All posts tagged: main dish

Kale Baked Beans

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Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart                                                              -Schoolyard chant So, I’ve mentioned before how I love baked beans on toast. Everytime I have them, whether they are jazzed up on some fantastic bread or just a tin of Batchelors on Brennans‘, they evoke memories of staying with my Granny during World Cup 1990 while my mom was away. At night when my dad got home, we’d drink really sweet, milky tea and feast on beans on toast. Maybe we didn’t have them everyday, but I was under 8 years old at the time, and that’s what my memory is telling me! While the bread is certainly important, for example, a nice Vienna Roll or Brennan’s Batch loaf would do the trick, getting such high quality bread in Korea sadly doesn’t equate to a quick and easy meal. I’d have to trek to Daejeon, which is 30 …

Chicken Rice Salad

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He that sups upon salad, goes not to bed fasting -Thomas Fuller While I love winter and winter eats like hearty soups to rich curries, there is something about spring and summer that makes my heart sing. Spring also tends to alter my desire for making Shepherd’s Pie into cravings of salads, avocados and black olives. Consequently, I made a Chicken Rice Salad this week which spanned those three criteria. Truth be told, years ago, when I was on holiday in Nebraska visiting my mother’s family, one of my aunts made a Chicken Orzo Salad. That salad had black olives and scallions and was dressed in garlic mayonnaise. I don’t have the recipe, nor do I know what cookbook it is from, but the below recipe is inspired by my memory of that tasty dish. Light and fresh, it pairs well with my Kale Baked Beans (coming soon). Chicken Rice Salad Serves 6-8 Ingredients 2 cups uncooked rice, washed and rinsed 4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size chunks 1 yellow pepper, washed and diced 15-20 scallions/spring onions, peeled, washed …

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. …

Dinners at Maggie’s: Egyptian Rice and Lentils

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“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard A couple of years ago, we had a big family get together. Ostensibly, it was a celebration for my mom’s birthday but in reality we were celebrating a time of change and celebration. My mother and two of my sisters had birthdays that needed recognition. As it was the beginning of the summer, it was a last opportunity for everyone to enjoy each other’s company. We bid adieu to my brother as he left for a year of travel and work in Italy and Korea. Another sister, plus her family, was moving to Minnesota for 6 months as her husband was going to work at the Mayo Clinic. And the youngest member of our family was going too. Taking the opportunity to work in Minnesota for the summer and help our sister with the move. It was a fun but emotional day as everyone chopped, sliced, diced and came together. While we ate many incredibly dishes, most of which were from Extending the Table by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, one …

Burrito-less veggie salad bowl

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A burrito is a delicious food item that breaks down all social barriers and leads to temporary spiritual enlightenment.  – Monster High, Lisi Harrison I love burritos. One of my favourite restaurants at home is this little pokey restaurant called Boojum, near Jervis Street Shopping Centre, where you can build your own burrito. Delicious (please forgive me if I ever overuse the word “delicious”.  It is not intentional, but in Korea that is the main word used to describe anything that is really tasty) aromas assail the senses as you walk in, and, for me at least, it’s hard not to just jump over the counter and devour everything I see. When I came to Korea, my brother and I found a place in Itaewon that was of a similar style. Sadly, it did not compare, and since then I’ve been quietly lamenting the lack of a decent build your own burrito place.  Over time I’ve found several other restaurants in Seoul (and Daejeon) that have tasty burritos. However, memories of that delicious  burrito at Boojum must have …