Miyeok Guk (Korean Seaweed Soup with Dried Mussels)

Miyeok (aka wakame) is a staple soup for Korean.  It's also known as the birthday soup where people usually eat it during their breakfast on their birthday.  Miyeok guk is also  most often eaten by women after their postpartum or during confinement.  It's said that it helps blood circulation and also boost milk supply.  (I drink this soup during my confinement days too).  It's known as one of the healthiest soup in Korean cuisine and is famous for it's amazing health benefits.  It's rich in calcium and iodine.  Although it's known as birthday soup, Korean also eat this soup on common days :)

 

The most common and traditional way of making this soup is by using beef but in southern part of Korea, people make miyeok guk with seafood like clams. mussels, oysters, sea urchin, abalone and etc.  I usually make it with seafood too as I do not eat beef.  Today, I am going to cook miyeok guk with dried mussels, it taste as good!

 

 



Serving size: 2 person

Ingredients:

Dried Miyeok (cut seaweed/wakame) *I use pre-cut dried miyuk   2 tbsp

Dried mussels                                                                                   8-10 piece

Dried anchovy                                                                                  8 piece

Garlic (minced)                                                                                1 tsp

Sesame oil                                                                                        1 tbsp

Soy sauce                                                                                         1 tbsp

Water                                                                                               1 liter

 

Step by step photos:

 

 

 

 

1. Soak dried seaweed in water for about 10 - 15 minutes.  Rinse with water and drain.  Set aside.  Wash the dried mussels and set aside.
2. Prepare broth with anchovies in 1 liter of water boiled over medium heat for at least 30 minutes with lid close.
3. Prepare another pot and put 1 tbsp of sesame oil. Add in the seaweed and dried mussels, saute for 3 minute on high heat.
4. Add in the anchovy broth, and minced garlic.  Boil over medium low heat for another 30 minutes with lid on.
5. Add in soy sauce and boil for anothe 10 minutes on low heat.
6. Taste to season.  Add more soy sauce if it's too bland.  You can drizzle some sesame oil after off the fire.  Serve with rice and some banchan~ Scrumptious and healthy soup to warm up your stomach! ^^

 

 

 

Kimchi Jeon/Kimchi Buchimgae (Kimchi Pancake)

I had discovered a simple way to make crunchy and crispy kimchi jeon recently and fall in love with it! There are two types of kimchi jeon texture I am going to share, one is chewy and another is crispy.  I like the crispy version but my husband said he likes the original chewy kimchi pancake.

 

(Chewy version)

(Crispy version)

Serving size: 2 medium size kimchi pancake or 12 bite size pancake

Ingredients:
Kimchi (chopped)                                                                        120g
Onion (Small, chopped)                                                               1/2               
All purpose flour                                                                          80g
Sugar                                                                                            1/2 tsp
Salt                                                                                               sprinkle
Kimchi Juice                                                                                3 tbsp
Bread Crumbs (optional, this is for crispy version)                    6 tbsp
Cooking oil                                                                                  4 tbsp
Water                                                                                           100ml
Green/red chilli (sliced)                                                              For garnish

Step by step photos:

 

 

 

(Crispy Version: Adding bread crumbs)

 

(Crispy Version)

(Crispy Version)

(Crispy Version)

1. Prepare a bowl, placed chopped kimchi, kimchi juice, chopped onion, sugar, salt, all purpose flour and water and mix well with a spoon.
2. Prepare a non-stick pan, put in 2 tbsp of cooking oil and heat up over medium high heat.
3. Place the kimchi pancake mixture in the middle of the pan and spread it out thinly and evenly using a spoon.
4. Place some sliced chilli on top (optional: for garnish purpose) and cook the mixture for 1-2 minute until the bottom of the mixture turn golden brown over medium heat (or until 70% of the mixture surface is cooked).

**For crispy version: Spread 3 tbsp of bread crumbs on top of the pancake mixture at Step 4.

    5.  Flip and press slightly with a spatula to make a thin and crunch pancake, cook for another 1-2 minute over medium heat or until all the mixture is cooked.

    6.  Serve hot~

**Tip: It's best to use old kimchi (well fermented kimchi) to make kimchi pancake.  I use a year old kimchi for this recipe :)

 

 

Kkaennip Jangajji (Perilla Leaves Pickle)

Another banchan (side dish) that goes well with a bowl of hot warm rice! There are many types of side dishes in Korean meal and kkaennip jangajji is one of them that my husband told me he can simply finish a bowl of rice with this banchan without any other main dish! (Wow, easy cooking for me, just have to cook rice only today~ :p)

Kkaenip (perilla leave, some said it's sesame leave...) is a fragrant herb.  It's something similar to mint.  Once you bite it, there is some fragrance realeases, some will like it, some won't.  I am the later... I do not eat fresh perilla leaves where they usually use as wraps with barbeque meat as I do not like the fragrance...but, I found that the strong fragrance in pickled perilla leave is reduced and it's actually really delicious to eat with rice and from then I start to make kkaennip jangajji~

 

 

Make 60 leave

 

Ingredients:

Kkaennip (perilla leave)                                               60 leave

Gochugaru (korean pepper powder)                              2 tbsp

Spring onion (chopped)                                                 3 tbsp

Soy sauce                                                                       8 tbsp

Plum extract                                                                   3 tbsp

Garlic (finely minced)                                                   1 tsp

Sesame seeds                                                                 2 tbsp

 

Step by step photos:

 

After 3 days

 



After 1 week

1. Wash and clean the perilla leave one by one under running water.
2. Drain and let them dry in the colander or alternately you can pat dry with paper towel.
3. Prepare sauce by mixing gochugaru, chopped spring onion, soy sauce, plum extract, finely mimced garlic and sesame seeds in a bowl.
4. Prepare a container (preferably glass) with lid, spread a tablespoon of the sauce mixture at the bottom of the container.
5. Place 2 to 3 leave of perilla leave and spread another spoonful of sauce on the perilla leaves.  Repeat this step for the remaining leaves.
6. Close the lid and let it sit for a few hours in room temperature (I made at night and let it sit in room temperature over night and move it to fridge the next morning).
7. You can start eating it the next day but I found it more delicious after 3 days of marinating. Enjoy!