Dduk Gook (Rice Cake Soup) with Ggoo Me (Beef Seasoning)

Yesterday was the start of the New Year according to the lunar calender. In Korea, it is a tradition to start the first day of the new year with a dish we call "dduk gook" ("rice cake soup"). Usually it is served as breakfast, but I made it for dinner yesterday.

1/2 package of pre-cut rice cake
1/2 lb of ground beef
2-3 teaspoon sesame oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
salt & pepper
soy sauce
1/2 square tofu, chopped in small cubes (1x1x1 cm)
3 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped
1 egg, beated
1 sheet of dried seaweed, cut

1. Pour rice cake in a bowl covered in water. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan, heat sesame oil. Add ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour water and let it boil. Reduce heat and add soy sauce for taste. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add square tofu and let it simmer until cooked. Add half of the green onions and jalapeño.
* The ground beef seasoning recipe (called Ggoo me) is unique to the Southern part of Korea (Andong) where my dad is from. Most Koreans don't know about this recipe because most Koreans are from Seoul.

3. Meanwhile, pour the rice cake and water into a pot. Add additional water to submerge the rice cakes. Bring to boil. Remove from stove when rice cakes are sticky but firm. (At this time, if you want to add mandoo/dumplings you may do so.)
4. On a small skillet, cook the egg like you would cook an omelet. Remove onto cutting board once cooked. Chop lengthwise.
5. In a bowl pour rice cake soup. Top with egg, seaweed sheet, and the rest of green onion. Ground beef is used for seasoning the rice cake soup so it may depend on the person. My family serves it in a separate bowl so we can top our soup to make it fit to our own taste.

2 servings

A little blurb:
The past year, the Year of the Rat (my year), was overall a great year. I think the biggest accomplishment was finding a career to bring me fulfillment, people to share my joy and hardship with, and a city where I felt at home. This year, I look forward to learning how to love and enjoy the time with myself. Onward to the Year of the Ox! May the New Year bring you joy and good fortune

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Today was one of those days where I don't really have much motivation to cook, but eating out doesn't really seem to be a good idea... (especially since I don't have any income yet). Well, this recipe (created by one of my favorite TV chef, Giada) turned out to solve ALL my problems. I only spent 10 minutes in the kitchen and didn't have to dig deep into my pocket. As an added bonus, this pasta dish was D-lish!!! This has easily become one of my favorite dish.

8 ounces rotini pasta
1 (8.5 ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt & pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salt water until tender but firm, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop the sun-dried tomato in it's oil, garlic, and basil leaves. (You can do this by using a food processor, but I like just using my knife. I find that it creates a better texture.) Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
3. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

I found this recipe in Cooking Light (September 2008 issue). This is my first time using coconut milk so I wasn't sure how much to tweak the recipe. To play it safe, I just followed the exact recipe and it turned out great. However next time I plan on using a little less than the recommended amount of coconut milk. Also, I think the dish could use a spicy twist. To accomplish this, I ended up sprinkling crushed red pepper. Using fresh jalapeño or Thai chili may also do the trick.

1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon sugar
12 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and curry paste to pan, and sauté 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar; sauté 15 seconds. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut milk and fish sauce; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in green onion and basil.

Yield: 2 servings

Fried Rice

You just can't go wrong with fried rice. Unlike eating fried rice from a Chinese restaurant, cooking it at home can be very healthy. I substitute the usual beef or pork for turkey sausage. Also, I learned from a friend that adding sun-dried tomatoes adds a bit of kick to the dish. Overall, I can say it's safe to add any vegetable you want to make it unique. I usually make a lot and save it in the fridge. Great for packing lunch. YUM!

2 teaspoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, cut into bite size pieces
1 broccoli head, cut into bite size pieces
salt & pepper
4 diced sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
1 cup turkey sausage (or any meat of your choice), cut into bite size pieces
3 cups of cooked rice (more or less if you prefer)
soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 chopped green onions

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan (or if you have one, a wok) on medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute or until golden. Add carrots; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli; sauté for 1 minutes (I realized adding more oil before cooking the broccoli makes it crispier). Add sun-dried tomatoes and turkey; sauté for 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Add rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix until even distribution.
3. Make a well in the center of fried rice. Add the eggs to the center. Carefully mix the eggs with the fried rice as it cooks. Add green onions and mix for 1-2 minutes.
4. Dinner is served. :)

Yields: Plenty!!!

Chicken & Broccoli Teriyaki with a Twist

I wanted to finish the rest of the chicken that I bought for yesterday's meals, so I decided the easy and healthy, yet very mouth-watering chicken teriyaki. I made some minor adjustments to this simple Japanese dish (i.e. I added some vinegar to the sauce and broccoli to the whole dish). Naturally, since I'm Korean and love a bit of kick to food, I threw on some crushed hot red peppers. I think the little touches made it better than just the plain chicken teriyaki I was used to.

2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 1/2 cup broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
4 teaspoon canola or vegetable or olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon brown sugar
6 tablespoon soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
4 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch of salt
crushed red pepper (optional)
sesame seed (optional)

1. Heat olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to season chicken. Add to skillet; sauté for 2 1/2 minutes on one side, then flip over. Remove when chicken has lightly cooked through. Cut the chicken into slices.
*A trick I use to save time is to place the chicken turned over in a preheated oven at 350 for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Place 1-inch of water in a small saucepan; add broccoli. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté for 2 minutes until golden brown. Stir in sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until sugar has dissolved.
4. Drain the broccoli. Transfer over the chicken and broccoli to the sauce. Toss in the medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice (pictured above) or on side. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and sesame seeds.

Yield: 2 servings

Chicken Schnitzel

This chicken recipe turned out absolutely delicious. Goes great with a garden salad dressed with a combination of country dijon mustard, olive oil, soy sauce, and lemon juice. The chicken can be served on the side (not pictured) or as part of the salad (pictured above). Since it was baked in the oven with minimal olive oil, it was very light and juicy. I wonder if it remained juicy because I made it without halving the chicken breast. Enjoy!

4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (1/2 loaf of dried bread if making from scratch)
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Combine mustard and egg in a shallow dish. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, chives, and garlic in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 chicken breast half in flour, turning to coat; shake off excess flour. Dip in egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat.
4. Heat olive oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté for 2 1/2 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove from heat. Turn chicken over; move onto olive oil greased pan; place in oven. Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yield: 4 servings