August | 2012 | A Fat Girl's Food Guide to Eating in Korea

24
Aug
2012

Food to eat at home!

categories: Uncategorized

So, this time tomorrow I shall be winging my way back to yonder England pastures. For weeks I have been dreaming about all the things I am going to eat when I am home. I thought I should do the sensible thing and make a list to be sure I don’t miss anything important.

1. A variety of wraps from Marks and Spencer – Oh how I love M&S . If you have never been to the UK then I don’t think you can understand how wonderful food from this classy supermarket is, especially the wraps and sandwiches. A true British staple! I like to go for the wrap selection pack and get three at once. My particular favourite is the duck with hoi sin sauce.

2. Sweet and sour chicken balls – Theres not much I wouldn’t do for a sweet and sour chicken ball. How I miss these battered beauties, especially when they are ensconced in a sweet and bright orange sweet and sour sauce. Not very authentic or healthy but they are amazing. In my chinese takeaway order I also plan to get special fried rice, crispy seaweed, chicken chow mien, springrolls and chips. I plan to have Chinese at least twice while I’m home, hopefully three times.

3. Patisserie Valarie – (curtsey of my best friend Rachel V) Patisserie Valarie is an amazing cake shop that they have in London. I have actually never eaten a cake from there as it is pricey to say the least. I have only pressed my nose up against the window and looked longingly at the cakes. So I am very excited to attending with my favorite gorging buddy.

4. Crisps and dips -Yes I have finally mastered the art of making dip (recipe here) and now they sell cheesy Doritos in Korea, this snack is not as high on my list but I can’t say no to a dip selection pack. Four glorious dips in one pack with a mixed selection of crisps, what could be better.

5. Cider -I love cider, and in the UK its cheap and plentiful. I am actually from Somerset which is where most of our cider comes from so I will definitely be down the pub with my dad drink many of these babies. Also on the drinks list are vodka soda limes, a rapaska at L.A.B. Bar and a jug of Pimms in my favorite beer garden.

6. All bran – I love Allbran. I am so sad that it’s not sold here, as it is my favourite breakfast treat. Topped with a prune Activia and some extra fruit this makes for a yummy and healthy breakfast.

7. A chip butty – Chip shops chips sandwiched between to pieces of white bread slathered with butter. Topped with tomato sauce this a delicious carbalicous and comforting treat.

8. My mums roast dinner- No trip home is complete without at least one roast dinner and its hard to beat my mums when she puts on all the trimmings. Roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, swede and carrot mash, cauliflower cheese, parsnips and gravy yes please! I also plan a visit to Toby Carvery while I am back, all you can eat roast dinner, you rock my world.

9. Rhubarb. Not everything on my wish list contains copious amounts of transfats. I am a rhubarb fanatic, I can’t get enough of that sweet and sour fruit. Fresh out of my aunties garden and I’m a very happy girl.

10. A hangover feast foraged by Malcolm. I think we all know that I eat a lot. But on hangover Sunday that amount is trippled. It is not unknown for me to eat 2 or 3 family sized pizza hut pizzas. Here in Korea options are somewhat limited. But at home you can go wild. I’m generally quite pathetic when I’m hungover and find it hard to leave the house, so I employ the service of my gay bff to go on a rampage around london searching for treats to sate my never ending hunger. This should include but not limited too, a selection of wraps and sandwiches (at least 3) galaxy chocolate thick shake, salt and vinegar crisps, something covered in pastry, a box of chocolate eclairs, some kind of comforting ready meal, a chicken and mushroom pot noodle, a variety of crisps and dips and a cup cake. I also enjoy a surprise treat!

23
Aug
2012

Rosemary and Lemon Roast Chicken

categories: Recipes

So chickens are on sale this week in my favorite supermarket a bargain a 3,000 each. I considered it to be such a bargain that I decided to buy two and eat twice as much, saving myself no money at all (boy am I smart). I must state that chickens here are rather on the small side, to stay the least . It’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility to eat a whole one (or two). I must confess though that I didn’t eat all the meat, I had some left over which I used to make Thai Chicken noodle soup the recipe coming later this week. Most of my roast chicken recipes are more of a winter theme, so to summer it up I served it with rice salad. The left overs also made a great lunch to take to work. My schools dinners are poor at best, unless boiled bean sprouts and kimchi float your boat? They do not float mine!

Ingredients

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken

1/4 of a lemon

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 table spoons of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

Rice Salad

200g of brown long grain rice (I used brown as that’s what I prefer but white would be ok too)

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

15 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cucumber

A bunch of spring onions

1 lemon (or just use the 3/4 left over from the chicken)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Directions

Put the two sprigs of rosemary, the wedge of lemon, and the garlic inside the chicken. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with tin-foil and roast for about an hour at 200. Cooking times may vary, it may need longer depending on the size of the chicken. To check it’s done, cut into the thick part of the thigh,if the juice runs clear its ok. Once the chicken is done, cook for a further 10 minutes without the foil just to crisp up the outside.

For the rice salad, cook your rice and then run it under cold water when it’s done. Leave it to drain. Chop the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and spring onions into small pieces and mix them in with the rice. Add the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Feel free to add some fresh herbs if you have some on hand. Voilà my easy roast chicken and rice salad!

22
Aug
2012

Banoffee Pie

categories: Recipes

So this would have been posted last Friday but I managed to mess it up. I’ve made this pie so many times before I’m not sure how I managed to screw it up so badly. I’m not saying that I didn’t eat it and it wasn’t delicious, it was just wasn’t a perfectly formed pie. Clearly my diet has gone to hell but I can’t help if my body requires copious amounts of delicious treats. In fact I have been very been very fortunate and have lost 3 of my 5lbs despite the Cornish pasties, cheese and banoffee pie etc. Although I would say that is due to the fact I have only been eating a cucumber and green pepper soup for my lunch. I won’t post the recipe as it’s not particularly good. I thought I would be inventive and make a lovely green gazpacho but sadly the colour is far superior to the taste but the pounds seem to be shifting so I’ll stick with it for now (only 4 days until England/Italy).

On to the banoffee, this is one of the most gorgeously sinful desserts in my personal repertoire and it always goes down well at dinner parties. Its very rich and sweet and not everyone’s cup of tea (although even my boyfriend Niall manages to eat a slice or two despite his dubious claims that he does not like desserts!)

Ingredients

Base

200g digestive biscuits (if you don’t want to make your own base, I have seen premade ones at the foreign food mart)

75g of butter

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Filling

200g of brown sugar

75g of butter

100ml of milk or cream

1 – 2 bananas

Top

350ml of whipped cream

chocolate shavings

Directions

To make the biscuit base first put you digestive biscuits in to a bag them bash them with something heavy until they resemble bread crumbs. In a saucepan melt the butter then stir in the biscuit crumbs and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Make sure the crumbs are completely coated in the melted butter. Then press and pack them down into your pie tin. I got mine at Daiso. If you can’t find one then use any large flat bottomed dish.

Slice your banana into pieces and arrange on the bottom of the pie crust.

Then pour the toffee sauce on top making sure all the slices of banana have been covered.

To make my toffee sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan then put in the brown sugar and cook for around five minutes until the butter and sugar have combined properly. Add the cream or milk and cook for a further 5 minutes, the sauce should be a lovely golden brown. At that point, let it cook for a further few minutes just so it reduces slightly. Take the sauce off the heat to let it cool down. Stir it for a few minutes to help this process. You should feel the toffee sauce thickening as it cools. Dont let it cool too much, as you still need to be able to pour it on top of the bananas.

After you have topped the base with bananas and toffee you need to let it set. I would recommend doing this for at least three hours – overnight. If you don’t do this you will have problems taking out the slices. If you’re just making it for yourself then you can put the cream on top and get stuck in as soon as the toffee has set. Top the pie with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Voilà an amazingly scrumptious dessert.

21
Aug
2012

Les deux plats

categories: Restaurant Reviews

Set over three floors “Les Deux Plats” is located in the myriad of restaurants behind the Hamilton hotel. As hinted at by the name the menu is French, but with a heavy Italian influence. Although, it has been tweaked to be more suitable to the Korean palate

We went on a saturday lunchtime and although it was busy we were able to select our table from a choice of three floors. We opted for the top deck which was cool and refreshing in this hot and humid weather. It has a canopy to stop the rain and they have blankets if you get too cold.

The menu arrived promptly and had a wealth of choices ranging from brunch items, salads, pastas, risottos and steaks. My companions and I all opted for brunch items which run from 11am-3pm and include a bowl of soup and a tea or coffee all for the bargain price of 8,000. Tell me where else you will find a deal like that in Itaewon!!!

I opted for the Eggs Benedict. Sadly it only contained one poached egg but it did come with french fries and salad which I consider a fair trade. The egg was cooked perfectly and the hollandaise was good too. The muffin was great and the ham reasonable although nothing special. It also has a slice of plastic cheese which was strange but not unwelcome. The french fries were very nice as was the pumpkin mash but the surprise guest at the dish was the salad dressing hidden under a delightful mix of leaves. No one knew quite what the dressing was, it was like Caesar dressing but not. Either way it was really great. Although at first I was slightly disappointed not to have two eggs, this was actually the perfect amount of food, I was full and happy at the end but not stuffed to the gills.

My mon cheri opted for the croque monsieur. Although it looked good from the outside they had used cheese slices in the middle, sacre bleu! I don’t know what they were thinking with that one, as it was topped mozzarella. I think most people would pay an extra dollar or two to have real cheese in the middle. Anyhow despite the great cheese scandal it was still a fairly decent toastie and it was accompanied by the same sides as my dish.

The lovely Elenor, the last diner to make up our little ménage trois ordered the Caprese Focaccia. We are big fans of the caprese in our house so I was pleased to see this on the menu. Elenor was kind enough to offer me up a bite and it was just as good as I had hoped. Made with fresh mozzarella and topped with a gorgeous balsamic dressing, this was the star of the show.

The last point worth mentioning about this place is that they served me the best long island ice tea I have ever had ( and I have drunk a lot in my time). I would also like to point out that I am not easily pleased, especially in the drinks department so this place definitely gets the thumbs up from me. The food was good, nothing spectacular but good. At 8,000 a pop I think your laughing especially when it comes with soup and a free drink too. Our bill was only 44,000 between the three of us, an absolute bargain since we all had a real drink each too. I will be sure to pay them another visit very soon. There is also a bar in the basement that’s open late.

Les deux plats is located in Itaewon. at 19-gil 6-4 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take line 6 to Itaewon and come out of exit 1. Take your first right along the side streets behind the Hamilton hotel. Turn left and walk straight past Sam Ryan’s and My Thai China (review here). Its opposite Radio Garden. Call them on 02 – 797 – 2228. Bon appetit! (Screw Flanders)

20
Aug
2012

Tempura King Prawns with Mango Mayo

categories: Recipes

Being a larger lady I’m rather fond of anything deep-fried in batter. I’m not really very keen of fish but you can’t beat a good prawn. For many years I was rather wary of deep-frying. I don’t know why exactly, maybe it was just the thought of using so much oil. It’s not even that wasteful if you clean your oil by straining it through a piece of kitchen towel each time you use it. You can keep your oil for sometime if you do this. Sadly I did not take my own advice and clean my oil thoroughly, which is why my prawns have little black dots on them, but que sera sera. I generally use soy bean oil for my deep-frying as it has a high smoke point and its cheap and plentiful in Korea.

Ingredients

Tempura

15 – 30 King prawns with the tails on (get the biggest ones you can find. I usually buy the bags of frozen ones from Costco)

250g of Ottogi frying mix (they sell it everywhere, it has a picture of a tempura prawn on the front)

300-400 ml of ice cold water (use fizzy if you have it)

500ml soy bean oil

Mango Mayo

200 ml of mayonnaise (any brand is fine, make your own if you have time)

3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce

75gof frozen mango (use fresh if you have it ,but frozen is much cheaper here in Korea)

Directions

Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan until it reaches 180 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a little bit of the batter into the pan, if it sinks to the bottom it’s not hot enough. If it sizzles at the top then its fine. Dip you prawns into the batter then put them into the hot oil being carefull not to splash yourself. Don’t cook too many at once as it will lower the temperature of the oil, about three is fine. Give them a minute or so then flip them over. When the batter is a light golden brown they are done. Place them on a few sheets of kitchen roll to remove excess oil while you are cooking the rest.

To make the mayonnaise. Chop the mango into very small pieces then put them into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce and mix together. Voilà a delicious and easy starter to impress all your friends.

19
Aug
2012

Ricotta Gnocchi

categories: Recipes

After the success of my tortellini (recipe here), I thought I would try my hand at making gnocchi. I have been wanting to make this for some time now but hadn’t really got around to it. I’m actually going to Italy in 2 weeks (yay!!!) So I will soon be able to see how the professionals do it. Expect to see many delicious Italian treats in the near future.

The gnocchi was actual very easy to make, it’s just a little different from pasta dough. It was actually easier than making the tortellini as all you have to do is roll it and cut it into chunks, rather than rolling, cutting and stuffing. I made my gnocchi with a white wine and mushroom sauce but you can use any sauce you like. Pesto or tomato would work really well.

Ingredients

Gnocchi

200g of ricotta cheese (make your own using my recipe here, 1 litre of milk should produce about 200g. If not you can buy it from the foreign food mart or Costco)

2 eggs

40g grated parmesan (fresh is better but you could use the powder stuff in a pinch)

200g of all-purpose flour (or as needed, I used the noodles and dumplings flour)

A pinch of salt and pepper

Sauce

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

6 button or chestnut mushrooms

1 knob of butter

1 glass of white wine

200ml of milk

2-3 table spoons of flour

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

Directions

Squeeze any extra water out of your ricotta. You can do this by putting it on a cheese cloth or mandu paper in a sieve and letting the excess moisture drain away. If you have made your ricotta yourself you can skip this step if it’s not too wet. Put your ricotta in a bowl and mix in the two eggs, grated parmesan and salt and pepper and blend. You can now add the flour. You may not need all of it, so I like to stir in a few tablespoons at a time. You have enough flour when it makes a soft dough that you are able to work with. Give the dough about 10 minutes to rest. You can make the sauce whilst the dough is taking a nap.

When your dough is well rested divide it into three or four chucks then roll it into a long thin sausage like shape until it’s about an inch thick. Cut your dough sausage into 1 inch chunks. This was my first time making gnocchi so mine are a bit raggedy around the edges. You could make them neater if you have the time and patience. You could also run the back of a fork over them so the have the grooves on one side. I was too eager to eat them so I didn’t do it.

To make the sauce fry the onions and garlic in olive oil for five minutes until they are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and butter and cook for a few more minutes until the mushrooms are cooked on both sides. Add a little more butter then add the flour to the pan. Combine the flour with the onions and mushrooms and cook for about a minute just so the flour is cooked. Add your milk and keep stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. Once its thickened add the wine and keep stirring for 5 minutes until the alcohol in the wine has cooked off. If your sauce is too thick, add some more wine or milk. If it’s a little thin you can reduce it further or add a little bit more butter and flour. Bring a pan of salted water to boil then add your gnocchi and cook for 3 – 5 minutes or until they are floating on the surface. When they are cooked, strain your gnocchi to remove any excess water and add them to your sauce. Mix the gnocchi with the sauce and devour immediately. Voilà very easy home-made gnocchi.

18
Aug
2012

Sangria

categories: Drinks & Cocktails

It’s cheap wine night at the Family Mart of Fridays and I was ready and waiting to take full advantage. I’m not generally a huge wine fan, as anyone who’s ever been out drinking with me can attest. I’m a vodka girl through and through (despite the misery it puts me through the following day, I am committed!). However I have always had a fondness for sangria.

I first started making this delicious treat when I was backpacking in Australia. Bad wine being cheap and plentiful you needed something to take the edge off it. I improved the recipe when I moved back home to London. With the help of my best friend we would scour the supermarket shelves looking for the cheapest red wine possible, there was always a bonus if you could find one under £3. We would knock up huge great big batches in a giant saucepan to drink before going out.

This is also a great cocktail to make if you are having a party as its pretty cheap, easy and it gets everyone into the party mood. If you decide to double up the recipe you don’t need any extra fruit.

Ingredients

1 bottle of red wine

200ml orange juice

500ml of lemonade (7up USA, cider Korea)

1 orange

1 lemon

1 apple (optional)

Directions

Take a large jug, punch bowl or failing that a sauce pan or washing up bowl. Pour in the wine, orange juice and lemonade. Cut your fruit into small pieces then stir into the wine mixture. Leave for 10 minutes to let the flavours develop. Voilà a delicious and easy cocktail.

17
Aug
2012

The Bakers Table

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars, Shopping

The last week or so we have been looking for apartments in Kyungidan and HBC. Yes I’m moving to a fatgirl food heaven.!!! Whilst trawling around the neighborhood searching for suitable places to live, we stumbled across The Bakers Table. I had read a review of The Bakers Table some time ago now and put it in my mental box of places to eat, but kind of just forgot about it. So when we happened to come across it I was very happy indeed.

As soon as I walked inside I knew I had found foreign food paradise. This place is filled to the brim with foody treasures. I was feeling rather peckish (when am I not?) so we stopped in to buy a sandwich. There were so many good options I didn’t know what to choose. We actually had two different dinners to go to that night ( I am in popular demand and didn’t want to deprive any of my friends of my scintillating company) so thought we would just share a sandwich from their delectable menu. I opted for the cilantro chicken (I am powerless when it comes to cilantro, its my kryptonite). We had it to go and while we were waiting I set about exploring the store.

The bread selection here is immense. I’ve never seen such a great selection in the whole of Asia. Homemade focaccia is an absolute favorite of mine and in two flavors! What more could you want? They have free samples of various breads for you to try, plus a fridge bursting with other deli style treats. I picked up a pot of their hummus (5,000) which was very good, possibly better than mine (although do try my recipe here) and a cilantro pesto (1,500). They also have a homemade muesli which I have been meaning to make myself for the past week, to go with my homemade yogurt (recipe here) but haven’t got around to yet. At 6,000 it’s not cheap but its chock full of nuts and seeds. You could easily get between 10-20 portions from it depending on how large your portions are. As it’s quite light on the oats, you could add some more to make it go further.

I didn’t really have time to do a full itinerary of what this places has to offer, but there were ingredients galore. So stop by for a loaf of bread, a sandwich, and spot of shopping. I’m sure you wont be sorry.

The bakers table is located in Kyungnidan. 244-1 Napsapyeong , Yongsan -gu, Seoul. To get there come out of Noksapyeong station (line 6) exit 2 and walk straight down past the entrance leading to Hae ban chon and go over the pedestrian bridge above the road. You will see the bakers table as you exit the stairs on the other side. You can also call on 070-7717-3501 or check out their blog http://blog.naver.com/mirabakery.

16
Aug
2012

Burger B

categories: Restaurant Reviews

I love a burger more than most. A thick slab of beef in between two slices of bread, slathered with cheese and sauce is definitely the way to my heart. Serve it with french fries and you pretty much have my favorite meal. Gourmet burger joints are two a penny at home but here in Korea a good burger is hard to find. Burgers appear on most restaurant menus but they are rarely char grilled pieces of heaven.

The menus have changed since the last time I went. They are now in the style of a newspaper called Burger B Times, its tres cute. They have a reasonable selection of burgers, although only the shrimp burger is suitable for vegetarians. My vegan friend Derek opted for the mushroom burger thinking it would be a veggie delight, but it was as meaty as all the others. He ate it anyway though so it must have been pretty good. Apart from the burgers they have a variety of other dishes like salads, sandwiches and Tex mex fare.

My dinning companions and I all opted for a burgers (prices vary between 6,500 – 8,500). I went for the ultimate BB burger 12,000 which is topped with caramelized onion and gruyère truffle aioli. Served with french fries and a shot of vanilla milkshake. I have to say the first time I had this burger is was absolutely amazing , I would have handed over my first born child to get another one of those babies. However the next 2 times I have been, the burger has been good but somehow missing that je ne sais quio (maybe its the truffle). I don’t know what they did to change it but I urge them to return it to its former glory, immediately if not sooner. It also used to be served on a nice wooden board, it just didn’t look as appealing on a white plate. The french fries are fine although nothing special (unless you like them skinny bordering on anorexic). The milkshake is a sweet shot of goodness, a nice way to finish the meal.

My lovely friend Tonya ordered the Gorgonzola burger which she kindly let me try, but since I don’t really like gorgonzola it was a bit hohum for me. She remarked they were to stingy with the pesto. My boyfriend Niall inhaled his bacon cheese burger so I was unable to try it, I can only assume that it was tasty and that’s why it was gone so quickly. Apart from the ultimate BB , burgers don’t come with fries. So be sure to order them on the side, the large portion is quite substantial and only 5,000.

The other reason I returned to Burger B is the drinks. I think all my friends would say I’m pretty fussy when it comes to cocktails. The mojito here is fairly good and they have a fair range of other drinks too, including homemade alcopops. They used to offer jugs of Pimms but sadly they are no longer on the menu.

Overall I’m sure I will return to Burger B again, however if they want to reclaim my best burger in Korea title they need to get the Ultimate BB back up to par and bring back the Pimms.

Burger B has three location in Seoul, Hongdae (070-8870-9220), Apgujeong (070-7536-4639) and Sangam (02-375-7001). The Hongdae branch is located at 362 -7 Seogyo-dong Mapo-gu Seoul. (Just around the corner from American Apparel on the same road as Aloha Table).

15
Aug
2012

Smarties Cookies

categories: Recipes

I bought a truckload of Smarties in duty free and after consuming many many boxes I still have a lot left. What was I to do with these little treats? I decided I would knock up a batch of cookies. I was never very good at making these cookies so now I have a good recipe I stick with it through thick and thin.

Ingredients

200g of butter or margarine (I just use the cheap vegetable spread you can get everywhere)

200g of white sugar

100g of brown sugar

1 egg

300g flour (I used the one for noodles and dumplings)

1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

1/2 a teaspoon of salt

Directions

Cream together the sugar and butter until its light and fluffy. Add the egg and stir in the Smarties. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt. Roll the mixture in to small balls and flatten the mixture with your hand. . If you not in the mood to eat 25 cookies at once (I’ve managed it before) you can roll the dough into balls then put them on a greased baking tray in the freezer. Then take them out and bake them anytime you fancy one . Bake the cookies at 200 Cfor about 5 – 10 minutes, my oven is very quick so I have to keep an eye on them as they can burn.

August 2012 archive