Recipe: Kimchi Jjigae (김치찌개 Korean Kimchi Stew)

Say goodbye to hot sunny days and hello to cool, rainy days.

Now that the weather is cooler, we enjoy having hot soup or stew for dinner. We have loads of matured kimchi left in the fridge, so we made some kimchi jjigae aka Korean kimchi spicy stew for dinner.

When making kimchi jjigae, you can use a variety of different meats and seafood such as pork, chicken, canned tuna or prawns - our choice this time is prawn and chicken. Make sure to use matured kimchi as it gives the stew a stronger, more intense flavour. You can control the level of spiciness by how much gochujang (hot pepper paste) or gochugaru (chilli powder) you put in. We love to have lots of tofu in our jjigae.

Not only is it easy to make, it is so very comforting and delicious. Kimchi jjigae is wonderfully appetizing with a sourish tinge from the matured kimchi. It is a fantastic one-pot meal which you can enjoy in less than 30 minutes.

All we need is a bowl of rice and a big (or maybe two) bowl(s) of kimchi jjigae and we're happy campers :)

Kimchi jjigae 김치찌개 (Kimchi spicy stew)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from here
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 - 20 minutes
Serves 2-3 as main meal


Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
150g lean pork or chicken breast, sliced thinly

8 king prawns, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
1 onion, halved and sliced thinly
150g matured kimchi
1 clove garlic, crushed
100ml kimchi juice
500ml water
1 tbsp cooking wine (I used Shaoxing wine)
1 tbsp miso or doenjang
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp gochujang (hot pepper paste)
1 piece beancurd, cubed
2 stalks spring onion, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
1/2 tsp gochugaru (or chilli powder)


1. Marinate the pork/chicken with the Shaoxing wine.

2. Heat the oil in a small, deep pot and fry the pork/chicken, kimchi and garlic for 3-5 minutes. When the meat has browned, add the kimchi juice, onion, water, gochujang, miso/doenjang, and soy sauce, stirring everything together to combine.

3. Bring to boil and taste for spiciness. If you prefer your soup spicy, then add some gochugaru.

4. Allow the soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the tofu and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the prawns, and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until cooked.

5. Serve immediately with rice. Garnish with the spring onions and red chillies.

Note: If you do not have gochugaru, you can replace with chilli powder. See here on how to make your own kimchi.

*I am submitting this to Asian Food Fest #6 April 2014 :Korea hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feasts.


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Lunch @ Meat.ing, Cologne, Germany

Korean food is one of my favourites and it doesn't take much to persuade me to try out a new restaurant serving Korean cuisine. One of the things I love about Korean food is the fact that you have a huge amount of variety with the side dishes. I've made my own kimchi a couple of times but haven't had the time to sit down lately to make some, so I had to get my quick fix from somewhere else. Our last visit to town presented just that opportunity!

We visited meat.ing a Korean restaurant in close proximity to the city center of Cologne. The restaurant specializes in Korean barbecue but they also do the usual Korean fare such as udon, bibimbap, and bulgogi for their lunch menu.

Tender and flavoursome

Situated on a corner lot across an Asian grocery market

 

Interior is pretty modern and new. Each table has its own grill unit and an extractor fan

Side dishes consisted of 2 different kimchis, beansprouts and a brocolli/cabbage mix. We were disappointed with the measly portions and the fact that they do not do refills. €3.50 for an extra portion of kimchi seems extremely steep given that the korean restaurants we've been to in the past just give it to you for free.

Sobulgogi (€10.50) Flavoursome and had a nicely sized portion, we both enjoyed the bulgogi in this restaurant. The sauce went very well with the rice

Kimchi jjigae (€9.50) The Jjigae was good and had the right amount of spice to it. They definitely did not tone this down for the foreigners, and we love it! 

  A good day for a warming korean meal!

Verdict: We enjoyed the jjigae and bulgogi but were slightly disappointed with the mini side dish portions. Can't have them all it seems!

Price: €20 for two persons

Location: meat.ing, Hohe Pforte 9, 50676 Cologne, Germany

Phone: 0221-99556860

Opening hours:Tuesday to Friday- 1200 to 1500hrs and 1800 to 2300 hrs

Saturday- 1200 to 2300 hrs

Sundays and Public holidays- 1800 to 2300 hrs



*This is a guest post by The Unc.


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Recipe: Vietnamese Bo Kho (Beef Stew) + WORLDFOODS giveaway #1

My family loves eating beef stew very much. Although beef stew takes a couple of hours to cook, it is in fact very simple as all you need to do is simply place all the ingredients into the pot and cook away until tender and flavorful.

For my beef stew this time, I made it using WORLDFOODS Vietnamese five spice bo kho sauce. This sauce can also be used for stir fries. Vietnamese beef stew, also known as bo kho is a popular Vietnamese dish which can be served with banh mi (baguette), steamed rice or noodles.

The WORLDFOODS sauce is a delicious tomato-based sauce combined with fragrant lemon grass, ginger and chillies with heady notes of spices. This is said to be medium heat, however for us this is quite mild tasting hence great for kids to enjoy too. I also added in some carrots, making this a great one-pot meal for dinner.

I am delighted to announce that I will be collaborating with WORLDFOODS for a few months to bring you some recipes created using WORLDFOODS products. WORLDFOODS products are convenient and with these available, I believe everyone can easily and quickly put a delicious meal on their table. What I like about WORLDFOODS products is that it is food allergens free, trans-fat free and gluten free with no artificial preservatives, coloring or flavouring, as well as being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and Muslims. In KL, WORLDFOODS products are available at Village Grocer (Bangsar Village 1, Sunway Giza, Mt Kiara), Jaya Grocers (Intermark, Empire Shopping, Plaza Jelutong) and Hock Choon @ Ampang.

GIVEAWAY!
Thanks to WORLDFOODS, I have 2 bottles of this Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce to giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment below stating "I want to enter this giveaway" with your name and e-mail address. This giveaway is open to Malaysia only. 2 winners will be drawn (1 bottle each) at random on 12 February 2014 and notified via email.



Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew)
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hours
Serves 4-5

Ingredients
400ml water
1 jar (200g) WORLDFOODS Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce
800g stewing beef
3 carrots, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into 1/8ths
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp fish sauce

To garnish
Thai basil leaves
Red chillies, sliced (optional)


1. In a large pot or casserole, heat the oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add half the beef to quickly sear, until the meat is browned.  Repeat for remaining beef.

2. Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.Then, add water and WORLDFOODS Vietnamese Bo Kho sauce, stirring well to mix and bring to the boil.

3. Once boiling, cover with lid, and cook for approximately 1 1/2 hours over low heat until meat is fork-tender. Add the carrots 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Season with salt and fish sauce. Serve hot with banh mi (baguette), steamed rice or noodles. Garnish with Thai basil leaves and red chillies.

Fantastic one-pot meal

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Recipe: Braised beef (oyster blade) stew with mushrooms

Given the choice, I would cook beef stew on the hob rather than in the oven as it saves time and there are less things to clean up after. For this beef stew, I used my favorite braising cut, the Black Angus oyster blade cut which is a very affordable as well as being rich in flavour - it is not suited for steaks but slow cooking will make it melt-in-the-mouth, especially the gelatinous connective tissue that runs through it. 

Braised oyster blade beef stew with mushrooms

I also chose to add Shiitake mushrooms which has a lovely meaty texture and it also soaks up the lovely braising liquid. The preparation for this dish is very easy - all you need to do is brown the meat first, then add in the rest of the ingredients and braise over a low heat until the meat is fork-tender.

We chose to serve the braised beef stew with some boiled rice (you'll find yourself going for more rice to soak up the lovely sauce), but you can also serve it with crusty bread or mashed potatoes.  An absolutely comforting, hearty stew.

Braised oyster blade beef stew with mushrooms
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4

Ingredients
800g braising beef (I used oyster blade), cut into large chunks
2 onions, cut into thick slices
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup beef stock
1 cup water
3 tbsp tomato paste/puree
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
6 shitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
5g cep/porcini mushrooms, rehydrated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
2 carrots, cut into chunks
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary sprigs, to garnish


1. In a large pot or casserole, heat the oil over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the beef to quickly sear, until the meat is browned.

2. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf, stock, water, tomato puree, shitake mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, dried thyme, black peppercorns and Worchestershire sauce and mix well. Season with salt.

3. Bring to the boil and once boiling, cover with lid, and cook for approximately 1 1/2 - 2 hours over low heat until meat is fork-tender. Add the carrots 30 minutes before the end of cooking time. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired, and then serve with rice or mash potatoes or chunky bread. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

*I am submitting this to this month's Little Thumb's Up "mushroom" event hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! Thank you ;)