1 kg chicken cut into serving pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 small hot/chilli peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
5 slices of ginger
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp wine
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
water
cornstarch

Directions:

1. Mix the water and cornstarch. Let stand for a while to allow cornstarch to settle. Drain. In the remaining cornstarch wrap the chicken and fry in deep hot fat until golden brown. Arrange on a platter.
2. Mix the first six ingredients and pour on the remaining fat in the pan. Stir until it thickens. Pour over the fried chicken pieces. Top with sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Happy cooking!

Source: Philippine Fiesta Recipes
by Leonarda R Belmonte & Perla B Del Mundo

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken Tuesdays: Korean Barbecued Chicken

I’m so glad to stumble upon this dish from my sister’s immense compilation of recipes. It made me reminisce my college days when I used to order this every time my classmates and I took our lunch at the nearby mall. Anyway, my husband was very satisfied with how tasty the beef stew turned out that I didn’t hesitate to give my Kiwi neighbor some. Poor woman, she is currently having her entire kitchen renovated for the next few weeks so I thought maybe a delicious home-cooked meal might just cheer her up. She simply adores Asian food! I suppose it’s because she smells the inviting aroma of my cooking every single day!

Oh well, enough said. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 tbsp oil
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
1 small onion, sliced
1 kilo beef sirloin or tenderloin, sliced thinly
3 cups beef stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp liquid seasoning
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp green onions, chopped

Procedure:

1. In a wok, heat oil then saute garlic, ginger and onions. Add beef slices and stir-fry over high heat until light brown in color.
2. Add the beef stock, soy sauce, liquid seasoning, sesame oil, beef cube, sugar and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cook until beef is tender.
3. Add the sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with steamed rice.

That’s it! It’s as easy as 1-2-3! But I must admit, there are heaps of ingredients, don’t you think?! I sure hope I didn’t miss any!

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Korean beef stew recipe

Asiana Korean Restaurant is about 20 minutes North from the heart of Cincinnati, so that alone takes you away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Located in a small strip off of Cincinnati-Dayton Road, it is a bit of a drive from many Cincy neighborhoods but not too far away as to be inaccessible.

The glass windows are marked “Chinese”, “Japanese” and “Korean” but having many other Chinese restaurant choices in the city, it would be best to come here when what you are craving for is Korean food. Since the offerings are comprised of three different cuisines, the menu is long. We were happy to select from the smallest section featuring Korean fare. Of course, I had to order Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop and the green onion pancake, while the kids, and Dad, ordered Bul Gogi and my oldest had her eel. We were provided with fragrant genmaicha, which we happily sipped as we waited our order. By the time the panchan came, we had learned (and gotten tired of) the Korean song playing in the background. I would say “broken record” except that I doubt anyone plays 45s or LPs these days. The music became less of a concern as soon as the bowls of panchan/banchan were set before us — familiar favorites were there, as well as a few we didn’t recognize. Particularly tasty were the steamed egg cubes. We were also intrigued by the jelly-like cubes atop some kochujang-like sauce, which the server explained to us was a mung bean preparation. I have tried to ask my favorite Korean storeowner how to make it, but I have not been successful in obtaining a recipe, as the language barrier is making it difficult. Perhaps I should buy some next time to take to her.

My order was excellent — veggies piled on thick, the egg adding a touch of richness to an otherwise plain dish. But of course the piece de resistance was the sizzling rice underneath. Breaking off in chunks as you mix everything up and add a dollop of their hot sauce, it is a meal that really should not be reserved for Mother’s Day alone — every Asian-food-loving mother should enjoy this as a treat on her day off. (I have not found the right stone bowl to make this at home or I would make this often.)

The bul gogi was deliciously seasoned, with a great balance of sweet and salty. However, the texture suffered from being too finely sliced or shredded. I was not able to detect a kiwi component to the marinade, which often causes meat to disintegrate; but I wouldn’t discount the possibility that it was used either. Of the eel I cannot say anything but praise. The skin was delicate as it was crunchy, the flesh generously thick, meaty, and meltingly tender. Leftovers, heated up in the oven, made a satisfying addition to dinner that evening.

Prices were not too steep, although we did end up with a slightly bigger bill ($90) than the one we got at Buga in California ($70). You can look at this two ways. It’s expensive in that the offerings are not as extensive, and the presentation not as traditional (read fun) as one might wish for. However, considering that Asiana is only one of the few Korean restaurants in Cincinnati, I find this to be very reasonable, so no complaints here. Add to that we were the only customers in the restaurant at the time, and so were given the best possible attention.

On Saturdays, be aware that there are Tae Kwon Do classes just two doors down, so depending on what time you get there, parking may get a little tricky, but should not cause problems for most.

Asiana Korean Restaurant
6875 Fountains Blvd
West Chester, OH 45069
(513) 755-9888

Post from: Blisstree

Asiana Korean Restaurant, Cincinnati, OH

I wonder if they lose any clientele with this sign up front? The $55.99 refers to hotel rates next door to Buga, but if I were looking for cheap eats and just passing through quickly this would scare me off.

The kids all got turns cooking on the grill. Lovely evening for a family night out, and Buga was an excellent choice. Thanks so much, Kirk!

Post from: Blisstree

Buga Korean BBQ, San Diego, CA

We’ve had several disappointments this month, though this one can be classified under user error. The recipe was from

,

I marinated beef ribs for a grilled lunch item… only thing was we were in the midst of preparations to leave for a gathering with friends, and I relied on the book too heavily instead of feeling my way through the recipe, and going by what I already knew — that beef ribs sliced this way are best when cooked very briefly, barely seared just to get those fats melting and moistening the rest of the meat. The instructions said to grill the meat 4-5 minutes on each side, but that was obviously too long, or our grill was too hot. Better results could have been had if the meat had been grilled a couple of minutes on each side at most. We salvaged what we could, and enjoyed ate it with the accompanying pickled cabbages (another disappointment that I won’t bother to post). Oh well.

Post from: Blisstree

Korean Beef Ribs

Post from: Blisstree

Chusok

Click here to get to Sauce.or.kr.

Post from: Blisstree

Ingredient Spotlight: Korean Soybean Paste (doenjang)

For Immediate Release
Release Date: June 2, 2006
press contact: Ji Lee
jilee@koreanculture.org
(212)759-9550

The First and Exclusive Map of Korean Restaurants in Manhattan!

The Map of Korean Restaurants will be first released at:
3rd UN Korean Food Festival
June 5th – June 16th at the United Nations’
Delegates’ Dining Room
United Nations’ Headquarters (1st Avenue & 46th Street)

Map of Korean Restaurants in Manhattan is the first of its kind to fully list the top Korean restaurants in Manhattan, as the map lists 28 traditional, modern and specialty Korean Restaurants which has been compiled by the New York offices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Korea, Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation in New York, and Korea Agro-Trade Center New York. The list of the featured Korean restaurants in this map has also been approved by the Korean-American Association of Greater New York.

Chung Moo Ro, Han Ga Wi, Kori, Woo Rae Oak are some of the most representative Korean restaurants in this city, and few of the specialty dishes of each restaurants and prices are also listed. This map is easy to navigate, and definitely a must guide for Korean food lovers and adventurous cuisine seekers! This map not only features Korean restaurants in K-Town (32nd Street) but also the more popular Korean restaurants throughout midtown and downtown Manhattan. Korean restaurants first appeared in New York in the early 1960s, and today, after more than 45 years, New York is home to over 250 Korean Restaurants.

Map of Korean Restaurants in Manhattan will be exclusively distributed starting June 5th, at the 3rd UN Korean Food Festival at the Delegates’ Dining Room in the United Nations’ Headquarters. “The purpose of distributing the Map of Korean Restaurants in Manhattan at the UN Korean Food Festival is to encourage the continuity of exploration in the Korean Cuisine,” said Mr. Sung Wook Jo, the president of Korea Tourism Organization in New York. The map will be available for download (in .pdf format) from our website (www.koreanculture.org) beginning on Monday, June 5th. For two weeks only, the delegates at the UN will be treated with one of Korea’s most internationally renowned chefs, Mr. Gi Ho Yim—and best of all, New Yorkers are also invited to the Delegates’ Dining Room for this feast!

The festival will consist of an elaborate lunch buffet that will be open to the public from Monday to Friday, 11:30AM to 2:30PM. [Reservations are required and can be made by calling (212) 963-7625/7626 or delegatesdiningroom@earthlink.net.]

For more information, please contact Ji Lee (jilee@koreanculture.org), the PR Manager, at the Korean Cultural Service New York at (212) 759-9550. The Korean Cultural Service is located at the sixth floor of 460 Park Ave. (at 57th Street), New York, NY, 10022.

Post from: Blisstree

Map of Korean Restaurants in Manhattan

Napoleon Bakery
4217 Annandale Center Drive
Annandale, VA
703-914-1101

Post from: Blisstree

Korean Pastries at Napoleon Bakery

Two-Minute Calamari from Foodatista, not exactly Asian but I’m already thinking of some twist that would make it so….

And ah, this Sea Bass at Dessert First just looks heavenly. No recipe included but it doesn’t look that difficult to replicate, is it? That picture is enough to make one’s mouth water, even at 3:43 a.m.

There’s also a Korean recipe for Chatjuk (Pine Nut and Rice Porridge) that I’ve been wanting to try. Hmmm…. something special for breakfast!

And here’s one from DrWeil.com: Spicy Garlic Broccoli with Pine Nuts — the recipe is from one of my favorite Asian cookbooks: Nina Simonds’ A Spoonful of Ginger!

Pine nuts, a.k.a. pignoli or pinion, are the edible seeds of certain pine trees (the most known being “stone pine”). The nuts come from inside the pinecones, making harvesting labor-intensive, hence the cost. The Chinese pine nut has a stronger flavor compared to the Italian pine nut, but both varieties are delicious. In Korea, pine nuts have been called “Wizard’s Elixir” because of its nutritious content. Korean pine nuts (Pinus koraiensis), incidentally, have received much attention lately due to its appetite-suppressing properties. Hmm…. so does that mean, if you eat those delicious Korean pine nuts, you can actually stop at one handful? Or two?

Nutritional composition of the pine nut: 6% water, 31% protein, 47% oil, 12% carbohydrates

More Information from Goods From The Woods (pinenut.com).

I have pine trees in my yard but I have yet to determine if they would produce anything edible. If not, I’m thinking of replacing them with trees from Rhora’s Nursery.

Post from: Blisstree

Ingredient Spotlight: Chinese Pine Nuts