Cooking at Home

March has been a busy month for us.  We've been settling into our new place, and figuring out some of the quirks.  I'm slowly learning that opening a hot oven will set off the two fire alarms without reason.  Fun times. I am enjoying experimenting at home, and try to have something ready for him to eat the nights he has to work late.

Oven-roasted pork belly and kimchi bundles with Japanese-style potato salad and a tortellini-vegetable salad.  My Japanese potato salad included chopped egg, onion, carrots, apple and a slightly sweeter Japanese mayonnaise. 

 We like Korean soups and stews a lot. This creation blended soon dubu and kimchee chige.  I made a dashi with katsubushi flakes and konbu (dried bonito fish flakes and seaweed), added some leftover fresh kimchi, tofu, rayu-spiced green beans, cabbage, onion, carrots, leftover sesame-crusted tuna and Korean chili powder.

Today's Bento.  Mapo Nasu with rice and pickled ginger.  Cook-Do is a brand of sauces by Ajinomoto  that I used to buy when I lived in Japan.  You can find some at area Asian markets like Super H Mart. We recently received the sauce with some Japanese staples from a coworker who returned to live in Japan.  I added some fresh vegetables, mixed in the Cook-Do sauce packet, and cooked some rice.  It's a pretty fast and versatile meal, although a bit high sodium content-wise.

"It's the Super Bowl, we can't eat salad..."

According to my boyfriend, the Super Bowl is no time for dieting.  We decided to recreate the Korean fried chicken recipe again from Saveur magazine.  This time I added a little more red chili pepper powder to the sauce.  Yum!  The combination of corn starch-flour-water and double-frying technique creates a special crunch missing from regular Buffalo wings.  We picked up 1.8 lbs of chicken wings from Lotte for under $12.  The only downside was having to separate and cut the wings into pieces, but it meant I had plenty of wing tips to roast and make a nice broth with.

 After the first 6 minutes of frying.

 After the second 6 minutes of frying, the wings turn a lovely brown color.

 Toss the wings in the sauce (I should have made much more).

 I also prepared a small roasted potato with roasted garlic and scallions, some carrot and celery sticks, a chunk of blue cheese and roasted garlic cloves.

 Fresh kimchee.

Korean-style bean sprouts.

***

It's a really good thing we went to the gym earlier in the day.  We didn't really care which team won, but it was fun to watch and eat some football food with a twist.  I think I liked the commercials the best.

Korean Cooking at Home (Viewer Discretion Advised)

(If you are vegetarian or squeamish, don't look further down at the photos.) 

We went to Lotte supermarket for the first time last night to pick up our weekly groceries.  I'm a fan of Super H Mart, but my boyfriend's coworker said Lotte had yukkejang packages and a better food court so we checked it out.  We needed more rice and kimchee, and I planned a few other meals that used Asian ingredients.  One of his special requests was pork belly with kimchee. 

 He loves roasted garlic, so I roasted a clove in the oven at 400F for 50 minutes until it was nice and soft. 

 Korean-style bean sprouts with soy, chili and sesame oil

 Baby bok choy and green beans with ginger, soy, mirin and sesame oil.

 Salmon fish heads.  Delicacy for Asians, trash for most Americans, therefore inexpensive.  It's actually one of the most tender and delicious parts of the fish, especially near the jaw bone.  The best way to prepare this is to salt the skin side and broil. 

 Homemade spicy pork belly with kimchee.  I made the marinade from gochujang, sesame oil, soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar and chili pepper powder.

 Shioyaki shake-kama. 

(ok pretend the eye is not there, but this is something that makes my boyfriend remember nice dinners with his family and I'm happy to recreate it even if it means I call him into the kitchen every 10 minultes to check out how it looks.)

 Table-top teppanyaki grill.  Kimchee, jalapeno and spicy pork belly at 350F. 

The best way to eat the pork belly is wrapped in a lettuce leaf with grilled kimchee and the marinated bean sprouts. 

Super H Mart's Food Court

Super H Mart 10780 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22030.  If you've never ventured out to the Super H Mart in Fairfax, it's worth a trip.  The produce is varied and inexpensive.  They have fresh curry leaves and lemongrass stalks, boxes of mangos, and hard-to-find ingredients for Indian curries, Japanese nabe, and Latin American recipes.  The fish area is very good.  Look at the whole fish, and you'll see clear, glassy eyes, signifying freshness.  I love it.  I also love their food court area to the right of the entrance. 

 Late Saturday night, this was the only food counter still open.  The sushi and Korean fried chicken stalls had already closed for the evening.  You place your order and pay at the counter.  Our 3 items totaled ~ $23.  When the order is ready, they'll call out your number.  Hot tea and water are available at the counter next to the utensils.

 Seolleong-tang (ox-tail bone marrow soup) soup with radish kimchee, cabbage kimchee and rice.

Yukgae-jang (hot and spicy stew with shredded beef) with kimchee and rice.

Haemul-Soondoobu (spicy seafood soft tofu stew) with kimchee and rice.

Choong Hwa Won in Annandale

My boyfriend and I have been eating our way through Annandale lately.  It's hard to think of another area with so many interesting and affordable options.  Last night we tried out a Korean-Chinese place recommended by his coworker.  Choong Hwa Won is on John Marr Drive, right behind the Popeye's and near Il Mee and Shilla Bakery on Little River Turnpike.  It's super casual and open until midnight.

 The English explanations for each menu item are ok, although it helps to know a little about Korean dishes.

We were there for the jjambong, spicy red pepper soup with noodles.

 The service was fast, efficient and nice.  The kimchee was good, and I liked the pickled daikon. Never figured out what the dark paste in the middle was.  They serve a warm barley tea when you arrive which helps on cold November nights.

 Large fried dumplings ($7.99).  They were not panfried, but deep-fried with a taste that reminded me of egg rolls.  Inside was a mixture of bitter greens.  Good.

 #31 Sam Sun Go Chu Jham Bbong ($9.99)

This is a fiery red hot pepper soup with shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels, vegetables and noodles.  The server will cut the noodles with a pair of scissors if you'd like.  Excellent and spicy.

#28 Sam Woo Gan Jha Jang ($8.99)

Shrimp and onions in a black bean sauce

 The noodles come on the side with cucumber, and the server will cut them for you with scissors.

All mixed together.  It tastes better than it looks. I wanted it to be spicy, it was not. 

***

I heard about jjanjangmen from my Korean friend who told me about Samos in Baltimore.  I trust his judgement and had wanted to try jjanjanmen for awhile.  Online reviews about Choong Hwa Won rave about the jjangjanmen and jjambbong.  Maybe I'm just a spicy gal, but I liked the jjambbong a lot more than the jjanjanmen. 

The portions are huge.  They provided smaller bowls and my boyfriend and I shared our respective choices with each other.  I would skip the mandu the next time and order a steaming, spicy bowl of #32 next time.  Even without anything else, I doubt I could finish the whole bowl by myself. But I would have a good time trying. 

Vit Goel Tofu (Lighthouse Tofu) in Annandale

While DC lacks a Japan Town, Annandale is a mini-Korea Town with a plethora of restaurants specializing in different dishes.  The hardest part is learning where to go and what to order, but if you're adventurous it's full of delicious and affordable surprises.  Honey Pig is great for Korean bbq  but some times the wait is too long.  Saturday night our HP plans were dashed when we drove through the full parking lot and saw many people waiting.  Instead, we headed down the road to Vit Goel Tofu Restaurant at 4121 Chatelain Road. http://www.menusarang.com/xe/293

 It's a brief menu, and specializes in soon dubu.

 The panfried mandu were flavorful and better than at Honey Pig. ($5.99 small)

 The pan chan are much nicer too.  Water kimchee, fresh kimchee, cucumbers in kochujang, steamed beansprouts in sesame oil.

Large (seafood pancake) hamul pajeon ($12.99).  Baby oysters, crab, shrimp and baby squid studded  pancake with scallions.  A bit greasy but delicious.  We should have ordered a small.

 Soon dubu #3 (tofu stew) with clam, shrimp and oyster ordered spicy. ($9.50)

My boyfriend ordered his #2 (clam, shrimp, oyster, beef) spicy spicy, and it was hot enough to make sweat drip from his brow. 

***

Lighthouse is great in the colder months when you need a hot bowl of bubbling soft tofu stew to warm you up.  Cracking the raw egg into the stew is optional, but the stew is so hot, it will cook the egg quickly.  The seafood noodles (jukumi bokuem) looked good too, fat udon noodles mixed with squid, vegetables and a special sauce.  They serve the rice out of a hot stone bowl, and pour a barley tea into it after serving the rice.  You put the rice with tea into a small bowl and it reminded my boyfriend of ocha-zuke, the Japanese dish of green tea poured ontop of rice. 

Mandu in DC

If you don't have a car, or do not want to make the trek to Korea Town in Annandale, Virginia, Mandu http://www.mandudc.com/ on 18th Street is a good substitute in the District.  There is a shocking lack of Korean restaurants in DC.  It's really a shame.  Mandu's flavors are a little less spicy than what you'll find in Annandale, and you won't be able to cook your bulgogi on your table, but it's a great introduction to Korean food for the uninitiated.  They also have a delicious selection of sojutinis.

Vegetable somen soup with carrots, mushrooms, bok choy and egg ($10)

Very light. 

Dolsot Bibimbap with tofu ($12)

Bibimbap is fantastic.  Rice in a hot stone bowl is topped with carrots, mushrooms, spinach, tofu and a fried egg.  Add in the desired amount of kochujang for spice and mix.

Duk Bok Gi ($11)

Thick rice cakes in a spicy chili paste with beef and onions.

Kimchee (part of the pan chan provided to each table)

Fried Vegetable Mandu ($5)

While the steamed version is healthier, I prefer the crispy texture.

***

Mandu has energetic servers and a menu that provides a nice introduction to Korean food.  It's great for those times you end up with a large group with different dietary needs and you're looking for something affordable. 

Lunchtime Bentos

When I lived in Japan, I heard that you could see how much a mother cared about her child by the bento she made for school lunch.  The artistry involved astounded me.  There are people who can create super cute bentos with apples cut like rabbits, mini-sausage octopi and panda face onigiri.  I am not one of those people.  I'm more focused on packing a lunchtime meal for my boyfriend that incorporates nutritious elements that taste good and travel well. 

 Korean bibimbap-inspired bento. 

Kochujang, cherry tomato, sliced tamagoyaki, sauteed spinach, mushrooms and carrots to be placed ontop of the rice in its separate compartment.

Sesame-soy baby bok choy, rice, bundles of grilled seasoned pork belly wrapped around kimchi.

The first lunch bento I made for him.

"KFC" at Home

While KFC has secret spices, Korean fried chicken has a remarkable crispy coating and sweet and spicy sauce. The double-frying technique is key to creating fried chicken that has an audible crunch as you bite into it.

Bon Chon in Annandale has fried chicken with either a sweet and mild sauce, or a fiery hot sauce. You can also order a mix. http://www.bonchon.com/ If you run into the same problem we have, you'll discover they are so popular the phone is constantly busy when calling to place a take-out order, or they run out of wings on weekends.

We decided to take matters into our own hands and followed a recipe we found on Saveur.com http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Korean-Fried-Chicken with higher amounts of garlic and ginger. The sauce was delicious, although next time we'll add ground Korean red pepper for a spicier sauce.

Vine-ripened tomatoes with mixed greens and a ginger-lime salad dressing.
Fresh cucumber kimchee from Super H in Fairfax.

Freshly made kimchee from Super H. Cut that morning, it was crunchy and much nicer than kimchee that has fermented longer.

Green bean and shishito pepper tempura.

Tempura batter is simple to make: 1 egg yolk, 1 cup ice water, 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup corn starch

Baby bok choy with a soy sauce, chili pepper, sesame oil sauce.

For the chicken: mix the flour, cornstarch and water. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Begin the first frying stage. Fry the chicken 6-8 minutes. Remove from oil and drain.

A helpful Japanese frying tip is spreading newspaper on the floor around the stove, this greatly helped our cleanup later.

Fry the chicken in 350F oil until crisp and brown in the second frying stage for 6-8 minutes.

Spicy sauce mixture of kochujang, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar.

Toss the hot chicken pieces in the sauce after the second round of frying.

Delicious.