s h i n s h i n e

Seaweed Salad with Gochujang-Vinegar Dressing (미역 초고추장 무침)

We're at the end of March, but I feel like we've been lost somewhere between winter and spring for a while. It's getting close, and I'm looking forward to some colorful vegetables. But in the meantime, I turn to my faithful sea greens, tucked away in the cupboard looking like my dance moves captured as its dried permanence.

Miyeok (미역), aka wakame, is a common ingredient in Korea, especially for miyeokguk (미역국). It is also often referred to as 'birthday soup' because of the tradition of eating the soup on birthdays in Korea. With its high content of calcium and iodine, women after giving birth eat the soup for days on end.

You can also make a quick salad with miyeok. Only after soaking it for about 15 minutes in water, miyeok should double, triple in size and be soft enough to handle. A quick dip into boiling, salty water will bring out its bright green color, and you're ready to mix in the addictive dressing of spicy, sweet gochujang (고추장, Korean red pepper paste) and rice vinegar.

The simple gochujang vinegar sauce is a versatile one to have ready for other dishes as well. Spicy, sweet, salty, and tangy flavors from one simple sauce - what's not to like?

If you find that the simple combination of miyeok and gochujang vinegar dressing is not enough, mix in cucumber slices for crunch which is a common addition to the dish. I added thin red onion slices along with a spoonful of sweet fish roe (은어알 eun eo al) for this recipe. Feel free to substitute the sweet fish roe with tobiko, flying fish roe, if it's easier to get.

Now it looks more like a complete salad, try it on its own. Then try it with a hot bowl of rice or use it as a part of another salad. Whatever way you decide to enjoy this miyeok salad, you'll have a new delicious green salad in-between seasons that's just a little cooler than other everyday green salads. Oh, did I mention the dressing is pretty addictive?

MIYEOK SALAD WITH GOCHUJANG-VINEGAR DRESSING
(미역 초고추장 무침 mi yeok cho go chu jang mu chim)
Yield - 1 pint or 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:
20 grams (0.7 oz.) dried miyeok (미역), aka wakame
Water to soak and blanch
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt for blanching
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 ~ 2 tablespoons gochujang (고추장, Korean red pepper paste)
1 clove garlic, grated
2 teaspoons turbinado raw cane sugar or regular sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Optional) a few thin slices of red onion or regular onion for crunchy texture
Optional) 1 tablespoon sweet fish roe (은어알 eun eo al) or tobiko

DIRECTIONS:
1. Soak dried miyeok in water until soft enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While miyeok is soaking in water, make the spicy-tart gochujang dressing by mixing together rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon gochujang, garlic, turbinado sugar and sesame seeds.

3. Bring water and salt up to a boil over high heat. I used about 4 cups of water to 1 tablespoon of salt for blanching miyeok. Add soaked miyeok from #1. When its color turns bright green, about 10 seconds, drain and rinse in cold water. Cut miyeok into small pieces with kitchen scissors or a knife. Squeeze to remove excess water and set aside.

4. Mix together blanched miyeok with the gochujang dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If you want more spicy heat, add more gochujang.

5. If using, mix in thin slices of red onion. For the fish roe, mix in 1/2 tablespoon in the salad and garnish with the rest on top of the miyeok salad.

6. Eat the salad with rice or mixed in with another salad. Any leftover can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

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KOREAN WORDS
봄    (bom)    spring season
곰    (gom)    bear

'Fried' Forbidden Rice with Vegetables (흑미 볶음밥)

This is something I make often, with variations in vegetables based on what else I am cooking that day or the day before. The 'fried' rice shown above was made with vegetable trimmings from Dongchimi (동치미, winter radish kimchi) for children with flower shapes cut out of red and yellow bell peppers and carrots back in January.

Also, this is not quite 'fried' rice because I mix freshly made rice in sautéed vegetables at the end. Sometimes I just don't have leftover rice in the fridge which is better for making fried rice. Even when I use cold rice, it often gets stuck to the skillet which requires extra time and/or force to clean it. Mixing in hot rice to sautéed vegetables can be done more at a leisurely pace with less to clean up later.

Make your usual steamed rice or cook black rice and short- or medium-grain white rice (aka sushi rice) together. Short grain black rice is also called forbidden rice because legend has it that it used to be grown in small amounts only for emperors in China. Not only is black rice high in nutrients, but it also turns into beautiful deep purple, which makes a striking background for the vegetables to shine. Cook the rice the same way as you'd cook sushi rice, but allow more soaking time, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. I still use at least half of white sushi rice to mix with forbidden rice for the familiar sticky texture from rice and for a lift in the color.

'FRIED' FORBIDDEN RICE WITH VEGETABLES
Yield - 2 main servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup short- or medium-grain white rice (aka sushi rice)
1/2 cup forbidden rice (aka black rice)
1 cup water (plus more for washing rice)
1 tablespoon neutral-tasting cooking oil (such as sunflower seed oil, canola oil)
2 eggs, whisked
1/4 ~ 1/3 cup finely chopped vegetables (such as red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and carrots)
Pinch salt & pepper
2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse white rice and forbidden rice together in cold water to wash off excess starch. Soak in 1 cup of water until white rice turns opaque from translucent white, about an hour. If you can plan ahead, it's better to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

2. By the time rice is fully soaked, water should come up just above the rice level, about a quarter inch. Discard excess water if any. Transfer rice and its soaking water to a small pot or a saucepan. The rice should come about a halfway up in the pot. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat until you start smelling warm, toasty rice. Open the lid and take a small spoonful to check if the rice is cooked. Turn off heat and let rest for 10 minutes, covered.

3. In the meantime, whisk eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle oil to coat a heated skillet over medium heat. Pour whisked eggs in the skillet. When the eggs are half-cooked (which should happen almost immediately if the skillet is hot enough), stir with a wooden spoon and cook through. Transfer the scrambled egg on a plate.

4. Wipe off any remaining egg pieces from the skillet and drizzle oil to coat the skillet. Add finely chopped vegetables along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté to remove excess liquid from vegetables while stirring often with a wooden spoon.

5. Reduce heat to low and add in rice. Drizzle sesame oil and thoroughly mix in rice along with sautéed vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove heat and sprinkle chopped chives and sesame seeds. Serve warm.

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KOREAN WORDS
쌀        (ssal)          rice
백미     (baek mi)    white rice
현미     (hyeon mi)  brown rice
흑미     (heuk mi)    black rice

Korean Sausage Bread (소세지 빵, so se ji bbang)

Have you been to Korean bakeries? Beyond general baked goods - croissants, muffins, sweet pastries and cakes, you will find danhobak (aka kabocha) pumpkin bread, white bean paste balls, sweet potato cakes, rolls filled with sticky rice cake. You'll also find a sizable 'sausage bbang/pan' in a leafy shape, which is the reason for its another name 'foliage sausage bread.'

Korean sausage bread has everything that's found in a hot dog and then some. It does take a lot of time, mostly because the dough needs be rested and proofed twice. Still, it's hard to beat freshly baked homemade bread, especially when it's loaded with spicy chorizo sausage (my variation) and melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese tangled with soft corn kernels that pop in your mouth. As if that didn't take enough time, I made mayonnaise for this which I found to be rewarding in the end.

Make a batch, enjoy a couple of freshly baked, warm sausage breads for an afternoon snack although one might be enough for a meal. Store the rest in a ziploc bag in the freezer and reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute, or in the toaster oven until warm. You'll feel rewarded for the work you put in for days.

 
 
  

KOREAN SAUSAGE BREAD (소세지빵 so se ji bbang)
Yield - 8
Adapted from Dream Hotel Blog (in Korean)

INGREDIENTS:
Bread dough
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup warm water
1 packet (7g) active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

8 sausages (I used chorizo sausages for spicy heat)

Corn salad topping
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or from a can)
1/2 onion, peeled and cut to small dice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
Pinch black pepper
2 tablespoons ketchup

Optional) 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together milk and water. It should be warm to touch. Sprinkle active dry yeast and set aside for a couple of minutes.

2. Mix together flour, sugar, salt with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast liquid and mix to combine. Add one egg and knead to form dough, about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to triple in size, about 40 minutes to an hour.

3. Press down the dough to remove gas and knead. Form the dough into a log and cut it in half. Cut each piece in half to get 4 pieces. Cut each piece in half one more time to get 8 pieces of about equal size. Form each piece into a ball and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly cover with plastic to prevent them from drying out. Set aside to let it double the size, about 30 to 40 minutes.

4. While the dough is proofing, prepare the corn salad topping. For corn kernels from a can, drain, rinse in water and press lightly with paper towel to remove excess moisture. For diced onion, mix with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and set aside until onion pieces start to sweat. Press onion pieces with paper towel lightly to remove excess moisture.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.

6. Mix together corn, onion, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of parsley, black pepper and if using, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

7. Roll out each dough to a rectangular shape just enough to wrap a sausage in it. Don't make the dough too thin. Place a sausage in the middle and pinch to seal the dough completely. Cut through the sausage with a knife (preferably a small, serrated knife) but leave the bottom portion of the dough uncut so that it is connected throughout. Move the bread to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pull one flap to the right side and the next flap to the left side and repeat to create a leaf shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough and sausages.

8. Place about 2 tablespoons of the corn salad in the middle of the bread. Place the remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top, then drizzle with ketchup and mayonnaise. If you put ketchup and mayonnaise in ziploc bags and cut a small hole in one corner, you will be able to control the flow better.

9. Bake in the oven for 20~25 minutes until golden brown. After the first 10 minutes, turn the baking sheet around for even baking.

10. Rest on a cooling rack for a few minutes. Sprinkle remaining chopped parsley for garnish. 

 If you don't want to go through these steps, you can also find one from Korean bakeries.

But I like mine enough that I'll make this again at home. ^^

 

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KOREAN WORDS
소리    (so ri)    sound
오리    (oh ri)    duck

Tips on Steamed Buns & Cute Animal Shaped Steamed Buns

Like clockwork, I return to making steamed buns when it gets cold. I thought I'd lose interest by now, but steamed buns have consumed my winter once again with so many frigid, snowy days. Some arts and crafts time with pillowy, warm buns to snack on at the end is not a bad way to spend time at home.

I was into adding natural colors to the buns in previous years, but I explored the world of animal-shaped/animal face buns this year. I always try to add colors from natural ingredients, so it was fun to play with different ingredients and find right colors for certain animal features. Panda's eyes? A mix of hot chocolate powder and crushed black sesame seeds. 

This is rather a short list of my notes along the way of making steamed buns this year. I'm afraid that the month of February will pass by before I know it. I'm already getting distracted by spring and summer eats for class menus and I should at least jot down some of this year's steamed buns progress. 

So here are a few...

* I still use the same basic dough recipe I shared before (Steamed Buns with Nutella Pumpkin Filling, Steamed Buns with Kimchi and Turkey Filling). I received a comment a while ago that the ratio of flour to water may be off, so I tried it several times (obviously...) but I haven't seen much change. Depending on the weather, sometimes I add a bit more flour and other times a bit more water, but the recipe is a good starting point. Ultimately, we're trying to achieve a play-dough consistency - soft, smooth and stretchy dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

* I divide the dough into 16 pieces (rather than 8 from the recipe) to make them mini sized buns. If you take the time to do this, it's a good dish to bring (along with the steamer) to a potluck party. You can steam for only a couple of minutes to reheat the buns on top of a pot with boiling water. They are definitely cute whether you decorate them or not, and people tend to eat more because the size is... non-threatening?

* In general, natural powders are easy to add for colors without altering the recipe. The color in the dough will look lighter and will come out stronger after steaming.

* Turmeric adds a beautiful hue of bright yellow to the bun itself. But use it sparingly. I'd say about 1/4 teaspoon for the recipe amount of 1 1/2 cups flour. It will have a slight fragrance of turmeric.

* I added strawberry powder to make the pink nose and ears of the piggy buns. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mix of dry ingredients and mix with 1/4 teaspoon of strawberry powder, which is enough for noses and ears for the recipe (as pictured above). I'd even add less strawberry powder to get a lighter pink. Add a spoonful of water to bring it to a smooth, pink dough. On a side note, when I added strawberry powder to color the whole buns, the color came out rather darkish, dull pink. I'll stick to the piggy nose and ears for the use of strawberry powder.

* For the dark brown/black dough for panda eyes and ears, it's a mix of flour, black sesame seeds and hot chocolate powder dissolved in hot water. Knead to make it a smooth dough. The color will be light brown, but it will come out darker after steaming.

* The dark dough from the previous point is also good for dotting eyes on other animal face buns. Otherwise, I use black sesame seeds for eyes. Yes, they are tiny.

* When you feel like you need just a tad more water to the dough, just wet your hand and knead the dough instead of adding water directly to the dough. Often, that's enough moisture to finish the dough.

In addition to playing around with steamed buns on my own, I've been teaching steamed buns classes every winter. While I'm done with public classes, I have a couple of private classes booked through March. If you're interested in setting up a private class with a group of friends, you can contact me directly with any questions or request a class from this link.

Stay warm!

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KOREAN WORDS
깨    (ggae)    sesame seed(s)
꿀    (ggool)  honey
꽃    (ggot)    flower

Rolled Dumplings (굴림만두, Gullim Mandoo)

Happy New Year once again!

I feel like I just took the Christmas tree out and lights down, but the Lunar New Year is only 2 days away now. I can tell myself that 2015 so far has only been a practice for the real start, which is of course, February 19th.

Even without the excuse of celebrating the Lunar New Year, one of the dishes that I can eat anytime of the day or year is dumplings of all kinds. This particular one is gullim mandoo (also spelled as mandu), in which the dumpling filling is rolled around in potato starch instead of being wrapped in dumpling skins. The thin coating of starch doesn't show itself when dumplings first come out of boiling water. They look like meatballs or 'naked dumplings' which is another name for it in English. As they cool down, you will see the translucent starch coating appear along with its soft-chewy texture.

Here I used my go-to dumpling filling with a mix of ground beef and pork along with tofu and sweet pototo glass noodles (당면 dang myeon). Tofu and dangmyeon keep the filling moist and soft in Korean dumplings.  Dangmyeon, with its stickiness, also helps to keep the filling together.

It is easy to make and fun to eat especially on a cold wintry day like this. Maybe a project for the Lunar New Year Day or for this weekend? Enjoy!

 
 

ROLLED DUMPLINGS (굴림만두) GULLIM MANDOO
Yield - about 40 dumplings

INGREDIENTS:
Beef and Pork Filling
1/2 cup dangmyeon (당면 glass noodles made with sweet potato starch)
1/2 block (7 oz.) extra firm or firm tofu
1/2 cup ground beef
1/2 cup ground pork
1/2 cup garlic chive, trimmed and finely chopped (can substitute with equal amount of scallion)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup potato starch

Simple Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (고추가루 gochu garu)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Soak dangmyeon (당면 glass noodles made with sweet potato starch) in enough lukewarm water to cover the noodles. When it's soft enough to bend, cook in boiling water until soft. Rinse in cold water, drain and finely chop. Set aside.

2. Squeeze out excess water from tofu and crumble it to pieces.

3. Place chopped dangmyeon (당면), crumbled tofu, ground beef, ground pork, garlic chive, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, black pepper, salt and 1 tablespoon of potato starch in a bowl. Mix to combine completely. Cover with plastic and rest for 30 minutes to overnight in the refrigerator.

4. Spread 1/2 cup of potato starch on a baking sheet. Scoop out 1-inch balls with a small cookie scoop (or use hands or spoons) from the filling and place them on the baking sheet covered with potato starch. You should get about 40 meat balls.  Roll the balls on starch and reshape as necessary. After the first rolling, you will see that the white starch gets quickly absorbed into the meat balls. After rolling the balls on starch 2~3 times, the starch coating should stay for a while.

5. Bring water to a boil in a pot over high heat. Drop the dumplings gently into water. The dumplings may sink at first then float to the top as water is heated and dumplings are cooked. Once they float to the top, cook for another 5 minutes to ensure that raw meat is completely cooked.

6. In the meantime, make a dipping sauce by combining soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes.

7. Remove dumplings from boiling water. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve warm with the dipping sauce.

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KOREAN WORDS
그리다    (geu ri da)    to draw
그립다    (geu rip da)  to miss, to long for