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

29
Mar
2013

Mac & Cheese

categories: Recipes

I can’t believe I’m actually posting this as it’s such an easy thing to make, however I totally forgot how awesome it can be. I used to make it loads when I was a teenager but haven’t had it in years. I always see the boxes in the foreign food mart but never end up buying one. I usually have a bag of macaroni in my cupboard that I rarely use for anything other than pasta salad. Macaroni is so easy to find in Korea. They sell it in every supermarket so I though it was about time I made use of it.

It was actually my lovely friends over at Pumpkinface that turned me back on to wanting it. They recently put up some pictures of their vegan Mac and Cheese that looked so good I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Then it dawned on me I could just make some when I got home. So quick and easy but incredibly comforting this was just what I needed on a day I felt a bit down in the dumps. Comfort food at its finest! I also threw in a bit of spinach, just because I love it and it to give it a meager amount of nutrition.

Ingredients

250g of macaroni (no need to precook)

1 litre of milk

1/2 stick of butter

50g of flour

A teaspoon of mustard

200g of cheddar cheese (grated)

100g of breadcrumbs (빵가루)

200g of spinach

1/2 a chicken stock cube (dissolved in a small amount of hot water)

A pinch of Salt and pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, turn down the heat then stir in the flour to make a paste. Add the milk to the saucepan and keep whisking. After a while the mixture should thicken and become a lovely white sauce. If it’s too thick add a little more milk. Add half of the cheese and the mustard and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the dissolved stock cube to the mixture and keep on stirring. Roughly chop the spinach and add to the cheese sauce. You can remove it from the heat at this point. The sauce will still be warm enough to wilt the spinach. Put your uncooked macaroni in your oven proof dish, pour in the sauce and and mix it all together. Top with the other half of the grated cheese and then the breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes until golden and brown and the macaroni has cooked though. Voilà an easy dinner that will always put a smile on your face.

28
Mar
2013

Korea Lime Pie

categories: Baking, Recipes

This week I had my first ever taste of Key Lime Pie! I can’t believe I had been missing out on this for years. Back in Blighty we certainly have savory pies covered. However we are seriously lacking in the sweet variety. We have good old apple of course, but it’s fair to say no one has the variety of pies like the good old US of A. My lovely friend Jen made this Florida favourite for me this week and I was in love. She rocked my world. So much so I ran right out and bought the stuff to make some more.

I’m calling my pie Korea Lime Pie as Key lime juice is pretty much extinct in Korea. Jen was lucky enough to have her lovely family send her some from home. If anyone else knows where else to get some then please let me know.

Ingredients

200g of digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)

100g of butter

1 can of condensed milk

3/4 cup of lime juice

3 egg yolks

1 lime zest and juice (optional)

200ml of whipping cream

Directions

Crush the digestive biscuits until they resemble fine bread crumbs. You can do this with a blender or by bashing the hell out of them with a rolling-pin. Life has been a little bit stressful for me lately so I have been using the rolling-pin method a lot. If you wrap them in a tea towel and keep them in the packet, you can prevent making a mess.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, then add the biscuit crumbs and mix together Pack into your pie tin and make sure you bring the mixture up around the sides.

In a separate bowl mix together the condensed milk, egg yolks, and lime juice. Pour this mixture onto the biscuit base. Then bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool then pop it in the fridge for 2 hours to set. Once the pie has been chilled, whip the cream and then pipe around the edge to decorate. You could also add a slice or two of lime and a little zest if you have some. Voilà the Korea Lime Pie!

27
Mar
2013

Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory

categories: Restaurant Reviews

I have been a fan of the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory since my very first week in Korea. I also enjoy the name, there just aren’t enough restaurants that have the word refectory in the title. Back in my Cheongju days it was the restaurant to go to. Every birthday, leaving party, or visiting friend warranted a 20 strong posse descending onto our favourite restaurant. This was long before I had discovered the likes of Ho Lee Chow and it satisfied every craving I ever had for Chinese food. The food at the Mutton Refectory is Chinese style not Korean or Western, though the dishes we chose were always crowd-pleasers. So, after I moved away from Cheongju, I always missed it. That was until I found out that the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory is actually a chain restaurant. Shockingly they have one in Dongdaemun! You would have thought that the name would have been a clue, but clearly I missed that (d’oh!)

Nestled in Dongdaemun, on a street practically brimming with Chinese restaurants offering lamb, is the Dongdaemun Mutton Refectory. The menu is almost the same as my beloved Cheongju branch, although sadly they do not offer the amazing potatoes (감자탕수육). Deep-fried battered potatoes in a spicy sauce. You have to have tried them to know how good they are and it is a delicacy all Cheongjuers will remember fondly throughout their lives. Luckily they do have my other three favourite dishes on the menu.

One of the best things about this restaurant is the free side dishes. Chinese picked vegetables, salty sugar peanuts, and my absolute favourite, the tofu ribbons. I have never had tofu as good as this anywhere else in Korea (apart from my BBQ tofu wings.) I’m not sure how they even make these beautifully textured ribbons of tofu. But suffice it to say, they rock!

The first dish we ordered was the mixed vegetables (삼색야채) 12,000. This dish is insanely good, it’s not just for the veggies and vegans. Potatoes, peppers, and aubergine in a sweet chinesy sauce, they are so soft and tasty. Everyone loved this dish, especially the men. We could never get enough of it.

Their specialty is lamb skewers (양꼬치) 10,000 for 10. Lamb was always very hard to get hold of in Cheongju and is still even considered a specialty meat four years later. Until it is sold on the shelves of Home-plus it will always be a treat for me. BBQ lamb skewers are always a winner for me. Every time I have visited this restaurant there has been a group of ladies sat at the table threading skewer after skewer. They clearly sell these by the truck load. You’re given the coals and you cook them yourself at the table. They also came with a delicious plate of mixed spices that is the perfect accompaniment. I’m not ashamed to say that I took my left over spices in an envelope home with me and will swiftly be using them to make some lamb meatballs.

Last up is the sweet and sour pork Beijing style(탕수육) 13,000. This has always been my favourite dish. Thin slices of pork in a light and crispy batter served with a sweet and sticky sauce. This is as close as you will get to those sweet and sour dishes from home but even better. This hits the spot every time.

The mutton refectory is located in Dongdaemun on the 2nd floor of Dok-il Yak gook(독일약국 pharmacy). To get there take a train to Dongdaemun Station (Lines 1&4) then come out of exit 4. The restaurant is just on your right on the second floor above the pharmacy. The door is located in the alley to the left, just after the restaurant. You can call them on 02-766-9388 if you require any further information.

Also for all you lucky ducks living in the Chungbuk province they have a branch in Cheongju. It’s at Cheongju University intersection, so in a taxi, say 청주대사거리 (“Cheongju-day sah-guh-ree”). Look for the corner with Pizza Hut, and the restaurant is a few doors down to the right.

26
Mar
2013

Homemade Muesli

categories: Recipes

For many years now I have always started my day with a bowl of muesli. For me there is no better weekday breakfast than a bowl of fruit, topped with yoghurt and muesli. However when I first came to Korea, finding a good and nutritious breakfast was rather difficult. All the cereal that you could buy easily was full of sugar, and muesli was very hard to find. Times have changed since then and muesli is more widely available, you can buy the Tesco brand at Homeplus and they even have Dorset Cereal at the Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon. However I started making my own a while back now and haven’t looked back since. As well as being much healthier, it’s cheaper and tastier too. Not just a bag of oats with a few raisins thrown in for good measure.

Ingredients

300g of oats

100g of bran/wheat flakes (i-Herb / High Street market)

100g of pumpkin seeds

100g of raisins

100g of sliced almonds

75g of other mixed nuts (optional)

75g of prunes

75g of dried apricots

Directions

Chop up the prunes and apricots into small pieces. Then measure out all of your other ingredients and mix together in a large bowl. Store in an air tight container. Serve on top or fruit and yoghurt or just with milk. Voilà an easy, healthy, and cheap breakfast.

23
Mar
2013

Parmesan Gnocchi

categories: Recipes, Vegan / Veggie Friendly

I am such a lucky girl, because I have very lovely friends. Sometimes those very lovely friends even bring me food. My wonderful friend Alex has been applying to go on Korean Master Chef and he got through to the round where you need to take a dish to the selection panel. He decided upon some parmesan gnocchi. Luckily for me he made a giant bowl full of gnocchi and only needed a small amount, so he gave me all the left overs. I whipped up this little dish with what was left. I’m not sure if mine was up to the Master Chef standard but it was lovely fresh and tasty, the perfect light lunch now that spring is finally here.

Ingredients

Gnocchi

2 medium size russet potatoes,

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 cups white flour

1 egg

1/8th cup water if needed (depends on relative humidity/size of egg),

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Courgette

1 large courgette

1/3 of a stick of butter

1 lemon (zest and juice)

A glug of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes or until they are cooked. Allow to drain then mash them and run them through the ricer. If you don’t have a ricer you can push them through a sieve using a spoon. Once done put the potato in a a bowl and make a crater in the middle. Add the egg and olive oil and mix together Then slowly add the flour bit by bit until it has all been incorporated and you have a dough. Mix in the parmesan and any water if you need it. Knead the dough for a few minutes and form into a smooth ball. You can then either roll it into a thin long tube and cut it into pieces by hand, or you can put it into a piping bag and squeeze and cut (which is a great little tip I learned from Alex).

Boil the gnocchi for 1-2 minutes in salted water then drain. Then pan fry in a little olive for a few more minutes until golden brown.

To make the courgette. Cut the courgette in half and slice julienne style. I use a mandolin I got at Daiso for cutting kimbap vegetables. Add a knob of butter and a glug of olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Add the courgettes and sauté for a few minutes. Next add the salt , pepper, and the juice and zest of one lemon. Then Turn the heat up a little to cook off the lemon juice. The courgette should be soft but not overcooked. Serve on a plate and top with the gnocchi and freshly shaved parmesan. Voilà the perfect light lunch.

19
Mar
2013

Rocky Road

categories: Recipes

I first fell in love with rocky road when I lived in Australia. There was a chocolate store there called Daryl Lee which sold the most sumptuous bars of white or milk chocolate rocky road. I could never decide which one I liked most and would usually end up getting both. Back in my mother country of England I never knew that such a divine dessert existed. Last week I just couldn’t get rocky road off my mind after seeing pictures of it everywhere on Pinterest. I saw one in particular that looked spectacular and I quickly set upon making my own version of it. So I present to you today the delectable snickers rocky road. If this doesn’t satisfy your sweet tooth then nothing will.

Ingredients

6 snickers bars

200g of milk chocolate

200g of white chocolate

200g of marshmallows cut into chunks

150g of nuts (I used almonds as I had them already)

Directions

Line your chosen tin with clingfilm and make sure it hangs over the sides. Mine is an 7×7 inch square. Next, chop your snickers into 1-2cm chunks. Place your milk chocolate and 3 of the cut up snickers bars in to a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and allow to melt. Once the chocolate has melted (the snickers will not melt completely), stir in the rest of the snickers chunks, pieces of marshmallow and nuts and make sure they are coated in the melted chocolate. Then pour the mixture into your tin. Clean your bowl then melt the white chocolate and drizzle it on top of the rocky road bars. Put them in the fridge for a few hours so they are completely set. Once it has set remove the rocky road from your tin and pull away the clingfilm and cut into to slices and enjoy. Voilà the easiest and tastiest chocolate bar ever.

16
Mar
2013

June Bug

categories: Drinks & Cocktails

Anyone that knows me well, or has at least met me in a drunken haze in the pub, knows how much I love a June Bug. So what better post to bring you in honour of St Patrick’s Day than this green goddess of a drink. Sweet and tasty just like me, no one can resist its lime green charm.

Ingredients

50ml of midori

50ml of malibu

25ml of babana liquor

150ml of pinaplle juice

A squeeze of lemon juice (and a wedge for decoration)

Directions

This makes 2 drinks or one Fat Girl sized one. Put the Midori, Malibu, Banana liquor, pineapple juice, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker and shake. Pour into a tall glass filled with ice and top with a wedge of lemon. Voilà the perfect St Patrick’s Day themed beverage. Beats green beer any day of the week . Happy hangovers everyone!

15
Mar
2013

BBQ Tofu Wings with Ranch Dressing

categories: Recipes, Vegan / Veggie Friendly

Since learning how to prepare tofu properly we have been eating it by the truckload. I just can’t get enough of that squishy white goodness. This recipe is adapted from one I tried while at the Seoul Vegan Potluck. It was first devised by the lovely Claire Harrison, Queen of the Vegans or The Quegan if you will. Sadly she is departing the peninsula but don’t despair tofu fans I am picking up the tofu torch and continuing her good work. The Seoul Vegan Potluck is still going strong, so if you want to see more vegan recipes, check out their website or facebook group for more details.

This is a bit of a doubled edged sword on the vegan front, while the tofu can be adapted to be completely vegan friendly the ranch dressing is less so. These babies are so good we had them three times in one week and when I had run out of tofu I made them with chicken instead. However my boyfriend and I both agreed the tofu version was far tastier.

Ingredients

Tofu Wings

2 blocks of tofu

100g flour

100g nutritional yeast (i-Herb)

2 tablespoons of Mexican or BBQ seasoning

A pinch of salt and pepper

300ml of milk (I used regular but you could change to soy)

4 tablespoons of BBQ sauce (In a pinch you could use bulgogi marinade)

Oil for frying (enough to cover the bottom of your pan)

Ranch Dip

100g of buttermilk powder (i-herb)

2 tablespoons of dried parsley

2 teaspoons of dried dill weed

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of onion powder

2 teaspoons of onion flakes

1 teaspoon of dried chives

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

3 tablespoons of sour cream

Directions

The tofu needs to be prepared in advance. Buy your blocks, pour away the water, and then put them on a plate and top with a board and put something heavy on top for a few hours. You may need to remove the water every hour or so. This helps remove the water from them. Once they have been sufficiently dehydrated wrap them in cling film and put them in the freezer. They need to freeze at least overnight but you can leave them in there as long as you like. Take it out the day you want to use it and let it defrost. You will notice that the tofu has now become much firmer and spongier. Squeeze out as much extra water as you can. Then cut it into chunks.

Mix the flour, nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon of your seasoning and the salt and pepper together in a bowl and set aside.

To make your marinade, mix together the milk, barbecue sauce, and one tablespoon of your chosen seasoning. Then pop your tofu chunks into it to soak. Leave them for a minute or so then take out and shake off the excess. Then roll them in the flour and nutritional yeast mixture so they are completely coated.

Heat the oil in your frying pan and then cook the tofu chunks in batches, turning them so all of the sides are cooked and are golden brown. Repeat until they are all done.

To make the ranch dip. Measure out all your dry ingredients and mix together in a tub. This will make much more seasoning than you need so you can pull it out any time you need it.

Mix two tablespoons of the ranch spice mix with 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 3 tablespoons of sour cream, then mix thoroughly

Serve your delicious dips with your totally terrific tofu. Voilà the best vegan barbecue chicken wings you will ever have!

14
Mar
2013

White Chocolate Truffles

categories: Recipes

This was a cute little post I was hoping to bring to you before Valentines Day. Sadly for you I am very lazy and spent all my time eating and looking at Pinterest instead of writing, luckily I’m just in time for White Day! (For those not in South Korea, White Day is celebrated on March 14 where men give the women they love chocolate. I am obviously a big fan). However truffles aren’t just for Valentine’s Day, they’re for life. So make these babies up any day you feel like it. I got my box at Daiso for 1,000, they had quite the variety. These will make such a cute gift for a friend’s birthday, and it’s always nice to have something a little bit thoughtful or home-made.

Ingredients

200g couverture white chocolate (I got mine at the bakers mart)

2 tablespoons of butter

150ml of cream

150g of crushed or ground almonds

Directions

Melt the chocolate and butter in a metal or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. Be very careful to make sure that you don’t get any water into the chocolate mixture. Once the chocolate and butter have melted together, stir in the cream. Mix together thoroughly then put in the fridge to set for a few hours. Once the mixture has set, take a teaspoonful and roll it into a ball in your hands. Roll the truffle into the crushed almonds and put on a tray. Repeat until all your truffles are made.

Pop them back in the fridge for another 30 minutes just to let them reset. Pop them into your lovely gift box, or if you are greedy like me, devour them immediately. Voilà easy home-made white chocolate truffles.

13
Mar
2013

Chicken Wings

categories: Recipes

I am a bit of a chicken wing addict and I have been eating a bag a week lately. I found an awesome little supermarket near my house which sells 1kg bags for 10,000. They are so quick easy and cheap to make at home that I have been saving myself a whole lot of cash. Just make up your favorite marinade, chuck it on and bung them in the oven. They are a great snack to share with your friends or to eat by the plate-load by yourself.

Ingredients

Spicy Wings

500g of chicken wings or as many as you want

2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning

BBQ Wings

500g of chicken wings

5 tablespoons of BBQ sauce

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of soy sauce

Directions

Mix the marinade ingredients together for which ever variety you are making. Coat and toss the wings in the sauce. If you can bear to wait to eat them, then leave for up to an hour for the flavours to soak in. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown and the chicken is well cooked and piping hot in the middle. Voilà easy tasty wings.

March 2013 archive