Showing posts with label Korean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Korean. Show all posts

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Radishes Three Ways


Christmas is over, hurrah! As I am getting older it just seems like more and more work. Im not totally "Bah Humbug," having the holidays at my parents house yesterday was great, but Im worn out from 2 days of driving and socializing. Plus my cats are super active right now and are having mini cat fights around the house and jumping from really tall heights. I think, with us traveling the last two days and dealing with the car crash this week, that they are feeling neglected.

On my quest to try new foods, I bought radishes. I already knew that I liked daikon radishes and have made different korean dishes with them but I don't remember the last time I actually tried regular radishes. After watching an episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain in France, and watching how they so enjoyed radishes with salt and butter, I wanted to try.


In the end, I still like daikon radishes (the third recipe I don't have a picture for, as I made it over the summer for a picnic but it is a great recipe) and I think that the regular ones are good sauteed in butter when they are on top of garlic mashed potatoes, but on their own... I wouldn't eat a whole plate of them. Everyone says that they are great on a crusty french loaf, and I would agree... if I could eat a loaf of french bread (or if my dad was here to make me GF french bread).

Sauteed Radishes


Ingredients
2 Tbs of butter
1 - 2 bunches of rashes, cut into fourths (small ones in half)
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste*

Melt butter in saute pan and add water. Set over medium high heat. Add in radishes, shaking the pan every few minutes so they dont stick, and cook until tender and golden brown (around 7 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste.

*You can add any herb that you would like to this dish. I added 1/4 cup of fresh chives the second time I made these and they had a much more interesting flavor.

Pickled Diakon and Red Radishes With Ginger
Adapted from Gourmet

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb daikon radish, peeled
1 bunch of red radishes, trimmed and cut into 6 wedges each
1 Tbs kosher salt
1/2 cup of rice vinegar (not seasoned)
6 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs of very think matchsticks of peeled ginger

Cut the daikon radish lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Add in sliced red radishes in a large bowl and toss with kosher salt. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Drain in a colander without rinsing and put into bowl.

In a small bowl add vinegar and sugar. To get the sugar to dissolve you can keep stirring, as Gourmet suggests, or I find microwaving the vinegar and sugar for 30 sec to 1 min will give you a better solution (watch out, it smells!). Add the ginger. Pour on top of the radishes and put into an airtight container and chill. Shake every once and awhile. Should be ready after 12 hours and can last for up to 3 weeks in fridge. When you open, these do have a very strong smell which some people do not like, but taste great.

Korean Daikon Radish Salad

Ingredients
1- 1 1/2 - 2 pd white daikon radish
2 Tbs salt
1 small carrot
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs sugar

Using a food processor shred the daikon radish and carrot, mixing them together. Place the shredded vegetables into a bowl and add the salt. Mix and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinsing well with cold water, and then drain throughly by squeezing as much liquid as you can get out of them.

Mix the vinegar and sugar together, either in a small sauce pan over medium low heat or in the microwave for 30 sec - 1 min until the sugar dissolves. Put the daikon/carrot mix in a bowl and pour the vinegar over the top. Chill for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Long Beans with Peanuts and Korean Glazed Potatoes

It is so weird. I just noticed today (or finally thought about it) that my garden is still green and it is November... November! Usually everything is cut down, packed up, and I am starting to winterize my windows by now. However, I feel bad cutting down all my green plants. My parent's gardens were dead and I cut and bagged 350 lbs of plant material on Saturday but I don't know if I can do the same to mine. My Black Eyed Susans are at full bloom. I just don't want to wait until too late and do it in the freezing cold...

I did, however, cut my herbs this weekend. Again, fresh herbs in November is nuts. In the city we haven't even gotten a frost yet. I had tons and tons of chives along with thai basil and some oregano left at the end of this season. I worked late last night washing them then combining the chives and then the thai basil with olive oil in the food processor and made herb ice cubes. Then I made more oregano pesto that my brother, who likes very very few foods, really likes.


Earlier on in the day, I decided to cook Asian. I love this Asian market, that is around 20 miles away, because it had fun vegetables that I cant find any where else. Case in point, long beans. I really don't like green beans, but I love long beans. Does that make any sense? I don't know what the difference in the taste is. For me I feel like the long beans are dryer. I also found some more Korean corn syrup, which unlike all the clear corn syrups I find in the regular grocery store, does not contain vanilla flavoring. So, I decided to make these awesome potatoes that I experimented with on a picnic during the summer. Enjoy!

Spicy Stir Fried Long Beans With Peanuts
(Pa-O Long Beans)


Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 lb long beans
  • 1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 to 3 small fresh Thai chiles or 1 Tbs chili paste
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 Tbs oil
  • 1 Tbs chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
  • 2 tsp lime juice

  • Cook the beans, untrimmed, in a pot of boiled salted water. Stir and remove when tender, around 4 minutes. Put in bowl of ice water to stop cooking then drain and pat dry. Trim the ends and cut into 3/4 inch pieces.

  • Use your food processor to grind 1/2 of the peanuts into small pieces, leaving the rest to be large.

  • Mix soy sauce, chiles or chili paste and salt together in small bowl.

  • If you have a wok (I don't, my kitchen can't fit anything more) make sure it is on high heat. Same thing for large pan. Oil the pan and add garlic until it turns pale golden. Then add the peanuts and stir fry until they are golden. Add the beans and stir fry until hot, around 2 minutes. Take off of the burner and combine in soy sauce and green onions. Add in lime juice and salt to taste.

  • Korean Glazed Potatoes (GamJa JoRim)


    Ingredients
    2 cups of potatoes (I use small golden ones) diced in 1/2 inch cubes
    1/2 cup water
    2 Tbs oil
    2 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
    2 Tbs clear corn syrup
    1 1/2 Tbs sugar
    2 Tbs minced garlic
    1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds

    In pan on medium heat add in the oil and let heat. Then add in the potatoes. Fry the potatoes for until they are half cooked. Then add the water, soy sauce, sugar, corn syrup, and garlic. Cook for 5 more minutes on medium heat. Add salt to taste and continue to cook until the liquid is a paste (be careful, it can turn into paste quickly without you noticing it)
    Reduce the temperature and fry until the potatoes are cooked. Add sesame seeds and serve!