All posts tagged: Korean

In My Kitchen – February 2016

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Hello, everyone! How was your January? For those who do resolutions, how are they going? What were they? For those who fast during Lent, are you ready? Can’t believe it’s Day 1 already! It’s the beginning of February which can mean only one thing: it’s In My Kitchen time! In My Kitchen is a great monthly blogging event originally hosted by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial who has passed over the reins to Maureen @ The Orgasmic Chef. In My Kitchen showcases the kitchens of a group of food writers and bloggers. If you are interested in joining, please follow the instructions from Maureen available on her February 2016 post linked above and make sure your entry is in by the 10th of the month. As mentioned above, I have had a busy January. First up, were my new years resolutions that I so far have kept up with: I began with a baseline of 10,000 steps and everyday I add 100 more. I am now 14,000+ per day and quite frequently I over-achieve my goal. So in my …

Bringing Korea to Ireland: Slightly Peppery Avocado and Smoked Salmon Gimbap with Lemon

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Friendship … is born at the moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . . ~ CS Lewis When I was living in Korea, I frequently had my friend Maria come to stay. Whenever she stayed it was a weekend of catching up, tons of food and lots of experimentation. We would sit at my little tables, chopping boards and knives at the ready and prepare anything from curries to stir-fries to experimental desserts. Despite the readiness of our knives, our tongues tended to wag a bit too much and we’d end up taking forever to chop, instead sharing stories about our past and current lives, exchanging cooking ideas or discussing teaching achievements and problems. It was always great fun and we’d both take away enough food for several meals the following week. In fact, she was my faithful helper when I made the rather wonderful meal that  I shared with you in the June 2015 In My Kitchen – we ate Egyptian, Indian, …

Ssambap with Sesame Noodles

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One of my favourite things about living in Korea is the amazing food I’ve been exposed to on a very frequent basis from bibimbap to dakgalbi to Korean bbq. If you ever get the chance to eat Korean food, I hope you get to experience it the way I did, right here in good ol’ Korea. When I first arrived, I ate out a lot more often than I do now. I usually reserved cooking for the weekends when I was home or an odd midweek meal. One reason I ate out so much was that I could not get enough of the grilled meats. In many restaurants here, at each individual table, there is a gas or electric ring where you cook your own meat and vegetables. I can remember vividly placing each piece of mouth-watering pork, beef or chicken hot from the grill onto a piece of crunchy green lettuce. Using my chopsticks in my right hand, I top the meat with kimchi, raw or grilled garlic, ssamjang, onions, and whatever other vegetables I can find at my table. …

Say Kimchi: Kimchi Vegetable Fries

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What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow. -A.A. Milne   I’m Irish so I love all things potato*: baked, roasted, boiled, mashed, twice baked, cold—in potato salad, and as crisps and chips. Give them to me in soup or curry, as colcannon, or as a main or a side and I’m a happy camper. There are times when all I have in my house are potatoes and nothing else so that’s what I’ll (happily) eat for dinner. Thankfully, potatoes are in abundance in Korea.  However, I find Korean potoes cook faster, for one thing, and, for another, they just don’t have as many varieties (Rooster’s, Queen’s or Kerr’s anyone?) compared to home. Despite this oversight, I’ve managed to get by quite well with what they do offer and have made many tasty meals based around this hearty vegetable. Christmas 2013 was no exception.  I made Kimchi fries, inspired by the Kimchi fries my brother made me and the subsequent ones I have had …

Say Kimchi: Tuna and Kimchi Fried Rice

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After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations. – Oscar Wilde Kimchi. Kimchi. Kimchi. Korea loves kimchi. They even  say “Kimchi” instead of “Cheese” when they smile. It’s eaten at every meal from breakfast to dinner and worms its way into lots of dishes.  There is fishy kimchi, spicy kimchi, mild kimchi, vinegar-y kimchi and even a sweet-ish kimchi (made from cucumber, this is my favourite). In fact, in winter, there are several places that hold kimchi making days where expats and visitors can learn this important aspect of Korean culture. I was supposed to go one weekend in December but unfortunately I was sick. Thankfully, the company I went through let my friends bring me some home! So here I was with 3 kilos of kimchi and trying to figure out how I would use it all. Luckily, when it comes to food, inspiration is never far away, and one meal that I really like is kimchi fried rice or kimchi bokkeumbap. If you are ever stuck with a ton of kimchi, …