Recipe: Korean Grilled Chicken (Bobby Flay)

Eaelier this month, I tried and posted a Korean-style marinated steak recipe from Bobby Flay and today, I am posting yet another Korean-inspired dish from him - Korean Grilled Chicken (one of his most popular dishes on Food Network). Looks like Bobby Flay is a fan of Korean flavours!

For this recipe, Bobby Flay uses a whole chicken but I opted to use chicken maryland instead since I find that drumstick and thigh are best for roasting and the cooked meat is moist. The meat is marinated in a mix of Korean red pepper paste (gochujang), light soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, ginger and garlic. Only 1/2 heaped tablespoonful of gochujang is used in this recipe, so I would say this is pretty mild but just perfect for me since my kids would be eating it too. By all means double or triple the gochujang quantity if you prefer a spicy kick.

The chicken is left to marinate for 4-8 hours, then oven roasted until a beautiful golden brown. You can also grill the chicken if you prefer. The chicken is then served with some of marinade sauce which has been reserved. In his original recipe, Bobby Flay serves this with some tortilla wraps, but butterhead lettuce works just as well. Simply wrap the chicken in some lettuce, top with dipping sauce and enjoy!

A very easy chicken recipe, with big flavours. 

Korean Grilled Chicken
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Bobby Flay
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 chicken maryland, separated into 8 pieces

For the marinade
1/2 cup low-sodium light soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp toasted white sesame seeds


To serve
4 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed (optional)
or 1 butterhead lettuce, leaves washed


1. Place the ingredients for a marinade in a bowl and whisk together. Add half of the mixture to the chicken, then turn to coat. Cover and let the meat marinade in the ridge for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.

2. Add the spring onions, sesame oil, black pepper and sesame seeds to the remaining marinade and reserve as a dipping sauce for the finished chicken.

3. Preheat oven to 180C (roast mode). Line a baking tray with foil, then arrange chicken on tray in a single layer. Place in oven and cook for 25 minutes, until cooked through and skin is crispy and golden brown. Arrange chicken on a platter, and serve wrapped in tortilla (if desired) with dipping sauce on the side.

4. Alternatively, you can cook the chicken on the grill or BBQ.


Note: You can also serve the chicken with some lettuce. Wrap the chicken in the lettuce with some dipping sauce.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Bobby Flay" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Grace of Life Can Be Simple. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Bobby Flay websites or cookbooks for the whole month of November 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in November 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Grace of Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


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Recipe: Korean-style Marinated Steak with Grilled Scallions (Bobby Flay)

We're cooking Bobby's Flay recipes for "Cook Like a Star" event the whole of this month, so I have been browsing his recipes online. I found a couple of good steak recipes to try, and one of them is this Korean-style marinated steak with grilled scallions.

In his recipe, Bobby Flay uses skirt steak but I substituted with striploin steak since this is more readily available over here in KL. A Korean commented on this recipe that the marinade tastes pretty authentic, which gives me the confidence to try it. The steak is simply marinated for 30 minutes, then grilled to medium rare. Bobby serves his with some grilled scallions and tortilla wraps, but I omitted the wraps since this would be plenty for lunch.

The steak has a distinctive Asian flavour to it, and it does remind me of eating kalbi (Korean-style beef ribs). I would however increase the brown sugar in future, as the one I had before in the Korean restaurant is slightly sweeter. Overall, a good, simple recipe to try and makes a nice change, however my favorite way of eating steak is still naked with some good sea salt.

Grilled to medium rare perfection, I have to say! :)

Scallions (spring onions) from our garden for this dish!

Let me snap some photos of mummy's steak too!

Korean-style marinated steak with grilled scallions
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Bobby Flay
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 1-2

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sake
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 scallions, white part only, minced
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
300g striploin steak (1" thick), trimmed and cut into 4 portions
1 tbsp cooking oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To garnish
2-3 whole scallions, cleaned


1. Combine sugar, soy sauce, sake, garlic, scallions, ginger and sesame oil in a bowl or flat dish. Add the steak and coat well and leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once.

2. Preheat grill or grill pan. Brush off the scallions, ginger and garlic from the steaks (as it will burn easily on the grill) and place the steak on the grill. Grill for 2 minutes each side for medium rare.

3. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes, before slicing thinly against the grain. Season with more salt and pepper as necessary.

4. Meanwhile, place the spring onions in the pan and grill for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour in the remaining marinade into the pan to thicken into a sauce for dipping.

Note: I will increase sugar to 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp the next time I make it.

**************

I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Bobby Flay" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Grace of Life Can Be Simple. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Bobby Flay websites or cookbooks for the whole month of November 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in November 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Grace of Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


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

Recipe: Beef Bulgogi (Korean Grilled / Pan-Fried Marinated Beef)

We love having themed dinners at home, and this time, we're going Korean. We made two of our favorite Korean dishes, beef bulgogi and kimchi jjigae. I have made kimchi jjigae many times using this recipe and for the beef bulgogi, I am trying out a recipe which I got from a cookbook distributed by the Korean Tourism Organisation.

Our Korean dinner 

Beef bulgogi is marinated beef, and is traditionally grilled; nowadays it is also often stir fried in a pan. In 2011, it was listed at no.23 on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNNGo.

Bulgogi is made from thin slices of sirloin or other prime cuts of beef. The meat is then marinated for at least 30 minutes in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, pepper and pureed pear to enhance its flavour and tenderness. I also added in some sliced oyster mushrooms, onions and scallions.

Bulgogi literally means fire meat in Korean

Once cooked, this dish is served with a side of lettuce to wrap the meat in, along with a dab of ssamjang and eaten together. The beef was indeed tender and flavorful (both sweet and salty), we enjoyed this very much indeed.

If you love Korean food, then you should definitely try making this - it's so easy and delicious!

Beef Bulgogi (Korean Barbecue)
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Korea Tourism Organisation "Korean Cuisine" book
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
Serves 3-4


Ingredients
300g beef (sirloin)
1 onion
1 spring onion, cut into 2 inch lengths
100g grey oyster mushroom, sliced
1/2 tsp cooking oil

For the marinade
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1/2 tbsp crushed sesame seed
1/4 tsp coarse black pepper
50g pureed pear

To serve
1 butterhead lettuce, leaves removed from stem and washed


1. Rinse the beef and then pat dry with a kitchen towel. It is recommended to place the beef into the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, as it will make it easier to cut into thin slices. Remove any excess fat.

2. Peel, wash and cut onion about 0.5cm thick.

3. Put all ingredients for marinade into a bowl and mix. Add marinade, onion, mushroom and spring onion to the beef and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Marinade for at least 30 mins for flavours to infuse

4. You can either barbecue, grill or pan-fry the beef. I chose the latter - heat a frying pan over medium high heat with 1/2 tsp oil, then add the marinated ingredients (from Step 3). Cook for about 4-5 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.

5. Serve with lettuce and ssamjang (optional).

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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.


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Tous Les Jours @ WOLO Hotel, Bukit Bintang, KL

We have been meaning to try Tous Les Jours, ever since they opened their first branch in Jalan Telawi, Bangsar last year. However, we always get drawn to Les Deux Garcons instead when we are in the vicinity. One day, after lunch at Marutama Ramen, we decided to pay a visit to Tous Les Jours outlet in the newly opened WOLO Hotel. 

Tous Les Jours, which means "everyday" in French is a French-Asian bakery. Established in 1997 in South Korea, TLJ has more than 1300 outlets in 8 countries from Korea to China to the USA. It serves a wide selection of breads, pastries, cakes and beverages. The outlet at WOLO also serves hot food.

This outlet has a really lovely ambiance - lots of natural lighting, high ceilings and nice design. Comfortable seating allows customers to sit back, relax and enjoy their food/drinks.The breads and pastries are nicely set out on counters, and it's self service - pick what you want and then pay at the counter. Order your drinks and cakes at the counter and they will bring it to your table.

Wonderful array of pastries

Our initial beverage choices were unavailable, but we finally settled for an organic cold chocolate (RM9) and a cold cafe cappuccino (rm9). I enjoyed the chocolate drink a lot, it was not too sweet and creamy. Yum.

I picked out the strawberry fresh cream cake (RM8.50) and Cream Soboro, also known as Korean streusel (RM3.80).  The cake was delicious, soft sponge cake with layers of cream and strawberry. We also enjoyed the Soboro, soft bread filled with custard and fresh cream.

The only disappointment was the Custard Cream Danish (RM3.90) which was described as "pastry filled with sweet custard cream". When we took our first bite, we expected to bite into cream but there was nothing. We queried this, and was told that the custard is baked into the pastry. Well, that's not how we read it - we suggested that they change their description as it is very misleading. Not good at all.

Cream Soboro

Breads

And here are our noodles from Marutama Ramen (at Fahrenheit 88) which we had for lunch earlier - super delicious! This is definitely ranked as one of my Top 3 Ramen places in KL. :) You can read our review here.

One of the best ajitama (flavored egg) around ;)

Tous Les Jours opening times: 8am to 11pm daily.

Price: Total bill RM38.95.

Location:  Tous Les Jours, WOLO Hotel, 126A-C, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. (opposite Lot 10)

Tel: 03-4065 0088

GPS Coordinates: 3.147097, 101.711364


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Recipe: Kimchi Pasta with King Prawns

My boy's new favorite food is pasta, especially in the form of spaghetti. I often cook him mushroom pasta with bacon for lunch. I was cleaning the fridge and found my tupperware of homemade kimchi, and I immediately thought of using it to make a kimchi pasta. The question is, would Baby D like it?

Kimchi pasta with king prawns

Since this batch of kimchi has been stored for a couple of months now, it has matured nicely and has a nice, appetizing sourish tinge (mature kimchi is also great for kimchi jjigae too btw). I decided to add some king prawns to this dish too as seafood and kimchi pair together well in my opinion. The preparation is no different how I would usually cook my other pasta dishes, only for this I added some kimchi juice as a sauce to coat the noodles.

Since we are huge fans of kimchi, we found this really delicious, flavorful and wonderfully appetizing. If you would like it to be spicier, you can always add more gochujang (red pepper paste) but we omitted it since we were feeding it to kids.

Baby D enjoyed this pasta too, however the mushroom bacon pasta still remains his fav!

A nice Italian-Korean fusion pasta

Kimchi pasta with king prawns
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 10-12 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
175g spaghetti
200g matured kimchi, cut into bite-size pieces
5-6 tbsp kimchi juice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt or 1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
10-12 king prawns, deveined with tails intact
1/2 tsp gochujang (optional)
Mint leaves, to garnish


1. Cook spaghetti according to manufacturer's instruction in a large pot of salted water, until al dente. Drain and put under cold running water to stop the pasta from cooking further. Set aside.

2. In the wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the garlic and fry for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the kimchi and cook for about 2 minutes, until it is heated through. Add the king prawns and kimchi juice and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the prawn are cooked. Add gochujang (if you prefer it spicier) and season with salt.

3. Add the pasta and give it a quick stir, to coat each strand with the sauce.

4. To serve: Using a two-pronged carving fork, swirl some of the pasta around the fork. Slide the pasta off the fork and mound it in the center of a plate. Repeat for each serving. Divide 5-6 prawns per plate, then garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Please click here for recipe for homemade Korean kimchi.




I am linking this to the Little Thumbs up "Prawn" event organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Food Playground. You can link your posts here.

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*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 16 March 2014.

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.


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