Shin Ramen The Tummies' Way

I was caught picking up packets of Shin ramen by an acquaintance recently. Apparently she didn't expect to see them in my shopping basket and wanted to know if I actually do eat instant noodles at home. Well the answer was a resounding yes (although I should have told her I wanted them as door stoppers) because my love for noodles actually do include instant noodles and I am not ashamed to admit that.

For me instant noodles are the best emergency/standby food around when one really can't be bothered with spending too much time in the kitchen. Therefore there are always packets of instant noodles in our pantry for such instances. These noodles in fancy packagings really have next to nothing in term of nutritional value but a little sprucing up and you will have a truly cheap and cheerful meal ready in minutes..... and this is how we like it at the tummies'!

serves 2 as a one dish meal

you'll need;

1 large chicken breast, thinly sliced

a small bunch of kailan or Asian greens of your choice, cut into manageable lengths

1 spring onion, chopped

2 packet of Shin Ramen

2 eggs

kimchi to serve

cut chilies in soy to serve

Prepare the chicken, kailan and spring onion.

Marinate sliced chicken with a little soy, sesame oil, grated ginger and corn flour.

Cook noodles with the seasonings and condiments until al dente. Remove and divide equally into two awaiting bowls.

Blanch vegetables briefly and add to the noodles.

Poached marinated sliced chicken, remove and add to the bowls, the quick marination will unsure the chicken to turn out moist and tender.

Finally poach eggs and add them to the bowls. Check the seasonings, if the broth is too salty simply add a little more hot water to the pot before pouring it over to the awaiting bowls.

Top with chopped spring onions and kimchi and serve immediately.

Myeolchi Bokkum 2 멸치볶음 Candied Anchovies

This is the other version of myeolchi bokkum that I mention a while back. It is just as tasty and addictive as the spicy version, perfect if you have kids or you are cooking for people that dislike spicy food. Again I would advice you to increase the quantity since it goes so well with almost everything.
P.S This keeps well in the fridge for days.

makes enough for a meal of 4
you'll need;
1 cup of dried anchovies*
1 tbs of cooking oil
1 tbs of sugar
1 tbs of mulyeot (corn syrup)
1 tbs of minced garlic
3 tbs of water
1 tbs of sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds
*small or medium size anchovies are more suitable for making this banchan.

You can fin this at the freezer section of any Korean grocers.

Prepare the sauce - mix water, sugar, corn syrup and minced garlic in a bowl.

Dry fry anchovies for a minute or two on medium heat. Stirring constantly.

Add a tbs of cooking oil and continue to fry for a further minute or two. They should start to crisp up and turn a golden shade.

Push the anchovies to aside and pour in the sugar/corn syrup mix. Mix everything well and immediately turn off the heat. Mix in the sesame oil and seeds.

Serve as part of a Korean meal. This will keep well in the fridge for days and it is perfect to have it on its own or with plenty of steamed rice or congee.

With warmer and longer days and the spring blooms everywhere, spring is definitely around the corner!

Sanjeog 산적 Korean Beef Skewer

Apart from the 3 banchan I just posted and the japchae that the birthday tummy requested I also prepared a dish that is normally eaten on festive occasions. These Korean kebabs are easy to make and a large batch can be prepared a few hours beforehand, leaving you time to do other choas. You may cook them on the bbq or grill them on a tabletop grill, this way one can cook the beef to the doneness of one's liking. Recipe adapted from a Korean cookbook titled 한국요리, 베스트 200 (Korean Cuisine, the best 200 dishes) - this is a wonderful book with easy to follow recipes but it is written in Korean. Chicken and pork will work equally well with this recipe.

serves 4 as part of a Korean meal
you'll need;
600 g of beef fillets, cut in 5 mm strips (6 strips per fillet)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into batons to match the beef
3 spring onions, cut into lenghts to match the beef
16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour
Korean spicy sauce

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least an hour. This prevents the skewers from burning during grilling.

Prepare the meat and vegetables.

Thread meat and vegetables using the bamboo skewers.

This can be prepared a few hours beforehand.

Prepare the Korean spicy sauce (I forgot to put in the sesame seeds before taking the photo)

The skewers can be cook on your bbq or a portable grill. It is quite fun leaving the cooking to your guests.

Brush beef skewers with the spicy sauce and grill to the doneness of your liking.

Serve with steamed Korean or Japanese rice with a few banchan on the side. I hope this is enough to convince you to try the recipe real soon.

Aehobahk Buchim 애호박 부침 Zucchini Fritters

Finally the last banchan before I go on to the main dish for the birthday dinner. Another very simple and delicious side dish that won't cost an arm and a leg. This is equally perfect as a quick snack when you are feeling peckish. Try experiment with other vegetables such as green tomato, pumpkin and sweet potato.

serves 4 as part of a Korean meal
you'll need;
1 large zucchini, cut into 0.5 cm rounds
2 red chillies, finely diced

for the batter;
2/3 cup of flour
1/3 cup of water
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

for the dipping sauce;
3 tbs of Korean soy
1 tbs of rice vinegar
dash of sesame oil
a little grated ginger and garlic (optional)

Prepare the vegetables.

Prepare the batter.

Dip zucchini rounds into the batter.

Fry in a hot pan with cooking oil on medium heat.

Place some diced chillies in the middle of the zucchini rounds. Turn over to cook the other side.

Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Myeolchi Bokkum 멸치볶음 Spicy Anchovy

I did mentioned I prepared a few banchan didn't I? This is my all time favourite and it takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. I used to pay $5 for a tiny little tub from the Korean grocer but that was before I learnt how to make it myself.  I do suggest to double or triple the quantity as you will soon find out why. This will make any Korean meal a memorable one but I am happy to have just this with rice any day. 

P.S There are two types of myeolchi bokkum, I will post the other version at a later date.

makes enough for a meal of 4
you'll need;
1 cup of dried anchovies*
1 tbs of cooking oil
1 tbs of gochujang (hot pepper paste)
1/2 tbs of sugar
1/2 tbs of mulyeot (corn syrup)
1 tsp of minced garlic
5 tbs of water
*small or medium size are more suitable, leave the large ones for stock making

I prefer the tiny anchovies.

Prepare the sauce - mix everything in a bowl (except the anchovies and cooking oil).

Dry fry anchovies for a minute or two on medium heat. Stirring constantly.

Add a tbs of cooking oil and continue to fry for a further minute or two. They should start to crisp up and turn a golden shade.

Push the anchovies to aside and pour in the sauce. Mix everything well immediately and turn the heat off.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serves as part of a Korean meal. This keeps well in the fridge for days and it is perfect to have on its own or with plenty of steamed rice.

Gamja Jorim 감자 조림 Glazed Potato

Banchan (반찬) are little side dishes served at every Korean meal along with rice and other dishes. They are served in small quantity and can be refilled over the duration of a meal. The quality of the banchan  at a restaurant often is an indication of what you will be getting next. I cooked a Korean meal for the birthday tummy and  a few good banchan were prepared of course. You might be familiar with this popular banchan if you are a regular at Korean eateries, otherwise try this out soon and find out how delicious it is.

P.S I will be posting the rest of the dishes served at the dinner.

makes enough for a meal of 4

you'll need;

4 medium size potato, peeled and cubed

cooking oil

3 tbs of Korean soy

2 tbs of mulyeot (corn syrup)

11/2 tbs of sugar

1 tbs of minced garlic

salt to taste

1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup of water

chooped spring onions to serve

Peel and dice the potatoes into 1.5 cm cubes.

Combine all other ingredients (except cooking oil and sesame seeds) in a bowl.

Heat up a pan and saute the diced potatoes with a little cooking oil. Cook for a few minutes til a little brown and partially cooked.

Add the sauce mix and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.

It is ready when the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and some chopped spring onions. Serve as part of a Korean meal.