My other Korean fried chicken wings with spicy sauce

Fried chicken wings ( with no batter)

Fried chicken wings with spicy sauce and courgette

I was not very happy with last week's twice fried Korean chicken wings because its batter, now I tried with no batter, they are much better for me.
They are moist and crunch out side, much lighter meal than coated with batter.

Soaked in Butter milk for overnight , washed off, dry.
I steamed in Chinese bamboo basket for 10 minutes until they are cooked, and leave them to cool.

Dust with seasoned flour and shake off, fry in the hot rape-seed oil until brown.

Drain on the kitchen paper, fry sliced courgette ( dusted in the flour) and pour the Korean gochujang sauce on the wings, sprinkle toasted sesame seed and serve.

We all loved this my new recipe than usual Korean fried chicken recipe.

English Asparagus

Asparagus with garlic mayonnaise

Garlic & mustard mayonnaise



                     Asparagus with poached egg





I know when  the English Spring is here when I see green asparagus are in the shop.
We love, love asparagus in season, expensive but we try to eat as many as possible at the season, 3 times a week.

I an not keen on white asparagus, looks not attractive or appetising for me.

We like to have as a starter with poached egg , or just steamed with garlic mayonnaise,  looks so pretty and like a restaurant dish.

We prefer  garlic mayonnaise than hollandaise sauce, of course I always make  at home every time, you can not compare and so easy in the food processor.
Even we do love dip in the boiled egg like soldier , in the morning.
For 5-6 weeks  I do spoil my family with this  tasty green treats.
I prefer  lightly shallow fried on the pan with good olive oil and poached egg on the top, cut uncooked asparagus , thinly sliced and put on the top.
It gives another texture and look very professional.

I do not make asparagus soup or pie ( tart) and never will, I think just asparagus gives you best flavour and too expensive to muddle with other strong flavours.
Just enjoy this unique flavour for the season !!
Hope readers do try at home.

Twice fried Korean Chicken Wing & Spicy Sauce

Cooking spicy gochujang sauce

Fried Chicken wing



Gochujang Sauce

These days Londoners can not get enough Korean foods it seems. a lots of media covering Korean food .
But some of Korean recipes are I could not recognise as a Korean food, this is very annoying for me.

This is our beer loving my husband, Neil and my son, John's favourite week end treat. Spicy gochujang ( Korean chilli paste) sauce is better than any other , I think.

This s another our favourite finger food .

Brine 15% solution ( 15g salt, 1 Lt  water, few peppercorn, 1 garlic, 1 small piece of ginger, 1 dry chilli) and leave overnight in the fridge, rinse and dry in the fried.
Making batter: 1 cup plan flour, 1 tbsp corn flour water , mix like English pan cake mixture, not too thick , keep in the fridge until needed.

Making Sauce:  gochujang( 3tbsp), dark soy ( 2tbsp),  honey ( 1.5 tbsp.), rice vinegar ( 1.5 tbsp),
grated garlic ( 2tsp) , grated ginger ( 1tsp), sesame oil ( 2tsp)

Mix well in a pan and slowly boil , simmer another 10 minutes. add honey if you needed t.

Heat rape seed oil and dip chicken wings in the batter fry ( 7 -8 minutes) and drain on the paper .
Before you eat, deep fry again ( 3 minutes) and  put on the paper to get rid of excess oil.

Pour sauce on the wing and sprinkle sesame seed and serve with beer and cucumber salad and extra sauce .

5 course tasting menu dinner at Vineyard.

Wine bar

Wine cellar

Lobster slice and lobster ball

Scallops

Sea bass

Cod with clear tomato sauce

Oxtail & fillet of beef

Grilled pineapple

Cheese plate

    My husband , Neil and I had a night break at Vineyard in Berkshire. It was  last Christmas  gift from our children, John & Catherine, as I could not do anything with my broken arm, for sometime, now we finally manage to go .

5 course tasting menu with matching wine were included. We were informed that Vineyard is famous for the food and wine (specially).

When we arrived at the hotel, the huge wine cellar caught my eyes and close to look, it had glass floor , it was so impressive specially you could be able to see basement cellar through the glass floor, one of best wine collection in the country , I heard.
I do not know much about wine, even I enjoy drinking , looking at this more than 3,000 wine collection, I was very impressed.

Hotel porter recognised our sir name, Sarsfield and so happy meet my husband, he is an Irish and come from Limerick,  where the Sarsfield name is regarded as a hero,  General Patrick Sarsfield was fought for the country. Kind of nations' saviour.
Even he did not take tip from us saying it was the greatest honour to meet  and shake hand with the Sarsfield, how wonderful!.

Room was tastefully furnished with lower level of a small sitting room , looking at a little court yard.
All very tasteful mostly white, having be able to make nice coffee from the machine was a nice touch.

Decided have a drink before the dinner, went down the wine bar, very spacious, clean , smart deco.
We even spotted celebrity in the corner, Dame Maggie Smith was having a meal and we saw the head chef , Daniel Galmiche. A good news he is cooking tonight  but so quiet , and no atmosphere as a bar.

A waitress suggested, we move to dinning room cocktail lounge, it was much cosier and comfy look.
I have to mention about art collection here, every corridor space is covered with paintings . It is a pleasure to know the owner do appreciate the art, it is just like a gallery here.
 I loved some modern paintings.

Finally we sat at the table, the menu looked so good, every course has 3-5 choices, and even we can choose any 4 courses with dessert.(must have 1 dessert ) , I think this is an excellent idea .
We decided have, 1 starter, 2 fish courses, 1 main and I dessert for me, cheese for Neil.

Thinly sliced lobster and fried lobster ball was melting in my mouth but sliced lobster is too thin to appreciate for me, but fried ball has full flavour and crunch texture was good indeed.

Grilled scallops were heaven, perfectly cooked, crunch bread crumbs on the top were a

Conference room foyer

Reception area skyline

 so good idea, I definitely steal this idea when I cook scallops at home.
My sea-bass was soft and tasty but I would prefer having crunch skin rather than soft skin. Neil's cod with clear tomato sauce was so delicious, with squid ink twirl gives you another taste and texture and looks good on the plate with contrasting colour.

Main course beef was a star menu for me. slowly cooked oxtail meat with medium rare fillet steak was one of best beef dish I've had, two totally different cuts of beef surrounded by greens and silver onion was just right. portion as a tasting menu is very generous.
The red wine due was so good, this kind of sauce, red wine deduction  is nearly impossible to create at home I find.

Dessert was just good as it said, not too sweet, as a Korean  I am not too excited about dessert, I prefer just fresh fruits or a good bitter chocolate with strong coffee is fine for me.
But I love cheese, blue cheese with wine can not beat in the end of meal.

After this very satisfied meal I might buy head chef's cook book , French Brasserie  Cookbook.

As wine, I can not say anything, we were given all different wine with each courses, but I would not know they were perfect match, I just trusted there were.
But I have to confess , I had terrible headache in the morning, because I had 3 different wine with our meal, after all I am not a wine buff.

If you are the wine lover, you need spend at least 3 night here to appreciate their wine collection.

Spanish black rice ( arrizo negro)

Black rice with squid 

Black rice

 

 

Ever since I tried Spanish black rice at Iberica, the Spanish tapas bar & restaurant in London, I just fell in love with this ocean soaked black rice, it was just like big sea and rice were in my mouth. I loved it , salty sea taste with soft squid pieces, brown shrimps, mixed with this black rice, What can I say!
It was one of the most delicious and pleasurable things I had. I had to try this at home.
Finding recipe was easy , but squid ink? found in Amazon !  but it feel odd buying from Amazon, I was gong to buy Italian or Spanish speciality shop in London.

Anyway when  I was at Selfridge, Food Hall, asked fish monger,  I was pleasantly surprised  they sell those, tiny 2packs for £3,

1 finely chopped onion
2 M size tomato, skinned, deseeded and chopped
1 cup Spanish rice
3 cups of good clam or  fish stock
2-3 packs of Squid ink
Extra V olive oil
1 Squid, cleaned, skinned and cut 2cm long, 1cm wide.
5-6 prawns, shell off and devein by slit on the back, take out black vein. or1tbsp of brown shrimps

In a wide pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil and put squid pieces cook for 2mintues and put in the plate, reserve squid's juice  in the pan, add onion and cook, add chopped tomato, when they are cooked add another 1 tbsp oil and pour rice stir well to coat oil on the rice. Add stock in to the pan boil for 5minutes and lower the heat to rice to cook,
When rice is cooked put squid ink and stir well until they are well coat and gently cook another a few minutes, add cooked squid, prawns , season with salt and pepper .
I put lemon zest and chopped parsley before serving.
Key is having a good stock to have taste of sea.

I like to be really black like in Iberica and glossy, add a few drops of extra V oil and serve with good green salad.

We had as a main course but it would be good as a starter.

Easter festive foods in our house

Baked salmon with squid

Baked potato



Spicy Chicken BBQ

Kimchi

Baked spicy vegetables

Easter Spring Lamb

Spicy & nutty chocolate

 Since we are staying at home and having guests  on Saturday, I  had to plan the menu for the 4 days holiday.

As usual Good Friday dinner was baked salmon with potatoes with char grilled pakchoi.
Salmon can be rather a boring dish, I've decided to add squid and brown shrimps to top on the baked salmon , with parsley and caper sauce.
it looks exotic and delicious.

Put whole side salmon on the baking try, add shaved fennel, chopped ginger ( 1tbsp), grated 1 lemon zest, salt & pepper , a few slices of lemon on the top and  bake 180c for 20 -25 minutes.
Sauce, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, 2 tsp capers, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil , salt & pepper.
We all had with baked sliced potato soaked with chicken stock. they are lighter than with cream of milk.

For the Saturday, we had Korean young couple and baby for lunch, I was debating to myself what to cook, eventually, took a safe option, Korean food.
Marinated chicken thigh with Korean spicy chili paste with garlic, ginger, black bean sauce, honey , sesame oil and bake n the hot oven ( 180c) for 1 hour and serve with cucumber salad, rice, kimchi .  made Slow cooked belly pork as bo ssam dish. as well.

Now Sunday lunch. Spring  leg of lamb can not beat as the Easter Sunday lunch.
Insert with rosemary and garlic and roast n a hot oven 180c, for 40 minutes and reduce to 150c and another 40 min, rest for at least 20 minutes , t was nice and pink!!
Roast potato with goose fat was a treat.

Easter Monday was just easy with left overs, made my speciality chocolate.
Spicy, fruity , nutty , salty chocolate, all family loves.  

Korean Cookery dates in May: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st.
email: kiejosarsfield@hotmail.co.uk
  

Finger Food (Dirty Food)

Beef & prawn balls

Cucumber & dill salad



Italian ham& smoked salmon



Grilled octopus



Scotch eggs

Scotch eggs

According to The Times paper, London food scene is changing to finger food, they call dirty food.
No booking , first come first serve system is very popular., burger and chips, pulled pork & chips, spicy fried chicken wings so on, all very American.

Our family are all love various finger food for the lazy late Saturday lunch. As a Korean, it is just normal, like a Korean meal set, rice with 4-6 different dishes, they are more than tapas.
Our favourite dishes are, cold ham, smoked salmon, Scotch quail eggs,  bean salad, Korean pancakes ( seafood or just courgette & chilli), dips with good sourdough bread.
you do have more work to do but it is much more interesting and all family got talk freely, as a foodie family , topic is always about new food in London.

I change every week also make more veggies dishes, like  baked cauliflower with curry and cheese, baked aubergine with Korean  spicy sauce  so on.

I think finger food dinning at home is more family oriented affair, hope all my blog readers will try casual finger food lunch time to time.

I have no plan usually, whatever I can find a good value and fresh ingredient in my week end shopping, I just improvise . as the photo, last week I found small octopus, were so cheap, boiled in  red wine and  onion, garlic, pepper corn and a dry chilli for 1 hour. when they are cold, marinate with soy, sugar, sesame oil, spicy chiili paste and simply grilled in my oven, it was so tender and delicious!