You may be well aware by now that we are big lamb lovers in our house. We just can’t get enough of that sheepy goodness. However, lamb options in Korea are sadly rather limited. So when I discovered a bag of New Zealand leg of lamb shavings in the Foreign food mart, I just had to have it. I would more or less describe them as lamb sam gyub sal. It cost about 10,000 for 1kg. I decided to make some home-made lamb gyros and they went down a storm. Quick and easy to make, a great dinner on a hot summers eve.

Ingredients

Gyros

500g of frozen lamb shavings

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of coriander

A pinch of chili powder (or as much as you like)

4 tortillas

1/2 a red onion

1 tomato

1 small handful of lettuce

1/2 a cucumber

Tzatziki

250g of plain yogurt

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/4 of a cucumber

1 clove of garlic

12 mint leaves

A small pinch of salt.

Directions

To make the tzatziki put the yogurt in a bowl, add the lemon juice and salt, and stir. Finely chop the mint leaves and cucumber and add to the yoghurt. Crush the garlic and  stir into the tzatziki. Leave for about 20 minutes to marinate.

Wash your salad leaves and slice the tomato, onion, and cucumber and set aside. In a dry frying pan, fry the lamb shavings for a minute or two before adding the cumin, coriander and chili powder. Fry until the lamb has cooked through. Warm the tortillas by cooking on each side for one minute in the frying pan.  When everything is ready, assemble and devour. Voilà homemade lamb gyros.

Summer is here, and things are hotting up. We all need to cool off and also make sure we are still getting our daily soju allowance. Enter the Soju Pop Cocktail. Recommended to me by one of my good friends this was too good for me not to share, even if I can’t really take much credit for it. It’s the perfect drink to refresh you on a hot Summer’s day when you’re sat outside your local convenience store. Choose your favourite ice-lolly ( I used a strawberry and apple 스그류), grab a bottle of cider and a bottle of Soju, and you’re ready to make delightful summer drink. If you are a classy kinda drunk like me, feel free to replace the soju with your favourite flavoured vodka.

Ingredients

300ml of lemonade/cider/sprite (UK/ROK/USA)

100ml of Soju (or vodka)

1 ice lolly (Popsicle)

Directions

Take one large glass, a 1 pint beer glass pilfered from your local bar works perfectly. Add the soju and top up with lemonade. Unwrap your chosen ice lolly and put it into your drink, and keep stirring until the ice lolly has melted off the stick. Drink and enjoy. Repeat if necessary. Voilà the Soju Pop Cocktail. Sweet Summer salvation.

After making my lovely key lime pie, I wondered if the mix would work as well with lemons. It certainly did, plus I had the added bonus of being able to use fresh lemons instead of concentrate without having to bankrupt myself. It was still quick and easy to make and totally delicious. You can also make it with just a trip to your local Korean mart.

Ingredients

200g of digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)

100g of butter

1 can of condensed milk

3-4 lemons (zest and juice)

3 egg yolks

200ml of whipping cream

Directions

Crush the digestive biscuits until they resemble fine bread crumbs. You can do this with your blending or smacking them up a bit with a rolling pin.  If you wrap them in a tea towel and keep them in the packet, you can prevent making a big old 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 lemon zest and 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 lemon and a little zest too. Serve with more cream and strawberries. . Voilà the lovely lemon pie.

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.

For a reasonably small store the Pinoy Mart is very well stocked. They have a huge variety of foods and ingredients. I have tried to take as many pictures as possible to show what they have.

For the bakers among you they have various baking supplies such as powder sugar, chocolate chips, pie crusts, sprinkles, flavoured extracts, food dyes and plenty of Betty Crocker boxed mixes and ready-made icing.

They also have a refrigerator chocked full with  dairy products including, cream cheese, ricotta,  cottage cheese, butter, cream, half and half, spray cream and a large variety of cheeses. My dips and hummus can also be found there.

There are snacks and candy galore, including Peanut-butter Cups, Twizzlers, Tim Tams, Cheetos, Sour cream ruffles and plenty more.

The drinks selection hosts a wide variety of beers and soft drinks. They also have some pre-made mixers such as Margarita mix and Bloody Mary mix, which I can personally vouch for. They have cans of Clamato, the Canadian’s favourite beverage. They also have a freezer filled with goodies, along with canned and dried food and a large selection of herbs and spices, as well as other goods.

If there is anything you want and they don’t have they will try their best to get it for you. So pay them a visit and stock up on my goodies if you are in the area.

The Pinoy Mart is located in Hae Bang Chon. Take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6) . Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 200 meters and take the first left and walk straight along the road with all the kimchi pots. Keep walking along that road for about 200 meters. You will pass by Noa, HBC Galbi Jib, and Burgermine. Its on the right just next to a chicken restaurant and opposite Fix. You can call them on 010-2664-2221.

I’m rather partial to goat’s cheese. The creamy taste, the velvety texture and the gooey inside. Sadly in Korea its not all that easy to come by. In fact I don’t think I have bought any since I have been here. Luckily I visited Hong Kong last week and picked some up. I pondered what to make and decided I would use up the pastry I had sitting in the freezer and would make some tarts. You just cant beat a goats cheese tart. The pastry and cheese are such a winning combination. I always choose this if it’s on a menu.

Ingredients

1/2 a round of goats cheese (about 100g, I think they sell in it in Shinsegae department store)

8 squares of puff pastry. ( I found mine at the foreign food mart in Itaewon in the freezer section)

250g of spinach

4 rashers of bacon(optional)

150ml of tomato sauce (I always keep a jar of homemade in the fridge.)

Fresh parmesan

1 beaten egg

2 tablespoon of onion jam (you can find mine at the Pinoy mart)

A knob of butter

Directions

If using the bacon cook on high in an oven until its very crispy, I had some to use up, which is why I added it, but I think it worked rather well. Finely chop the spinach and then wilt in  a pan in a knob of butter. Once the spinach has wilted take the pan off the heat and crumble in the goats cheese and bacon. Grate in some fresh parmesan and stir well. Add in in a couple of tablespoons of onion jam and tomato sauce (homemade or store  bought).

To make my tomato sauce finely chop an onion and about 5 cloves of garlic. Fry off in a little olive oil until softened. Throw the onions into a blender along with 5-6 tomatoes or a can of tomatoes. If tomatoes are cheap I use fresh, in the winter its usually canned. Add a tablespoon of mixed herbs and blend. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes. I usually add a tablespoon of tomato ketchup at this point too, to sweeten it up. I also add glug or two of red wine if I have some open. I change the sauce slightly depending on what I’m making but this is a basic I would use for lots of things.

Take the pastry square and make 4 slices down the middle of two of the pieces being careful not to cut through to the end. Put a few tablespoons of the goats cheese spinach mixture into the piddle of the uncut pastry square leaving a the edges free. Brush the edges with the beaten egg then place the scored piece on top. Press down the edges to make sure it’s joined together. Then brush the beaten egg over the top. Bake in an oven at about 180 degrees celcius for about 15- 20 minutes or until the pastry has cooked through. Be careful to check the bottom layer as its easy to have this under cooked.  If you notice mine on the picture it is a little underdone and I had to put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes. If the tops are getting too brown cover the tarts with foil. Enjoy on their own or with a side salad. Voilà easy goats cheese tarts, a food I never though I would enjoy in Korea.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, tra la la la la la la la la! Usually the most effective way to make me jolly, is to ply me with booze. So with that in mind, I though it was time to get stuck into the Christmas spirit quite literally and get some Christmas themed booze down my neck as soon as humanly possible. What’s more festive than a glass or 5 of mulled wine? Sourcing the ingredients for mulled wine can be a little tricky if you didn’t bring any from home, but it is certainly possible. The main thing is to get the wine, sugar, and oranges. Then just use whatever spices you can get hold of. They have quite a good selection in the foreign food mart in Itaewon. But various things can be found at Home-plus and E mart so don’t worry if you don’t have everything, just use whatever you can find. The wine is the main feature here.

Ingredients

2 bottles of red wine (nothing fancy here, time to break out the Carlo Rossi)

200g of white sugar

2 oranges

1 lemon

2 cinnamon sticks (Pinoy Mart, foreign food mart)

8 cloves (found at Bangsan market)

2 star anise (foreign food mart)

1 teaspoon of mixed all spice

1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg

Directions

Pour a glass or two of wine into the saucepan along with the sugar and spices. Bring to boil for about 5- 10 minutes until it has thickened and formed a syrup. Once it has become syrupy, add the rest of the wine and continue to heat until it is simmering. Once it is simmering, reduce the heat to very low. Pour your wine into a glass and enjoy. Repeat until cheeks are rosy and you are full of festive joy and cheer. Merry Christmas!

Since I have discovered the lamb mince at the Foreign food mart in Itaewon, I have decided it is about time to get a little bit more lamb in my life. Last week I was really craving a nice big juicy lamb burger, so I planned to make these for dinner. I even got up a little early and make some homemade buns to put them in. It was one of the best dinners we have had in a long time and I’m so glad I made that extra effort to get out of bed so we could have fresh bread. It really did make all the difference. I even whipped up a batch of my onion jam to go inside them. Which is now available to buy at the Pinoy Mart. If you want to make your own bread rolls too, just follow my recipe for herby garlic bread but shape them into rolls instead of one big loaf. The other day I was even lucky enough to find fresh coriander in my local Korea supermarket so keep an eye out for it.

Ingredients

1kg lamb mince (bought at the foreign food mart in Itaewon)

1 onion

4 cloves of garlic

1 large bunch of coriander (local Korean mart, if you cant find it use the dried)

1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin

1 egg

100g of panko crumbs

Directions

Finely chop the onions and garlic then fry off in a little olive oil for a few minutes until translucent. Mix the mince lamb with the cumin, chopped coriander fried garlic and onion. Then stir in the panko crumbs and beaten egg. Form into burger shapes (I made 4) then fry or bake them in the oven until they are cooked through. This may take a while in a frying pan so its best to keep them on a low heat to stop them burning. Once they are done pop them into a homemade bun with a slice of cheese and some onion jam. Serve with homemade potato wedges.

To make the potato wedges cut a few potatoes into wedges. Toss with a little olive oil and some sea salt then bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Voilà the best ever homemade burger and chips.

So after month and months of thinking and considering if this is a good idea, I  have finally decided to bring out a few of my culinary creations to sell. I will only be making them on a small scale, I am not a production line! They will be sold at the Pinoy Mart in HBC. I chose the Pinoy Mart for two reasons, number one it is very close, and number two the lady there is very lovely (basically she let me). I have lots of ideas for things I will be selling, depending on the time and season. First up is my Onion Jam and Tomato and Herb Focaccia bread. So be sure to get down there quick and secure yourself some before its all gone.

Here’s a sneak preview of my bread and jams. Are you impressed with my label making skills? Who would have thought I’d had it in me, certainly not me after the great christmas cookies decorating dilemma. Clearly I do have a slight touch of creative talent somewhere within me. For those of you not familiar with onion jam, it is amazeballs for want of a better word. Sticky, sweet and slightly sour oniony goodness. Goes amazingly on burgers, cheese and crackers, and cream cheese bagels.

I also decided to sell my tomato and herb focaccia bread, mainly because I think it’s pretty damn good and one of the best things I make. Incidentally it goes perfectly with the onion jam.

So if you would like to stock up on some Fat Girl Onion Jam or Focaccia bread then head to the Pinoy Mart in Hae Bang Chon. To get to the Pinoy Mart take a train to Noksapyeong station (Line 6). Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 200 meters and take the first left and walk straight along the road with all the kimchi pots. Keep going straight along that road, you will pass Noa, Burgermine, and a chicken shop. The Pinoy Mart is just on your right opposite Fix.

Who would have thought it, me and my toaster oven are capable of making a fully formed cake. To celebrate my 100th post I baked myself this amazingly good (even if i do say so myself) red velvet cake. This is the first time I have ever made red velvet cake, so I didn’t want to go messing around with the recipe. I just used the one from The Joy of Baking. I’ve been obsessed with watching “The Great British Bake Off”, lately and it sends me (or should I say Niall) hurtling off to the shops in search of ingredients for me to satisfy my baking urges. Generally baking is not my forte, I’m just too keen to tamper with the recipes which usually alters the results with sometimes disastrous consequence. However, throughout my TV marathon, I must have actually managed to learn a few things as I have really upped my game in the baking stakes. First the bread and now this marvelous cake. I have to confess that as the eater of the large majority of the cake (with a little bit of help from Niall and Tor) I think it was pretty damn good. But don’t take my word for it, have a go yourself and celebrate my 100th post with me.

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

250g of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (dutch or regular)

113g or one stick of butter

300g white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk (just put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a cup of normal milk and leave for five minutes)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

2 tablespoons of red food coloring (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar (foreign food mart)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

White Chocolate Butter Cream

113g of butter (1 stick, room temperature)

150g cream cheese (philadelphia)

150g of white chocolate

250g of icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

Grease your cake tin and preheat the oven to about 185 degrees celsius. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well, either with an electric mixer or by hand, then add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl sift the flour cocoa powder and salt. Add one third of the flour mix into the butter and sugar and fold in with a metal spoon in a figure of 8 movement (do not whisk). Add the red food coloring to the buttermilk then add half of it to the cake mix. Stir together then add another third of the flour. Mix in the second half of the buttermilk then finish with the last third of the flour. In a cup mix together the vinegar and the baking soda then quickly add it to the cake mix and stir thoroughly. Next put the mixture straight into the cake tin and into the oven. This step helps the cake to rise.

Bake your cake for around 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is firm but springy to the touch. When the cake is done take it out of the oven and leave it to rest for 5 minutes then remove it from your tin and allow to cool completely before wrapping in clingfilm and putting it in the fridge for about 4 hours or overnight. This will help you to slice the layers more easily. If you are too eager the cake can tear when you cut into it (as mine did).

To make the buttercream melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir and leave to cool slightly. Beat together the butter and the cream cheese. When the chocolate is still melted but not hot (you don’t want to melt the butter) add to the butter and cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the the vanilla extract and stir in the icing sugar until the butter cream has thickened to the right consistency. Leave at room temperature. If you put it into the fridge it will set and make it hard to frost the cake.

When the cake has been properly chilled, level off the top if it is not flat. Then cut the cake into two layers. Spread a thick layer of the buttercream onto the cake taking care to fill it evenly all the way up to the edges. Put your second layer on the top then put a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake, this is called a crumb coating. Put it back into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.  It doesn’t have to be perfect as mine clearly isn’t but this will make it easier to apply the second layer of frosting.

When the crumb coating has set, apply a thick layer of the buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake. I flattened the top and side of my cake using a scraper I got at Bangsan market for 1,000 won, you could also use a palette knife if you have one. I then piped little blobs all around the outside.

I topped it with strawberry rock decorations I also got at the market.Leave to chill in the fridge again for another hour and enjoy. Voilá amazing red velvet cake, my finest baking achievement to date.