Recipe Time - Korean Dolsot Bibimbap for Lazy People

A couple of weeks ago I posted this photo of Dolsot Bibimbap (mixed rice in stone bowl) on my Facebook and shared it with a group of Taiwanese students who study overseas. After that, a couple of people wrote me and asked me for the recipe. First, I have to declare that I am not Korean, and the way I make it is not 100% correct. I add whatever vegetables that I like and I don't put meat in it. (If you want to make it the correct way, there are lots of clips on YouTube that you can watch.) Also, to make it look like it is in the photo above, you have to cook each ingredient separately. I don't do that anymore, because in reality, I just don't have the time; so I cook everything all together. : )

Enough said, here is how I make my version of Dolsot Bibimbap. First of all, here are the vegetables I use:



And here are the stuff you'll need:

(The key is that red pepper paste; you have to have it! Look for it in your local Asian market.)

Before you start anything, cook the rice first, and by the time you finish chopping the veggies and cooking, the rice will be done. (I typically cook 2.5 cups of rice; that's enough for one dinner and two lunch meals. Yeah I eat a lot! Oink...)

First, put the stone bowl on the stove, medium heat, and heat it up. You can buy the stone bowl in the Korean grocery. (PS: It's said that before you use it for the very first time, you should soak it for awhile.)

While the bowl is heating up, add some sesame oil into the frying pan, and add the veggies (daikon, carrot, mushroom and cucumber). Flavor with sea salt and soy sauce to your taste.

Cook for about 3 minutes till it's done, then set it aside. (I cook this batch separated from the spinage and sprout simply because my pan is too small.)

Now cook the spinage and bean sprout the same way.

After they are done, mixed in the veggies... One happy family now! :D

Now the stone bowl is piping hot, add some sesame oil and spread it evenly across the whole bottom. (Wear a glove, please!!!)

Add the fresh rice into the bowl. You should hear the heavenly sizzling! (It will cause some of the rice at the bottom to burn a little bit... yum!!!)

Then add the mixed veggies along the side, save the center for the best part.

Finally, add a fresh raw egg in the center of the bowl. Yes, a raw egg! The stone bowl and the rice are so hot that they will literally cook the egg after you mix everything, so don't worry. If you still are not sure about it, you can fry the egg first. After adding the egg, add a spoonful, or two, of the red pepper paste to the bowl. Red pepper paste is essential for this dish, so make sure you have it! To finish it up, I sprinkle some ground white sesame seeds and a little bit of sesame oil on top.

You have to mix it before eating it. Really take your time and mix it well. There you go! It's so easy to make and so yummy! My kind of comfort food. : )

Recipe: My Attempt at Æbleskiver

Two weeks ago me and my mom were browsing Williams-Sonoma, and I spotted that they have Æbleskiver pans for sale. I've never heard of Æbleskiver, but since I grew up in Taiwan, we have something similar, but salty instead of sweet, and it's called Takoyaki. Takoyaki is a yummy Japanese dumpling with chopped octopus bits and other goodness in it, and they can be made using the same pan. So I ordered a pan on Amazon.com (because it can produce 14 Æbleskiver at once, instead of the one I saw in the store which can only make 7 at a time.)

I guess I really can't call mine Æbleskiver, since they doesn't have any apple in it. Plus I got lazy and used regular pancake mix, so they are more like pancake puffs. I failed twice before successfully made a batch of nice looking puffs! I found out the trick is that you really have to grease the pan well, no matter if it's nonstick or not, otherwise the puffs won't turn nicely.

Here is the material list:
1. an Æbleskiver pan (nonstick or cast iron; mine is nonstick)
2. 1 cup of regular pancake mix (I use the kind that only water is needed)
3. 3/4 cup milk
4. 1 whole egg
5. small marshmallows
6. bamboo skewers
7. nonstick cooking spray (or cooking oil for cast iron pan)
(make about 28 puffs)

Mix 2+3+4 all together to make the batter. On the gas/or electric stove (an induction stove won't work), heat up the pan over medium heat and give a generous dose of nonstick cooking spray. When the pan is well heated, pour batter into each cubby only a little more than half way full (because the batter will expand). Then I add one marshmallow into each one of them; you can also add jam or other stuff. After that it's only the matter of using two bamboo skewers to turn the puffs and get it well cooked. This is the most difficult part and hard for me to describe. But here is a teaching clip that I found really helpful:



Here are some photos of my process:





And then sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, and enjoy! :)

Recipe: Chicken Spinach Mushroom Quesadilla

Ever since my dude showed me how to make quesadillas 2 weeks ago, we've been eating this yummy treats a lot (what a smart man by showing me how to make what he wants to eat... ha!) When he is here, I make a more traditional version with salsa, cheddar cheese, chicken, banana pepper, and MORE cheese. But since tonight I am by myself and I just bought bunch of goodies from the fabulous Costco, I tried a different version (perhaps a "girlier" version, too?) and boy it is so good!

Here is what I use:
* Small Corn Tortillas
* Garlic & Herbs Spread
* Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
* Canned Chicken Breast (flavored and ready to eat)
* Baby Spinach
* Baby Bella Mushrooms

Note:
Since the corn tortillas I use are so small, instead of folding them, I just use two and sandwich the stuff in between. As for the baby bella mushrooms, I bought them in a bag, already cleaned and sliced, and sautee them all at once in advance, so they are ready to use throughout the week.

How to make one:
(I put together all the quesadillas before they hit the pan.)

1. First heat up the tortillas a little bit. I do this by turn on the electric burner, hold the tortilla and quickly "slap" it against the heated coil back and forth, until little brown grill marks show up. Be careful not to burn it.

2. Spread a layer of garlic & herbs spread on one side of both tortillas.

3. On one tortilla, sprinkle cheese, then lay one layer of baby spinach on top, then chicken breast, sliced/sauteed baby bella mushroom, more cheese (this helps glue down the tortilla on top), and lay the other piece of tortilla on top.

4. Send the whole thing into a heated non-stick pan, no cooking oil needed. Grill about 2 minutes each side, until all the cheese is melted and hot. Use a pizza cutter (works better than knife) to cut it in half, and enjoy! :)

YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!!

I never knew such a yummy thing exists in this world! I always make peanut butter sandwiches, but tonight my man made one with a little twist. He used marshmallow creme instead of jelly, and it ROCKED MY WORLD! It was so good I started to dance in the kitchen! Who knows such a simple snack can bring so much joy?

(I went online and researched, and found out the sandwich has an official name: "fluffernutter". Even the name is cute!)

Today's Dinner: Miso Shrimp + Beet Salad

Ingredients:
12 medium shrimps (I save 6 for tomorrow's lunch)
Water
Japanese Miso Paste
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Cooking Wine
Organic Salad Greens
Non-Salty Sunflower Seeds
Milled Flax Seeds
Fresh Beet
Roasted Sesame Seeds

To cook shrimps:
1. In a little bowl, mix about 2 table spoons of water with some miso paste (adjust to your own taste), add 1 part of soy sauce with 1 part of sesame oil into the bowl. Mix well and pour in a heated sauce pan. (If you want to end of with more sauce for later you can just double the quantity here, then you will have extra sauce for tomorrow's lunch too.)
2. Toss in the shrimps, add some cooking wine and cook until shrimps are done.

While the shrimps are cooking, prepare your salad:
1. Peel and roughly chop one fresh beet. Then use a mini food processor to further chop it into smaller pieces. You will have enough beet to last several meals.
2. In a big bowl, mix salad greens with some unsalted sunflower seeds and about 1 tablespoon of milled flax seeds. Toss and mix well.
3. Sprinkle fresh chopped beet on top.
4. Add cooked shrimps, and use the sauce the shrimps were cooked in as the salad dressing.
5. Finally, sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds on top as garnish!

Today's Dinner: Honey Ham Tofu Quinoa Bowl

I only had 15 minutes to cook today and this thing took only 15 minutes to prepare... It contains two separate dishes: mushroom quinoa with seaweed + honey ham tofu. It will serve 2 people.

Ingredients:
Organic Quinoa : 1 cup
Dry Arame Seaweed (optional): about 1/2 cup
Dry Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms: about 3/4 cup
Seasalt
Hon Dashi (or other kind of soup stock powder)

A Box of Silk Tofu
Sliced Honey Hams
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Roasted Sesame Seeds


Prepare mushroom quinoa first:
1. First, soak 1/2 cup of dry arame seaweed in a bowl with cold water. Set it aside.
2. Bring 2.5 cups of water to boil, turn the heat down to medium.
3. Add 1 cup of organic quinoa and about 3/4 cup of dry shiitake mushrooms into the pot. (I break the mushroom into smaller pieces by hand.) Stir occasionally and let it cook for 13 minutes until all water is absorbed. Add some sea salt and dashi while cooking (you can add other kind of stock powder if you don't have dashi).
4. The arame seaweed should be soft and double in volume now. Get rid of the soaking water and add just the seaweed into the pot and mix well. Serve hot.

To prepare honey ham tofu (while the quinoa is cooking):
1. Take a box of silk tofu, plate it and slice it into smaller pieces.
2. Chop some sliced honey hams into small pieces. Sprinkle them on top of the tofu.
3. To make the sauce, mix 1 table spoon of each: soy sauce, sesame oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well and pour it on the tofu.
4. Finally, sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds on top. That's it.

Note: You don't have to use seaweed if you are not used to the taste, or you can just use a little bit to see if you like it or not. It's so good for your health though. Arame seaweed is actually a good one to start with since it has a milder taste.

Today's Dinner: Quinoa Tofu Salad

First, I have to confess that I have real problems following any recipes. I cook from whatever I have in my refrigerator. So my combination of stuff might looks weird, but this one is yummy and refreshing.

For this salad I used:
1 cup of organic quinoa (You can buy bulk quinoa at your local supermarket's health food area.)
organic mixed salad greens
firm tofu
raw slaw
sunflower seeds
red salsa
green salsa
sea salt

To cook quinoa:
Bring 2 cups of water to boil.
Turn the heat down to medium heat.
Add 1 cup of organic quinoa into the pot and cook about 13 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Meanwhile add some sea salt while it's cooking.
This will give you about 2 1/4 cups at the end, and I end up using only half of it for the salad (for 1 person).

1. In the salad bowl, mix the salad greens, slaw, and sunflower seeds.
2. Break firm tofu into smaller pieces and toss them in. (There is no need to cook the tofu.)
3. Add cooked quinoa into the mixture.
4. Finally, I added both red salsa + green salsa into the bowl and mix the whole thing really well.

Usually I might grill some shrimps with miso paste and add them to the salad. But I was too hungry so I skipped the shrimps for tonight...:)