A Magic Salad Invention!

My favorite thing in the world to do is open up my refrigerator, grab all the ingredients that look and smell somewhat edible, wash, chop, shred, tear, and beat them silly, throw everything in a bowl, put some oil and vinegar it and then Say Abracadabra!, Open Sesame!Then! I walk behind a black cat, glue together a broken mirror, close an umbrella indoors, sprint under of a ladder, and unspill milk. I do all of this while praying to the salad gods that magic will occur. This morning it did! Woot, woot!It was a crazy concoction, and it actually workedA Coconut, Sesame and dried seaweed salad topped with two delicious eggs! Amazing. Who would have thunk that it all these flavors could be such fabulous friends? not me. I should unspill milk more often!

For all of those curious here are the magic ingredients : Amounts subject to personal taste. More of what you like, less of what you don't or in my case a lot of everything! :)1) your favorite greens: lettuce, spinach, etc.2) chopped cucumbers3) halved cherry tomatoes (optional)4) the secret ingredient (look in your international grocery store) --> crumbled dried seaweed (Korean name: Miyok)5) sesame seed oil6) toasted sunflower seeds or sesame seeds7) toasted unsweetened coconut flakes8) 2 perfect sunny side up eggs

Only 5 little months left.....

Can you believe that it is the second to the last day of March and that spring will be gracing it's lovely face on South Korea very soon? Yet, what is much more crazy is that I only have 5 months (really 4.5 months) left in Korealand! I can't believe it. I have been here for over 1.5 years and now I only have 4.5 months to go! Part of me can't wait to bust a move and leave the land of fermentation and urbanization in the dust as I head for some tiny, whole-in-the-wall countryside town, where I'll know my next door neighbors by name, speak the local language and run to the sounds of birds and crickets. But then there is that other part of me that has started tallying and making lists of all the things that I have left to learn and all the places yet to go and most importantly all  of the food left to try.So in my haste to fill up the next 4~5 months with as much learning as possible before I head of to...??? (I'm thinking I might close my eyes and pin the tail on the world map and see where the pin gets stuck. No dart throwing for me, I would for sure miss the map, or hit Russia dead center, because you see, my throwing capabilities are probably on par with how good Richard Simmons is at straightening his hair. So I prefer the pinning proposition, that way I'll be sure to aim somewhere in the world that is both warm and tropical. Join me for Christmas in the tropics anyone? ) But back on task. So one of my goals before I pack my backpack? Learn to cook Korean food.I have decided that every Wednesday night I am going to cook at least 1 Korean dish that I don't know how to make yet. So tonight, which was a Wednesday. What was in order? Cucumber Kimchi and Seaweed Salad.. Yes, yes they sound terribly gross and disgustingly healthy, but really all Korean food sounds this way. So don't worry about the name, just taste it and your mouth will thank you and do a happy dance, and then you will know why I have been able to live in this arctic zone for the past 1.5 years.And of course, here are a few pictures to prove the validity of my cooking mission :)

Here are the links to the recipes if you want to taste the amazingness.Cucumber Kimchi ~~> Tip : I added a splash of sesame oil to finish the Cucumber Kimchi, the oil really takes the kimchi to the next level by mellowing the spices a bit and nuttifying the dish. http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/oisobagi-kimchiSeaweed or Seaplant Salad ~~> Tip: I added julienned cucumbers and carrots, and quartered cherry tomatoes for an extra burst of flavor... http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/miyuk-gukAnd Finally here is the list of the Korean foods that I am determined to learn to cook before I leave.. (all the √ ones I have completed) These shall be conquered with the help of the Korean cooking master of www.maangchi.comYes, yes, I admit that almost all of these foods sound really weird and icky, but just wait until you taste them, then you will stop all your wasteful doubting.1) Kimchi (√cucumber, √cabbage, and spinach)2) KongNamul Banchan (Bean Sprout stir fry)3) Yuk Gae Jang (Spicy Beef Stew) Probably my new favorite soup!4) Kamja Tang (Pork Back and Potato Stew)5) Dak Dori Tang (Spicy Chicken Stew)6) Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew)7) Seaweed Salad √8) Sauteed Seaplant9) Soondubu Jjigae (Spicy Soft Tofu Stew)10) O jing-go Chae Mu Chim (Seasoned dried Squid) So delicious you don't even know!11) Panfried Tofu12) Spicy Mackerel StewLet the cooking begin!

Three Cheers for Fermentation!

This past week I moved one giant step closer to becoming Korean! No, I didn't dye my hair black, and I haven't suddenly become good at math. It is much more serious than that! I am both proud and ashamed to say I am have made Kimchi all by myself. Kimchi for those of you that don't know, is Korea's miracle food. Akin to Manna from Heaven, butter on bread, hot fudge on cake, but in a very healthy, garlic breath sort of way.They (the Koreans) say it (kimchi) will cure any aliment from a cold to the worst of cancers. This is perhaps why Korean hikers pack in pounds of kimchi from Korea when they go on treks up the Himalayan Mountains? You know just in case one of your limbs falls of due to frostbite or the werewolves, you can always rub some kimchi on it, then you'll be fine! This stuff will regenerate limbs! Incredible. Watch out doctors, you'll be out of business once the Kimchi mania spreads to the West!Every Korean meal by law.. er practically... must, I repeat MUST have kimchi.. So what IS this 'kimchi'? Well simply put, it is a mixture of Garlic, Chile Powder, Onions, Soy Sauce all smash together and then slathered onto a poor unsuspecting head of Napa Cabbage. The cabbage is then promptly thrown into airtight Tupperware, refrigerated for weeks or months on end in order to properly ferment and sour. The more fermented it is, the better chance of re-growing limbs and having 10/14 vision.. Errr.... on second thought due to the massive amounts of bi-focals I see in Korea, kimchi must not help the eyes. You think maybe they should consider fermenting carrots instead?p.s. If you're up for the Fermentation challenge here is the recipe --->http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-kaktugi it's so easy and delicious, in a special fermented kind of way.

"When Life gives you Lemons, make Lemonade" or in my case....

In the great continent of Asia, or probably more accurately in the country of S. Korea there is a disheartening lack of one of the best foods know to man.... Cheese! Yes! I know how do I, Inge, cheese lover, live here????? In a land where the only cheeses people know are plastic mozzarella and powdered orange cheese food?!? I don't know! I have pondered that question daily. And I was coming to a breaking point.

So you seeeeee, I was about to move back to a land flowing with bread and cheese, until 2 days ago a beautiful and painful thing occurred. An angel came down from Heaven and smacked me over the head with a broom stick and then in a booming voice said.. "DUH!, Inge! If you're so hung up on not having cheese make your own cheese. gosh darnet!" He said it just like that too! and then Heaven rang a bell because this messenger angel just received his wings for fulling his earthly mission..  His name was Bob. Congratulations Bob, your wings look good on you, but you got a little mustard/ketchup stain on your right wing-man. You might want to think about doing a load of laundry. Just sayin.

Anyways so the bruise on my head got me to a thinkin'.. Cheese. you say, Sir Bob?.... Can I really make, cheese? and then I remembered WikiHow.com! Oh joy.! It has all the answers to life and more! and guess what article it had "How to make Cheese!" Oh man, I practically died and went to Heaven!

And above in the milk picture, Yes, that does seems like an exorbitant amount of milk, a little bit overkill, but cheese is so good, and I am so deprived. Like a baby without milk, a chef with no knife, or a ballerina with no tutu!

At this point you might ask how the heck did you get all of that milk? Well you see in Asia, I practice thievery and bribery. Basically, I like to take the bone building milk from any unsuspecting Korean child. - aka - We play switch-a-roo at the lunch table.. I bribe them for their milk with candy and stickers. muahahaha :) It's a somewhat shady means to a udderly delicious end... CHEESE..

And for all you doubters in my ability to make cheese or tell the truth, it was delicious!!! Legitimate amazingness, and if you feel like a science project yourself, here is how you make your very own cheese --->

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Recipes/Cheese-Making-Recipes-304.aspx http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cheese-at-Home

P.S. This post is dedicated to my dear friend Hannah O. You told me to take pictures and make a blog post of anything I wanted just because, so I made cheese for you and lived to tell about it. You're fresh delicious cheese is in the mail..