April 25, 2024

Korean Beansprout Soup (Kong Namul Guk)

December 11, 2015 by

kong namul guk

One of the best parts of winter is enjoying all the warming soups, stews, and other comfort foods.  This Korean Beansprout Soup (Kong Namul Guk) is just what the doctor ordered if you’r sick, or just what your tummy ordered if you’re not!

Some recipes call for an anchovy and seaweed broth, but I prefer this soup with a beef broth.  You can either use canned or homemade beef broth, or my favorite – bone broth.  Serve this soup with a scoop of cooked rice for a traditional Korean breakfast, or any time you need to warm up.

Korean Beansprout Soup (Kong Namul Guk)

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 4 ounces beef, sliced fine into small pieces (or you can chop up a leftover hamburger – not traditional, but it’s delicious!)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups beef broth, bone broth, or other broth of your choice
  • 8 ounces beansprouts
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • cooked rice, green onions, sesame seeds, dried chili pepper flakes to serve

Directions:

  1. In a large pot with a lid, heat the sesame oil and add the meat, stirring to cook through.  (If you are using leftover cooked beef, just sauté quickly.)  Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute or two – don’t let it burn!
  2. Add the broth.  Bring it to a simmer.
  3. Wash and sort through the bean sprouts – get rid of any that are discolored or mushy.   Add to the broth and cook, covered, for about ten minutes.
  4. Add soy sauce and taste for salt.  Serve with rice, green onions, sesame seeds, and chili pepper flakes, if desired.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

 

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Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

October 2, 2015 by

 

Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

This Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken is GOOD.  My family scarfed it up last night.  If you don’t have gochujang – Korean red pepper paste that is both fruity and fiery – you can add hot sauce instead.  The longer you marinate the chicken, the better, but don’t go more than 24 hours.  You can put this together in the morning before work and come home and cook it.  Serve with rice, a salad, or a full table of ban chan!

Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang – or more! – or hot sauce of choice
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons rice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • sliced green onions and sesame seeds, to serve

Directions:

  1. Place the chicken in a large Ziplock bag, or other resealable / Tupperware-type container.  Add the soy sauce, gochujang, ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil.  Mix thoroughly to combine.  Let marinate at least one hour, but less than 24 hours.
  2. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil.  When hot, add the chicken in two batches, stirring occasionally, and making sure both sides get browned, about 5-8 minutes per batch.  Discard any leftover marinade.  Serve chicken heaped in a bowl, topped with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet

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Kimchee Jjigae (Kimchee Stew)

September 26, 2014 by

Kimchee Jjigae resize

My blog is called The Frugal Girlmet, because I like to use everything I can in the kitchen and do my best to make sure nothing goes to waste.  Kimchee Jjigae is the Korean embodiment of this principle.  A little background:  Kimchee is a fermented, spicy cabbage dish that, together with rice, is the backbone of Korean cuisine.  Traditionally, Korean families made kimchee in the summer, in gigantic clay pots.  They buried the pots in the ground to preserve them, and the family ate the kimchee over the course of the winter.  Winters are very cold in Korea, so that helped preserve the kimchee…but it still got old.  What to do with overripe kimchee – throw it away?  NO!  Koreans use every last bit of their resources, which is how Kimchee Jjigae came to be.  They made a stew out of the last of their kimchee, adding  meat to make it more filling, and served it with rice for a complete and frugal meal.

The only ingredient you MUST use in this stew is kimchee.  Everything else can vary by region, resources, or personal taste.  One of the most common varieties has pork as the protein component, and this is the way I make it.  You can cut up a few pork chops, or use any leftover pork you have.  I made a pork roast in the crockpot the night before and reserved about 2 cups of meat for this stew.  Other types of Kimchee Jjigae use canned tuna, tofu, other seafood or fish, and even Spam!  During the Korean War, American GIs brought Spam with them, and Koreans adopted it too.  Another variation that was born in the Korean War is called Budae Jjigae, which translates to “Army Stew.”  American soldiers made their own version of Kimchee Jjigae by adding ramen noodles, meat, seafood, and other vegetables to make their rations last longer.

If you like spicy foods, you will love this.  If you feel a cold or sinus infection coming on, this will clear it right out (it’s loaded with Vitamin C and probiotics)!  If your family likes chili, you should really give this Kimchee Jjigae recipe a try.  Feeling brave?  Feeling frugal?  Read on!

Kimchee Jjigae

Ingredients:

  • 1 small onion, sliced fine, or one bunch of green onions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil (or other oil)
  • 2 cups pork (see note above)
  • 2 cups kimchee, preferably old kimchee
  • about 1/2 cup kimchee juice (that red pepper water in the bottom of the jar!)
  • 2 cups water
  • rice to serve
  • sesame seeds, dried seaweed, or sliced green onions for garnish

Directions:

  1. In a large pot with a lid, add the sliced onions and oil.  Cook over medium heat for a minute or two.
  2. While the onion is cooking, chop the pork.  If you are using raw pork, you have two options:  you can add it in whole and then remove it when it’s cooked and chop it up.  You can also slice it thinly and add it now.  I think it’s easiest to use leftover pork that you can quickly chop or shred.
  3. Add the pork, kimchee, kimchee juice, and water to the pot.  Adjust the heat so the stew simmers.  Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Serve with rice, and garnish with sesame seeds, dried seaweed, or green onion tops.

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

 

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Korean Green Onion Salad – Pa Muchim

January 3, 2014 by

Pa Muchim Resize

Korean Green Onion Salad, or Pa Muchim (pronounced “pah moo cheem”) is a staple at Korean BBQ restaurants and homes alike.  It is frequently paired with pork belly or other fatty meats, as a counterbalance to all the rich flavors and textures.  I find it spicy and weirdly refreshing!

Yes, this salad has a lot of green onion in it.  So much so that you should probably share it with whoever you’re going to be hanging out with that day.  I wouldn’t eat a big plate of this and then go out on a first date!  Cutting the green onions into long strips can be a little tricky.  If it’s not working out for you or you get frustrated, you can just turn the onion on a bias and cut long diagonal slices – they don’t have to be strips cut lengthwise.  Red leaf lettuce is most commonly used, but you can try green leaf or romaine too.  As for the dried red pepper, just use one of those little packets of crushed red pepper that always comes with a pizza delivery!

Next time you grill or fry something rich and delicious, pair it with this spicy and cleansing salad.  (And for more motivation, check out how healthy green onions are for you!)

Korean Green Onion Salad (Pa Muchim)

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch green onions (anywhere from 4 to 8 onions)
  • 1 head red leaf lettuce
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (or you can substitute apple cider vinegar)
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but try it if you have them!)
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

  1. Slice onions lengthwise into thin strips, or you can cut them on a very severe bias into long ovals.  Put the onions into a bowl of ice water and let soak for fifteen minutes.  This crisps them, and also removes some of the sliminess from the insides.
  2. While the onions are soaking, wash the lettuce and cut it into bite-sized strips.  If your lettuce is a little limp, soak it in ice water too!
  3. Make the dressing:  combine soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar in a small Tupperware cup with a lid.  Shake well to combine.  Add sesame oil and red pepper flakes and shake again.
  4. Drain the lettuce and onions, dry them if you can:  Either roll up in a dish towel, or spin in a salad spinner.  Combine lettuce and onions in a large bowl, toss with dressing, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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Korean-American Pork Ribs (Dwaeji Galbi)

September 20, 2013 by

 

Korean-American Pork Ribs

Mmmm, ribs!  I love them so, especially when they’re sloppy and tangy, even though I hate getting messy.  My mother-in-law made her version of this Korean dish – and while they were tasty, and chewy, they were too spicy for my taste, and WAY too hot for the children!  I wanted the best of both worlds:  tangy American-style, and spicy Korean-style.  I think I made it work.  These are my Korean-American Pork Ribs!

I found the rack of ribs really cheap at my Korean grocery store.  And instead of using the traditional Korean hot chili paste (gochujang), I used a chipotle in adobo sauce.  It added just the right amount of heat without being overwhelming, and also gave everything a smoky flavor that you can’t get without a real wood chip smoker.  Everything else is pretty easy to find at the store.  If you have any leftover ginger, peel it and freeze it.  It will keep forever in there, and will be easier to grate when it’s frozen.

Koreans eat these as snacks or with lots of vegetable ban chans.  They’re also a bar food favorite, so try these with a cold beer, if you like!

Korean-American Pork Ribs  (Dwaeji Galbi)

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds pork ribs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1- or 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 chipotle in adobo sauce (or more if you want it spicy!)
  • diced green onion and sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Cut the ribs apart into individual pieces.  Place in a very large bowl.
  2. In a food processor or blender, add sugar, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, ketchup, mustard, and chipotle.  Blend until smooth.  Pour over ribs, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours – overnight, if you can.
  3. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400*F.  Place a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with foil (this make clean up much easier!)  Bake for about 45 minutes, turning the ribs and basting then with leftover marinade every 15 minutes.  Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

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