Stuffed Tofu with beef /두부졸임.

Since I applied to Oxford food Symposium , on Food and Cookery, wrapped & Stuffed, I have been thinking about wrapped & stuffed food in Korea, this is one of them from my family.

Tofu is versatile in Korean food, you can make soup, stew , or just raw with special sauce or simply wrap with baechu kimchi leave, but stuffed tofu is more a elegant dish, if you like as 3 course Korean meal, this can be a starter with green salad.

1 pack of tofu/ firm, 100g  minced beef, 5 of spring onion.

1tsp crashed garlic, 5 green chili, 1tbsp soy sauce, 2tsp sugar, vegetable oil. toasted sesame seed.

Cucumber skin(0,3 wide and 10cm long, with potato peeler), plain flour

1. wrap tofu with tea towel and put under heavy thing like chopping board , leave for 15 minutes to get rid of excess water. cut 1cm tick, 4cm by 2cm, dry again with kitchen paper.

1. heat oil on a frying pan and fry tofu until golden both side.

3. In a bowl put minced beef, chopped spring onion, garlic mix well by hand, season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a wide dish put 3tbsp flour and coat cooked tofu with flour ( one side only) and ready for stuffing.

4. Put 1 tsp beef mix on the flour coated side of tofu and ,put another tofu ( coated side) on the top and carefully wrap with cucumber skin and set side, repeat this .

5, chopped chili thinly and put in the pan , put stuffed tofu on the top, mix with soy sauce, 2 chopped garlic clovers and sugar add 3 tbsp water and pour in the pan. cook gently until stuffing is cooked, serve in a wide shallow dish and sprinkle wit sesame seed on the top.   

Brunch at Wolseley

Lazy weekend brunch is a bonus most of  the times and specially invited by our children to London Piccadilly, famous restaurant, Wolseley were such a special for us. I like this casually smart atmosphere and interior,  high ceiling ,black and white colour scheme and a few Chinese antique furniture, all very tasteful without showy, felt I am in Hong Kong, colonial hotel , Peninsula .
Brunch menu are extensive, all kind egg dishes and kipper, kedgeree .

Three of us choose fish cake and poached eggs , my daughter had toast with blueberries .

The portion of fish cake is huge even I ordered small portion, they served me large one by mistake but a well trained waiter quickly apologies and will be charged as small, this is a sign of  good business management.

Poached egg was perfectly cooked,  bright yellow egg york running out when I break with Knife,` it was just perfect. i love this casual all family eating out , with a good conversation, Being a foodie, I probably I can(?) cook like here but eating out with family makes more interesting and conversation can be more richer than at home . Time to time go to nice restaurant with family is a good therapy ,I think.  

  

Razor Clam/ Ceviche and Pasta

Whenever I go to the Korean or Chinese super market, buy razor clams. I wonder why other super market does not sell this lovely clams at all. I used to catch this clams when I was little, armed with old and bashed yellow aluminium kettle and salt bottle in one hand, walking along the sandy beach, if I see any holes on the sand, sprinkle the salt then magically razor clam or tiny crabs wiggle out, it was such fun outings since our family house is just walking distance to the beach. I used call razor clams as pencil case clams because its shape. well , good old days!! Having  this  my sweet childhood memory, I can not help buying razor clams whenever I see.
I often grill in Winter, with my own pesto, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs on the top , one day I cook  pasta when I could not find fresh and good small clams, it was fantastic now all my family prefer razor clam pasta than bongole,its sweet taste and slightly meaty than usual clam with plenty of garlic, chilli,and very good olive oil, with dry white wine chopped parsley! DO try!
BUT be careful not over cook the razor clams, if you do it, will be robbery as any seafood, over cooked razor clams are too hard and chewy. Needs 1 minutes only (remember, under cook is much better than over coo in this case) to cook.

I love ceviche as a raw fish loving Korean, ceviche is most refreshing fish dish for me.  As long as fish or scallops, razor clams are fresh,  simply the best for me. As for fish, wild sea bass, skate are the best.

 Razor clam

Razor clam ceviche

Razor clam pasta

I made razor clam ceviche for our special meal first course. it was superb ,so tasty , I love the texture better than scallops for me.  Serve in its own shell, looks so pretty as well.

Wash the razor clam and plunge into boiling water for 2 seconds , if you do not like the idea of cleaning live ones, the flesh pop out and clean, chop, leave aside, 1tbsp lime or lemon juice, 1 tsp lime or lemon zest 1 red chilli chopped, red onion chopped, and mix all in a bowl, season with salt, leave in the fridge 10-15 minutes and serve with a good sourdough bread.
Do not marinate more than 15 minutes, Delicious!!!

Macaroon making class

These few years in London ,  macaroon shops are  popping up, they seem very popular , so I tried to make from my chocolate book, made chocolate macaroons, but it did not turn out perfect, but still chewy and light ,they were perfect accompany with strong coffee.

I was invited by Squire Kitchen School to take one of their courses, (lucky me!) and decided to have a go this Macaroons Made Easy class. living in south Buckinghamshire means I have to leave 7:30 in the morning to be at 10:00 am class in Farnham Surrey was only minor downside, but it was relatively easy journey in the train , from Waterloo station it takes only 50 minutes.
Luckily the Squires Kitchen School is just cross the road from Farnham station . the tutor . Mark Tilting, take us very well equipped and spacious kitchen by the Smeg ( how lucky!!!) ,with Squires Kitchen Apron,a tea towel and a bundle of recipe leaflet on the table.
Mark ( he is award winning a chocolate maker) showed us how to make French style first and then Italian, my French macaroons slightly over whipped, Italian was under whipped. even I had check with mark. over whipped macaroons are too runny take longer to dry for baking, under whipped ones are slightly grainy look it should be shiny.

I often say, cooking food is art and science but truly making macaroon is art and science!! too many factors can contribute wrong result, such as temperature, humidity in the room ,weather so on. Even experienced pastry chef can make mistakes easily. It is  precise cooking as all cakes and pastries are, but when you made perfect macaroons, they are wonderfully presentable.
Well, at least I have learnt from the expert.

Ingredients:( French ,plain macaroons)
50g egg white, 60g ground almonds, 85g icing sugar, pinch of salt,

Method:
Preheat oven 130c, mix almond and icing sugar together and blits them in a foods processor to make a very fine powder. Sieve the almonds and icing powder through a fine sieve ad set aside. Place the egg whites in a mixer and whisk with a pinch of salt until soft peak, gradually add sugar until becomes thick and glossy ( in this point you can add colour or flavour), fold half the almond mix into the White's then in the second half until it is shiny and a good thick paste.  Line one baking trays with paper or baking mat, fill the piping bag with a 1cm nozzle and fill the bag with mix, pipe on to the tray 2cm circles making sure to keep2cm between each one. Leave to crust for 15-45 minutes or until the top is not sticky, bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until  firm on top.  Remove from the tray on to cool surface.

Lemon butter frosting: 2 large egg whites, 100g caster sugar, 170 butter, 1 lemon zest.
combine the egg white and sugar together in a large bowl,place the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk the mix until the temperature 37c( warm to the touch), pour in to an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and beat high speed until the mix is thick and has a shiny look, add butter and lemon zest continue mixing, the mixture may split initially but don't worry, it will smooth out the more you mix.
Finally put this mixture on to the dried macaroon, and put the other macaroon on the top, !!

Tip: every single ingredients need to be measured!!

Squires Kitchen international school has many other course, 1 day or longer course for sugar craft.

Spring onion & Sea food pancake/파전(pajeon)

Spring onion and seafood pancake is very well known South east Korea region( Kyungsangnamdo, Busan and Masan) dish ,this region has plenty of seafood, where I come from. We usually eat seafood pancake as a snack , you need tender young spring onion but sadly here in UK spring onion is not very tender , you need chop very thinly for this dish, rather than whole as in Korea. 

Clam is best for Pajeon , but you can not find clam often here, and if you do so expensive. I often use mix with mussels, prawns and even baby squids makes a good pancake.

Ingredients: 2 bunch of spring onion. 

Green and red chilli, 1 each. 

200g of mixed seafood( clam, mussel, prawn, squid).

Strong bread flour.

Dipping sauce: soy sauce, toasted sesame seed, chopped spring onion, sugar, rice vinegar.

Method:

1. Wash spring onion and cut 5cm , and split in half to make thin stripes, chop all seafood small pieces, chop chillies very thinly as well and mix well in the big bowl.

2. Pour 2 cups of flour, and water (2cup) and mix well with a big spoon , make like English pancake batter, season with salt and pepper, set aside for at least 30 minutes( up to 1 hour).

3. In a frying pan heat oil( vegetable oil) and put small ladle of pancake mixture and shallow fry until golden both side.

4. Make dipping sauce: put soy sauce( 3tbs), 1tbs water, 1 tbs vinegar, 2tsp sugar, 1tbsp chopped spring onion , 2tsp toasted sesame seed and mix well, 

Server with pancake and dipping sauce, it is very good first course with rocket salad on the side.  

Baechu Kimchi ( Cabbage Kimchi)

In Korean cuisine most important dish is cabbage kimchi and without kimchi Korean meal can not be completed. Every meal Kimchi is on the table , therefor Korean meal concept is unique, I do not know any other country in the world eat one single dish every meal.

In olden days Kimchi recipes hand down to next generations for long time, every family has their own recipes and mostly pass on from mother to daughter and daughter in law, therefor newly wed wives has to learn kimchi from their mother in law . Also we have different recipes from province to province.

Kimchi is topic conversation during meal time specially when you invite guests to the meal, usually guests talk about how delicious  host's  kimchi, often the secret family kimchi recipes are never revealed to anyone. These days Korean Government promote Kimchi as symbol of Korean cuisine but sadly Kimchi making to the young Korean generations are dying art!! You can buy kimchi any Korean market but always home made one is the Best!!!  

 I would like to strongly recommend Kimchi making class in every Korean school.

Kimchi is recognised by UN as one of healthiest dish in the world along with Japanese Miso, Greek Yogurt, India Lentil, Spain Olive oil. When Kimchi is fermented produce a lots of good bacteria, more than yogurt.

Now days in Korean restaurants in UK seldom serve fermented kmchi, they mostly serve very freshly made kimchi which means just like spicy cabbage salad. I love slightly fermented Kimchi, that has complex and very special taste, this fermented Kimchi makes excellent Kimchi pancake,stew .

Ingredients; 2 Cabbage, 1 white mooli, spring onion, 1cup Korean chilli flakes, 1/2cup anchovy sauce (or Thai fish sauce), 1tbs salted baby shrimps.1tbs sugar, 2tbs crushed garlic, 1tbs grated ginger

300g sea salt.

Method: 1, choose good cabbage with with dark green leaves, cut in half by slit knife on the top and pull by hand.2. Salting is most important and difficult,wet cabbage and sprinkle salt by hand in side leaves and top .leave 4-5 hours and turn over time to time.

3. Wash and drain set aside.4. Cut mooli and spring onion like match stick, all other ingredients mix together in a big bowl and leave at least 30minutes 5. Put kimchi ssock(4, stuffing) put in side leaves carefully and fold in half and wrap with outside leave and put air tight jar. 6. put 1cup water and 1tbs salt in the Kimchi bowl mix and pour over Jar and put in the dark and cool place for 2 days and move in the fridge. Or you can put fridge strait away and Wait for 3-5 days to slightly ferment.

You can keep in the fridge for 4 -6 weeks. I have seen Kimchi fridge by Korean Electronic company in most of Korean House but sadly I can not afford here, it is too expensive in Uk. Supposedly Kimchi fridge keeps kimchi always same temperature and last longer than normal conventional fridges. I do wish I have one!!!

Kimchi making needs a lots of practise, just be patients! learn from your own trial and error!!
I am making kimchi for over 45 years but still I am worried the end result, every time, also every time kimchi taste slightly different !! defend on cabbages and salting process. you need crunch at top and soft leaves, which makes a good kimchi.  

Photos: cabbages, salting, Stuffing, me making kimchi, end of kimchi making ready to put in the jar

  

 

Our Spring Dinner / Roast Lamb

All 4 of our family gather together during the Easter week, try to find good leg of lamb for the Roast. It seem very expensive these days when you buying British lamb, since I read an article about Spring Lamb , the article said, British spring lamb is not grass fed ,they are milk fed . so I have decided opt for New Zealand lamb. it look OK and reasonable price.

I marinated red wine, slit with knife on the skin, stuffed with Orange piece, rosemary, garlic randomly and bedded with rosemary, sliced onion, half of garlic head, and cook very slowly for 2 hours on a low heat oven ( 120c first 1.5 hours and 200c for half hour) finally glazed with runny honey for 10 minutes.

It was much better than cook 180c temperature for 1 hour.

Still pink and tender!!!

i am doing low temperature, slow roast all pf meat now ,the result is better than conventional one.

Our Menu was 

Stater: Quick stir fried queen scallops , prawn with garlic and chili, asparagus.

Main; Roast leg of Lamb with Spring Cabbage with Mustard and Butter

Dessert: Meringue stuffed with Mascapone cheese, lime and ginger.

I must say it was delicious!