Kimbap (Rolled Rice With Seaweed) [RECIPE]

Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 cups Kimbap rice
- 3 sheets roasted seaweed
- 140g lean beef
- 1 small cucumber
- 60g carrot
- 7 dried mushrooms
- 2 eggs, beaten
A:
- 2 T soy sauce
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 t sugar
- 1/2 t cooking wine
- Crushed garlic, roasted sesame seeds, finely chopped green onion
B:
- 1 t sugar
- 1/4 t salt
- Salad oil, salt and pepper

Directions: 

Put cooked rice into mixing tub and sprinkle vinegar mixture generously over rice. With a large wooden spoon, mix with a slicing motion. While you mix, have a helper,(electric fan). This is not to cool kimbap rice, but to puff the extra liquid away. 

* Procedures
1. Cut beef into strips.

2. Combine A; add beef to marinate.

3. Halve cucumber lengthwise, then but into thin diagonal slices. Sprinkle with salt, let stand until soft; squeeze out water.

4. Cut carrot into 2 in (5cm) long strips.

5. Soak dried mushrooms in lukewarm water until soft. Discard stems and slice thinly.

6. Heat salad oil in a skillet and cook beef over high heat; set aside. Likewise stir-fry each ingredient lightly and season with salt and pepper.

7. Mix egg and B well. Pour over lightly greased square omelet pan thinly.

8. When half-set, roll from far aside tightly. When golden brown, remove from heat.

9. Cut lengthwise in three.

10. Lay seaweed over bamboo mat. Spoon over 1/3 amount (1 1/6 cups) evenly. Wet your fingers with vinegared water and press gently.

11. Leave 1/2 in (1.5 cm) on your side, 1 in (2.5 cm) on far side uncovered.

12. Arrange beef, cucumber, mushrooms, carrot and egg omelet in contrasting colors slightly below center.

13. Holding edges of fillings, roll in one motion so the uncovered seaweed meet each other.

14. Roll up and shape. Press ends.

15. Cut each roll into 8. Wipe the knife with wet cloth after each slice. Arrange on a plate cut side up.

Dakdoritang (Spice Chicken Stew) [RECIPE]

Dakdoritang is a traditional braised chicken dish that is full of spices and flavors which are exquisite in taste.  Succulent chicken pieces such as thighs, breasts and/or drumsticks are simmered in a base soup where the meat tends to fall off the bones. It is marinated with hot pepper and soy sauce, containing various vegetables such as potatoes, onions and carrots. Some may include jalapenos to this dish in addition to kochujang (red chili pepper paste) which will surely wake up your taste buds. As it can get quite spicy, be sure to eat plenty of rice to offset the heat.

Ingredients:

- 1 whole chicken
- 3 slices ginger
- 3 medium potatoes
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 11/2 cup (375ml) water
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) soya sauce
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon of Korean red pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 2 teaspoons (10ml) sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  Preparation method:

		1.  Cut the whole chicken into about 10 pieces, trim the fat and wash well. Put the chicken pieces in a large pot and put enough water in to cover the chicken. Add the ginger and boil for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Drain off the water and discard ginger, too.
		2.  Add water, soya sauce, sugar, Korean hot pepper paste, red pepper powder, garlic and sesame oil. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes.
		3.  Peel the potatoes, carrots and onion and cut into 2.5cm x 5cm (1x2 inches). Add the potatoes and carrots to the chicken and cook for 5 more minutes.
		4. Add onion, salt and black pepper, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes. Garnish the soup with the chopped green onions and sesame seeds.

Traditional Korean Seaweed Soup [RECIPE]

Koreans have long enjoyed the health benefits of seaweed soup, called mi-yuk gook.

In Korean culture, seaweed soup is considered a must for pregnant and nursing women, as eating seaweed is an effective way of stimulating healthy breast milk production.

Seaweed is also given to students, usually without fail on the night before an important exam, as seaweed is believed to support optimal brain function.

If you have access to a local Korean market and can find the variety of seaweed used to make mi-yuk gook, give the following traditional Korean seaweed soup recipe a try - it's an acquired taste for some people, but once it sticks, don't be surprised if it becomes a staple in your kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 package of dried seaweed (1 ounce is fine for four servings), available in all Korean food markets - ask for the kind used to make seaweed soup, or mi-yuk gook (you don't want the thin kind used to make sushi rolls.)
6 cups of vegetable broth or organic chicken broth
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
Naturally brewed soy sauce or sea salt, to taste
1 teaspoon of minced garlic (optional)

Directions:

Soak seaweed in water for two hours or until soft. Drain and rinse really well, as dried seaweed can come with a lot of dirt, just like spinach does.

Put all ingredients, including seaweed, into a large pot and bring to a boil, then simmer for five minutes to allow all the flavours to come together.

Koreans traditionally enjoy this seaweed soup with a bowl of white or brown rice, sometimes together in the same bowl.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is a popular korean dish. The word literally means "mixed rice".  

Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautés and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. 

The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.

Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include julienned cucumber, zucchini, mu (daikon), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and gosari bracken fern stems).

Dubu (tofu), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted for beef.^.For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.