January | 2013 | A Fat Girl's Food Guide to Eating in Korea

31
Jan
2013

Rice-Cooker Cake

categories: Baking

I love cake! Baking it and eating it. However with my tiny toaster oven, baking one myself seemed impossible when someone’s birthday rolled around. I’m lucky enough to possess a reasonably sized oven now, but back in my Suwon and Cheongju days I had to be more inventive. When scouring the internet one day I came across a recipe for a cake that’s cooked in a rice cooker. I tried it and it came out really well, so soft and moist. I haven’t made one for quite some time now but I thought it was about time I shared my recipe with all you oven-less bakers out there. I actually made two cakes this week to give you a bit of variety. First up is my rice-cooker coffee cake!

Ingredients

200g of butter

2o0g of white sugar

200g of all purpose flour (I use the buksul one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 shot of espresso (you could use instant too)

Buttercream frosting

260g of butter (2 slicks)

400g of icing sugar (sugar powder)

1-2 tablespoons of espresso coffee

Directions

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Then stir in the coffee and mix well. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Fold into the coffee mixture. Take your rice cooker pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Then put the cake mixture inside. Press the cook setting and then continue to keep checking it every time it pops up. You may have to go though several cycles depending on the make and model of your rice cooker. However you will get there in the end so hang in there. You can tell when it’s done when the top is spongy to the touch. Remove the cake from the pan and leave to cool for a couple of hours.

To make the frosting let the butter get to room temperature then mix together with the icing sugar. Add the coffee a spoonful at a time. If it’s too thick add more coffee.

When the cake has cooked. Slice through the middle to make your two layers. Put half the frosting in the middle and half on top.

Decorate with a dusting of cocoa powder. Voilà a very easy cake made in the rice cooker.

30
Jan
2013

Tartine

categories: Cafes / Takeaways / Bars

Last week we were having a browse around Itaewon and passed by Tartine. Tartine is an Artisan style bakery specializing in pies. However they also have various cakes and breads for sale too, as well as a restaurant opposite serving food.

It had been a while since I was last there so I thought I would treat myself to a few of their cakes. It was very busy inside so we just got them to take away. I have had their chocolate cream pie once before, but although I enjoyed the filling, I didn’t think much of the pastry. Especially since it cost about 7,000 for one.

This time I opted for the lemon bar 4,800. I have been rather obsessed with lemon flavoured delights lately and was looking forward to this. It tasted like sherbet lemon candy, which is good but left a very artificial after-taste in my mouth. The pastry wasn’t all that great either. It was okay but a little disappointing.

I also bought a pecan brownie 3,800. It was fine but nothing special, a little dry actually. I think mine is much better. I would rather buy one of the dollar ones from Paris Baguette than shell out for one of these again.

The last dessert I purchased was the Cheesecake 7,000. It looked the part and the texture was great but sadly it was really lacking in flavour. The topping was very bland. Indigo’s is much better and almost half the price.

Overall I don’t think I will be a regular at Tartine. It’s way too pricey for desserts that are not really all that great. However if you are in the mood for pie they have a large variety (including rhubarb!). They also have a loyalty stamp card where you get something for free after every 5 pies that you buy.

Tartine is located in Itaewon at 119-15 Itaewon, Yongsan -Gu, Seoul. Take a train to Itaewon station (line 6) then come out of exit 1 and walk straight. It is in one of the alleys up to your right (the second or third one I think). You can call them on 02-3785-3400 or check out their website for more details.

29
Jan
2013

Shanghai Soup Dumplings

categories: Recipes

Shanghai soup dumplings or Xiao long bao are so amazingly good that I wish that I could eat them every day. Funnily enough I first tried them when I was in Shanghai, however I didn’t get around to eating them in Korea until just recently. They are served at Crystal Jade and Din Tai Fung, both located in Myeong-Dong if you are hankering after them as much as I am. After eating even more of these bad boys I decided it was about time I tried to make my own. A quick search on Google gave me the basic formula of how to make them. You get the soup into the dumpling by making a meat jelly, which you can cut into chunks when it has cooled. Then when the dumpling is cooked, the jelly melts back into the delicious soup. Pretty clever, eh? I also decided to try using mandu wrappers instead of making the dough. Making and cutting tonnes and tonnes of little wrappers would have driven me insane so I though I would try it with the mandu wrappers instead. They worked pretty well actually, although they didn’t taste the same as the real thing.

Ingredients

200g of minced pork

I pack of mandu wrappers (만두피) (the large round ones)

500g of chicken wings

750g of belly pork

1 packet of gelatin crystals

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 an onion

2 litres of water

Directions

Place your onion, garlic, chicken wings and belly pork into a large saucepan and top up with the water and place a lid on top. A lot of recipes online recommend using Chinese ham too, but I didn’t have any and the broth still tasted great. Boil them for about 2 hours until the water has reduced to about 1/2 a liter and you’re left with a great stock. Strain the stock and mix in the gelatin. Then pour the stock in to a flat shallow container and leave in the fridge for a few hours to set. Once the jelly has set you can cut it into cubes. Meanwhile season the minced pork and roll it into small balls. Defrost your mandu wrappers then take one and place a piece of jelly on top.

Then place a small ball of the pork mince on top of the jelly.

You now need to gather the dumpling together, making as many pleats as you can. This is a true skill and mine are certainly not all that artistic. You can watch this video on you tube to see how the professionals do it. As long as they seal then that’s the main thing. You can practice working on their appearance the more you make them.

Once the dumplings have been formed put them in a bamboo steamer (I bought mine at Bangsan bakers mart). Place the dumplings on a piece of parchment paper, then cook them above a pot of simmering water for about 10 minutes.

You can tell when they are done when the skin turns translucent.

Carefully remove the dumplings from the steamer and serve with Chinese rice vinegar and thinly sliced pieces of ginger. To eat the dumplings place the dumpling in a soup spoon and make a small bite on the side. Suck out the soup then eat the dumpling. Voilà homemade Shanghai Soup dumplings.

28
Jan
2013

Calzone

categories: Recipes

Ever since I found my recipe for this dough, pizza has been a regular dinner for us. I love these tasty pizzas and could eat them everyday. However I like a bit of variation and sometimes make a calzone instead. It’s pretty much the same thing, the pizza is just folded over. However I think it changes the dough a little and makes it into more of a kind of pasty which I love. The great thing about these babies is that you can fill them with whatever you want and take them to work as they are individually sealed. When I make up a big batch of dough, I usually use half for pizza and half for calzones. I used some of my coveted goats cheese in the filling of these and it was amazing, but pretty much anything goes. I even tried some with the pulled pork I made!

Ingredients

Dough

500g flour (I used the one for dumplings and noodles.)

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast (I used bobai brand that comes in 8g packages)

4 table spoons of olive oil

14oz ice-cold water

Stuffing

1/2 a kabocha squash (those dark green looking pumpkins)

2 tablespoons of tomato sauce

140g of goats cheese

A large handful of spinach

2 tabelspoons of toasted pine nuts

A knob of butter

Directions

Sift the flour, salt, and yeast into a bowl. Then using a table-spoon stir in the oil followed by the water bit by bit, you may find as I did that you don’t need it all, or you can always add more. Use the metal spoon to get right into the middle of the dough and mix it thoroughly. You know you have added enough water when the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom. If it is too dry add a few more drops of water, if it is too wet add more flour a little at a time until it’s the right consistency.

Once your dough is formed you need to work it for another 5-7 minutes using the metal spoon, this activates the gluten in the flour which makes it springy and elastic rather than a tacky lump. You can do this by putting the spoon into the dough and moving it around, you will find the dough stretches the more you do this. After this take the ball of dough and pull it and stretch it with your hands, I am sure you have seen Italian pizza chefs on TV doing it (I didn’t do it half as elaborately but you get the idea).

Now the dough is ready, form it into balls – I made 3 big ones. The recipe stated that you should leave the balls in the fridge over night before using, but I don’t think it’s hugely important. If you have thought ahead in advance or have a huge amount of restraint and willpower it does help the flavour of the dough develop, but it still tastes great if you use it straight away (the dough will keep in the fridge for up to four days). Roll your ball in flour then put a little olive oil on your hands and coat each ball before putting on a tray or plate. Put the plate in a zip lock bag or failing this cling film and store overnight.

To made the filling cut the squash in to quarters and take out the seeds. Drizzle the pieces with a little olive oil and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until they are soft. Next scoop out the flesh and cut into chunks. I don’t like to waste the skins so I usually sprinkles on a little cumin and roast them in the oven for another 10-20 minutes until they are crunchy for a tasty snack. Chop the spinach then saute in the butter for a minute or two until it has wilted. Add the tomato sauce, pine nuts and crumble in the goats cheese. Mix together with the squash chunks thoroughly.

Roll out the dough into circles. Top with a tablespoon of sauce then add a few spoonfuls of filling. Then brush the edge with egg yolk.

Fold the dough over to make a semi-circle. Then crimp the edges. Depending how skilled you are you can make them look very beautiful. Brush the whole thing with egg wash again then baked them in the oven for about 10-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.

Serve on their own or with more tomato sauce for dipping. Voilà easy tasty calzone.

27
Jan
2013

Chocolate Fondant

categories: Baking

Continuing with my plan of Valentine’s Day inspired recipes, I thought I would try my hand at making melt in the middle chocolate puddings. A chocolate pudding oozing with chocolatey goodness, is certainly one way show your one true love how much you care. They are also a lot easier than you would think to make, it’s just all in the timing. My first was too runny, my second too hard but the third, fourth, and fifth were perfect. This recipe is from the one and only Gordon Ramsay. Although I did change it a little as I used milk chocolate so I had to put a tablespoon of cocoa powder in the mixture to make them look better (sorry Gordon).

Ingredients

100g of butter (plus extra to grease)

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (2 for dusting, one in the mix)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

100g of good quality chocolate (I used Belgian from the bakers mart but Tesco’s finest at Homeplus will work well too)

120g of white sugar

100g of all-purpose flour (the buksul one with noodles and dumplings on the front)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160˚C/Gas 2.

2. Butter two large ramekins, about 7.5cm in diameter, then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.

3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk, and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the mixture and gently fold in, using a large metal spoon. Divide between the ramekins about 3/4 full and bake for 10 -12 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they are done when the mixture has risen and comes away from the sides.

5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream or cream.

If you would like any extra help you can watch Gordon in action in this video.

26
Jan
2013

Gastro Pub

categories: Restaurant Reviews

Another day, another gastro-pub. Just around the corner from my job is the aptly named Gastro Pub. We spotted it quite a while ago now but didn’t really think it would be up to much, so we never investigated further. However last night we were released from work rather early. There was time before the bus came so we thought we would take a look at the menu. The place was so much bigger than I had expected and not what I had imagined at all. We’re hardly in a desolate wasteland of restaurants but I certainly wasn’t expecting anything like this.

A big industrial warehouse type space. This restaurant is very deceiving from the outside. A huge long bar greets you as you enter then a large sized restaurant is beyond, with a large terrace at the back which would be perfect for some summertime drinking. An open spaced kitchen fills one long wall. I’ve always admired these, as I like to see what I’m getting. This gastro-pub has more New York feel than English Style homeliness of Reilly’s, but is cool and sleek none the less.

A gastro-pub inspired menu awaits, printed on newspaper style menus that seem to be all the rage these days. A mix of salads, pastas, burgers and grilled meats. They also have various imported beers and a large variety of bottles.Sadly no cocktails were on the menu, but they did have a nice variety of soft drinks and smoothies. Next time I’ll be sure to bring along my trusty hip flask and make some myself. They had a taster of beers. You could choose 5 out 7. This worked really well for us, my boyfriend got to have his real beer and I got my ladies lager. It was only 14,000 for 5 but we went during happy hour and got an extra 20% off which we thought was very reasonable.

On to the food. We chose the fish and chips. I was still in the middle of taking a few pictures when this rocked up at lightning speed. There were 3 pieces on the plate and a mountain of shoe string fries (they were so thin, I probably could have tied my shoes with them). The fish was coated in a light and crispy batter. Coming from the land of fish and chips I like mine nice and thick. I’m not a huge fan of fish so for me the batter is the star attraction. However the fish here was good. The winner on this plate was the home-made tartare sauce, sharp and tasty, I could have eaten twice as much.

I was keen to try the prime burger. I am a burger girl through and through and would probably choose this for my last meal on earth. This one looked pretty damn good when it rocked up, slathered with cheese and caramelized onions but sadly didn’t make me go “Mmm” when I bit into it. It was fine and I certainly could have eaten another one but it didn’t really live up to its 20,000 won price tag. I would rather pay the extra 5,000 and get the burger at Reilly’s, or go to Burger B and eat 2! Another point to mention is that this burger was very rare, the blood was actually seeping out on to the plate. Personally I like my meat still mooing but I know for a lot of people this can pose a problem, especially since the waiter didn’t ask us how we would like it cooked. The burger too came with a mountain of fries. I loved these chips but after a while I still couldn’t see the mountain going down. They gave a choice while ordering of salad or fries but I think a little of both would have been preferable.

The majority of these dishes available are around the 15,000 – 20,000 mark but they also have a 1kg steak available for 150,000 or a 750g rack of lamb for a mere 120,000. The people at the next table had the steak and I have to say it was pretty large but I don’t know if I would pay that much for a steak and have to share it. I think this restaurant is more of a Korean style with the larger dishes that are good for sharing. They also had a few desserts on the menu but I couldn’t partake as I had eaten too many chips!

Gastro Pub is located at 810-2 Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Naebang station(line number 7) and come out exit 7. Walk straight until you pass the BMW dealership and make a right. Directly in front of you should be Gastro Pub. The nearest bus stop is 22-222. You can call them on 02-537-17222. Or check out their website.

25
Jan
2013

Cajun Chicken Casserole

categories: Recipes

Since my success of cooking belly pork in the rice cooker I have been eager to try a whole chicken. I have had one sitting in the freezer for the last few weeks and was keen to put it to good use. My iherb order had just arrived so I decided to use up some of my newly acquired spices. I had some tomato juice sitting in the fridge and I decided to add sweet potato and beans instead of my usual vegetables of choice. It came out brilliantly, so full of flavour and a nice change of pace. If you like, you could try this in a slow cooker, in the oven or on the stove. You can switch up the spices and vegetables if you like but I would certainly recommend you give this one a try too. So easy to prepare and full of flavour, the perfect week-night dinner.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (defrosted)

1 can of kidney beans

4 small sweet potatoes

1 onion

6 cloves of garlic

1 green pepper

3 peppers (one red, one yellow, 1 green)

2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons of mexican seasoning

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

1 litre of tomato juice

1-2 litres of chicken stock.

Directions

Slice the onion and garlic into chunks and put in your rice cooker. Put in the whole chicken and add a tablespoon of each spice. Top up with one litre of chicken stock and the litre of tomato juice. Press cook and leave for about 2-3 hours. After the time has passed cut the sweet potatoes into chunks and add them to the pot along with the kidney beans. If the liquid is looking rather low top up with more stock then leave to cook again for several hours or overnight(I went to work at this point). Remove the chicken from the pot and strip the meat from the bones. Chop the peppers and add them back into the pot along with the chicken, the mixed herbs and remaining two spoonfuls of spice. Leave to cook for one more cycle or about 45 minutes. Serve alone or with quinoa and green vegetables. Voilà a healthy hearty home-made meal.

23
Jan
2013

Scotch eggs

categories: Recipes

Scotch Eggs are a very popular snack or picnic food in Britain. They are also one of my boyfriend’s favourite foods to eat. Personally they have always tuned my stomach and I have never dreamed of eating one. But because I am such a loving and wonderful girlfriend I do occasionally make them for him as a very special treat. In England they are always found in refrigerator section and served cold. I think that is what has always put me off. I cannot stand cold egg, which probably explains my reluctance to eat egg mayo too (although the smell may also be accountable). Last week we went to Reilly’s in Itaewon and were shocked to see scotch eggs on the menu as I never dreamed they would make it to Korea. These however were served hot and tasted amazing. Later that week I had some left over pork mince from some dumplings I had been making and decided I would whip Niall up a batch. I tried these ones too, straight out of the fryer and they were amazing! I think I have finally been converted into a scotch egg eater after all these years. If you want to be truly authentic, then scotch eggs should be made with sausage meat which you can buy from Gavin’s sausages in Myeong-dong or online. However the pork mince works quite well too.

Ingredients

5 hard boiled eggs

1 beaten egg

200g of pork mince or sausage meat

150g of pankco crumbs

A pinch of salt

A pinch of pepper

1/2 a teaspoon of sage

1/2 a teaspoon of mixed herbs

Directions

Boil the eggs for about 10 minutes. When they are done take them out of the pan and plunge them into a bowl of cold water to cool them down. This will also help with the peeling process. Meanwhile season your pork mince with the herbs and salt and pepper. Its really up to you how well you like it seasoned. On a large flat surface, lay a piece of cling film down, and put the pork mince on it. Then cover it with a second piece of cling film. With a rolling pin, roll the meat flat until you have a nice large rectangle of it about 5mm thick.

When the eggs have been fully cooled, remove the shell being careful to keep the egg intact. After they have been peeled, place the egg on the mince and wrap the mince around the egg. You should be able to get it covered but you may have to fill in a few patches by yourself. Making sure the egg has been completely covered in the mince, dip the mince covered egg into beaten egg then roll in the panko crumbs. Make sure that the egg has been completely coated. Deep fry them in hot oil for a few minutes, turning then over occasionally so they brown evenly. Be careful to insure the pork mince has cooked through thoroughly. When they are done, pat them with a kitchen towel to remove excess oil and serve. Voilà your favourite British snack in minutes.

22
Jan
2013

iHerb

categories: Shopping

I have been hearing a lot about iHerb over the last few months and I thought it was about time I gave them a try. They are primarily a health food store but they ship all over the world. They have tonnes of ingredients that are very hard to come by in Korea especially if you are not living in Seoul.

Just to name just a few they have: baking ingredients, beans, herbs, spices, dressings, marinades, couscous, quinoa, tea, coffee, vitamins, herb extracts, dried fruit, herbs, nuts, oils, stock cubes,vinegar, Kettle crisps, and chocolate!

They have an expansive range of herbs and spices, I picked up cumin seeds, Cajun seasoning, and Mexican seasoning. Although some of these things are available at the foreign food mart in Itaewon , there are so many people living far away that cant get to them. Also the prices are very cheap, its much easier to order online than go out trekking in the cold and I live 15 minutes away.

Here’s a picture of my first order:

I am a big fan of apple cider vinegar. I discovered it about 6 months ago and have been an avid fan ever since. There has been a lot written about it but I think one of the many benefits of taking a spoonful in water twice a day is weight-loss. When ever I return from holiday a few pounds heavier I start up on the apple cider vinegar and the pounds are usually gone within a week. However I never have a large enough supply to keep this up for a significant amount of time. I haven’t found anywhere in Korea when you can get it that includes the active mother which is vital. Now I know they have it on iHerb I can order until my hearts content.

I ordered a bag of quinoa. I used to use it a lot back home so was disappointed not to find it here. It is now available at Emart, but it’s pretty expensive. But an order from Iherb was lovely and cheap.

I also ordered some wheat bran for my muesli. I love muesli and eat it on top my fruit and yogurt for breakfast everyday. However too many of the pre-packaged ones you can buy here, have so much sugar in them you might as well be eating chocolate for breakfast. I’ve always liked making my own, chocking it full of fruit, nuts, and seeds to make it healthier. I’ve always had trouble finding bran or wheat flakes so now I have a large supply. They do have wheat flakes at high street market though if you live in the Itaewon area.

I also bought some instant miso soups for instant work snacks and some kettle crisps. Just because I love them. My total order with the discount and shipping was $29.98!

Delivery is a flat $4 for 15 pounds of goodies. An absolute bargain! I placed my order on Tuesday and it was ready and waiting for me on the Monday. So not long at all to wait really. I’ve already placed another two orders since then which I’m very excited to receive.

The best part about I -herb is you only have to enter you details once. They will retain your address and credit card so you just have to click a button to place your next order. Although I might add it’s also a little a dangerous, if you’re anything like me. At 3am last week I decided on a whim I’d like to give the master cleanse a go. I selected all my items and just one click later they were on their way. If I had had to get up and find my bank card and address I probably wouldn’t have ended up getting them so beware if you are a shopaholic like me. I very much doubt I will last very long on the cleanse but its only cost 20,000 for everything including the postage and packing. That’s less than a pizza, so I can hardly go wrong.

They also have a freebies section, so with every order you can get one free gift, how cool is that?

If all that wasn’t enough you can also get a big saving on your first order, just use my gift code MRV792 and you could save loads, $10 on a $40 spend and $5 for under. Its worth spending more though as mine actually got cheaper the more I put on to it. You can visit this lovely online store here. Happy shopping!

http://www.iherb.com/

21
Jan
2013

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

categories: Recipes

Over the next few weeks I plan to make some Valentine’s Day inspired recipes. There’s nothing like a homemade meal to show the people we love how much we care for them. I do enjoy a good theme so look out for my love inspired recipes. Depending on where you live there may not be many restaurants around for you to take the object of your affections for a fancy meal. So making something at home could be just the ticket. Apartments are small and kitchen are even smaller, but anyone can rustle up some chocolate covered strawberries from a quick trip to Homeplus. They taste great and will be sure to woo the one you love. Paired with a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine, you can’t go wrong.

Ingredients

1 box of strawberries

150g of couverture chocolate (I buy mine at the bakers mart, but the Tesco finest brand at Homeplus works great too)

parchment paper

Directions

Melt the chocolate in a dry glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile pat your strawberries with kitchen roll to make sure they are dry too. When the chocolate has completely melted dip the strawberries in one at a time, then put them on a piece of parchment paper stalk side down to dry. Put the strawberries in the fridge or in a cold room to set. Then enjoy with your special someone and a glass of bubbly. Voilà an easy Valentine’s Day dessert.

January 2013 archive