Maangchi in Canterbury

i've been mentioned in maangchi's gapshida journey! go to her blog to see a photo. i really enjoyed meeting maangchi. she's absolutely adorable. i'm sure others will enjoy meeting her as well.

mmm... apple pie

i've written before that i do miss my citrus fruit trees from california, but here in the UK i have an apple tree. there was some apples sitting on the counter so i decided to make an apple pie, the american way. i can't remember the last time i made apple pie.

i did cheat by buying an already made frozen pastry crust. i was looking into making my own when my housemate told me that the shops sell frozen ones called Just so. yeah, it's not homemade crust, but it save some time.

the recipe i followed is actually my cousin's recipe. she gave it to me years ago. and you can't have apple pie without vanilla ice cream. apple pie a la mode. the only way to have apple pie.

Apple Pie

Ingredients

5-6 granny smith apples
2 tbsp butter (melted)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 pastry crusts

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Use 5-6 granny smith apples, sliced thin.
3. mix apples, about 3/4 cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and about 2 tablespoons of butter (melted) all together for the filling.
4. Bake with edges covered for about 10 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce to 350 degrees and back for about 35 - 45 minutes longer...depending on how mushy you want your apple filling to be. Also bake on lowest oven rack.

Enjoy with a nice scoop of apple pie.

soup for a cold day

another great soup for a cold autumn day is yook gae jang (spicy beef soup). i've never had to make it before, but i was really craving it. i followed a recipe from maangchi which was very easy to follow.

i did have to figure out what they call beef brisket in the UK. i looked at every kind of beef in the meat section, and then i found something called braising steak which looked like brisket. i had already bought gosahree (fern branch) but i forgot to soak it overnight.

overall, it was an easy recipe to follow thanks to maangchi. the only thing is that it takes some time to make the broth from the brisket, but once that's done, everything else was easy.

i can't wait to make it again, but this time i'll soak the gosahree overnight.

dosa failure

a few years ago, i was visiting my cousin in san jose. as i was driving around, i came across an indian restaurant. so i walked in and asked them for an order of chicken tikka masala.

the woman behind the counter responded, "oh, we don't serve that."
i was confused. what indian restaurant doesn't serve chicken tikka masala?
so i asked her, "what do you serve?"
she said, "we make dosas. see what others are eating over there."

so i asked for one dosa to go, and it was fantastic! it's a crepe pancake made of lentils and rice flour. it's light and crispy and filled with seasoned potatoes. now that i'm living in england, i have better access to indian cuisine. i thought i would try to make it myself. the shops even sell dosa mix and you need to do is add water.

well, i tried yesterday, and it was a failure. :(
i think i had the wrong pan, the wrong consistency of the batter, and i was working with an electric stove. so i will attempt again to make a better dosa. i've done some research on youtube to see how others make dosas.

however, i am happy to say that the potato subji (potato filling) turned out really nice.

meeting maangchi

tonight, my friend, and i drove 3 hours to Canterbury to meet maangchi! i discovered her back in LA. she started posting youtube videos of how to make korean food. back then i really didn't have a need for her recipes b/c in LA you can get almost anything.

however, now living in the UK, i'm very limited in the korean food realm. so i started watching her videos to learn how to make different korean dishes.

about a month ago, i noticed on her website that she was going to take a tour and her first stop was the UK! Canterbury is far, but it was worth it. i brought my friend along who never had korean food but loves to cook.

as soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a big hug from maangchi. the gathering was hosted by a woman who's half thai half german. maangchi videotaped her as she made a variation of papaya salad and larb. instead of papaya which is very hard to find here, she used swede, also known as rutabaga. maangchi prepared squid soup which was delicious! my friend who's never had korean food loved it all, even the squid soup.

unfortunately we didn't get to watch maangchi prepare the food, but we just listened to her talk and share about how she got started. she started her videos about 2007 when her friend wanted to know how to make certain korean dishes. she's absolutely adorable! she has so much energy for a 54 year old mother of two. i was amazed. i hope that i have as much as energy as her when i'm her age.

why is she called maangchi (which means hammer in korean)? she was into this online game, and her identity was maangchi because she liked to destroy things. she decided to use this name as her website.

she'll be touring all over the world, so if you want to meet her, check her out her website to see if she's coming to your area.

homemade cha gio

for awhile i've been talking to jen and ben about making pho. since they are allergic to gluten, they have ventured into rice noodles and rice papers. awhile ago we made spring rolls which they loved.

we finally made a date in our diaries to make chicken pho (vietnamese noodles). i was able to find most of the ingredients, but i never saw thai basil at any of the asian grocery stores. however, last week, i was ecstatic to find it at the korea food grocery store in new malden! also i needed bean thread vermicelli, and ben suggested using rice vermicelli instead. i gave him this look and said, "c'mon. what kind of foodie are you? " i explained to him, "if we're going to make it, we're doing it the proper way." luckily i found the bean thread vermicelli at korea foods as well.

i packed all my stuff and headed over to jen and ben's. it's a good thing i started at 1:30pm b/c it was an all day process.

we started off by preparing the broth (recipe given to me by my friend, juicy, when she visited me back in april 2011). i didn't want to run out of broth so we prepared 4 pots of stock. i might have overestimated just a little bit. it's a good thing their family likes chicken b/c there's loads of it leftover.

i was excited to make the cha gio (fried spring rolls). this appetizer is one of my favorite vietnamese dishes. i found a recipe on wandering chopsticks blog. so that's the recipe i followed. thankfully jen had a food processor which saved us a lot of time in chopping.

while i continued to roll the spring rolls, she fried the cha gio. i chuckled each time she declared, "no touching! don't get naked." apparently when the rolls touch each other in the oil, they tend to lose their rice paper skin. i suggest not frying too many at once.

when i explained to jen that these spring rolls are best wrapped in lettuce, she slapped me on my arm while exclaiming, "get out!" she was so excited to know that this meal was not just fried food. i mean, who doesn't love fried food? but what i love about this dish is it is healthy as well when eaten with lettuce. i demonstrated to everyone how to eat the cha gio by wrapping the cha gio with lettuce, pickled carrots (recipe below) and cucumber then dipping in the fish sauce. as you take a bite, you can hear the crunch of the crispy rice paper and lettuce. i think i heard jen making lots of happy noises as she took a bite of her cha gio. at first, ben was a bit skeptical about wrapping the cha gio in lettuce, but he too was convinced that it was the better way to enjoy the cha gio.

we enjoyed our pho and our cha gio. i was very happy to share good food with good friends.

Below are the recipes for the cha gio, fish sauce and pickled carrots.

Vietnamese Spring/Egg Rolls (Gluten-Free Cha Gio)

For about two dozen egg rolls, you'll need:

1 lb ground pork
1 package rice paper wrappers. I prefer Three Ladies brand. (if you use small ones, will make about 3 dozen rolls)
1 small section bean thread vermicelli. They're sold individually or in packages, but the packages will tie a small bundle together. You just need one.
½ large onion, finely diced or grated
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
2 tsp sugar, adjust to taste
1 tsp black pepper, adjust to taste
2 tsp nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), adjust to taste

Optional: Ground turkey or chicken may be substituted for the pork. Add 1 cup minced shrimp if you're not allergic. Add finely shredded cabbage if you'd like more vegetables. Add minced crab to make it even more flavorful. Vegetarians may substitute the meats with fresh tofu. Add 1 cup dried mushrooms, soaked and sliced, or 1 cup Tree/Wood Ear Fungus/Mushroom, soaked.

Place the bean thread vermicelli noodles into hot water to soften. Squeeze vermicelli and mushrooms dry and allow to drain. Cut vermicelli into two-inch segments. I use a pair of scissors for ease. Cut off mushroom stems and slice thinly. Sometimes tree ear fungus is sold pre-sliced, if not, then slice into strips.

Grate the onion first and squeeze to remove excess water. Grate one or two carrots. Add 1 lb ground pork.

Add 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps sugar, 2 tsps fish sauce, and 1 tsp ground black pepper to the pork mixture. Mix everything thoroughly. To check for taste, I usually take a tiny lump of the meat and pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds or so. It's easier to adjust seasonings if necessary this way. Just remember to factor in that the fish sauce will make the mixture saltier as it gets absorbed and cooked.

You should only wrap enough egg rolls for however many you plan to eat right then. They don't keep so well. Store the filling in the fridge if you plan to make more egg rolls over the next few days. Otherwise, you can also freeze the leftover filling for use the next time you have a craving.

It's best to work with about two rice paper sheets at a time. On the left is the rice paper before being wetted, on the right, I've just splashed it with water on both sides. Have a large bowl of warm water on hand and just wet the rice paper in the bowl or do it under running water. There is no need to let the rice paper sit in the water. It will become pliable in a few seconds.

So wet one rice paper sheet and leave it to become pliable. Then wet a second sheet and leave it to become pliable. Return to the first sheet and it will now be pliable enough to roll. When you finish rolling, set the spring roll aside to dry out. Wet another sheet, and leave it. Return to the second sheet, which has now become pliable, and roll it. Repeat as desired.

Now, in rolling an egg roll, don't be greedy. A tablespoon or two is more than enough filling. Spread it out on top of the wrapper. See the other sheet in the top corner? It has just been wetted (Yeah, I made up that word.) and is just resting until it becomes pliable?

I usually fry on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the egg rolls.

Drain on paper towels or paper bags.

Serve with lettuce and Nuoc Mam Cham (Vietnamese Fish Dipping Sauce).

Nuoc Mam Cham Ngot (Vietnamese Sweetened Fish Dipping Sauce)

For a 24-oz jar, you'll need:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Optional: Chili peppers

Boil 1/2 cup water. Actually, you don't have to boil the water, just get it hot so that it can dissolve the sugar more easily. Stir in 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup fish sauce, and 1/2 cup sugar. Taste and adjust if necessary. Add crushed chili peppers if you wish.

The taste should be slightly sweet and rather mild, the pungency of the fish sauce quite muted.

Store in a jar in the fridge. Serve with cha gio.

Vietnamese Pickled Vegetables (Dua Chua)

Ingredients

• 250ml/8 fl oz distilled white vinegar
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1.2 tablespoon salt
• 2 carrots, sliced 3mm/1/8 inch thick
• 675g/1 1/2 lb white cabbage or Chinese leaves, cored and cut into long shreds about 1 cm/1/2 inch wide
• 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2 inch lengths

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Method:

1. Put the vinegar, sugar, salt and 600ml/ 1 pint water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil; stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove form the heat and leave to cool until just warm to the touch.
2. Put the carrots, cabbage and spring onions in a large ceramic bowl and pour the brine over the vegetables from floating.) Cover and leave to stand at room temperature until the vegetables turn sour, 4-6 hours or overnight.
3. The pickled vegetables will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Drain before serving.

rolling, rolling, rolling

recently a colleague mentioned how their children would trade their desserts for kim bap. he also used to love school picnics because the korean parents brought kimbap. he would take a few and wrap it up in a napkin to enjoy later.

this story prompted me to give them a lesson on how to make kimbap. i, too, miss kimbap. while living in los angeles, i could just drive to the korean grocery store and pick up a pack of kimbap. sadly, i no longer have that luxury. if i want kimbap, i have to make it.

i was able to find most of the ingredients in the local supermarket except for the danmuji (also known as dak kwang which is pickled radish). i had to purchase that from the korean grocery store.

since i had never learned how to make kimbap, i googled a few sites and found recipes from maangchi and aeri's kitchen who both do a good job of presenting how to prepare each item. so i've tailored their recipes to make about 5 kimbap rolls which will make about 2-3 servings.

Kimbap

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups cooked rice (made from 2 cups of uncooked sushi rice)
• rice vinegar
• toasted sesame seeds
  
• laver or nori seaweed (“kim”) – 5 sheets
• yellow radish pickle (“danmu ji”) – found out Korean grocery shop
• 2 carrots – julienne
• 2 eggs
• imitation crabmeat (if available but not necessary)
  
• large bag of spinach (200g)
• soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and seeds, and a green onion

For Beef filling

• 1/2 cup (100 grams of mince beef
• 1 green onion, chopped finely
• 1/2 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• black pepper
  

Preparing the beef filling

1. In a bowl combine all the ingredients for beef filling. Mix well. Set aside to marinade.
   

Preparing the rice.

1. Prepare about 3-4 cups of cooked rice in a large bowl
2. Make your mixing sauce by mixing up ½ tbs sugar, 1 ts salt, 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds and 1 tbs of rice vinegar until the liquid looks clear
3. Mix rice with the mixing sauce and stir it evenly. Set it aside for now.

Preparing all the ingredients for kimbap

1. Slice yellow radish into 1cm strips.
2. Slice crabmeat into 1cm strips.
3. Fry the meat in a pan until fully cooked. Strain out the liquid.
4. In a pan, fry the carrots with a pinch of salt.
5. Preparing egg.
1. Scramble 2 eggs in a bowl with a pinch of salt.
2. Fry into one sheet.
3. Remove from pan and cut into 1cm strips.
6. Preparing Spinach
1. Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds.
2. Remove from water and rinse in cold water.
3. Squeeze excess water from spinach and place in a bowl.
4. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
5. Mix together.
6. Set aside.

Let’s roll Kimbap!

1. Place a sheet of seaweed(“kim”) on the bamboo mat and evenly spread a layer of rice in the center of it.
2. Place 2-3 spoons of beef on top of the layer of rice. Add a yellow radish pickle strip, some spinach, 1 strip of egg, and carrots.
   
3. Roll it up gently using the bamboo mat.
4. Remove the bamboo mat and cut the roll into pieces about 2 cm thick and place it on a plate

*tip: prepare a wet cloth or paper towel to wipe the knife while cutting, it will make it slice easier.