Low-Calorie Dukbokki 떡볶이

03/15/201203/23/2012 | Doyd

Low-carb, low sodium, sugar-free, low fat, low-calorie, all the lows and frees in the world. But nothing beats eating your favorite Korean spicy rice cake (Dukbokki). The original recipe calls for Korean rice cakes made of glutinous rice flour. For people who are on a low-carbohydrate, low-sugar diet, each bite of Dukbokki seem sinful but really, it’s not. I’ve searched online that Dukbokki is naturally low in calorie if eaten in moderation. However, for people like my husband, a small bowl is not enough 🙂

Inspired to cook a guiltless version of spicy rice cake for my husband, I created this recipe and because it does not use the original ingredients, do not expect the texture to be the same. The best thing about it is it taste as great as my original Dukbokki.

My key ingredient is Konnyaku. I first used this type of ingredient when I made sukiyaki, another family favorite. I use a similar type of ingredient called Shirataki noodles. Both are very low carbohydrate and very low calorie. To learn more about these ingredients, please read related articles below this post. One thing for sure, konyakku is guilt-free and it helps normalize blood sugar levels. One of my favorite vegan substitute for meat.

Ingredients:

1 pack of Japanese Konnyaku, thinly sliced according to your liking
4 cups Water
10-12 pcs. Large korean anchovies, head and innards removed
3-4 pcs. Flat fish cake sheets, sliced diagonally
1/4 cup Chopped red bell pepper
3-6 tbsp. Hot pepper paste
Sliced green onions
1-2 tbsp. Sweet rice flour
1 tbsp. sugar substitute (stevia or splenda)
Sesame oil

Boil the water and dried anchovies in a shallow pan for 10 minutes. Remove the anchovies (i leave a few pieces for texture) then add the konnyaku, hot pepper paste and sugar substitute.

Add fish cake, red bell pepper and green onions. Make sure to mix the sweet rice flour in cold water before adding to the pan. Cook until the spicy sauce thickens according to liking. Finally, add sesame oil.

Great eaten when freshly cooked!

I hope to hear from readers who will try this recipe. It’s super easy and satisfying.

Konnyaku

My original Dukbokki

Maangchi‘s Dukbokki recipe

Duk bokki (Spicy rice cakes 떡볶이)

07/12/201007/12/2010 | Doyd

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Duk bokki (Spicy rice cakes), posted with vodpod

Also known as Tteokbokki, this is a popular Korean snack food. I first tasted this from the to-go counter at a local Korean Supermarket. My husband likes this a lot and because it’s so easy to make, we prefer making our own than buying from the store.

Here’s my easy recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

Rice Cake (Tubes), Green Onions, Fish Cake, Red Bell Peppers, Hot Pepper Paste, Dried Anchovy, Sugar, Sesame Oil and Water

Prepare your ingredients: Wash the rice cakes in cold water and separate the tubes into individual pieces. Slice the fish cakes, green onions and mince the bell pepper.

In a shallow pan, add 3-4 cups of cold water and add 5-10 large pieces of dried anchovies depending on your taste(making sure to remove the heads and intestines). Cover your pan and boil for a couple of minutes over medium high heat. Remove the anchovies and add the rice cakes, 5 Tbsp. of hot pepper paste and 1 Tbsp. of sugar. Mix and simmer for 1 minute.

Add the remaining ingredients, bell peppers, fish cakes and green onions. Keep cooking and stir until the spicy sauce thickens. Before serving, add a dash of sesame oil. Serve warm!! Perfect snack, appetizer, or meal. Enjoy!!!

Homemade Kimch’i (김치)

05/11/201006/07/2015 | Doyd

This is one of my favorite recipes and I’ve been saving to write about this on a special day like today. But before I start, I want to thank Maangchi, my favorite cooking mentor for teaching me how to make this.

Not all people like Kimchi because of the strong sour smell. I cannot blame them but a lot of other people (like me) love that smell anyway. Years before, I honestly did not mind about what Kimchi is all about but when I started reading about Korean dishes, I became curious.

I first tried Kimchi at Korean restaurants as a side-dish. It was appetizing to me because of the savory kick of spicy and sour sauce. Then slowly, I appreciated the taste of the sauce and my palate started to want for more.

I only like the ones from the restaurant because it tastes more fresh. I never had a store-bought Kimchi in our home and because of that, I realized I had to learn to make my own Kimchi 🙂 To me, it’s comforting to know what ingredients I have used on my recipes. Then I am more confident serving food to my family knowing that they are eating homemade dishes by me.

I hope you enjoy learning this recipe as much as I did. I will make a new batch this weekend 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium Napa Cabbages
2 medium Korean Radishes (Daikon), cut into 1 inch cubes (leave some for the porridge, julienned)
Sea Salt
1 big Onion
Ginger
10-15 pieces of Garlic (I like to use a lot!)
Green Onions
Asian Chives
Hot Pepper Powder (pick a nice one that’s bright red)
Fish Sauce
Sweet Rice Powder

Cut the cabbages in half, then slit each half through the core, but NOT through the rest of the leaves. Soak each piece in cold water and liberally sprinkle some salt (about 3/4 cup of Sea Salt per medium cabbage), then set aside for 2 hours.

Salt the diced radishes too and leave for 2 hours as well. After 2 hours, turn the pieces of cabbage and radishes over so they are salted evenly. Leave for another 2 hours (Total of 4 hours of salting).

Prepare the porridge. Put 1/2 cup sweet rice powder and 3 cups of water in a sauce pan and cook over medium high heat while stirring constantly. Add 1/4 cup sugar then cool it down. After 4 hours, wash the cabbages and radishes in a cold tub of water… wash 3-4 times making sure you soak it well in water to REMOVE ALL the salt.

To the porridge, add 1 cup good quality fish sauce, 2-6 cups of hot pepper flakes (depending on your taste), 1 cup of crushed garlic, 1-3 tbsp. of minced ginger, 1 large minced onion. (I use my food processor to mince and crush the ingredients on this part)

Mix the porridge and continue washing the cabbages and radishes.

Take a look at my photos and see how I soak the cabbages in water to make sure all the salt is removed.

Prepare the following:

7-12 diagonally sliced green onions
2 cups asian chives cut into 2 inches in length
2 cups of shredded korean radish (left-over from the cubes that you used before)

Combine the porridge and the ingredients above.

Make sure the water from the cabbages drip off before starting to spread the paste on the leaves. You will see on my slideshow how my paste looks like (it will make you salivate if you love Kimchi like me – LOL!)

Start spreading the paste on the leaves and leave some paste for your cubed radishes (Kaktugi). Put your homemade Kimchi into an air-tight sealed container or glass jar.

Make sure you use a clean spoon each time you get a portion of your Kimchi when you eat. Also, press down on your Kimchi after getting your serving to make sure there is no air in between your cabbages. Eat this fresh or wait until it’s bubbly and fermented.

Put the Kimchi container at room temperature for a day then keep it in the refrigerator after the first day of fermentation. In a few days, you will see some bubbles and you will start smelling the sour Kimchi. That means it’s ready being fermented.

Enjoy your Kimchi!!!!

MAANGCHI where I learned how to make Kimchi

The Art of Miso Ramen

05/04/201005/04/2010 | Doyd

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “The Art of Miso Ramen“, posted with vodpod

I wish I can make this everyday but I feel like it’s too much work even if it’s really simple. Making a warm bowl of miso ramen is a lot of work for me just like many of my other favorite japanese food. Because of it’s precision process, sometimes having a bowl of this from a small authentic jap restaurant is better than making your own. Here, I will share how I made this beautiful work of art so you can try your own version too.

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh ramen noodles
Some pork belly
4-5 cups water
2-4 tablespoons miso paste (depending on taste and kind you like, I use white miso)
2-4 teaspoons chili oil
1/2 teaspoon hondashi
hard boiledeggs and sweet corn kernels
Narutomaki(fish cake with pink swirl)
1 stalk green onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds (pounded until fine)
Light soy sauce to taste (optional)
Seasoned laver/seaweed (cut into strips)

METHOD:

Bring water to boil with the cleaned whole piece of pork. Let it simmer for a while then remove the pork and skim remaining stock. Add in the miso paste, hondashi, eggs and sesame seeds. Bring the soup base to boil. Add in the chili oil and light soy sauce to taste (optional). Blanch the fresh noodles in a pot of boiling water until they are cooked. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside. I rub the noodles with a little bit if vegetable oil to keep it moist. In a serving bowl, add the noodles then top with the hard-boiled egg, sliced pork, narutomaki, corn kernels and chopped green onions. Pour the miso soup base into the bowl and add the roasted seaweed to top then serve immediately. Look at my photo gallery to be inspired and get hungry!

Note: I added preserved bamboo shoots to my soup because my favorite bowl of ramen from a japanese ramen restaurant serves theirs with some.

Doyd’s Spicy Mackerel Stew

05/01/201002/28/2015 | Doyd

2 Medium size fresh Mackerel (cleaned and cut into 2-3 inch pieces, remove head)

1 Medium size Korean Radish cut into 2×1 inch cubes

1 whole medium Onion

3 stalks of Green Onion

2 Korean Hot Pepper

7-10 Dried Anchovies

2-3 cups of water (depending on how much sauce you want)

For the Spicy Sauce, mix the following into a bowl:

2 Tablespoons of Red Pepper Paste

2 Tablespoons of Light soy sauce

2 Tablespoons of Cooking Wine (I use Japanese cooking wine)

1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Powder (same one used to make kimchi)

2 Teaspoons of Sugar

5-7 cloves of minced Garlic

1/2 Teaspoon minced Ginger

In a ceramic pot, let the water boil with the dried anchovies and wait 5 minutes then remove the anchovies. While the stock is boiling, add the radish. On top of the radish, arrange the mackerel pieces.

Pour the sauce on top of the mackerel. DO NOT MIX. Let it boil until the soup is reduced. Occasionally pour the stew’s broth over the fish and radish.

Add the onion, green onions and korean chili on top of the stew. Continue to pour the broth of the stew on top of everything until the mackerel is well-cooked and the flavor has sipped into all the vegetables.

My husband and I love this dish a lot. I do not cook mackerel before but now, I do. I learned this recipe from a restaurant where I first tasted this stew.

Hope you all enjoy cooking your own version. It’s really easy 🙂

Tasty, yummy and rich Spicy Mackerel Stew.