To Cook
Coat the tofu with the seasonings and pan-fry until brown and chewy.
In a wok, heat oil over high heat and add in the snow peas, carrots, red capsicums and onions. Lower heat is needed, stir-fry 5 mins or until softened but not fully cooked.
Add in the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric powder, combine and stir-fry for 1-2 mins.
Add in the noodles and toss to coat evenly. Stir-fry 2-5 mins or until noodles are heated through and all ingredients are evenly coated.
Add in tofu, green onions, bean shoots and soy sauce, toss for 1 min. Serve hot.
Vegetables
Simmered Kabocha Squash
To Cook
To prepare the katsuo dashi, bring 2 cups water to boil. Add katsuobushi, stir through, and then turn off the heat. Set aside for 15 minutes. Strain the katsuo dashi and discard the katsuobashi. Set the katsuo dashi aside.
Cut the kabocha into half, remove the seeds and pith using a spoon. Then place it in a bowl and briefly cook it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. Cut the kabocha into equal wedges lengthwise, and then cut them into 5cm pieces, leaving the skin on.
Place the equally sized kabocha pieces in a large wide pot, skin side down. Make sure that the pot will fit all of the kabocha pieces in one single layer.
In a bowl, add in the prepared dashi, sake and sugar. Mix well until sugar is dissolved, then pour into the large pot with kabocha pieces. Bring it to a boil and continue to cook on medium high heat. Add soy sauce and salt, and swirl the pot to mix the liquid well. Make sure that the liquid covers most of the kabocha, you may add a little more water if neccesary. Once the liquid is boiling, turn down to medium low heat to and allow to simmer. Cover with lid and cook for 15-20 minutes or until kabocha is cooked and tender.
Remove from the heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes. This dish may be served at room temperature.
Mee Rebus
To Prep the Gravy
Boil and mash the sweet potatoes, set aside.
Poach beef until cooked and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
Place in a blender dried shrimps, shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger and fermented soybeans. Add about ½ a cup of water and blend until fine.
In a large pot, heat up the oil and then add the blended paste, meat curry powder, and lemon grass stalks.
Sauté on medium heat until fragrant and oil begins to split. This should take 10-15 minutes.
Add about 2 cups of beef stock, and stir until combined.
Next, add the mashed sweet potatoes, cooked beef and palm sugar to the pot of gravy and mix well.
Slowly add more beef stock until the gravy has reached your desired consistency.
Bring to a boil and set aside.
To Prep the Noodles and Garnish
Separately, blanch yellow noodles and bean sprouts then set aside.
Pan-fry the bean curd until golden brown, and then cut into 2cm pieces.
Hard boil the eggs and cut into halves.
Final Assembly
In a bowl, portion out yellow egg noodles and bean sprouts.
Ladle gravy over noodles and bean sprouts to sufficiently cover the noodles.
Garnish with egg, bean curd, sliced chillies, fried shallots, Chinese celery, spring onion and calamansi lime.
Serve hot.
Braised Noodles with Long Beans and Pork (Dou Jiao Men Mian)
To Cook
Heat oil in a wok, fry the spring onion and garlic.
Add in pork belly slices and fry for 1 min.
Then, add dried chilli pepper, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and salt, stir for a few seconds and put in green beans and mix them evenly.
Pour water in the wok, cover and bring it to a boil, then spread the noodles evenly on top of the mixture.
Cover and braise with low heat. After 5 mins, uncover and stir the noodles to make the taste even, then cover again and braise until the water has reduced completely.
Serve with chilli oil or brown vinegar.
Korean Sushi Roll (Kimbap)
To Cook
Mix rice with 2 tbsp sesame oil and ½ tsp salt in a bowl and set aside.
Pour 1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and pour in eggs to make a thin omelette over medium heat. The omelette should be pale in colour. Remove and let cool. Cut into thin strips and set aside.
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and quickly sauté carrots for about 30 secs. Season with salt and set aside.
Saute the zucchini with minced garlic and ½ tbsp sesame oil. Remove and set aside.
Sit a sushi mat on a board and place a nori seaweed sheet on top. Add ⅓-½ cup of rice on nori sheet, covering about ⅔ of the sheet. Place each ingredient on top of the rice, lining them up horizontally and close together. Roll the nori sheet using your mat until you have a cylinder shape. Squeeze the roll inside the mat gently so that the kimbap is not too loose.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have a desired number of kimbap rolls. Cut kimbap into bite sized pieces, usually 8-10. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Korean Mushroom Kimbap
To Cook
Mix rice with 2 tbsp sesame oil and ½- tsp salt in a bowl and set aside. Also set aside shiitake mushrooms and radish.
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and pour in eggs to make a thin omelette over medium heat. The omelette should be pale in colour. Cut into thin strips when cooled and set aside.
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and quickly sauté carrots for about 30 secs and season with salt and set aside.
Mix cucumber with ½ tbsp sesame oil, minced garlic and 2 pinches of salt in a bowl and set aside.
Place sushi mat on a board and a nori sheet on top. Spread ⅓-½ cup of rice on the sheet, covering about ⅔ of the sheet. Place each of the ingredients on top of the rice, lining them up horizontally and close together. Roll the nori sheet using your mat until you have a cylinder shape. Squeeze the roll inside the mat gently so that the kimbap is not too loose.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have a desired number of kimbap rolls. Cut kimbap into bite sized pieces, usually 8-10. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Korean Spicy Pork Backbone Hotpot with Potatoes (Gamjatang)
To Prep
Soak the bones for about 1 hr in cold water and then drain in a colander.
To Cook
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add bones. Cook about 6-8 mins to bring to boil again.
Drain the bones into a colander and wash the bones under running water. Clean the pot.
Return the bones to the pot, add 8-10 cups of water and bring it to boil. Skim off scum that floats to the top and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Bring it to a boil again and continue to boil uncovered over medium heat for another 5-10 mins.
Lower the heat to simmer for about 1½-2 hrs or until the soup is getting milky and the meat is falling off the bones.
Discard the onion, ginger and garlic, there should be pork bones and about 5 cups of pork broth. Add the seasonings, potatoes and seasoned cabbage to the pot. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 mins.
Add perilla leaves, ground perilla seeds and soybean powder just before serving.
Korean Soy Chicken
To Cook
Boil 8 cups of water in a pot and blanch the chicken for about 2-3 mins. Drain well.
Add chicken and all the Sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 10-15 mins.
Add the potatoes, carrot and onions, simmer for another 15-20 mins or until chicken pieces and potatoes are tender. Add more water and mirin if necessary.
Add the dried chillies, spring onions, pepper and simmer for another 5 mins. Season with salt if necessary. Remove from heat and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve.
Korean Stir Fried Spicy Blood Sausage
To Prep
Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, except for ground perilla seeds and sesame seeds.
To Cook
In a preheated frying pan, add oil and quickly sauté carrot for about 1 min, set aside. Repeat with cabbage and onion, sautéing separately.
Place the cooked vegetables, spring onions and chillies into the same frying pan.
Then add in the sausages and the prepared sauce. Briefly stir fry the ingredients together with the sauce, about 1 min.
Add in the noodles and stir for 4 mins.
Add in the perilla leaves, ground perilla seeds and sesame seeds, mix through the stir fry just prior to serving.
Garnish with lettuce, spring onion and sesame seeds.
Korean Vegetarian Kimbap
To Cook
Mix rice with 2 tbsp sesame oil and ½-1 tsp salt in a bowl and set aside. Also set aside tofu and radish.
Pour ½-1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and pour in eggs to make a thin omelette over medium heat. The omelette should be pale in colour. Cut into thin strips when cooled and set aside.
Pour ½ -1 tbsp oil to a heated pan and quickly sauté carrots for about 30 secs and season with salt and set aside.
Mix cucumber with ½ tbsp sesame oil, minced garlic and 2 pinches of salt in a bowl and set aside.
Place sushi mat on a board with a nori sheet on top. Spread ⅓-½ cup of rice over the nori sheet, covering about 2/3 of the sheet. Place each of the ingredients on top of the rice, lining them up horizontally and close together. Roll the nori sheet using your mat until you have a cylinder shape. Squeeze the roll inside the mat gently so that the kimbap is not too loose.
Repeat for the remaining ingredients until you have a desired number of kimbap rolls. Cut kimbap into bite sized pieces, usually 8-10. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Korean Cold Noodle Soup (Mul Naengmyeon)
To Make Stock
Fill a big stockpot with 16 cups cold water and add beef. Bring to a boil, skimming off impurities and add garlic, spring onion and 1 tbsp salt. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1½-2 hrs. Remove meat from pot, let chill and cut into thin slices. Set aside.
Cool the stock to room temperature or lukewarm (should have about 12 cups of stock). Add in 2 tbsp salt, soup soy sauce, sugar and soup mix from naengmyeon noodle packet. Place in the fridge or in the freezer so that it is lightly frozen (but still liquid).
To Make Korean Pickled Radish (Mu)
Add salt to radish in a small bowl. Leave for about 15 mins. Drain out water and add the remaining ingredients, leave to pickle for at least 1 hr or overnight.
To Cook Noodles
Cook noodles in a pot of boiling water for about 3 mins or until the noodles are still al dente.
Drain noodles and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove excess starch.
Place 1 serving of cold noodles in a bowl. Ladle 2-3 cup cold soup over the noodles. Top with cucumber, pickled radish, egg, beef slices and pear slices. Garnish with shredded nori, sesame seeds and spring onions. Repeat for other servings.
Serve naengmyeon with vinegar and hot English mustard mixed through according to taste.
Korean Chicken Bibimbap
To Cook
Set aside each type of vegetables on a big plate after cooking.
Heat pan and ½ tbsp oil. Add carrot and cook briefly for about 20 secs. Season lightly with salt.
Sauté zucchini as above but add ⅛ tbsp garlic and ½ tbsp green onions.
Sauté shiitake mushrooms as above but season lightly with soy sauce.
Mix spinach with ⅛ tbsp garlic, ½ tbsp green onions and 1½ tbsp sesame oil.
In a saucepan place bean shoots with ⅛ tbsp garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil and 2 tbsp water. Cook for about 5 mins until cooked. Drain and add ½ tbsp spring onions and ¼ tsp Korean chilli powder. Season with salt.
Heat oil in a pan, fry the beaten eggs to make a thin omelette. Remove and slice thinly.
Heat oil in a pan, pan-fry the chicken pieces with the capsicums.
In a bowl, place 1 cup of cooked rice. Arrange vegetables, chicken and egg on top. Drizzle some sesame oil and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with gochujang for individual taste. Repeat for another 3 servings. Mix gochujang with rice and topping before eating.