Korean Sushi, Kimbap

I never had Korean sushi till I came up to Los Angeles and visited my first Korean Market.  I spotted it in the prepared food section and got so excited, because I saw that Korean sushi (Kimbap) had marinated beef in it!  Even more exciting, the sushi was also seasoned with some sesame seed oil and salt as well. 

Kimbap quickly became one of my favorite comfort foods.  We picked it up for potlucks, tailgates, road trip, etc.- it is the perfect snack to throw in your bag and take with you on your adventures.  However, this is one of those recipes that its hard to write a recipe for…  Everyone makes it differently and it is definitely one of those recipes that no one ever measures out the ingredients, you just sorta know what is needed.  So think of this as your loose guide, and select your ingredients and season according to your own tastes!

Kimbap
recipe from Sage

1 package sushi nori or Korean Nori
1 package takuan, sliced into strips
4 sticks imitation crab
1 container Korean seasoned spinach
1 package of bulgogi (Korean seasoned meat)
1 carrot, shredded
4 eggs, scrambled and cooked as an omelet
2-3 cups rice
fishcake, cut into strips
sesame seed oil
sesame seeds

1.  Cook the rice and prep all of the ingredients.  *Optional: Season the rice with sesame seed oil and sesame seeds* 

2.  Layout your nori on top of the sushi mat.  Add a thin layer of rice, leaving room at the end to seal your sushi roll.  Place the variety of ingredients that you would like in your roll. 

3.  Carefully roll the sushi, pulling back rightly and continue to roll all the ingredients.  Seal the sushi by lightly wetting the exposed piece of nori. 

4.  Cut sushi roll with a wet sharp knife. 

If you want better instructions on how to roll sushi (it’s just one of those things I grew up doing, so for some reason I can’t describe how to do it), check out these links!  They both have great step by step pictures and instructions on how to make a sushi roll. 

• Just One Cookbook
• Iowa Girl Eats

Move over California roll and make room for Kimbap!!  This savory sushi roll is great for those of you who don’t do the raw fish thing too. 

Spicy Korean Rice Cakes with Noodles (Rabokki)

I seem to be in a Korean type of mood lately, with my Kim Chee Cucumbers, Kim Chee Soba and now a famous Korean street food dish, Rabokki!  I first tried this dish when my friend made this at a sleep over. Note:  Sleepovers post college unless they are in hotel rooms, seem to be a BAD idea.  Even though they sound fun when you are planning it, I think with age we all like comforts.    Our sleep over niter has never been attempted again! 

This dish is total comfort food and major carb heaven!  It combines Korean rice cakes (mochi like discs) with ramen, and marinated beef in a spicy sauce. 

Rabokki
as taught to me by my Korean friends

2 cups sliced rice cake
1 package instant noodles
1/2 onion, sliced
1 1/2 cups water (approximate)
1/2 lb. thinly sliced beef
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup mushrooms, sliced

Sauce
2-3 Tbsp. Kochijang
1 tsp. Red chili flake
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

green onions
sesame seeds

Note: You can get thinly sliced cuts of beef at any Asian market.  I’ve seen this dish done with sea food, pork, fish cake and tofu as well. 

1.  Soak rice cakes in cool water for 15 minutes.  Heat pan on medium high heat and add olive oil to pan.  Add in onions, beef and mushrooms and cook until onions start to slightly soften.  *Don’t worry if your beef is not all the way through at this point, we do this mostly to cook the onions.*

2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Drain the rice cakes and add to pan, along with sauce and water.  Mix ingredients until everything is well coated. 

3.  At this point I like to cook the instant noodles (ramen) in the microwave.  You can add the noodles to the pan at this point and allow it to cook in the sauce as well. *I just prefer to do it in the micro*  Add the noodles to the pan once the rice cakes are tender and you can poke through them with a fork.

4.  Mix well and allow the sauce to thicken up and reduce for a couple of minutes.  Garnish with green onion and sesame seeds and serve!

Kim Chee Soba

In the hot days of summer, sometimes all you want is a nice cold and refreshing meal.  You may also remember that I mentioned that I was back on my healthy eating AND I am in my third week of boot camp!!  So what better to make than some Kim Chee Soba.

Soba is a Japanese noodle that is made out of buckwheat flour.  It is packed with vitamin B, has a higher protein content that most noodles and it is also said to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol as well as increase your metabolism.  WIN!!   Since I had just made some Kim Chee Cucumbers, I decided to make a Kim Chee Soba as a nice refreshing dinner.  

Kim Chee Soba

2 bundles of soba, cooked according to package
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
1 Tbsp. Kim Chee “juice” (from your Kim chee container)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup Kim Chee Cucumber or Cabbage
1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms
2 eggs, pan fried
green onion, sliced
sesame seeds

1.  Cook your soba noodles according to the direction on the package.  Throw dried shitake mushrooms into the hot water while noodles are cooking.  Once noodles are done, drain noodles and mushrooms.  Rinse noodles with cold water, and pull out mushrooms and squeeze excess water out of the mushrooms. 

2.  In a small bowl mix soy sauce, sesame seed oil, Kim Chee Juice and sugar.  Mix the sauce over the cold noodles and the mushrooms. 

3.  Plate noodles and garnish each place with Cucumber Kim Chee, fried egg, green onions and sesame seeds.

Super easy, refreshing and healthy dish perfect for the summer!  This would be great with any type of kim chee that you can find.  And if you are lucky enough to have a Korean Market near your house, imagine how good it would be to add in a variety of their marinated veggies that they always have.  YUM!  

Cucumber Kim Chee

My Aunty Jane makes this recipe, which she shared with my mom and now I am sharing with you!  In Hawaii this is the kind of recipe that neighbors share, friends pass along little jars to each other and if you are a “nice girl” you bring if over for your friends mom as well.  (They love that!)  I love Kim Chee Cucumbers since it’s a nice bit of crunch with that spicy kim chee flavoring.  This is so easy to make, this will become a staple in your refrigerators.     

 

Cucumber Kim Chee
From Aunty Jane

4-5 medium Japanese Cucumbers, (Persian works too)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. Hawaiian Salt (Rock Salt)
3-4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. Kim Chee Base
1 tsp. paprika

Note:  You can find Kim Chee Base at most asian markets or on Amazon. 

1.  Cut cucumbers into cubes or thick slices.  In a bowl combine cucumbers, sugar, salt and vinegar.  Mix well and let stand for 1-2 hours.  *I only used 3 Tbsp. of sugar, it depends on your personal taste.*

2.  Taste one of the cucumber pieces, if needed do a quick rinse of the cucumbers.  *Only do this if it is too sweet to too salty.* 

3.  Add in Kim Chee Base and paprika to the cucumbers.  Mix well and bottle and refrigerate. 

I love to eat this with a hot bowl of rice, with soba noodles or lately I snack on them a little before dinner.  This will keep for about 3 weeks once refrigerated in an air tight container. 

Gaji Namul, Korean Eggplant

Recently Marukai (a Japanese market) opened on my route home.  I actually already live within 2-3 miles of two other Japanese markets, but for some reason Marukai is my favorite.  Maybe because I grew up with it in Hawaii and the fact that they have lots of Hawaii stuff as well.  This basically means a lot more Japanese cooking, as well as some great deals on Asian veggies and fruits. 

During my last trip, I picked up some Japanese Eggplant for under 2 bucks.  Due to the hot weather in LA recently, I decided to try my hand at a cold dish, a Korean panchan called Gaji Namul.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Korean BBQ, one of the best parts is that with your meal you get served a wide variety of fresh and pickled veggies.  These serve as the perfect compliment to the sweet and savory marinades on the various cuts of meats.  If this hasn’t convinced you to try Korean BBQ, please call me- I will take you.  LOL   

Gaji Namul
adapted from kourmet

3 Japanese style eggplant

Sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. green onion
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. sesame seed oil
1 tsp. jalapeno

1.  Quarter the eggplant and place them in the steamer.  Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and steam for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft enough to easily pierce with a fork. *Time may vary depending on size of eggplant*

2.  Cool down and tear/cut eggplant into bite sized pieces.

3.  Combine the sauce ingredients together and mix with eggplant pieces.

The longer you let this sit, the more delicious it gets.  I love this as a vegetable side dish with a hot scoop of rice.  I also added this into one of my salads and it was great.  This can last for about a week in your refrigerator in an airtight container.