My comfort food, Kimchi Jjigae

Kimchi Jjigae ( kimchi stew)



Kimchi stew ( kimchi Jjigae) is another dish using old fermented kimchi dish specially during cold winter. This is one of my favourite my winter, heart warming comfort food.
As same as Kimchi pancake this needs well fermented kimchi,  a clever way using,  too fermented kimchi in every Korean household.
However kimchi jjigae become very popular tasty dish its own merit. Often I ferment kimchi quickly to make kimchi jjigae not only winter, also spring as well.

Kimchi stew and hot steamed rice , Winter watery radish kimchi are perfect match, hot and cold spicy, mild , they are very modern way of enjoying the taste buds, but they are very old Korean way of eating habit. I may say our ancestors are rather adventurous, it is all based on our ying yang philosophy in life.

Best one is made with pork bone ( Knee bone) but they are difficult to get in UK , I often use pork rib, cut 2-3cm or just with dry anchovy this makes very clean taste.

Ingredients:  fermented kimchi ( 1/4 cabbage kimchi), 1 pork rib, 1 onion, garlic ( grated) 2 tsp, ginger 1tsp,  tofu, spring onion ( chopped),  Korean chilli flake ( gochugaru),  1tsp Korean bean paste. ( doengang). oil ( sun flower or rape seed oil), water,
1 red and green chilli ( chopped thinly)

1. Take out kimchi stuffing and chopped as bite size ( 2cm) , ask butcher cut pork rib 3cm small. get rid of excessive fat and set aside. Slice onion thinly .
2. Heat oil in a pan, fry onion add pork , kimchi and cook 2-3 minutes add water about 750ml. boil first and reduce heat. add bean paste and garlic and ginger.
3. when stew is simmer, add chilli flake as much you like ( about 1tbsp) season light soy sauce ( 1 tbsp) . Stew taste just a little saltier than soup , because stew is eaten with rice.
4. Add cut tofu simmer another 20minutes,  add spring onion and chopped chilli on the top.
Serve with rice , other side dishes ( banchan).

Hint;   kimchi stew served in brown earth ware ( you can buy at Korean shop)

NOTE: Korean cookery in March. 14th, 21st,28th.
Email; kiejosarsfield@hotmail.co.uk
     

Dinner at Moro

Our table

Baked quail with garlic & rosemary



Chopped calf's liver with pine nuts

Sea bass with sea vegetable and black beans

Roast Lamb

Always a such pleasure to dine at Moro, in London, we as a family made a kind of tradition to celebrate our (mine and my son's) birthday together at Moro, as we are only a week apart.
It is rather noisy, busy restaurant with long bar and open kitchen, I do love the smell of cooking and efficient, friendly service with super tasty foods.
I love this kind of controlled chaotic ( If I can put it like that) restaurant, it is more difficult to get it right, I think.

Sourdough bread is best in London in my opinion. soft and chewy but not doughy at all.

Menu is good as usual.
Had roast quail with garlic and rosemary, so good, tender meat with garlic with rosemary flavour.
Chopped calf's liver with pine nuts was delicious, what a good idea chopped as bite size liver,  I might use this idea with my devilled lamb's kidney at home.
My sea bass was good too it was half size, as a fish lover I prefer one whole fish with head on. for me whole fish is more visually attractive. Even I love charred burnt skin ,black bean was rather odd choice but they were a good match, after all  this is Spanish Moorish foods.

Lamb was tender and deliciously pink as my husband prefer.

I love occasional family dinner at restaurants , not only food , also chance to have family talk, the best way to talk each other as a family with good food. We can talk anything everything through 3 course meal, appreciating foods lead to a lots of stuff.


I think my interest in Spanish food was began a long time ago, whenever I travel Spain, each region has such  a special character, love to explore more, of course wine region too.
How lucky !!  they got a big space, weather and foods, and art !

My Korean Cookery ; 28th, Feb.

Kimchi Bindaetteok,Kimchi Jeon ( Kimchi pancake)

Main ingredients

Mixed main ingredients

Pancake batter

On the hot oiled pan

Cooked, crispy pan-cake

On the serving dish with sauce

Kimchi Pan-cake is one of my Korean comfort food, this dish were originated by accident using well fermented old kimchi as a side dish ( banchan)  as getting use of old kimchi but it became much popular dish , I love with drinks or just a light snack. Specially with Korean rice wine ( makguli) can be a perfect match.
This is a very clever way to use left over or too fermented  spicy cabbage  kimchi.

This recipe needs  fermented kimchi, not newly made kimchi because when kimchi is fermented gives special taste, not only sour but more complex taste with depth.
If you have Korean ready made ( bought from shop)kimchi, leave in the fridge for 3-5 days to get mature and slowly ferment.
This is very important, if you use newly made kimchi for the pan cake, it does not give any special tangy , deep taste, just spicy, garlicky cabbage pan cake.

Ingredient: well fermented cabbage kimchi, 1/4 of whole cabbage . 100g of minced lean pork, 3tbsp thinly cut spring onion ,
1 tsp grated garlic. 4 cups of mung bean flour  or strong flour and rice flour. 2tsp Korean chilli flake , 2-3 chopped green chiili (not bird eye chilli, prefer long Turkish green chilli)
Rape seed oil or any vegetable oil for frying.

Dipping sauce: 3 tbsp dark soy, 1tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar, 2tsp sugar, 1tbsp chopped spring onion, 1tsp Korean chilli flake or chopped red chilli.

If you have mung bean flour you can use, can be substitute with 2/3 strong bread flour mix with 1/3 rice flour.
Open the kimchi and get rid of all the stuffing and cut very thinly , add minced pork, spring onion, garlic and mix well.
Add flour to the mix and pour water little by little , make thick pancake mixture, add chilli flake and green chilli, mix well season with salt( taste first), Leave in the fridge 30 minutes.

Heat small non stick frying pan with oil, when oil is hot pour a ladle of pancake mixture, spread out with spoon, when oil is sizzle reduce heat slightly leave until brown and crisp and cooked, turn over
add more oil and cook .

It is important do not turn over until bottom part is nicely light brown and cooked.

Make dipping sauce: mix all ingredients in the bowl and taste, you can add more vinegar if you like but not too much.

Cut pan cake 1.5cm square, serve with dipping sauce.


Hint: use mung flour batter is traditional , original recipe, but mung flour is not widely available, I often make with strong flour.
Made kimchi pancake with mung bean flour batter mix is called  kimchi bindaetteok.

Mandu ( Korean dumpling)

Dumpling stuffing

Half moon shape dumpling

Teamed dumpling with sauce



Dumplings on the bamboo steamer



 vegetable ingredients

 

 

Luna new year is on 19th February this year, The year of Sheep. As we are the Anglo Korean house , we do celebrate Luna new year. Steamed dumplings are usually serve in the beef rib soup with thin white rice cake ( tteok guk) but we like as just steamed with dipping sauce or shallow fried .

 

Light and one mouthful soft stuffing is better than meaty one , you can serve with vegetable consommé as a starter.

Ready made dumpling skin pack is widely available now at any good orient shop now which makes so easy .

Ingredients: Minced pork ( 100g), spring onion (6-7), firm tofu ( half ), half garlic (grated, ), green and red fresh chilli. ( 1 each) finely chopped

Firstly put firm tofu has to be squeeze to take water out with tea towel , chopped spring onions fine as possible, chilli as well.
mix all together add pork  mince and mix by hand, season with salt and pepper and leave for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Ready for making Mandu, spread kitchen towel on the big tray and dust with flour, put 1 dumpling skin on the chopping board put stuffing in the middle, put water edge of skin y hand or pastry brush , fold as a half moon shape or ravioli shape and leave on the tray.

Put on to the bamboo steamer ( top of boiling water in the pan) and cover steam for 2-3 minutes until skin looks transparent .
Serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce : dark soy ( 2tbsp), rice vinegar ( 3-4tsp), sugar ( 1tsp) chopped red chilli or Korean chilli flake ( 1/2tsp) chopped spring onion (2tsp).

Mine is put in the box, without steaming ( not to touch each other, and layers divided by cling film) and put in the freezer for the Luna new year .
You can steam from frozen or fry from frozen .


Hint: you can add garlic chives as well.
For vegetarian : add boiled Korean sweet noodle and chop, season with light soy, sesame oil, pepper, garlic ( grated) instead of meat.


PS; My Korean cookery date in February:  28th, do leave a messages.




 







Slow Roasting Beef

Seafood medley( starter)

Slow roasted prime rib of beef

Crunch cod ( snack)

I had a very good prime rib of beef 2 boned joint for our new year eve meal to celebrate 2015.
I was thinking how to cook, as usual 160c or low temperature for 2 hours , I pondered for a while decided to slow low temp. cooking method.
We all love medium rare, as I am cooking this small joint low temp. cooking is best.  Beef was just under 2 kg.
I heat up roasting tin very hot, put beef to brown all over and then
put my chopped fresh rosemary ( 3tsp) and grated ginger ( 2tsp) all over the skin

Set  oven 190c and put beef for 7minutes, and lower temperature 60c and covered with foil and left for 1 hour and put up oven for 80c  and roasted 40mintues.
finally took off foil, roasted 160c for 20min, and 190 for 5 min.
Rest joint for 25min.
It was just perfect medium rare.

Had  crunch roasted potatoes and beans with home made fresh horseradish source.
I reserved goose fat from our roast Goose on Christmas dinner, it was very satisfying using my
own goose fat!

Of course we all had with excellent Lebanese red wine ( it was eye opening moment to me) 

2014 Christmas Dinner

Our Christmas Tree 2014

Lobster tail and mini pickles with consomme

Our 2014 Christmas Dinner Table setting

Roast goose

Vegetables with goose



Roast potatoes & chilli & sausage wrap

I love Christmas specially planning and cooking, mostly planning the menu .
I started plan for Festive Season from November, making cranberry sauce, festive spiced nuts, stuffing, even gravy was made 1 week ahead and freeze, just in case.
Made spiced festive chocolate bark with all things we love, chilli, ginger, dried cranberry, nuts, sea salt , toasted sesame seed.

Roast goose was our chosen Christmas dinner since 2010, expensive but it is worth it specially if you do not have a huge family for the Christmas dinner.
It is nice to have rich dark meat with good stuffing and  cranberry sauce with good rich red wine.
Even I made our menu printed and roll up and put on the table.

Starter in our house is at least 1 hour before Main, because I make seafood dishes, It is nice to be like this way if you do not have any guest.

Starter: Lobster tail and scallops , mini apple and cucumber pickles with lobster skin consommé with  toasted sour dough bread.
We had white wine with this. making a good consommé is a hard job , luckily it was clear and delicious. all loved this time consuming consommé.
After finish our starter, we all can a it relax not to eat so strait after first course and gives me plenty of time to sort out rest of things, vegetables, potatoes gravy so on.

We all have too much to eat on the day , we liked to be a slowly eating, drinking and talking, taking a time.
I choose braised red cabbage with green apple which I cooked 24th, creamed leeks , asparagus, all very easy to cook, re heated my gravy and add goose liver to make rich Christmas taste.
Our goose was so good, crispy skin, moist dark meat.
Goose fat roasted potato and mini sausage stuffed green chilli, warped in bacon were my new recipe, which gives kick to our rich meal.

Our main course took nearly 2 hours with family talking and laugh. could not have planned cheese board, dessert or coffee.  we are so full and happy with food and laughing.
We just talked until late. I do love this kind of a long conversations.
Just we all feel so happy without anything after main, but we had a good Italian sweet wine and felt so satisfied and merry.

Hope, 2015 Christmas will be good as this year !  

Our family Christmas Count Down

Fresh cranberry with spices

My homemade cranberry sauce

Baked salmon with crispy skin 

My homemade cured salmon

My homemade spiced festive nuts

Now our Christmas foods count-down has started from late November, well, it is early but had to order free range goose  in late November.

Made my own cranberry sauce with port, cinnamon and clove all associate with Christmas. not too sweet. stored in the sterilized  jars to mature in time for the roast goose.

Cranberry sauce is a perfect match with cheese specially Stilton cheese, our family love with cheese. My homemade cranberry sauce  is tangy with festive spice and port , it will keep up to Christmas season 2015, I hope!

Made festive nuts, with egg white cumin, chilli , cinnamon. Perfect with wine .

My new recipe, baked half salmon was a success with family, baked with cooked onions and green chilli , olive oil, lemon, bake for 25-30 minutes 180c , and slide off skin, grill the skin, until skin is very crispy , cook streaky bacon . cut and put on the top . Serve with plain yogurt, lemon , dill sauce or just home made mayonnaise. delicious!

Tried cured salmon using Michael Caines recipe, it was rather salty to my taste, I will try less salt next time, but my family said it was Ok.
With a good rye bread, capers , lemon slice, wow, what can I say.
It will be our boxing day branch. I have to make  soon, nearer Christmas, 3 days before.