbed. The flesh is white, crispy and aromatic. Korean Melon has a small cavity with numerous seeds and is a member of the gourd family.

Usage : Eat fresh in wedges or cube and add to fruit salads. Korean Melon can be prepared and used as an edible garnish or served with ice cream.

Selection/storage : Select Korean Melons that are firm, symmetrically shaped with good rind color and a dull, waxy texture. Store whole, uncut melons up to 5 days at room temperature. Wrap cut melons in plastic and refrigerate up to 3 days.

How do you eat your Korean Melons?

Korean Shaved Ice Desert "PahtBingSu"

Flicker Photo by PABO76 - Taken at KoryoDang: 31W 32nd st. New York, NY 10001.

"PotPingSu (also spelled PatPingSoo, BatPingSu, etc) is a Korean desert made of shaved ice and condensed millk topped with -- sweet red beans, dduk (rice cakes), and mixed fruit. And often as in the photo above, served with ice cream." With the summer months ahead of us this Korean Shaved Ice desert has been calling my name even in my sleep. You would think it odd to have red bean in your desert, but calling all Green Tea and Red Bean ice cream lovers - this is a keeper. So cool and refreshing that your first bit might even sending you to an emergency run to your dentist. These days you can top it with anything in your pantry. Ice cream, diced fruits, mochi (rice cakes), coco pebbles cereal is a hit and gummy bears. Maybe even a slice of cake on the bottom for an ultimate decadence desert. Drop by any Korean bakery for one of these summer time treats and share it with a friend or two. Stay cool!

Korean Mixed Grain Rice

The rice bowl in my house was always a surprise. One day we'd have white steaming rice and then the next day - steamed green peas in our white rice. On special occassions we'd have black rice or mixed grain rice like the one pictured here. What's in it? every household would have their own special blend. There' no going wrong with your options. There's usually a good mix of any Glutinous (Sweet) Rice, Millet, Brown Rice, Sweet Brown Rice, Barley or Pressed Barley, Soybeans, Kidney beans, Green Peas, Red Bean, Black Rice, Lima Beans - you name it! 

Whenever my family eats white rice, we think how "bad" it is for us now since its not the nutritious choice (like white bread). We then suggest we should have more brown rice or barley rice for our meals. Then my parents begin telling their story of how they grew up during the war and all they ate was barley rice - which was ironic since though they were eating barley wishing they had white rice. Now they are now eating white rice and wishing they were eating barley rice.

These days I've been mixing our white rice with brown rice, barley and some black rice and an assortment of beans. I do wish white rice was the healthiest choice, but for now its saved for the days we have Kim Bap and curry rice. My kids don't know the difference and I'm happy.  I wonder what their story will be when they're older eating dinner with their children. 

What kind of rice do you enjoy eating?

FREE "Lets Go Red" t-shirts

"FIGHTING!!!" "GOAL!!" Warm up your World Cup voices and root for our South Korean soccer team in proper red t-shirts. Join the wave of red that will be cheering and screaming in homes all across the world on Saturday June 12, 2010. If you live near a the Korean market HMart, they're giving away a "Let's Go Red" t-shirt FREE with every $50 purchase or more. I say split up your game day snack shop list and get one for your whole family. This offer is only on June 11th (Friday).

Fried Rice | feeds four

By: Michelle S. of 3 Tree Designs

I don't make Korean too often as my yo-ri-sohm-shee is terrible.  My mom was pretty territorial about her kitchen when I was growing up, and she didn't really like me in there when she was cooking so I never really learned much. I've managed to procure some recipes from her over the past few years though, and I try to make it as often as I can. Although, I HATE how Korean food is never measured so it's "a touch of this," "a pinch of that," "just taste it" kind of recipes... drives me batty!

Here's my first recipe that's really easy to do, and very kid friendly (for them to eat).  It’s a great lunch option (or for dinner if you’re run out of ideas), and although you think most people know how to make fried rice, some people have said this recipe showed them some helpful tips.  Hope you enjoy it. J

Ingredient list:

• 4 cups of cooked rice
• 2 cups of meat (or if you like tofu)
• 3 eggs
• salt & pepper
• 3 cups of frozen veggies
• sesame oil
• sesame salt
• garlic powder
• soy sauce

1. Make about 4 cups of sticky rice (or whatever rice you have). I use a rice cooker, but I guess you can do it on the stove. Actually, rice that was made previously tastes better in fried rice. Freshly made rice is too sticky imo (in my opinion) for fried rice.  I usually thaw previously made and frozen rice.

2. Cut up hot dogs into quarter strips and cube them into small pieces for kids (mine is kosher beef hotdogs since that's what I had, but you can use spam, ground beef, chicken, whatever your heart desires).

3. Throw them on to a non-stick pan heated to about medium high heat. With a greasy meat like hotdog, you don't need oil. (Add a little oil if you're doing chicken.) Make a little "hole" in the center after they're starting to cook up.

4. Add 3 eggs into the center, and salt & pepper (if you used chicken, add a little veg oil before cooking the eggs).

5. "Scramble" up the eggs.

6. Once the egg looks like it's cooking up and turning solid, move them off to the side with the hotdogs and make a "hole" again.

7. Get some sesame oil and pour some in the center. Then cook about 3 cups (or as much as you like) of frozen veggies right in the center (make sure the hotdog/eggs are not burning). I like mixed organic veggies from Costco.

 

8. Once you think the veggies are almost cooked then mix them all together.



9. Create another hole in the center, and add more sesame oil (about 1-1.5 tbsp).



10. Then add about 4 cups of rice. Drizzle a bit more of the sesame oil on top of the rice, then mix it in with the rest of the items.



11. Watch your DC look at you in anticipation of the food!

12. Make sure to mix the rice in well, and if it's too sticky or too dry, take about half a cup of water and slowly add a little at a time until it's the consistancy you want. The steam from the water will rehydrate your rice. If you're using non-sticky rice, you don't really need to do that. I don't suggest using old non-sticky rice as even if you rehyrate it'll prob fall apart if you add water.

13. Now this is the "Korean" part: add some sesame salt, salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste.   I do a shake of this, a shake of that, a grind of this, and another shake of that. Hehe! Muhahahah.. Okay so that's how my mom feels. If you don't have any sesame salt, it's okay, but it's one of those things you should have in your Korean cooking arsenal.

14. After you taste it, and it seems it's salty but not too salty, add a spoonful of soy sauce, and remix the fried rice. Add more soy sauce to taste.



Now you're done, and ready to eat! Fry up some "mandoo" aka pot stickers or Korean pancakes to eat with it. If you want the fried rice spicier, then add diced up kimchi or add hot pepper paste aka gochujang. Just make sure to fry up the kimchi in the center like the frozen veggies. It'll give it a nice flavor.

I heart cupcakes and more!

Harvest Event Design & Coordination is always looking for fun and inspiring ways to bring fresh ideas to celebrations and parties.

At a recent birthday party, instead of a traditional birthday cake, the mom opted to do towers of gourmet cupcakes. Boy, were these some of the most delicious cupcakes ever!  They were made by Fairy Cakes Bakery.  To personalize the birthday girl's cupcake, she got her own special one topped with a pink candle.

 

Cupcakes aren't the only option to the birthday treat.  If you love macaroons like I do, why not have a macaroon tower for your next party.  The only thing is it just might be too beautiful to eat!

Image via Bobette and Belle

If you can't decide what sweet treat is your favorite, do a table of assorted dessert bites.  This is what we do for almost every event.  It never fails to please and tons of fun to put together everytime!

Image via Martha Stewart 

Cheers!

Kaylas Kakes | Cake Designer

Words and Cakes by Kayla Lee 

 

I am a devoted wife and an energized mother of two young boys. Combining my love for people with my personal passion for creating and designing has flourished into an exciting journey.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in German and Communication Arts, so I have always had an interest in immersing myself in the arts and culture. Later, I had an opportunity to experience baking and pastry and that is when I realized my gifting and passion. I soon found that designing and baking transcended languages and cultures. People love and appreciate quality design and tasty sweets.

 

I hold a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, graduating at the top of my class at Johnson and Wales University, Providence, RI.  I later interned at Colette's Cakes in New York, NY. Colette's Cakes is one of the most sought after cake designers in the state. Soon after my internship, I was hired at the renowned Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA where, again, I gained valuable and diverse experience. I decided to grow in my own profession and artistry providing edible art. 

At KaylaKakes, I strive to infuse my passion and talent in showcasing wedding cakes and customized cakes for a wide range of special occasions, from 1st birthdays to anniversaries and retirement events.

 

I hope that all of my clients will have a tremendously sweet experience with Kaylas Kakes.

Contact: Kayla Lee  |  www.kaylaskakes.com  |  Tel 714.423.3448