Thank you to Sarah Bates of The Chef Next Door for hosting today's Hot and Spicy #SundaySupper event! Have you heard of the 10,000-hour rule? Author Malcolm Gladwell theorizes that to truly master something, you will have had to log in at least 10,000 hours of practice. This theory was based on a study by Swedish psychologist Anders Ericsson. So what does this have to do with kimchi? Well, I feel like kimchi-making requires some level of practice to get to a point where it's easy to make and, most importantly, it consistently tastes awesome. When I first posted a recipe for this same dish, I had only made it a few times and it turned out a decent kimchi...50 percent of the time. Now 5 years later, I've made this particular kimchi a little less than 100 times. And if we're following the 10,000-hour rule, I've got about 9,900 hours become an expert kimchi maker. But I feel like after 5 years or about 100 hours, I've got this dish down. I've gotten rid of a couple of steps, streamlined ...
Perilla Pancakes
Originally published September 11, 2011. I thought I'd revive this recipe for Chuseok! Happy Chuseok! The cool fall weather is here to stay and school is in full swing. It is also the end of the season for kaenip (perilla) and the leaves are fading into a yellowish light green hue. The other weekend, I plucked the remaining leaves and decided to do a few experiments after speaking with my mom. She mentioned that the older leaves tend to be a less tender and a little tougher. Sometimes she steams a bunch of leaves and makes ssam (wraps) or chops them up and makes jun (pancakes) or jang dduk, a special recipe that my mom culled from her mother that sounded really hearty and quite simply, yummy. The recipe incorporates a spoonful of dwaen jang into the batter. (I know, dwaen jang!) I've never actually had the dish before or even heard of such a thing, but the combination of the pungent salty, nutty dwaen jang, and the strong peppery, minty kaenip sounded enticing. If you ...
Some Korean Flavor…
Thanksgiving Menu 2013
Thanksgiving was supposed to happen at my parent’s place this year, but due to logistical issues, I am hosting this year with 5 families breaking bread together. My menu has been set since last month and it doesn’t vary too much from year to year, but this year I’m being a bit adventurous and adding…
Spicy Pickled Garlic Scapes #SundaySupper
What are garlic scapes? They are the curly tops or stalks of a garlic plant. They are usually trimmed to help in the growth of a larger garlic bulb. Garlic scapes are typically at their peak in late spring, but it seems that everything is a bit delayed here in the Northeast this year. The…
Kimchi Contest in Brooklyn! Bring it!
It’s been a while since my last post, but I hope to start doing some real cooking soon. In the meantime, there will be some serious kimchi making action. My sister entered a team to compete in the New York Kimchi Contest organized by blogger, Maangchi. The event takes place on June 26th in Prospect Park,…
Mushroom and Cabbage Mandoo
Several weeks ago I participated in the fastest moving Twitter party sponsored by Kitchen PLAY and The Mushroom Council. Selected food bloggers shared recipes where they swapped out meat for mushrooms which got my little wheels a-churnin’. I immediately thought of remaking my mandoo (Korean dumplings) and swapping out the meat with mushrooms. I don’t…