Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

As a kid, I remember watching my mom toss together this refreshing cucumber salad as an easy side dish for meals. I hosted a Korean lunch for friends today and decided to make this recipe: https://kimchimari.com/korean-cucumber-salad/ It's surprisingly quick and easy to make. This cucumber salad offers a bright complement to well-seasoned fatty proteins. For… Continue reading Korean cucumber salad (oi muchim)

Korean kalbi-style chicken thighs

We have been trying to cut down on our red meat consumption. We decided to try out my grandmother's kalbi marinade (intended for beef short ribs) on chicken thighs, and the result was delicious. First, you will need about 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs. We recommend leaving excess fat (which will help with caramelization)… Continue reading Korean kalbi-style chicken thighs

Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)

We had simmered a 9×5″ piece of kombu for broth, and we wanted to repurpose the cooked kombu. Many years ago, we visited Din Tai Fung in Seattle, and I was blown away by their seaweed and bean curd appetizer. So this evening, we tried this recipe based on our pantry: https://whattocooktoday.com/din-tai-fung-seaweed-and-beancurd-salad.html Our modifications: first,…… Continue reading Taiwanese seaweed, tofu, and bean thread noodle salad (inspired by Din Tai Fung)

Baked Japanese potato croquettes

We had about 24 oz leftover mashed potato and seasoned minced chicken from the torijaga (Japanese chicken and potato stew). We felt inspired to try this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/baked-croquette/ Our modifications: first, we folded in about 1/2 cup frozen peas to the mashed potatoes. Second, instead of mixing the minced meat into the mashed potato, we… Continue reading Baked Japanese potato croquettes

Japanese chicken and potato stew (torijaga)

We have started cutting down on red meat, but we still crave old recipes such as nikujaga (a Japanese meat and potato stew featuring thinly sliced or minced beef or pork). We found this recipe for torijaga (chicken and potato stew), which uses chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces: https://youtu.be/jA-qNOIJ-LE Our modifications: first, we used… Continue reading Japanese chicken and potato stew (torijaga)

Korean spicy fish and radish stew (maeuntang)

We had a lot of daikon, and I suddenly had a craving for this dish. We tried Maangchi’s recipe: https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/maeuntang We followed Maangchi’s guidance to use fresh whole fish. We found two beautiful red snapper, which the fish monger graciously cut into 2-inch pieces (and we kept the head and tail). Our modifications: first, for…… Continue reading Korean spicy fish and radish stew (maeuntang)

Vegetarian Korean spicy beef-style soup (yuk gae jang)

I love traditional yuk gae jang, which relies heavily on beef, and searched for a plant-based version that would still taste authentic. We tried this recipe by Chef Seonkyoung Longest: https://seonkyounglongest.com/vegan-yukgaejang/ This soup tasted remarkably similar in flavor to genuine yuk gae jang. We followed the broth recipe instructions exactly, but we tweaked other parts… Continue reading Vegetarian Korean spicy beef-style soup (yuk gae jang)

Vietnamese daikon, tofu, and chayote soup (canh bau)

We had daikon, firm tofu, and chayote squash on hand, so we tried this plant-forward recipe: https://web.archive.org/web/20240521065002/https://viceatsworld.com/vietnamese-canh-bau-opo-squash-soup/. Its flavors are surprisingly complex and delicious, and the soup comes together very quickly. It makes a great weeknight meal. Our modifications: first, we often use chayote squash in lieu of opo squash (aka bottle gourd). They are… Continue reading Vietnamese daikon, tofu, and chayote soup (canh bau)

Simple broth for frozen dumplings

This post is more of a shortcut method than an actual recipe. We made a simple lunch from frozen dumplings (purchased from a local dumpling shop). For the broth, we combined 6 cups water, about 1 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor, 1 Tbsp yondu seasoning (Korean vegetarian liquid seasoning), and 1 Tbsp Korean soup…… Continue reading Simple broth for frozen dumplings