The ramen burger has become one of the latest food crazes to hit the world. Starting in New York, people were queuing up around the block to try one of these bread-less burgers. With ramen being a staple of Korean cuisine I thought it would be churlish not to give it a go myself and see what all the fuss is about. I had a burger leftover from the ones I made a few weeks ago, so all I had to do was put it together. I wouldn’t stand in a queue to try one, but it was certainly novel to try something new.

Ingredients

1 burger

2 packets of ramen

2 eggs

BBQ sauce

Spring onions

Spinach

Directions

To make the ramen buns, boil the noodles then drain them. Mix each set of noodles with a beaten egg. Wrap them in cling-film, put them in a bowl or round container, and pop them in the fridge with something heavy on the top. Leave them for an hour to firm up.

When they are firm fry the buns in a frying pan for a few minute in oil until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Serve your burger in the middle of the buns, top with the sauce, spinach and spring onions.  Check out this page from Buzzfeed for more details.

Yesterday I was making a killer sandwich. I purchased some turkey from Suji’s Deli and wanted to make something really delicious. I had my bread, turkey, and bacon but we had no mayo. I don’t like a dry sandwich so I figured I’d better whip some up. It was quick, easy, and really tasty. From now on I will be making all my own mayo.

Ingredients

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of mustard powder (optional)

1 cup olive oil (roughly)

1 lemon (zest and juice to taste)

1 teaspoon of chives

Directions

In a bowl whisk the egg yolk, salt, lemon juice, and mustard powder (if using) together until combined. Add the olive oil a little at a time and whisk. Don’t add the next bit until the last part has fully combined. Some people do this in a steady stream but I just added a little at a time and it worked perfectly.  If you add too much oil it will curdle, but don’t despair, all a fresh egg to the bowl and add the curdled mixture to it a little at a time until you are back on track. After a while you should see it turn and become thicker like mayo. Keep adding  as much oil as you like until you are happy with the taste.Then add the zest and lemon juice to give it that lemony flavour. I also stirred in some chives. Once it’s ready smear it all over your favourite sandwich or just dip your finger in it like I did. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge covered. Voilà home-made lemon mayo.

These egg cups are so cute and tasty; and just perfect if you are cooking breakfast for a lot of people. Scrambled eggs are boring and fried or poached eggs can be a pain in the arse if you are trying to cook more that 3 or 4 at a time. Omelettes are far too time consuming, so these are just right. If your oven is big enough you can probably fit two trays in. They can also be eaten on the go if you are in a hurry. They are quick and easy and you can easily switch up the veg if you feel like something different.

Ingredients

6 eggs

4 mushrooms

A handful of spinach

100g of grated cheese

3 small boiled potatoes (optional)

1 teaspoon of mixed herbs

A pinch of salt and pepper

A little olive oil.

Directions

Slice the mushrooms and fry in a little butter for a few minutes until cooked. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Meanwhile heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and pour a little olive oil into each cup of your muffin pan. This will stop the cups from sticking. In a bowl beat the eggs then add the salt, pepper, and mixed herbs. Stir in the cheese, then mix in cooked mushrooms and spinach. Spoon the mixture into the cups but try and leave a little room at the top as they will rise as they cook. If using top with a slice of potato. Cook for about 10 minutes or until they are cooked through in the middle.

When they are done, remove from the pan and serve with your favourite breakfast accompaniments or in an English muffin for a snack on the go.

Every time I seem to watch TV, the characters always seem to be eating Huevos Rancheros. By the time I got to the third time I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I decided to whip myself up a batch. We like to vary our brunches, especially if we aren’t going out to a restaurant. It’s a nice change from the usual weekend brunch or even as a quick and easy dinner. Perfect for the summer time.

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 tortillas (I used the 6 inch ones)

1/2 a can of black beans

3 tablespoons of salsa

1 tablespoon of sour cream

1/2 an avocado

A few sprigs of cilantro

1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning

Directions

The first step is to blend the black beans with 1 teaspoon of Mexican seasoning. You can just do this with the back of a fork if you don’t have a blender. Once the paste is formed warm it up in the microwave or a saucepan. Warm the tortillas, while you fry the eggs. chop the avocado. Put the tortilla on a plate, top with the black bean paste. Then top with the fried egg then arrange the salsa, sour cream and avocado as you like and sprinkle with cilantro. Voilà Huevos Rancheros.

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!

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.