Tag:

Apple

Drinks & Cocktails Festivals / Special Events

The Hand & Apple

written by fatgirlkr

If you are a craft beer lover in Korea, then you are more than likely familiar with Hand & Malt. However it is not just beer that the company is making, they have just expanded their operation and are now making Korea’s first ciders! Being a west country girl, I grew up on the stuff, and when I first moved to Korea 8 years ago I was very disappointed to find that it had barely even been heard of. Luckily for me, over the years the big brands finally paid notice and the city is now awash with all sorts of bottled and canned varieties.

June 13, 2016 0 comment

Recipes Vegan / Veggie Friendly

Apple Coleslaw

written by fatgirlkr

I whipped up this lovely apple coleslaw after I received my WWOOF box of organic goodies. The apple is such an amazing addition that I now will not make coleslaw without it. I have actually made it about three time since. The Fat Boyfriend and I can’t get enough of it, we are both sneaking to the fridge and eating it by the spoonful. I mix things up depending on what’s cheapest, but I generally like to use a red onion or a red cabbage to give it a bit of color. You can also add cheese. I love cheesy coleslaw but cheesy apple coleslaw is insane. Smeared on some french bread and roast chicken it’s divine.

Ingredients

1/2 a small cabbage (red or green)

1/2 onion (red or white)

1/2 a carrot

1 apple

100g of grated cheddar (optional but delicious)

300ml of mayonnaise

3 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce

1/2 a teaspoon of celery salt

1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper

Directions

1. Finely shred the cabbage and onion and put into a bowl.

2. Grate in the carrot and apple and mix with the cabbage and onion.

3. Stir in the mayo and make sure everything is coated. Use less or more as desired.

3. Stir in the sweet chili sauce and grated cheese if using.

4. Season with celery salt and black pepper to taste. Voilà the best coleslaw you will ever eat!

January 23, 2014 0 comment

Recipes Vegan / Veggie Friendly

Beetroot, Carrot, Apple, & Ginger Smoothie

written by fatgirlkr

Happy new Year everyone! Sorry this is a bit of a late post but jet-lag, work, and an unrelenting toothache have really taken it out of me, and I lost all resolve to blog despite my long absence. So I do apologise if you have been having been suffering Fatgirl withdrawals, although I have been updating my Facebook page to keep you going.

So on to the first post of 2014. It being January and all I thought I would kick you off with a healthy one. Now before you go running and screaming away from the word healthy, it is no less delicious. So I present to you the beetroot, carrot, ginger, and apple smoothie. This is how I always start my day. I either have this one or a green smoothie, which I shall bring to you later in the week. Now I know you all like to think that I begin my day with half a dozen burgers or a few slices of cake but I don’t (except on Sundays!). For many years I have always believed it important to start my days with a healthy and nutritious breakfast, as it generally only goes downhill from there if I don’t. On weekdays I actually follow raw till 4, where I have either fruit or a salad for my lunch (usually with a bit of plain chicken in it) and snack on more fruit, veg or nuts until I get home from work. Then when I cook up dinner that’s when all the fun begins. I like junk food, in fact I love junk food, but I also enjoy lots of fresh and natural delights too. I just rarely share them, as most of you already know how to make a salad.

I’ve put on 9lbs over the 2 weeks I was visiting home and I’ve enjoyed every single one of them. I ate until my heart was content, because you have to enjoy it while you can. No roast potato, wrap, chip, chicken ball, or pastry delight was left uneaten. But now it’s time to pay the price and get back to it, or I shall never fit into all those lovely new clothes I bought myself.

So here’s my breakfast smoothie. I used to drink this as a juice, years ago when I lived in Australia, but here in Korea I don’t have a juicer. I actually think it’s better to have it as a smoothie though, all that fiber and roughage is important. My blender is nothing special and manages to make this smoothie 80% of the time. Sometimes it gives up half way through and I finish it off with the hand blender. The better your blender, the less chopping work you need to do. If the smoothie does come out a bit thick, you can always add a bit of extra ice or water. This recipe makes about 2 ½ smoothies. The fat boyfriend and I each have one for breakfast then I usually finish the leftovers when I get home. If you get up super early, you can always make it the night before and give it a stir before you drink it.

Ingredients

1 apple

½ a beetroot

⅓ of a carrot

2-3 baby oranges

2 inches of ginger (use as much as you like)

1 tablespoon of chia seeds (get them on i-Herb)

200ml of orange juice

Directions

Start by putting the softest ingredients in first, so for me its the oranges, apple, beetroot, ginger then finally the carrot. How finely you chop depends on your blender. If you have a vitamix, you probably don’t need to chop at all. 1-2cm pieces work for me, but if your blender is especially crappy you can always grate the beetroot carrot and apple. Then add the chia seeds. If you are unfamiliar with chia seeds, I urge you to get on i-Herb and give them a try. They don’t taste of anything and they are great for cleaning the toxins out of your liver. Once it’s all in add the orange juice and blend. If it’s a bit thick, a handful of ice cubes usually gets things going again. Serve in a recycled coffee cup and head to work feeling smug about how healthy you are. Happy 2014 everyone!

January 8, 2014 0 comment

Cafes / Takeaways / Bars Drinks & Cocktails

Cider

written by fatgirlkr

Being a Somerset girl I am particularly fond of Cider. But when I first arrived in Korea, I was rather dismayed to find that there was rather a lack of cider on the fair peninsula. I scoured the bars and finally found that they served it at The Wolfhound in Itaewon. It was on this night almost 5 years ago that I met my fiancé. If it wasn’t for cider, we probably never would have met. So it shall always have a special place in my heart for this reason alone.

Luckily for all you lovely cider lovers out there, things have moved on quite a lot in the past five years. This month I even wrote a piece about cider for Chips maps!!! If you haven’t heard of Chip’s maps you should run right out now and grab yourself a copy from your neighbourhood bar in Itaewon. It’s a fun, fantastic, and free magazine which has all the latest happenings in the Itaewon area. In the article I gave my top 5, but I like to go the extra mile for you my dear fans so here are the top 10!

1. My top place has to go to Bulmers Pear. I was always a fan of this one at home, so I was thrilled to finally find it here. For me it is the best pear cider available in Korea an always quenches my thirst. Available at Bonny’s in cans for 7,000 won.

2. Magners – Magners is finally available in draft form in various bars around Seoul. They even have their own bar at the IFC Mall in Yuiedo. It’s by far and away the nicest cider available on draft. The cheapest price in Itaewon is at the Bull and Barrel where it costs a mere 8,000 a pint.

3. Hunters Gold – You may have discovered by now that I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I prefer my cider slightly sweeter too. So I love this South African offering. It also comes in a dry variety for those who don’t like it quite so sweet. Available at Phillies, Bonny’s, Scrooges and Braai Republic for around 6,000 a bottle.

4. Savannah Dry – I tried this for the first time, on my cider crawl and was pleasantly surprised. One of my favourite bar tenders recommended drinking it with a slice of lemon and it was such a delight. Available at Braai Republic and that amazing little bottleshop in the alley behind the Hamilton Hotel.

5. Monteith’s – In particular I am a fan of the berry one, but they also have crushed pear and apple. A nice little trio of ciders hailing from New Zealand. I was stoked to see these in my local convenience mart in HBC and at Bonny’s for around 5,000.

6. Sommersby – I wasn’t overly keen on this when I first tried it. It had a very artificial sweet apply taste. I decided to pour it over the ice that had accompanied it and found that it tasted a lot better. I wont get into the cider with ice debate, but if it makes it taste better then why the hell not. At Reilly’s and The Wolfhound for 6,500.

7. Strongbow – At home I have been known to enjoy a bow or two. No it’s nothing compared to some of the local ciders we get back in the west country but its consistently good. You can even pick these up in Homeplus for about 3,000 now so it’s always worth keeping a few in the fridge.

8. Bulmers Original is pretty much available in bottles all over Itaewon. Costing around 9,000 a bottle, it’s still worth every penny to quench that summer thirst.

9. Magners pear. You may have guessed by now, that I am somewhat fond of pear cider and I sure do like the Magners one. This one is at The Wolfhound for 7,000.

10. Rock Creek – I had to have this on the list, even though it isn’t all that special now that other ciders are available. It was the original and is served at various bars all over the country. It filled that cider hole in my heart for a long time and for that I am very grateful.

For all you cider lovers out there, you may also be interested to know that down at the Wolfhound they have cider Sunday, where they knock off a 1,000 won off of everyone one of their six ciders. If that’s not a reason for a few pints then I don’t know what is.

August 23, 2013 11 comments

Recipes

Slow roasted belly pork

written by fatgirlkr

So winter is here and so are the holidays. To me that means large joints of meat. Now is the time splash out on ingredients we wouldn’t usually buy. At a Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks ago we were served up some amazing belly pork, cooked by my talented friend James. It was so good, that I immediately sent Niall out into to the cold to buy some as soon as we got home. This glorious piece of meat is for sale in Costco (I have included the label below). Be warned though its not for the faint hearted, this slab of frozen meat was a a whopping 3.7kg but priced at only 22,000(that was the smallest one)! Luckily it just about fit in my freezer. Last weekend I defrosted it and then cut it into 2 large pieces so it was able to fit in my oven. This would make a great christmas day alternative if you cant find a turkey or just if you really love pork.

Ingredients

2kg of belly pork

1 large onion

7 cloves of garlic

1 apple

Salt and pepper for rubbing

Directions

Thaw you meat thoroughly over night. When you wake in the morning cut the piece into two or three unless you have a giant oven (In which case I hate you!) Wrap up the unused pieces and put into the fridge or give to a friend (eg: me). Slice your onion and apple, then roughly chop your garlic. Then put them into the bottom of your roasting tray. If you have any fresh herbs you could put them on too, mine all died in the snow though 🙁 Score lines in the fat then rub on the salt and pepper.

Put into an oven at 140 degrees Celsius uncovered for about an hour, this helps the skin get crispy. Then loosely cover with foil and cook for another 4-6 hours. All the fat juices will collect at the boom of the pan so make sure to pour them off into a jug to save for later. You should also baste about once an hour. This was very easy for me as my oven only cooks for an hour at a time. After about two hours you may wish to remove your onions and garlic if you are hoping to use them later for your gravy. Other wise they will burn to a crisp.

Once the pork has been fully roasted remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least an hour, loosely covered in foil. Then slice your delicious meat. You can serve exactly how it is or cover the slices in a beautiful apple gravy. I made mine with the onions, garlic and apple from the roasting pan, the juice from the pork, a little red wine, and a bit of bisto for good measure. Pour over the slices to keep them soft and tender. If you’re not using it straight away this is the best method of storage. Be sure to keep your fat for roasting the potatoes, no one minds a bit of cholesterol at Christmas. Voilà there you have the best roast dinner ever!

December 7, 2012 0 comment

Drinks & Cocktails

Skittles Soju

written by fatgirlkr

There are tons of recipes out there for skittles vodka, so I decided to try skittles soju! Soju is crazy cheap here in Korea so it just makes sense to use it instead. I have to confess that my previous experience with skittles vodka was not all successful. My housemates and I threw a couple of bags of skittles into a bottle of vodka and downed it. We went to a houseparty but ten minutes later I suddenly started to feel very sick and spent the remainder of the night throwing up outside in the bushes. I knew it was time to leave when one of my housemates was carried home over the shoulder of a random man. But don’t let my tomfoolery put you off making this delightful drink. I’m convinced our problem lay in not separating the skittles into individual colors.

Ingredients

5 bags of skittles

5 empty bottles

5 bottles of soju

Directions

Separate the skittles into their different colors then put each color in a different bottle.

Top with soju and leave for 12-24 hours, shaking every now and then.

When the skittles have dissolved they will leave a white kind of scum at the top. You can remove this by pouring the soju through a coffee filter. Refrigerate and serve. Voilà a kickass rainbow themed party drink.

October 13, 2012 9 comments

Drinks & Cocktails

Sangria

written by fatgirlkr

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.

August 18, 2012 1 comment