Pickled Cucumber

  1. Prepare cucumbers (mine about 250g). I used regular ones, you can also choose mini cucumber. Wash them clean. Trim two ends and cut into halves.
  2. Let them dry with flowing air till the surface is dry.
  3. In a sauce pan, add in 1/4 cup light soy sauce, vinegar 2 tbsp, sugar 1 tbsp.
  4. Bring to boil. Add in cucumber and boil for about 30 sec.
  5. Take cucumber out to cool down. Also let the marinade cool down.
  6. Arrange cucumber in an air-tight container. Pour in marinade.
  7. Put into fridge.

After 2 days, the flavor will go in.

Perfect choice for white porridge.

Black Pepper Sauced Chicken Leg

  1. Prepare a big chicken leg.
  2. Sprinkle salt and black pepper all over it.
  3. Preheat oven to 170 Degree C.
  4. Into the oven for 40 mins.
  5. In a small bowl, mix 1 tbsp black pepper sauce, 1/2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp sugar.
  6. Brush sauce onto the chicken.
  7. Turn oven to 200 Degree C. Bake for 5-8 mins.
  8. Then brush the sauce again, and bake for the last 5-8 mins.

Super easy.

Homemade Kimchi

I used 1 big Chinese cabbage, about 300g.

  1. Cut it into halves, then quarters. Remove the root. And chop it into smaller pieces.
  2. Put them all in a big basin. Add in 1 cup water and 6 tbsp salt.
  3. Let them marinate in salty water for 2 hours. Remember to flip and toss them a bit every 30 mins. After 2 hours, rinse them under water and drain.
  4. For the base: Prepare a sauce pan, add in 2 tbsp flour and 1 cup water. Warm it yo with low heat and keep stirring till it becomes very condensed.
  5. Pour the flour paste into the blender, together with 1 chopped onion, 1 tbsp ginger, 8 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp fish sauce. Mix them well and smooth.
  6. Pour the base into a big basin. Add in 1/2 cup chili powder. If you like it to be very spicy, you can add more. Mix well.
  7. Cut 1 medium carrot into shreds. 5 or 6 stalks spring onion into smaller pieces.
  8. Put all the vegetables into the basin and mix with base.

https://flic.kr/p/2isNDV3

Store them in air tight container.

Carbonara Pasta

  1. Cut 5 or 6 strips bacon into small pieces.
  2. Heat a pan, add in 1 tsp oil. Sear the bacon. At the same time, cook pasta.
  3. Sear bacon with low heat. There will be much fat in the pan. Pour the excess, only keep a little.
  4. In a bowl, mix 2 eggs with 50g parmesan cheese and 20g mozzarella cheese.
  5. Add cooked pasta into the pan and mix with bacon. Also add in 1/3 cup pasta water.
  6. Keep low heat. Add egg cheese mixture into pan.
  7. Mix everything together. Season with black pepper and salt if needed.

Sausage Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup lukewarm water

1/8 cup sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 tablespoons oil

2 cups flour (roughly)

Sausage some

  1. Pour warm water into a big bowl. Add in sugar and dry yeast. Let it rest for 10 mins and wait it foams up.
  2. Add in oil, salt. Stir a bit.
  3. Add in flour, 1 cup first. Stir a bit. Then add in the other cup flour.
  4. Stir into a dough.
  5. Sprinkle some flour over the board. Knead the dough on it. Keep kneading till it’s not that sticky.
  6. Brush a bowl with some oil. Put dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and towel.
  7. Let it rise till twice big.
  8. Boil the sausage in hot water for about 8 mins.
  9. Take the dough out. Roll it into oval shape. Divide it into 12 pieces.
  10. You can make it into the shape you like. Can roll it around the sausage or just press the sausage onto the dough.
  11. Cover again with plastic wrap and towel. Let them rise again till 1.5 or 2 times big.
  12. You can also sprinkle chopped green onion and mayonnaise on the bread.
  13. 190 degree C, about 20-25 mins.

Mutton Stew

  1. Cut mutton (about 800g) into small pieces. Put all the mutton into a pot. Add in enough cod water to cover them. And bring to boil. Keep boiling for 3-5 mins.
  2. Drain the mutton and wash off all the dirt.
  3. Heat a pan. Add in 1 tbsp oil. Sautee 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Add all the mutton in. Stir fry for 2 mins.
  4. Add in a few curry leaves, and 1 tsp Garam masala. Stir fry evenly.
  5. Pour in 1/2 1 cup water and salt to taste.
  6. Transfer everything into pressure cooker. And cook under high pressure for 20 mins.
  7. Prepare 2 big potatoes and 1 medium carrot. Peel them and cut into small dice.
  8. Heat a pan. Add in 1 tbsp oil.
  9. Add in 4 cardamom pods, 2 bay leaves and 1 star anise. Fry to aromatic.
  10. Drop in 1/2 tsp chopped ginger and 1 tsp chopped garlic. Stir fry a bit.
  11. Add in chopped 2 green chilis 1 chopped onion. Season with salt. Keep stir frying till onion turn transparent and completely soft.
  12. Add in potato and carrot dices. Stir fry for 2 or 3 mins.
  13. Pour all the mutton with stock into the pan. Simmer with lid on for 10 mins.
  14. Add in 200 ml coconut milk. Stir evenly and simmer for another 5 mins.
  15. Season with 1 tsp Garam masala and salt.
  16. Garnish with curry leaves.

Jajangmyeon (Korean noodles in black bean sauce)

 

  1. Prepare pork and vegetables. Cut 100g pork (you can also use chicken, if you want.) into dice. 1/8 head cabbage, 1/2 onion, 1/1 stalk of green onion all chop into small dices.
  2. Heat a pan. Add in 3 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp chunjang (black bean paste). Stir fry for about 3 mins. Discard the oil and set the paste aside for later use.
  3. Heat the pan again, add in 1 tbsp oil. Drop in pork dices. stir fry for a while till pork turns a big golden brown. Sprinkle black pepper.
  4. Add in cabbage, onion and green onion. I also added in a little chopped eggplant.
  5. Stir fry till all the vegetables turns softened.
  6. Add in 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp sugar. Stir well.
  7. Add all the black bean paste in. Mix all ingredients well.
  8. Pour in 1/2 1 cup stock (or water). Simmer for a little while, till everything is fully cooked. And also the sauce reduced.
  9. Mix 1 tbsp starch in 2 tbsp water. drizzle it into the pan.
  10. Stir to thicken the sauce.
  11. Serve noodle with sauce and cucumber shreds.

And give it a good mix.

BBQ Pork Belly by Skillet

If you don’t have a griller, but you really want to try BBQ pork at home, maybe you can try my method. All you need is a skillet.

  1. Prepare a skillet. Heat on stove. Brush it with oil. Wipe pork belly with kitchen towel. Place pork belly into the skillet when it’s very hot. My stove is induction and it’s super quick for skillet to get hot. I turn to 3 out of 9, and that would be hot enough.
  2. When put the pork belly in, don’t move it and let it get seared.
  3. When the down side turns beautifully golden brown, flip it over to sear the other side.
  4. After both sides turn brownish. Turn down the heat. Cut big pork belly slices into short ones by scissors.

Sear with low heat to make sure pork belly is fully cooked.

If you want to add vegetables, you can push pork belly to the side. Arrange vegetables in the skillet.

I used sausage, shiitake mushroom, onion, green chili and garlic. Fat from the pork adds more flavor to vegetables.

Cook with low heat and patience.

You will get shiny golden pork belly and nice pot of mixed vegetables.

Dip them in the sauce you like. Because I didn’t marinate the pork, so they taste plain. You can serve in Korean style, with salt, kimchi, pickles and lettuce.

If you want to marinate the pork before cooking, that will also work.

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