Tag Archives: Sauce

Pulled Pork

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I had been planning on making pulled pork for weeks now. Ever since I discovered how cheap the belly pork is at Costco it has been on my shopping list. For 25,000 you can get a 4 kg slab of belly pork. That might seem a lot to the humble person living alone, but those of you of two or more, it’s certainly a bargain. I have already made slow roasted belly pork with a delicious apple gravy. But now I thought it was time to throw my hand at making pulled pork. I am a big fan of pulled pork sandwiches and regularly enjoy them at various pubs  around Itaewon. I often enjoy the one at Poutine Factory although at 8,000 it’s not so cheap, especially when you can buy belly pork and make it at home. For true and authentic pulled pork you have to roast it for many hours so you get some crispy skin in amongst all that lovely spiced meat.  However since I have already tried roasting I decided to make it in my rice cooker. Everyone has a rice cooker so I think this a great recipe for everyone. It cooked slowly in the juices and turned out great. The pork comes in such a huge piece that you have to do it in two lots. Sadly when you buy the belly pork it is already frozen so once it’s defrosted you do have to use it pretty quickly, but you can always share with a friend. The good news is though once it’s cooked you can keep it in the freezer for future use, unless you having a lot of people over for dinner. I tried two different methods of making the rub and I don’t think the outcome varied that much. You can either use a bought barbecue spice mix available at Homeplus etc or you can make your own. Just do whatever is easiest for you.

Ingredients

2kg of belly pork (you could also use shoulder)

1 large onion

6 cloves of garlic

1 litre of beer (Cass is fine)

1 bottle of barbecue sauce

Spice mix rub

3 tablespoons of molasses or dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of garlic powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of mixed herbs

1 tablespoon of sage

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions

If making your own spice mix put all of the herbs and spices in a bowl and mix thoroughly. I just used a little bit of everything I had. There are lots of recipes online if you want to be more authentic though. Place your pork fat side up into the rice cooker then top with the spices. Pour about 500ml of beer on top then place on the cook setting. After one cycle the liquid will have evaporated a lot so top it up with beer and put on another cycle. You will want to do this about 3 or 4 times overall, topping up with more beer or water when necessary. After about 4 cycles pour in half the barbecue sauce and just leave on the keep warm setting for at least 4 hours or overnight. When you awaken there will be a lot of fat on the top of the pan. Pour the fat off but try to save the juices at the bottom. Take the pork out of the rice cooker, remove the fat on the meat then shred the meat using two forks. Once the meat is has been shredded put back into the pan with the juices and pour on the other half of the barbecue sauce. Put on  for one more cycle. Skim any remaining fat that has floated to the top and enjoy your delicious pulled pork. Serve in bread rolls or tortillas. I made my own wholemeal bread rolls to make it slightly healthier. I also served it with a homemade lemon coleslaw and baked sweet potato fries. Voilà a thoroughly satisfying southern style meal.

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Cranberry Sauce

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So, as Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching it’s time to start making those holiday recipes. For all you lazy ducks out there, they currently have cranberry jelly/ sauce in the Foreign Food Mart in Itaewon . So get your ass down there fast. This is the fist year I have ever seen it, although I have been making my own for the past three years. You can use dried or frozen cranberries. Frozen ones are sold at Homeplus, and Emart, and the dried Ocean Spray ones are at Costco, and the Foreign Food Mart.

The cranberry jelly is a lot like jam, and it lasts incredibly well. I usually make a batch for Thanksgiving, although I am not American, I am more than willing to celebrate any occasion that involves food. Then if there is plenty of  it left over I have it all ready for Christmas.

We were hoping to go to Ireland this year but we have to work on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, which made it a no-go for us. Before you feel too sorry for us though, we shall be jetting off to Hong Kong on the 27th to celebrate New Years Eve.  So, all of my friend that are not going anywhere for Christmas should count themselves very lucky that I shall be here to cook them a lovely Christmas dinner. I might even stretch to a turkey this year.

Ingredients

300g dried cranberries (you can also use the frozen ones from Homeplus)v

600ml of orange juice

1 orange (zest, and fruit)

8 tablespoons of sugar

1 glass of red wine (optional)

Directions 

Put the cranberries in a saucepan then add the orange juice , and sugar, and bring to the boil. Pu the orange zest, and orange segments into the saucepan. Pour in the wine, and continue to simmer on a low to medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Or until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has thickened. When the sauce is done put into a container and leave to set in the fridge for a few hours. The jelly will keep in an airtight container for several months, if you don’t use it all. Voilà, home-made cranberry sauce. Happy Holidays!

Poutine Factory!

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So a couple of nights ago we stopped by the new restaurant on the block, Poutine Factory.  It opened last Thursday and seems to have been pretty busy since it opened its doors. As the name suggest this places serves up that Canadian classic Poutine. I have to admit that before coming to Korea I was oblivious to this tasty treat. For those not in the know, poutine is chips/french fries covered in gravy and melted cheese. Sure you can get cheesy chips or gravy and chips back home but rarely does anyone put these things together to make a batch of super chips.

Anyhow on to poutine factory. They have a variety of different kinds of poutine on the menu. We opted for a classic and the Saunders which is sweet chili shrimp. It had been a very trying hangover Monday so we got ours to go. They came served up in cute little boxes , a real improvement on the polystyrene containers we would get back home.

The classic poutine was pretty good, a generous amount of gravy and topped with authentic curds rather than the grated mozzarella you seem to get offered as cheese in most Korean establishments. Although I would like to have seen more curds on the top.

I had never tried a flavoured poutine before and I have to say I preferred it. The chili shrimp was good, although there were only 4 of them in the small portion. I would be eager to try the vegetarian option with guacamole and sour cream.

They have recently lowered their prices and a portion now runs from 9,000 -12,000. This is much better value than it used to be. They also have a special on chciken on Fridays 50% off which is such a bargain. You will more than likely see me there on a Friday night buying wings by the dozen.

As well as the various poutines, there is also a side menu consisting of chicken balls, chicken wings with a choice of various sauces, hot, teriyaki or honey garlic, garlic, cheesy garlic, thousand island, mustard etc. A side salad and a pulled pork sandwich (I do enjoy a menu that considers a sandwich to be a side dish). They also serve up draft beer and various bottled beers.

The interior had that fast food kind of vibe. This is not the kind of place to bring a date. However is a great place to come if you want to grab something quick and easy with your mates. I think places like this do pretty well in Korea, not everyone wants to sit down in a restaurant for a proper meal and they enjoy the easiness of this kind of establishment.

Poutine Factory is located at 242, Noksapyeong- Daero, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul. T get there come out of Noksapyeong station (line 6) exit 2 walk straight until you reach the overhead bridge. Walk over the bridge and take the stairs on the right. Go straight and Poutine Factory is on the left. You can call them on 070-8692-3907 or check out their facebook page.

T.G Brunch

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Last weekend I woke up feeling slighy worse for wear and needed hot brunch injection fast. Thankgod we have finally moved out the culinary desert that is Oryu dong and into to Hae Ban Chon which has a plethora of brunching options. It was so nice to finally be able to have somewhere nice to eat that didn’t involve a 45 minute train journy. Oryu dong’s brunch options include Paris Bagutte or Lotteria. Not the most appetizing start to the day.

Anyhow we decided to venture off to T.G Brunch. Since brunch is mentioned in the name, I knew we were on to a winner. We rocked up at about 1pm on Saturday to find all the table occupied, however we only had to wait a couple of minutes until a table for two became available.

They serve brunch all day and had a wide selection of breakfast style items including a full English, 8 different kinds of Benedict’s, omelettes, croissant sandwiches, scrambled eggs and a breakfast burrito. As well as the usual salads, pastas, sandwiches and burgers you would expect.

I opted for the asparagus and mushroom Benedict while Niall went for the tomato avocado bacon Benedict, both priced at 12,000.

I was starving hungry and was very pleased to see the huge portion served up for me. 2 english muffins topped with 2 poached eggs, mushrooms and asparagus spears and finished with hollandaise sauce, served with french fries and a side salad. This portion was perfect for me, but those with a smaller appetite or budget could easily share and still be satisfied. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The yoke oozed out when I cut into it and the white was perfectly firm. The first bite certainly warranted that Mmmm feeling you are looking for. The hollandaise was rich but could have done with a little bit more oomph. The asparagus and mushrooms were also well cooked and tasty. The fries were good as was the spinach side salad topped with a balsamic dressing. The only criticism I did have was that I wished the quality of the eggs was better but overall I was pretty damn happy.

I tried a bite of Nialls avocado bacon option which was also pure heaven. The avocado and tomato were what really set this dish apart. I would definitely be very tempted to go for this one next time. Although the menu had many other appealing options. We will be certain to return.

The only other point they fell short on was the lack of a bloody mary on the menu. For me going out to brunch screams bloody mary and without one it cannot be a perfect breakfast. They have wine and beer on the menu if that’s what floats your boat, but sadly it doesn’t float mine. I could always settle for a bucks fizz if they could organise some sparkling wine.

T.G Brunch is located in Kyungnidan 305-5 Itaewon -2dong, Yongsan -Gu, Seoul. You can call them on 02-749-8005. Take a train to Noksapyeong Station (Line 6) Come out of exit 2 and walk straight for about 200 meters. Go underneath the underpass to get to the other side of the road. Take the road leading right and walk about 100 yards, T.G Brunch is on the right. Happy Brunching.

3 Cheese Tortellini

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I was so thrilled that I managed to make my own cheese. The question was what to do with it? When I think of ricotta, spinach usually comes to mind. However I didn’t have any on hand and my fridge was bulging at the seams with other ingredients. So I though my best laid plan would be to make a three cheese tortellini. I could have used some of the gouda I procured in Vietnam to make it four cheese tortellini but I have other plans for the gouda, so I settled for a trio of cheeses.

The pasta dough was actually very simple to make, I’m surprised I’ve never had a go at it before. It has definitely been a week full of firsts. Sadly I do not possess a pasta machine so I was stuck with rolling it out by hand, although I was actually quite pleased with the results. The trick is getting it wafer thin so you can see the surface below through it. My second batch were definitely far superior to my first, so I guess there is a learning curve involved. When I tried to reroll the scraps I could not get them as thin as the first time. so I may well invest in a pasta maker very soon, though it is certainly not necessary.

Ingredients

Pasta

250g of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

3 eggs

3 Cheese filling

300g of ricotta cheese (make it yourself using my recipe)

100g cheddar

A generous amount of grated parmesan

1 egg

Tomato Sauce

20 -30 cherry tomatoes (I didn’t count I’m afraid)

1/2 an onion

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper

A glug of olive oil

A teaspoon of sugar

A pinch of salt and pepper

A teaspoon of mixed herbs

A few fresh basil leaves if you have them.

Directions

The first step is to make the pasta dough. Mix the salt with the flour then make a heap on a clean flat surface. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in your beaten eggs. I havent taken any pictures of these steps, I’m sure you have seen it countless times before. Stir the egg gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the circle a bit at a time so the well keeps its shape until the last moment. When all the flour has been mixed in you should have a lump of dough. Knead this dough for 5- 10 minutes until it is elastic and has some stretch to it. Wrap in clingfilm and store in the fridge for 30 minutes. While you are waiting you can make the filling and sauce.

After the dough has been chilled properly you can begin to roll it out. It’s a good idea to separate your lump of dough into 2 or 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time. Put the unused lumps back in the fridge so they don’t dry out. If you have a pasta maker rolling the dough should be quick and easy. If not roll those sleeves up and get out your rolling-pin. The pasta really does need to be wafer thin, so when you think its thin enough, keep rolling. I read online that it should be thin enough so that you can see a playing card underneath the dough. The thinner your pasta the better it will taste. Even if the pasta is a little thick it’s not the end of the world but the skinny ones were definitely far tastier than the fatties.  You can use anything round to cut the tortellini shapes, I just used a regular paper cup, with a diameter of 7 centimeters. I found that this was a good size. I tried a smaller cup too but I found they were quite fiddly to make, plus you would have to make more of them too.  When your circles are all cut, put a bit of filling in the middle of the circle. About half a teaspoon.

Fold the circle over so it makes a half moon shape. Squeeze the edges of the pasta together all around the filling, so the lump is secured.  Bring the two edges together so it makes the shape below.

Put the tortellini on a floured plate to dry out.

On to the filling. Put your ricotta in a bowl and add the other cheeses and a beaten egg and mix it all together.

The sauce is incredibly easy to make just bung everything in the blender and mix until all the ingredients have been pulverized. Heat the sauce up in a saucepan until its bubbling.