Ok Fat Girl fans, I am about to rock your world right now so hold on to your hats. A mere two weeks ago the greatest company ever was launched in Korea. The name of that company is Y-Not takeout. These amazingly smart people have done what no one ever thought possible, delivery western food in Korea. The service is just starting out in Seoul but they plan to make it nationwide overtime. They are currently operating in the following central Seoul areas; Itaewon, Haebangchon, Kyungnidan, Hanam-dong, Yongsan Army Base and Banpo-dong.

A few months ago I was thrilled at the prospect of getting Indian food delivered to me through Chakra. But now I can get Mexican, Russian, Thai, American, African and even KFC! A bucket of the Colonel’s chicken delivered right to my bed. I’m salivating at the thought. No longer will I have to pester the Fat Boyfriend into going to Itaewon for food on hangover Sunday. I can get it delivered right to the door and the best thing is it’s all in English. No more Konglish and call backs to Pizza hut for me.

We tested the service out a few nights ago and decided to opt for some Mexican from Taco Amigo. This was actually the very first restaurant that I ate at in Itaewon nearly 6 years ago. So it’s about time that I got round to eating there again. I had forgotten how good it is. The Mexican cuisine here is actually very authentic while still offering the dishes you know and love. Even the corn tortillas taste homemade.

We placed our delivery order and  less than 45 minutes later it arrived with the kind and friendly delivery driver. You can pay with cash or card which makes it even simpler. As you can see above we ordered a chimichanga (13,000), Enchiladas Suizas (14,000), and Steak Taco set (10,000)which came with chips, rice, and beans. All this for only 41,000 and I didn’t even have to leave the sofa. I’m living the dream.

To check out the ever list of restaurants check their website. The site will tell you which ones are open and which are closed.  You can also order from more than one restaurant at a time. So if your fights revolve around Thai verses pizza as ours often do, peace will be resumed as you can have both, you just have to pay two delivery fees. You can even order on Kakao Talk. This service is so simple to use you will be able to navigate even through the hangover induced fog. Not convinced? Well too bad I’ve got a bucket of chicken to order.

If you are sick of eating the same old foods for dinner, then you really need to order some of these fabulous Moroccan merguez sausages from France Gourmet. I wanted to treat them special, and find a dish that lived up to their taste. Just thinking about them now is making my mouth water. It’s hard to describe their taste, I guess they are a kind of spicy sausage. But not spicy in a hot way, spicy in an amazing flavourful way. So much taste and flavour I could burst. I’ve never had a sausage like it. These caramelised onions and peppers were the perfect accompaniment along with couscous. You could also add a drizzle of tzatziki if you have the ingredients to hand.

Ingredients

500g of Merguez sausages

1 large onion

2 red peppers

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of couscous

1 cup of hot water

3 tablespoons of raisins

Directions 

1. Heat a frying pan to medium and add just a drop of oil, you don’t need much as the sausages have plenty of fat in them. Fry on each side for about 5 – 10 minutes until browned and cooked through. While the sausages are cooking, slice the onion, aubergines, and peppers. When the sausages are done, remove them from the pan but leave the fat.

2. Add your peppers, aubergines, and onions to the pan and cook for 10 -15 minutes until they have softened and started to caramelize. Then add the brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. While your veg is softening, prepare your couscous by putting it in a bowl with the raisins then pouring over one cup of hot water. Your cup can be any size just use equal measurements of couscous and hot water. Then cover with a plate and leave for five minutes. When it’s done, use a fork to make the couscous fluffy. Serve with your sausages and caramelized vegetables. Voilà an easy and tasty dinner which doesn’t require an oven.

Sometimes in life everything comes together and things work out perfectly. This was exactly what happened in my kitchen last Sunday when I made this fabulous cassoulet. I was toying with what to make with the Chipolata sausages that I had got from France Gourmet and thought a french sausage stew would be perfect. Obviously I didn’t have the duck confit but everything else I had ready and waiting. We even had half a loaf of stale homemade bread just begging to be used. I also subbed canoli beans for baked beans as I had some and I think if anything the tomato sauce adds to the richness of the dish. It was divine and a perfect dinner for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

500g of chipolata sausages (France Gourmet)

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

600g of baked beans

5 rashers of bacon

1 carrot

1 stick of celery

1 glass of wine

500ml of chicken stock.

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs.

150g of bread crumbs (about half a loaf)

30g of gruyere (or nicest cheese you have)

Directions

1. Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry off until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan but leave the fat. Then add the sausages and fry for a minute on each side to brown them, then remove from the pan too.

2. Roughly chop the onions, garlic and celery. Then pour the bacon fat into a large saucepan. Heat then add the onions, fry for a minute or two before adding the celery, garlic and carrots. After a few minutes add the sausages and bacon to the pot then pour in a glass of wine, let the wine reduce then add to the stock and bring to the boil.

3. Once the stew is boiling reduce the head and stir in the beans, season with salt and pepper and add the mixed herbs. Cook for another 5 minutes, then taste the sauce, it should already be delicious by this point. While the stew is cooking grate or tear the bread into pieces of crumbs.

4.  Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius, then put half of the stew into your dish then top with half the breadcrumbs. Top with the second half of the stew and then again with the second half of the bread crumbs.

5. Pop the the whole thing in the oven for 30 minutes, although keep an eye on the top. If the breadcrumbs look like they might burn, cover it with foil. After 30 minutes grate the Gruyere onto the top and return it to the oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown. Serve by itself or with mashed potato or polenta.

Last week I found out about a new gourmet salad company. I love a nice salad and back in London I would always buy them from my favourite place for lunch. So the fact that this one delivers is amazing!!! It can be so hard to find a healthy and tasty lunch. I make my own each morning  but I know that’s not possible for everyone and even I deserve a treat and a lie in sometimes. Even if you do have shops near your job it can be difficult to find the time to nip out and get something. This way you can order on the phone and have it delivered whenever is convenient.

When the salad arrives they come in a sleek black box all wrapped up with a bow. It’s just like getting a gift! It also comes with a bottle of separate dressing. The bottle is large, at least 100ml, which I love. Too many times there is not enough dressing to go around and no one wants to eat plain lettuce. I even had enough left to use on my own salad the next day. It also comes with a knife and fork ready to eat it.

I ordered the American Cajun salad (9,000). This one had cajun chicken, which had a nice tasty coating on the outside without being too over powering. The salad itself was a nice combination of lettuce, hard boiled quail egg, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, and cheese. It came with the pine french dressing.

I also tried an Italian Caesar (9,000). A decent caesar salad can be hard to find in Seoul but this one didn’t disappoint at all. Plenty of lettuce, freshly shaved parmesan, and breaded pieces of chicken. The accompanying sauce was also delicious and again there was plenty of it. No one likes a dry caesar.

I also had to try the luxurious Australian Wakyu (24,000). In this elite salad was the lovely rare wakyu slices of beef, avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, quail eggs, onion, and lettuce. It also came with the pine french dressing. This salad was also great but I think I preferred the first two. Plus it’s a little expensive for me, although would be a nice treat for high flying executives.

Obviously some of the salads may seem expensive but they are restaurant quality and they can be delivered. Plus I know that not all of my readers are teachers and some of my most fervent fans are among Seoul’s High Flyers. For more information including their locations and menu check out their website.

So, a few months ago I discovered France Gourmet. They are an amazing online French deli that delivers all over Korea. They have a fab range of ingredients that I had no idea were even attainable here, like Chipolata sausages and rillettes! I decided to order up a package of meaty treats for my beloved for Valentines Day, because nothing quite says I love you like a box of meat. We all know how a package of familiar and tasty ingredients can be just the thing to make your day a little bit more bearable.  Which is probably why I end up ordering so much from iHerb!

The first thing I knew I had to get was the Paris Ham (8,000 for 200g). The Fat Boyfriend is a big ham lover, but doesn’t really get to eat it much here in Korea. A great deli can be hard to find but they do exist, Deli Heinzenberg in Sinsa and Suji’s deli in Itaewon come to mind. But unless you live close to those areas the opportunity to get real ham is somewhat slim. I used this fab ham to make The Fat Boyfriend the best cheese and ham sandwich he has ever had.
He devoured the whole pack in less than a day and has already requested that we order some more soon.

As well as the ham I ordered a pack of the chipolata sausages (16,000 for 500g). A huge hefty pack, these sausages were so tasty. I used them to make a French  cassoulet which was so tasty and comforting. I promise to share the recipe soon.

I also got a pack of the merguez (18,000 for 500g). I do enjoy a nice meaty sausage, and theses ones were spectacular. These Moroccan style beef sausages are full of flavour. A spicy taste without being hot. I made this divine dish of sausages, caramelized onions, aubergine, and red peppers served with couscous. They can also be used to make an amazing french bread sandwich.

Spreadable meat fans should definitely try the Rillettes (8,000 for 200g) or Cognac Pate (8,000 for 200g). I love the rillettes, it’s a more meaty texture than the pate, but The Fat Boyfriend favoured the pate. We had some friends over, opened a bottle of wine and got ourselves a few baguettes and dinner was served. It was perfect, and no hassle, before long both jars were empty and the bread was gone.

As well as the aforementioned goodies, they also have Salami and chorizo available for 15,000 per 200g unit. As well as cheese, and a variety of roast beefs. I’ve got some of the chorizo and plan on using it to make a  killer paella!

If you too would like to tantalize your taste-buds with some France Gourmet goodies then check out their website for the price list, full menu and to place your order. Deliveries are done twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays and its free if you order over 100,000 worth of products. Happy Shopping!

On Sunday night I had some of the best Indian food I have eaten in Seoul.While enjoying a lovely cold evening in watching episodes of Elementary, we were deciding what on earth to have for dinner. Now usually Sunday is pizza Sunday in our house. However I  got rather drunk on Friday night and pizza Sunday was moved to Saturday. It was crazy cold so neither of us wanted to go out for dinner and I had forgotten to take the lamb out of the freezer to make the stew I was planning on. “I kinda fancy Indian,” I told The Fat Boyfriend wondering if I could persuade him to go up to Itaewon. “Hmm, I could do that I suppose,” he agreed. I sat googling Indian restaurants in Itaewon looking for menus so we could place a collection order. When lo and behold I came across Chakraa who actually deliver!!! Hurrah, hurrah indeed. Now despite living in the foreign food capital of Seoul, we still have very few delivery options. Except for Korean food, chicken, or pizza. HBC also doesn’t really have a great lot of take away options either these days since Indigo shut down. There are of course the wonderful sandwiches from Casablanca, burgers from about 20 different restaurants, or fish and chips, but that’s it. We can of course cross the bridge and go to Kyungnidan but crossing a bridge really requires a lot of effort. So to find another delivery option available to us is pretty much heaven on a plate. Please let me know if you know of any others.

Chakraa has a huge menu filled with curries of every imaginable kind. We ordered a butter chicken and a lamb rogan josh. The butter chicken (15,000) was exceptionally tasty, one of the nicest I have ever had, full of flavour while still being mild. It had good hints of coconut too. The lamb rogan josh (15,000) again was good, the sauce tasty and plenty of lamb. It was of a medium heat. Both curries were of a good size making them worth the money.

We also ordered chiken tikka (9,000). Boneless pieces of tandoori baked chicken, full of flavour and a good sized portion. I was thrilled to bits with these. I love my appetizers so we ordered the Samosas 4 pieces (5,000) These samosas were good, dare I say it even nicer than the ones at Everest. Lovely thick pastry outsides, filled with yummy curry potatoes in the middle, a must try.

We also ordered some Onion bhajis (9,000) for about 7. I love, love, love these at home but have yet to see them on a menu in Korea. They didn’t really look like the ones we get at home, but they were still deep fried onion bhaji goodness and I’m sure I would order them again.

Garlic naan (2,500) is an absolute must when I order a curry. I could live without rice but not garlic bread goodness. there are also a few other varieties of bread you can try. I will definitely be placing another order soon.

Chakraa restaurant is located at Seoul Yongsan-gu, Hannam-dong 28-9 if you would like to visit them in person. If you are lazy like me and live in Hanam dong, Itaewon, Haebangchon, Songtan, Nonhyun dong, U.N Village, or Oksu dong then order up a delivery! Delivery times are 12pm-3pm and  5pm-9.30pm,  minimum order 20,000. For more info including the menu, please check out their website or call Call 02-796-2255.

Calling all Suwonites!!! There is also a branch in Suwon  at 2F, 436-45, Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu, suwon-si, gyeonggi-do. This branch also delivers to Maetandong and Yountong areas.

So this week I have been a very happy camper indeed. Not just because I still have a whole shelf in my fridge dedicated to the chocolate I brought back from home, but also because I have 400g of goats cheese. I really can’t begin to tell you how much I love goats cheese. It is certainly up in my top 3. Obviously in Korea goats cheese is expensive and hard to find, right? Wrong. Goats cheese is easy to find is you contact the amazingly awesome people at Waeg Farm. A fabulous farm full of goats that make the milk that makes the cheese. Hurrah. No more trips to Hong Kong just to get that goaty goodness. Check out their website for details on how to order yours.

Since I had this premium ingredient I felt compelled to really do it some justice and make something proper out of it, however tempting it was just to eat it smeared on the Fat Boyfriend’s sourdough and have it topped with onion jam. No, no, no an ingredient of this caliber deserved it’s own recipe. I recently made the most magnificent tart whilst I was at home. If you’re a fan of my facebook page I’m sure you would have seen it. It was pure culinary perfection but really it was just shop bought puff pastry with a a few of my favourite ingredients thrown on top. A treat for the taste buds but ever so easy, any novice could knock one up in 10 minutes. But for this I decided I would go the whole hog and make my own pastry. Yes, I could have just walked to Itaewon and bought some pre-made, and yes I did think about it, but that’s not really fair to you now readers is it. So even though I’m crap at making pastry I gave it my best shot and it actually turned out great. Paul Hollywood you are a legend!

Ingredients

Short crust pastry (Paul Hollywood’s recipe)

250g of flour

125g of cubed butter (chilled)

50ml cold water

2 egg yolks

A pinch of salt

Filling 

300ml of cream

3 eggs

100g of cheddar cheese

75g of goats cheese

3 rashers of bacon

1 onion

1 bunch of spinach

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start by making the pastry. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Then add the butter cubes in and rub together using your finger tips until it forms a bread crumb like texture.

2. Add the egg yolks and start to mix with your hands, before slowly adding the water and mix until it comes together to form a ball. Do not overwork the pastry, as soon as it’s a ball, press it down to form a disk with your fingers, wrap it in cling-film, and put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours to chill.

3. When the pastry has had it’s rest, roll it out on a floured surface. Make sure you roll it out so it’s large enough to fit in your tin. Put the pastry in your tin, press it down so it’s nice and snug and leave an overhang over the edges.

4. Bake in the oven at 180 for about 15 minutes until the pastry has cooked and its golden brown. Trim the edges and leave to cool.

5. Cut the bacon into chunks and fry in a pan. Thinly slice the onion and add to a corner of the pan. When the onion and bacon is almost done, make a space and add the spinach leaves and cook until wilted.

6. To assemble the quiche, first add the cheddar cheese, then the bacon and onions, then the spinach and top with the goats cheese. Whisk the eggs and cream together then season with the salt, pepper and paprika, you could also add a pinch of mixed herbs. Pour the the filling into the quiche almost to the top. Pop in the oven and bake at 170 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until the custard has set in the middle. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan and serving. Can be enjoyed hot or cold.

You can also switch the ingredients up a bit, I added tomatoes to my second quiche.

I was compelled to make this after I tried the amazing jalapeño hummus from the fabulous people at Hummus in Korea. We eat a truckload of hummus in our house, mainly because I always have lots left over from my batches that I sell. I’m always looking to make things a bit different, otherwise I would go insane eating the same hummus day after day as a work snack. I haven’t quite mastered this recipe as it’s not as lovely as the one made by the Hummus in Korea professionals but it added a nice kick that wasn’t too hot or spicy. I’d certainly urge you to give it a try if you are in the mood for something a little different.

Ingredients

Hummus

400g of Chickpeas (soaked weight)

10 slices of jalapeño (they come in a jar)

2-4 tablespoons of olive oil

1-2 tablespoons of cumin

1-2 lemons

1-2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of pepper pepper

Tahini

100ml of olive oil

3-5 cloves garlic

100g of sesame seeds

Directions

The first thing you need to do is soak your chickpeas. This can take between 6 hours to overnight. The longer the better in my opinion. After they have been soaked, you need to cook them. This can take a while. I usually cook mine in the rice cooker because you don’t have to top up the water as often and they won’t burn. If not you can cook them in a pan of water, they will take between 2-3 hours. Or you can skip this step and buy a can. When your chick peas are done, drain them but make sure you keep hold of that water, you will need it for the hummus.

The next step is to blend the chickpeas, you may need to do this in a couple of batches depending on the size of your blender. If they are too hard to blend, use a little of the hummus water to get things going. Some like their hummus chunky and rugged others like it smooth and silky, so blend until you get the consistency you’re happy with. If you want want an ultra silky hummus then peel off all of the skins of the chick peas before blending. It’s a pain in the ass so I never do it. Also my hummus is generally made in industrial style batches so it would probably take me a month to do it, plus I’m very lazy.

You can buy tahini in the foreign food mart in Itaewon and on iHerb and various other stores. It’s also very easy to make. Just place the garlic, sesame seeds, and olive oil in a blender and blend for a few minutes until the seeds have been pulverized.

Once the chick peas are blended, place in a large bowl and stir in the tahini and lemon juice. Then the salt, pepper, and cumin. Hummus is a very personal food, so start by adding a little of each at a time until you get a taste you’re happy with. A lot of factors can affect the taste of hummus so you rarely use the exact same amount of each ingredient every time. I always get the best results when the chick peas are warm.

To make the hummus jalapeño flavoured, blend your jalapeños with a little olive oil until you have a paste then stir it into the hummus. Use as much or as little as you need to suit your own tastes. Serve with your favourite dipping apparatus and enjoy. Voilà jalapeño flavoured hummus.

Hello from Bali everyone!!! I am currently lying on a sun lounger next to a gorgeous private pool and getting drunk on a deliciously fruit cocktail. Being the selfless, kind and wonderful girl that I am though, I worked extra hard last week to make sure that I had plenty of posts about yummy treats to keep you going whilst I am off enjoying myself.  So here’s a little post about where to shop and find those elusive foreign items.

I often receive comments telling me that I use far too many hard to get ingredients. Living in Itaewon I know I have life easier than most. However it is possible to get these things even when you live out in the sticks. I didn’t always live in the heart of Seoul and had to learn to be resourceful. No matter how hungover I was, I would never leave Seoul without a trip to the foreign food mart, buying as many lovely things as I could carry. Obviously for those living down south, trips to Seoul may not be as regular, but there are still plenty of ways to get the things you want.

EZShop is a great online site that will deliver all manner of lovely products to your home within 2-3 days of you placing an order. They have 1000’s of awesome items, scoured from here there and everywhere. It’s more or less like an online version of the foreign food mart.

It would be impossible for me to write everything they sell but here’s a quick run down of the hard to find or coveted items.

Meat – lamb chops, rack of lamb, bacon, steaks, sausages, chorizo, salami, and prosciutto.

Vegetarian Specialties  – Vegetarian ham, vegetarian steaks, vegan chocolate chips, soy burgers, and vegetarian sausage.

Frozen – French fries, waffles, tortillas, spring rolls, puff pastry, hash browns, ravioli, smoked salmon, and scallops.

Cheese and Dairy – Sour cream, ricotta, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Cheddar, Cheshire, cream, fresh mozzarella, feta, halloumi, Gouda, muenster, Gruyere and Emmental.

Dried – Spices, condiments – Sriracha, maple syrup, food coloring, taco seasoning and couscous.

Sweets and crisps – Twizzlers, Haribo gummy bears, Reece’s pieces, salt and vinegar kettle chips, Pop tarts, spinach and artichoke chips, Frito’s and pretzels.

As well as tonnes of food, they also sell beauty products, home gadgets, and English books for those who have yet to buy a kindle. Yes this site is more expensive than if you sourced it yourself. I’d say a 10-20% mark up on everything, but realistically how much is your time worth. If you live far away from your nearest Costco, paying a bit extra to get it delivered is worth your while.

You can pay using a Korean or foreign bank card, or just do a transfer. If you spend over 250,000 and pay by bank transfer shipping is absolutely free. Split an order with a few mates after pay day and you’re laughing! Even if you do live reasonably close to Seoul, with all this rain, it’s well worth paying a few extra bucks to get it all delivered. Happy shopping everyone!

Ah hummus, there is nothing like a big tub with pita bread or chips while watching a movie. Sadly too many people in Korea, are living a life without hummus. I can’t bear to think about the suffering that some of you have to bear, constantly longing for this delicious yet healthy dip. For those living in and around Itaewon, finding hummus is no problem at all. You can even buy my hummus if you are lucky enough to live in Hae Bang Chon. But what about everyone else? You can make your own of course, check out my recipes here or here. But for some, all that soaking and blending is just too much hard work. You shouldn’t  be deprived  of all that chickpea goodness just because your lazy. Don’t worry salvation is here in the form of Hummus In Korea.

Hummus in Korea, delivers hummus directly to your door. Luckily for us delivery companies are setting up all the time, bringing us more and more of the foods  that we miss from home. So now you can have your hummus delivered, and eat it too. So it was about time I got to try some of this fabulous hummus. Coming in 6 delicious flavours (garlic, red pepper, olive, egg plant, jalapeno and spicy),  there is something for everyone. Prices vary between 5,550 – 7,000. You can buy packs of 4 (24,000) to save money or just choose your favourites.

I’m not going to lie, I tried five. After all, fat girls don’t get fat by just choosing one flavour. They were all good, but here are my favourite 3.

My top spot is a close call but I would have to give it to the roasted red pepper. A glorious orange colour and delicious taste of roasted red peppers throughout. Couldn’t get enough of this one. It was just as tasty as I hoped it would be.

Second place was surprisingly jalapeno heaven. It was the one I was least looking forward to, and thought I could just palm it off on my boyfriend. However after one fingerful, I knew he wouldn’t be getting any. It had the essence and flavour of jalapeno without being too hot or spicy. It was perfectly mild and delicious. In fact I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this one since and will have to try having a go at making my own. Be sure to add this one to your order.

My third favourite was probably the crazy for garlic. The regular hummus we all know and love with extra garlic. It was well balanced and the garlic was not at all over bearing, like some can be.

To make things even better for you, hummus in Korea sell pita bread too. Sold in packs of 1 for 1,500 or 3 for 4,000 don’t forget to add a few to your order.

Fat girl I hear you cry, how can we get our hands on this wondrous hummus? Well here’s how. Click here to get to the website, fill out the form and click place order. Do a simple bank transfer to pay and sit back and relax while you wait for your delicious delivery. Delivery costs 4,500 and they deliver  Tuesday- Friday and it generally takes between 24-48 hours. Pretty cool right. Visit the website for more details and to place orders.