Easy Cold Somen | 簡易冷素麵

Cold somen is a light dinner that my family like to enjoy in the hot days.  The noodles take only a few minutes to cook and you will spend the most preparation time on grating daikon and slicing scallion.  To make the meal even simpler, I used the store bought soba dipping sauce instead of making my own.  Within 20 minutes, this chilled somen is ready to be served.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 bundles Somen (Soba)

3 Scallion, thinly sliced

20 gram Ginger, grated

1 Daikon, peeled and finely grated

Store bought Soba Dipping Sauce

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add about a teaspoon of salt.  Add somen and cook according to the package; about 2 minutes.

2. Drain the somen.  Run it under cold running water until it totally cools down; drain it again.

3. To serve, combine the dipping sauce with some scallion, daikon, and ginger.

Cubed Daikon Radish Kimchi ｜ 香辣蘿蔔泡菜粒

People say kimchi is a rice stealer, I agree.  The crunchy vegetables that combine spicy, sour, and a hint of sweet flavour make you always crave more.

Whenever I go to a Korean restaurant, the thing that excites me most are those colourful side dishes.  Some of them are pickled, some are a quick mix of salad, and some are fresh or fermented kimchi.  And fresh and slightly fermented kimchi catches my heart the most.  They aren't as strong as the long-feremted kimchi, but they have the probiotic tangy flavour and the juice from the fresh vegetables, which refreshes your palate.

I personally prefer the fresh and crunchy style of kimchi so I usually skip the rice flour in my kimchi making.  Rice flour works as a thickening agent so that the product will be more presentable and also holds the sauce better.  But I find it is too gooey for my taste no matter how little I use.  Therefore, you will find the kimchi recipe below has a rather thin sauce.

I like to add the kimchi juice in noodles, or use it to pickle perilla leaves.  That way I can use up this delicious juice while eliminating the waste.

Cubed Daikon Radish Kimchi

香辣蘿蔔泡菜粒

After three days of fermentation.

Ingredients:

2 cups Daikon cubes, peeled

6 stalks Scallion

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and grated

15 gram Ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

Marinate Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon Red Chilli Flakes

How to make:

1. Peel the daikon, cut it into half of the ice cube size.

      2. Rub the daikon with salt until the daikon skins start to

slightly give in;  let it rest for about 30 minutes for the juice to come out.

3. Discard the juice except 3 tablespoons of it.

4. Cut the scallion diagonally; set it aside.  Grate the ginger and garlic.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.  With hands, mix everything thoroughly.

6. Place the mixture in a jar.  Cover with a lid.  Keep it at room temperature to ferment until the juice starts to bubble, after about 3 days.  Serve it with hot rice.

The kimchi just filled in the jar.

If you are not using the kimchi right away, transfer the kimchi to the fridge to slow down the fermentation.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the recipe.

Pickled Daikon Radish ｜ 醃醋蘿蔔

Although daikon radishes are available all year around, the peak season to enjoy these juicy root vegetables is during fall to winter.  At this time, the daikons are plump, juicy, and with less fibre.

My husband and I love to pickle daikons for our side dish.  Sometimes, I will cut them into cubes or sometimes I will simply slice them into thick pieces, depending on how crunchy the texture I want.  But I found the best flavour daikons usually are the ones that are thick and chunky. 

To pickle daikon is very straightward, but you will have to accept that the radish smell will linger in the fridge for quite a few days, even after you finish all of them.  My husband often said he would know when we were going to have pickled radish for dinner because he could smell it, as soon as he stepped out of the elevator down the hallway (but every time he got it right!).  I don't find the radish stinky at all.  I guess it's just like the people who like blue cheese -- they only find the aroma in the food they love.

Pickled Daikon Radish

(Ingredients):

1 Daikon Radish

1 tablespoon Sea salt

1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tablespoon Rice Wine
1 tablespoon Red Chile Flakes

How to make:

1. Peel the daikon.  Cut it into 1cm thick slices.

2. In a zip lock bag, combine all ingredients.  Then, rib it until the sugar is dissolved and the daikon pieces are evenly coated with marinade.

3. Keep the bag in the fridge and allow further marination for two more days before serving.