Yokee's Korean Rice Bowl

Kimbap 김밥

2006-11-12T16:35:00.000+08:00

Kimbap 김밥

1. Place a large seaweed sheet on the bamboo mat, shiny side down on a cutting board. Put two or three tablespoons of rice in the center of the seaweed sheet and spread evenly over the seaweed.

2. Spread the rice evenly over the seaweed sheet and leave a 3cm (about one inch) margin at the top of the sheet to seal the roll later.

3. Spread a streak of mayonnaise and wasabi (or other condiment according to taste) across the middle, then add layers of seafood, omlette, and vegetables (carrot, cucumber, etc.) down the center of the rice. You can use many different types of appropriate filling.

4. To roll, fold the seaweed paper (or the bamboo mat - if there is one) so the filling is enclosed in the center of the paper. Roll carefully and slowly, keeping some pressure evenly on the paper (or bamboo mat).

5. Press the mat around the roll for about thirty seconds to shape and compress it, then moisten the margin of seaweed with a cooking brush dipped in water, and seal the roll as tightly as possible.

6. Remove the mat from around the roll. Slice the roll into 2cm slices, using a large, wet, sharp knife. Do not saw, but cut firmly, straight down, thus keeping the original round shape of the gimbap (sushi).

7. Notice that the filling (vegetable, seafood, etc.) is 80% of the roll. The rice is a relatively small amount, about 20%. It means that this is a very well-made, healthy roll of gimbap.

ingredients used in making kimbap varies from just 'vegetarian' to having beef or tuna as filling
you can try using your favorite filling and create 'your own kimbap' ^^

below are some nice looking kimbap. enjoy ! ^^/

to see how my first kimbap looks like..click HERE

'how to make' sourced from : 1stopKorea.com

Kimchi 김치

2006-10-18T21:08:00.000+08:00

Cabbage Kimchi 백추 김치

[Ingredients]

2 loafs of cabbage, radish(medium) 1 piece, big green onion 4 roots,
young green onion 50g, parsley 50g, garlic 1 piece, ginger 30g,
salted shrimps 1/2 cup, powdered red pepper 1/2 cup,
rough salt 3cups, finely processed salt, sugar, sal(some),
threaded red pepper some, powdered sesame with salt (some)

[Salt down cabbage]

a. Cut the trimmed cabbageheads into 3 sections, sticking knife at the 1/3 point of cabbage head.

b. Soak them in the brine made from 4?and 3cups of salt for 3 or 4 hours
(the soaking time is limited to when the cabbage leafs remain a little bit crispy.)

c. Get them out of the brine and wash them.

d. Dry them ( at the sametime, put the outer leaf aside.)

[ Arrange ingredients ]

a. Mix red pepper with water.

b. Put sliced radishes into the thick red pepper and compound it until peppery red color is set.

c. Insert and mix altogether finely chopped garlic and ginger, threaded red pepper, sesame, and every kind of 5cm-cut vegetables.

d. Season them in good taste you are favorable of, adding some salted shrimps, salt, and sugar.

[ Pack stuffing ]

a. Pack the stuffing between the layers of leaves, holding back the leaves and layering the stuffing under them.

b. Firmly wrap the stuffed cabbage with the outer leaves.

c. Put them in a crock,cover with a preliminary outer leaves, and press down lightly.

d. Cover the crock with a cap and ferment at a temperature as low as 3~10 degrees Centigrade.

there are actually many versions of making kimchi here and there.
personally i find the 'traditional recipe' a little tricky though of course it taste much much better anyhow a dear korean sister of mine had previously taught me a simpler way of making it.
so for yokee's version of kimchi..click HERE !

source : Korea Infogate
more about kimchi HERE

Songpyeon 송편

2006-10-03T21:40:00.000+08:00

Traditional Songpyeon (송편)

Songpyeon (pine flavored half-moon-shaped rice cake)

Rice flour is kneaded with hot water and stuffed with beans, chestnuts, or sesame seeds to make half moon-shaped or clam-shaped dumplings. Then, it is steamed on a layer of pine needles. It is a representative food of Chuseok (추석) holiday (Korean Thanksgiving day).

Ingredients

Songpeoun shell : rice flour 5 C, salt 1 Tbsp, parboiled mugwort 20g, gardenia, boiling water 1 C, sesame oil 2 Tbsp.

Songpyeon stuffing: 5 chestnuts, fresh beans 1 C, salt 1 tsp, white sesame seed 1/2 C, honey 2 Tbsp.

Red bean stuffing: skinned, crushed boiled red beans 1 C, salt 1 tsp, honey 2 Tbsp, cinnamon powder

Directions

1) Divide the regular rice flour into 3 groups to make dough with 3 different colors. Add boiling water to the first one to make white dough, add gardenia juice to the second one to make yellow dough, and add parboiled mugwort to the third one to make green dough. Knead the doughes for long and cover with wet cloth.

2) Skin and crush boiled red beans. Strain with a sieve. Mix with salt, honey, and cinnamon powder. Make 2cm-size balls for stuffing.

3) Skin the chestnuts, and cut into 3~4 pieces. Boil fresh beans, and season with salt. Roast white sesame seeds, crush, and mix with honey.

4) Cut the rice dough into chestnut-size balls. Make a dent in the middle of a ball by pressing the middle with a thumb while gently holding the edge. Put the stuffing into the dent, wrap the edge in, and seal tightly to make clam-shaped rice cakes.

5) Place pine needles at the bottom of a steamer and arrange songpyeon side by side but not touching each other. Place another layer of pine needles and songpyeon. Steam for about 30 minutes. Once cooked, rinse in cold water and remove pine needles. Drain the water off, and coat with sesame oil.

Gamja Songpyeon (감자 송편)

Gamja Songpyeon (half-moon shaped potato cake)

During the summer, when potatoes were in abundance after the harvest, those were easy to bruise and unable to be kept for long. Those were set aside to make gamja songpyeon and this cake became a delicacy in mountain areas. Potato starch is kneaded with hot water to make thin and flat doughs. Then red bean stuffing or kidney bean stuffing is placed on flat dough, shaped by gently pressing hands leaving fingerprint on the outside of a cake, and steamed.

Ingredients

Dough : potato starch 5 C
Stuffing : fresh kidney bean 3 C, salt 1 1/2 tsp, sesame oil

Directions

1) Knead potato starch with hot water.
2) Boil fresh kidney beans and season with salt.
3) Take small amount of dough, put stuffing, and make rectangular shapes by gripping with hands.
4) Steam shaped cakes and brush sesame oil.

credit :-
recipe source taken from Tour2korea.com
picture source thru google search

additional info on songpyeon HERE and Chuseok HERE

ps : Happy Chuseok evbody ! ^^