Potato Pancake (Gahmja Jeon)

Yes, we love pancakes and can't get enough. Here we are making yet another Korean pancake. It is a bit more labor intensive than other pancakes but we think it's totally worth it. Great for a rainy afternoon snack.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes
Small handful of chopped Chinese leeks (optional)
1 chili pepper, thinly sliced
1 T flour

1. Peel the potatoes and grate them on a fine grater.

2. Put the grated potatoes in a strainer and let the water drain out.

3. Add the Chinese leeks, pepper slices, and flour. Mix around.

4. Heat some oil in a non stick frying pan and put a scoop of the potato mix in. You can adjust the size of the pancake to your liking. Use a spatula to spread it out and make a nice flat circle.

5. When the bottom is golden brown, flip it. Cook the other side until it is the same color.

 Enjoy with a dipping sauce. We use soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red chili powder.

Seaweed soup (Miyuk Guk)

Seaweed soup is a super easy, nutritious, and delicious. In Korea it's also known to be great for pregnant ladies or ladies who have just given birth thanks to the nutrients in seaweed that is good for your blood. It's a tradition to have seaweed soup on your birthday because this is the food that your mom had the day you were born.

Ingredients:
- 3-4 oz beef, sliced into very small pieces, preferably rib eye
- 1/3 cup dried seaweed
- 1 T sesame oil
- 3 T soup soy sauce, this is different from regular soy sauce and can be found in Asian markets

1. Put the dried seaweed in a large bowl of water and soak for at least half an hour. Drain and squeeze the water out. Set aside.

2. Heat a pot on medium and put the sesame oil in.

3. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes until it's halfway cooked.

4. Add the drained seaweed with 1 T of the soup soy sauce. Saute for a couple minutes.

5. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add the remaining soy sauce. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Skim the top of the soup. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed.