Korean Steamed Eggplant

INGREDIENTS:

2 Eggplants

SAUCE:

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the steamer over high heat. Steam eggplants until they are softened, about 10 minutes. Allow them to cool off.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients.

3. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them into thick slices. Gently mix them with the sauce with hand. Serve immediately.

Chinese Marinated Spinach 中式涼拌菠菜

Spinach is inexpensive and nutritious so I cook it quite often. This recipe is one of them. It makes a wonderful side dish in summer time, accompanying a bowl of steamed rice. The seasoning below is just a guideline; adjust it if needed.

INGREDIENST:

A bundle of Spinach

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Mirin

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add Spinach in a few batches. Boil until the spinach just wilted; about 1 minute. Submerge the spinach in the cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. Squeeze out the excess water from the spinach in a few batches. Place it in a mixing bowl.

3. Add the remaining ingredients. With hand, Mix until the spinach is coated with the sauce. It is ready. Serve it with steamed rice.

Pickled Daikon Side Dish 醃辣蘿蔔

INGREDIENTS：

1 Daikon

1 tablespoon White Sesame Seeds

1 tablespoon Chili Powder

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 tablespoons Sugar

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Scrub clean the diakon. Cut it into cubes. Place them into a bowl.

2. Add about 2 tablespoons of salt. Rub to combine it. Leave it for about an hour. You will see there has a lot of water releases. Drain the water.

3. Wrap the diakon and store in the fridge over night. Drain the released water again. Repeat the process for another two days.

4. On the forth days, rinse the diakon; drain well. Add the rest of the ingredients in the bowl; mix well. and it is ready. Serve it with steamed rice.

Soybean Sprout Side Dish 涼拌荳芽

Soybean sprouts is a budget meal I often serve at the end of the month. A large full bag is just less than two dollars. But it is nutritious and easy to cook. I usually marinate a big batch of beansprouts and keep them in the fridge for several days. It actually tastes better the next day!

If you like spicy, add some chilli powder into the dish to give it some kick.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lbs Soybean Sprouts

1 tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Fish Sauce

1 Garlic Cloves, minced

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add bean sprouts. Blanch them for one minutes. Drain and quickly rinse them under cool water. Drain again.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, including the bean sprouts. With hands, mix until the bean sprouts can coated with the seasoning. It is ready.

Raw Oyster marinated with Korean hot pepper paste and cilantro

You can say it is a spicy salad with raw oysters because it contains lots of tomatoes, herbs, and plump oysters. It is perfect to serve it with steamed rice on a hot summer day.

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen Frozen Oysters, thawed in cold water

1/2 English Cucumber, deeded and cut into sticks

1 cup Cilantro (roughly chopped)

10 Cherry Tomatoes, halves

3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1 teaspoon White Sesame Seeds, toasted

DIRECTION:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients. Gently toss until the oysters are coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Korean Raw Beef

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces Beef Tenderloin

1 Asian Pear

1 tablespoon Sugar

MARINADE:

6 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Green Onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Honey

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds, toasted

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground

small handful of Pine Nuts

DIRECTION:

1. Mix the sugar with the water until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Peel the asian pear. Then cut it into sticks. Submerge the sticks into the sugary water; set aside.

2. Cut the beef into about 1/2 cm slices. Put them in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add the rest of the seasoning ingredients.

4. Mix well. Let it marinate it for 5 minutes.

5. Drain the pear sticks and set them in a serving bowl. Top them with the marinated beef. Serve immediately. It is great to serve it with steamed rice.

Korean Braised Tofu with Chilli Soy Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 pack Firm Tofu

3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

SAUCE:

 3 tablespoon Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Water

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Sugar

2 teaspoons Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds, toasted

1 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 stalks Green Onion, finely sliced

DIRECTION:

1. Tofu cut into equal size pieces.  Pat dry with paper towel.

2. Heat up vegetable oil in a non-stick pan.  Carefully add the tofu pieces.  Fry them over medium heat until they are golden; about 3-4 minutes.  Flip the tofu pieces to the other side and fry for another 3-4 minutes.  Transfer them to a serving plate.

3. In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together.  Spoon it evenly over the tofu before serving.

Korean Seasoned Oyster

INGREDIENTS:

1 dozen Fresh Oysters (I used Korean frozen oysters)

2 stalks Green onion, cut into 5 cm long

MARINADE:

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil, toasted

DIRECTION:

1. Thaw the frozen oysters in room temperature.  Carefully clean off the dirt and sand around the black edges; rinse and drain them well.  Place them in a mixing bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together.

3. Combine oysters, marinade, and green onion in the mixing bowl.  With a wooden spoon, gently mix the oysters until each of the oysters is coated with sauce.  Serve cold.

Korean Steamed Eggplant

INGREDIENTS:

2 Asian Eggplants

SAUCE:

2 stalks Green onion, finely slices

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

2 teaspoons Sesame Seeds, toasted

1 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Korean Red Chilli Flakes

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground

DIRECTION:

1. Set up a steamer to high heat.  

2. Cut both ends off the eggplants.  Cut the eggplants lengthwise and then cut it into about 7 cm pieces. Place the eggplants in the steamer and steam for about 6-7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients together.  When the eggplants are ready, spoon the sauce evenly over the eggplants to serve.