Bap Story

Kimchi Pancake (Kimchi Jeon)

2012-01-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

Kimchi pancakes is another easy dish to whip up easily when you need to make a snack or extra banchan with ingredients you most likely already have.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pancake mix or flour
1 cup chopped kimchi
1 green chili pepper
1/2 cup icy cold water

1. Slice the chili pepper.

2. Put the kimchi, flour, water in a bowl.

3. Mix it well.

4. Heat some cooking oil in a non stick skillet on medium to high. When the it is hot put a scoop of the pancake mix onto the pan.

5. Use a spatula to spread it into a flat round shape.

6. Place some chili slices onto the pancake.

7. When the bottom is crispy looking, flip it over. Cook until the other side is also crisp. (You might have to add a bit more oil if it's not turning crispy)

Enjoy while it's still warm!

Spicy Octopus Over Rice (Nakji Dup Bap)

2011-12-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts last month! Lots of traveling and procrastinating. But we're back. When we made this dish we were going through a heat wave in LA, but now with the freezing temperatures it's the perfect cozy dish guaranteed to warm you up. Remember our trip to Nakzi Village? It was our inspiration but we made it to go over rice. Instead of rice you can also cook some 'somyun' noodles to go on the side. Either way it's so good.

Ingredients for 3 servings:
- 3-4 octopi(nakji) preferably fresh. Can be found in Korean or other Asian markets.
- 1/2 bag of been sprouts
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 carrot
- 1 small zucchini
- Green onions
- 1/2 green chili
- 3 bowls of cooked rice
- Crushed seasoned seaweed and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

For the sauce:
- 4 T red chili paste
- 4 T red chili powder (adjust this if you don't like it too spicy)
- 1 1/2 T soy sauce
- 2 1/2 T rice wine
- 2 1/2 T Korean cooking syrup (you can substitute with agave)
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1/2 T plum extract
- 1 T sugar
- 1 1/2 T sesame oil
- 1 T toasted sesame seeds

Part 1. Prepping the octopus

1. Cut the heads off of the octopi. Make sure you don't cut through the head as the ink will go everywhere.

2. Put the legs in a strainer with a spoon of flour and a spoon of course salt. Rub it in well with your hands.

3. Rinse well in running water.

3. Dip the octopus into boiling water for 3 seconds each.

4. Slice into bite size pieces.

5. Mix all the sauce ingredients together. Add to the octopus.

6. Mix well and set aside while you prep the other stuff.

7. Blanche the bean sprouts in boiling water for about 1- 2 minutes.

8. Rinse and drain. Season with a little bit of sesame oil and salt.

9. Slice the rest of the veggies. You can use any kind of vegetable you like. Cabbage and bell peppers are also good options.

10. Put some oil in a heavy bottomed pan heated to medium. Add onions, carrots and zucchini. cook until softened.

11. Then add the green onions and green pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

12. Add the sauce and octopus.

13. Stir around and cook for another couple minutes until the octopus is just cooked through. You don't want to over cook the octopus as it will get rubbery.

14. Put the rice into bowls and top it with some bean sprouts and octopus. Garnish with seaweed and sesame seeds.

Curry Fried Potatoes (Gamja Bokkeum)

2011-11-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

We were looking through this Korean cookbook called 'How To Make Side Dishes for Under 50 Cents' when we stumbled upon this recipe.(I bought it just for the title but it's actually pretty good.)

Anyway, we remember this as a common side dish in our lunchboxes growing up because it's so easy to make and we as kids loved it. Usually it's made with just salt and pepper but the curry adds a nice touch.

Ingredients:
- 4 small yellow potatoes
- 2-3 stalks of green onions
- 1/2 T yellow curry powder
- 1/2 t salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil

1. Slice the potatoes into matchsticks and slice the green onions into 1/2" pieces. You can slice the potatoes thinner than we did if you want.

2. Put some oil on a hot pan.

3. Add the potatoes and cook on medium heat for 5 or so minutes.

4. When the potatoes are tender, add salt and pepper.

5. Add the curry powder and cook for another few minutes until cooked through. Be careful not to overcook as they will start to crumble.

6. Add the green onions. Turn off heat. Taste it and add more salt if needed.

Seaweed Salad (Miyuk Muchim)

2011-10-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

This seaweed salad is a great little appetizer or side dish for when you want to eat light. We looked at the ingredients and it looks like there are no calories! Anyway, it was such a warm and beautiful Saturday afternoon we pretended we were camping and made this dish outside.

Ingredients:
- 2 small handfuls of dried seaweed (can be bought in most Asian markets)
- 1 small cucumber or 1/2 a large one
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 T sugar
- 1/2 T red chili powder
- 1 T lemon juice
- 1/3 T minced garlic
- Sesame seeds and lemon slice for garnish

1. Put the dried seaweed in water and let soak for 10-15 minutes or according to the package instructions.

2. Slice the cucumbers into matchsticks.

3. Drain the seaweed and squeeze lightly.

4. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make the sauce.

5. Pour the sauce into a mixing bowl with the seaweed and cucmber.

6. Mix it around with your hand, Korean mom style.

7. Put on a serving dish and garnish with some sesame seeds and a slice of lemon.

Fish Cake Soup (Odeng Tang)

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Now that the weather is cooling down and we have been getting a few chilly nights, we thought it was time to introduce one of our favorite comfort soups. We remember ducking into cozy bars on cold winter nights and ordering this soup to go with little glasses of rice wine. If you have the ingredients it won't take you more than 15 minutes to make this.

Ingredients:
- 5 dried anchovies
- 2" slice of daikon
- 2" square of dried seaweed
- 150g fish cake
- 1 T dark soy sauce (soy sauce used for soups, can be found in Korean supermarkets)
- 2 T sliced green onion
- Soy sauce and wasabi for dipping sauce

1. Put the seaweed and daikon into 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add anchovies and boil for another 1-2 minutes. Lower heat and take out the anchovies.

2. Slice the fish cake into 2" pieces.

3. Put them into the broth and let it come back to a boil. Then let it simmer for a couple minutes.

4. Add the dark soy sauce and stir it in for another minute. Taste the soup and add a little more soy sauce if it is bland.

5. Turn off the heat and put in the green onions.

6. Serve with a little bit of soy sauce and wasabi for dipping the fish cake.

Korean Style Omelet (Gaeran Mari)

2011-10-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

'Gaeran Mari', which literally means egg roll in Korean is another easy side dish you can make with ingredients you already have in your fridge. It's so comforting and nostalgic, I love having this with any kind of kimchi dish. The rolling part might be tricky at first but you will get used to it with practice.

Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 2 T minced carrot
- 2 T minced onion
- 2 T thinly sliced green onion
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 T water

1. Beat the eggs in a bowl then mix in the remaining ingredients.

2. Heat some oil in a pan on medium heat. Here we are using a square omelet pan. If you don't have a square one, just use a small round pan.

3. When the oil is hot pour in the egg mixture.

4. When the egg is halfway done start the roll by folding over a small section on one side.

5. Using a spatula pull the folded part back to the edge.

6. Repeat this until all the egg is rolled up. You may need to use 2 spatulas.

7. Pat the finished roll with the spatula to get it into a nice shape and let it cool down for a minute.

8. Use a sharp knife to slice.

9. Put on a plate and serve. We especially like it with kimchi jjigae.

Pan Fried Zucchini Slices (Aehobak Jun)

2011-10-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is a go to recipe for when you are in a pinch and don't have enough side dishes for a meal, or you just want a comforting snack. It's basically foolproof because in our opinion zucchini is delicious cooked in any way.

Ingredients:
- 1 Korean zucchini (you can substitue with other types of zucchini)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 cup flour
- Dipping sauce (1T soy sauce, 1t rice vinegar, 1/2 t red chili powder, sesame seeds)

1. Slice the zucchini into 1/4" slices.

2. Beat the eggs with the salt and heat up frying pan with a bit of oil.

3. Dredge the zucchini slices in the flour.

4. Dip into egg.

5. Put on the hot pan. Repeat steps 3-5 for each slice.

6. Flip in a couple minutes when the bottoms are golden brown.

7. Enjoy with the dipping sauce.

Spicy Cold Noodles on Platter (Jengban Mak Guksu)

2011-09-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence of posts. There were a few distractions these past couple weeks but we are back!
It's technically not summer anymore and this recipe might be too late for some of you living up north..but we decided to share anyway.

In Korea when it is really hot and muggy in the summer your appetite goes away and it's hard to think about eating anything. That's when we eat a dish like this. It's cold, sweet and spicy and will bring you and your taste buds back to life on a hot afternoon.

Ingredients for 2 portions:
- 2 portions of Korean white noodles (package says Somyun, or you can substitute with the buckwheat noodles often used for cold Japanese soba)
- Cucumber, carrots, cabbage, sesame leaves, mugwort cut into matchstick size (you can use pretty much any veggies you like that are sitting in your fridge)
- 2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
- Sauce: 4T red chili paste, 3T rice vinegar, 1T sugar, 1/2 t plum extract, 1 T minced garlic, 1/2 t red chili powder(only if you really like it spicy), 1t lemon juice, 1 t sesame seeds
- 1 T sesame oil
- 2 T shredded dried seasoned seaweed for garnish

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

2. Add the noodles to a pot of boiling water. When it comes back to a boil add one cup of cold water. When it comes back to boil again the noodles should be done.

3. Rinse with cold water and drain.

4. Arrange the sliced veggies and eggs around a large platter. Place the noodles in the center and pour the sauce on top. Garnish with seaweed. This is how it should be presented at the table. (This is when everyone will start salivating!)

5. Add the sesame oil and mix everything together with chopsticks.

6. Serve into individual bowls.

It was a pretty big platter of noodles, but apparently not big enough. Went really well with the leftover rose wine that Jeana had.

Nakzi Village in Korea town

2011-09-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Nakzi Village in Korea town for dinner with a bunch of our friends. (Many of our non Korean friends are obsessed with this place!) We love to go there because it's delicious, you get really full and it's cheap.

낙지마을 Nakzi Village
(213) 380-8382
Koreatown
4177 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90020

The octopus pancake is our favorite appetizer to order. So good with cold beer or sake!

This restaurant is famous for their grilled octopus. Their portions are big so order the small size for 3-4 people. Also if you can't eat spicy food, make sure to order "mild". Their "Medium spicy" is spicy!

This is the best part of the meal. After you finish the octopus, they make fried rice using the left over sauce. It's soooooooo good. I usually take the left over fried rice for the next day lunch.

Stir Fried Dried Cuttlefish (Ojinguh Chae Bokkeum)

2011-08-30T14:57:00.000-07:00

A staple side dish in most Korean kitchens and lunchboxes. Takes less than 5 minutes to make and will stay good for a long time. Adjust the amount of red chili paste and sugar depending on how spicy and sweet you like it.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups of dried cuttlefish strips
- 1T vegetable oil
- red chili paste
- 3T water
- 1/2 T rice wine
- 1/2 T soy sauce
- 1/2 T plum extract (optional, but it will taste better with it)
- 1 TKorean cooking syrup (agave works too)
- 1T sesame oil
- sesame seeds

1. Mix the oil, red chili paste, soy sauce, rice wine, cooking syrup, and plum extract in a frying pan and bring to simmer on low.

2. Add the cuttlefish strips and mix until everything is evenly covered. Let it heat for another couple minutes or so.

3. Add sesame oil and sesame seeds and mix around.

And you're finished, literally under 5 minutes! It's good warm or cold.

Yellow House Cafe

2011-08-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

We'd like to introduce you Yellow House Cafe in Korea town in Los Angeles. It's a Cafe style restaurant which is pretty common in Korea. It's kind of the perfect place to go late at night when you feel hungry after a movie or some events. (especially when you feel like something spicy!)

ChoongMoo Kimbap (Seaweed rolls & Spicy squid) -My (Jeana)'s favorite!

Spicy seafood udon

Iced Green Tea Latte & Hazelnut Latte

Baguette wanted to eat some yummy Korean food, too!

Bo's mom's Kkakdugi

2011-08-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

My mom taught us how to make kkakdugi(daikon kimchi) as well. We were making a mess in the kitchen anyway so why not? It's a little bit sharper in taste and the crunchiness makes it so refreshing. One of my favorite kimchis.

Again, just like the cabbage kimchi, this can be broken down into three steps: salting the veggies, making the seasoning, and seasoning the vegetables.

Part I. Salting the Vegetables

Ingredients:
- 2 firm medium daikon
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/8 cup salt
- 1 T vinegar
- 3/4 T agave syrup

1. Cut the daikon into bite size pieces. A little smaller than 1" is good.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and let everything dissolve.

3. Put the daikon pieces in a large bowl and pour the salt water mixture over it. Mix it around so everything is evenly covered.

4. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours depending. Flip it over with your hands halfway through.

5. It's ready when the saltiness has seeped into the daikon. When it's ready rinse with cold water and let it drain.

Part II. Making the Seasoning

Ingredients:
- 2/3 cups water
- 2/3 T flour
- 1/3 cup minced garlic
- 1/2 T minced ginger
- 3 T Korean fish sauce
- 2 1/2 T red chili powder
- 1 T plum extract
- 1 packet of stevia
- 1 t salt
- 1 bunch of green onions, sliced

1. Like we did with the kimchi, put the water and flour in a small pot and let it simmer on low heat while stirring with a beater until it turns slightly gluey.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the glue and mix it well.

Part III. Seasoning the Vegetables

Ingredients:
- Salted daikon
- Seasoning mix
- 1 bunch green onions

1. Add everything to a large bowl and mix with your hands.

2. Put it into a plastic container and cover with plastic wrap so it is not exposed to air. Then put the lid on. Leave it at room temperature for 1 or 1 1/2 days. Taste it every now and then to check if it's ready.
You can tell when it tastes a bit tangy and fermented. When you think it's ready put into fridge.

It's a bit easier to make than regular kimchi. Hope some of you try it out!

Myulchi Rice Balls

2011-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

So if you have a stash of the myulchi in the fridge it will take you less than five minutes to make these rice balls.

Ingredients:
- 1 bowl of rice, room temperature
- 1/3 cup of myulchi
- 1 package of roasted sesame seaweed

1. In a larger bowl, mix up the rice and myulchi.

2. Make little balls out of the rice mixture using your hands. You may have to press firmly to make it stay in shape.

3. Crush the seaweed and put in a plate. Roll the balls around in the seaweed until they are sufficiently covered. Again, you may have to press a bit firmly to make the seaweed stick.

And enjoy! Great way to eat leftovers.

Stir Fried Anchovies (Myulchi Bokkeum)

2011-08-08T08:09:00.000-07:00

This dish is a staple in most Koreans' refrigerator. It is easy to make, lasts for a while and can be eaten as a side dish with any meal. Also it is perfect for lunchboxes. Once you get over the weirdness of eating so many tiny fish in one bite it's really delicious. I know of a few non Koreans (like our husbands) who resisted this dish at first but now will eat a bowl of this stuff without rice as if it were just another snack.

Ingredients:
150g tiny dried anchovies
2 T cooking oil
1/2 ground ginger
2 T sliced garlic
2 T toasted pine nuts (we substituted with chopped walnuts and pumpkin seed and it was yummy)
1 T Korean cooking syrup
1 T sugar
1.5 t plum extract
2 T toasted sesame seeds

1. Heat a frying pan with the oil on medium heat. Add the anchovies and mix around for a couple minutes.

2. Add garlic slices, ginger, toasted nuts. Mix for another minute until the garlic and ginger is fragrant.

3. Turn off the heat. Add the cooking syrup, sugar and plum extract. Mix it around.

4. Turn the heat back on and stir for another 3-4 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cold Cucumber Soup (Oee Neng Guk)

2011-07-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

We've been having some really hot and humid days so we thought that you would enjoy this cold refreshing soup recipe. One bowl of this soup and I guarantee you will feel at least ten degrees cooler. It's so easy and you probably have all the ingredients in your fridge already.

Ingredients for 3-4 servings:
1 large English cucumber or several smaller versions, cut into matchsticks
2 T simple syrup (don't use agave, i tried and had to start over)
2 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 T thinly sliced green onions (i substituted with chopped chives, it works)
1 1/2 t course salt
1 t minced garlic
1/2 T regular salt
2 1/2 cups cold water

1. Put the cucumber in a bowl and add course salt. Mix around and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

2. In another bowl, add cold water, simple syrup, vinegar, garlic and regular salt.

3. Add the salted cucumber (and the salty cucumber water left in the bowl) to the water mixture.

4. Add the green onions.

5. Put in serving bowls and add one ice cube to each bowl just to make sure it is extra refreshing. Goes great with the little anchovy and seaweed rice balls I made for lunch. (Recipe to be posted soon.)

Easy Kimchi (guest chef : Bo's mom)

2011-07-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

We remember every fall in Korea it was a seasonal nationwide event to make kimchi to last the whole winter and then bury it underground in clay pots. Now everyone has a kimchi refrigerator and it's more of a novelty, but I feel lucky to have seen my mom and all of my aunts get down and dirty to make huge vats of kimchi for the whole family.

My mom is in town from Korea and this time she did not bring any home made kimchi with her. She could tell I was a little disappointed but quickly made up for it by offering a crash course in quick and easy kimchi making. For Jeana and I it was not quick or easy, but definitely useful as we now have a grasp on what is actually involved in making kimchi.

Making kimchi can be divided into three parts: salting the vegetables, making the seasoning sauce, and seasoning the vegetables.

Part I. Salting the cabbage

Ingredients:
2 heads of chinese cabbage
Lots of coarse salt, around 20 handfuls to be safe
2 cups water

1. Remove rough outer leaves of cabbage. Halve and core them. Then cut into 2 inch pieces.

2. Wash the cabbage thoroughly in cold water and drain.

3. In a small bowl add a handful of salt to about 2 cups of water and dissolve. Pour a third of this salt water mixture into a large bowl. (A really large bowl or even a stock pot if you don't have a big enough bowl.) Put a layer of cabbage in the bottom of bowl. Sprinkle a generous handful of salt. Add another layer of cabbage. Sprinkle another generous handful of salt. Continue like this until all the cabbage is used. Then pour the rest of the salt water mix on top.

4. Let the cabbage sit for 1-2 hours, depending on how salty you like the kimchi. Use your hands to flip over the cabbage halfway through. Taste a piece and if the cabbage itself is salty then it's ready.

5. Rinse in cold water. Don't shake it out but let it sit in a colander for about 20 minutes to drain naturally.

Part II. Making the seasoning

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/3 T flour
1/2 cup minced garlic
1/3 T ground ginger
4 T Korean fish sauce (please don't use Vietnamese fish sauce! buy it here)
5 T red chili powder
2 T plum extract (substitute with honey if you really really can't get it, but my mom swears by this product. She will add it to everything.)
1 T sugar
1 packet stevia
2 bunches of green onions, sliced

1. Put the water and flour into a pan and let simmer over very low heat while stirring with beater. Continue until the mixture turns into a kind of runny gluey consistency. Remove from heat. This is the base for seasoning.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Part III. Mixing the cabbage

1. Add the drained cabbage and seasoning into a large pot.

2. Use your hands to mix it all up. (My mom was upset that I didn't have those clear disposable kitchen gloves as she is the type of person to wear gloves while driving or hiking.)

3. Put it into a plastic container. Cover the kimchi with a piece of plastic wrap so it is not exposed to air. Put the lid on and let it sit at room temperature (not in direct sunlight) for a day and a half. Taste it every now and then. If it tastes like it's starting to ferment, then it is ready to go into the fridge. Don't put it in before otherwise you will just end up with lifeless kimchi. (But if you wait too long to put it in it will be too sour and tangy, so be careful.)

We put the kimchi in the fridge after a day and a half and followed the recipe above exactly and it turned out delicious. Not too spicy(because of my American husband's poor belly) but tangy and flavorful. I think this is the recipe I would use again as it's my mom's and I am used to this, but if you like to have your kimchi more spicy or salty adjust the amount of red chili powder or the amount of salt you use in the salting process. There are many variables such as the time of year or the freshness of cabbage and quality of the seasonings. This is a really good recipe to tweak but it may take a couple attempts before you find the perfect one for you.

My mom now has one less thing to worry about. Enjoy!

Spicy rice cake (Dukbokki)

2011-07-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Dukbokki is one of the most popular street foods in Korea. It's very easy to make and a great quick dish for a meal, snack, or girl's night.

ingredients for 4 people:
-100g rice cake (found in korean markets frozen or fresh. If they are frozen, put them in a pot with water and boil them until they get soft)
- 1/3 of small cabbage cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 small onion sliced
- half pack of ramen noodles
- 100g fish cake
- 2 hard boiled eggs halved
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 5 T red pepper paste
- 1 t soy sauce
- 1 1/2 T sugar
- Cooking oil
- 3 T chopped green onions

Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the cabbage and onion.

Add water and red pepper paste. Mix well.

Add sugar.

When it starts boiling, add ramen noodles and turn the heat to low.

Add rice cake.

Add fish cake

Add soy sauce.

When the ramen noodles are cooked, add green onion.

Add eggs.

Put on a serving plate and garnish with green onion slices.

basic veggie kimbap

2011-06-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

ingredients for 6 rolls
- 6 sheets of roasted seaweed
- 3 bowls of cooked rice, room temperature
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 1 large carrot chopped into long matchsticks
- 6 pieces of long pickled daikon (sold in packages in the refrigerated section at asian markets)
- 6 pieces of imitation crab torn into thin strips(also old in packages in the refrigerated section at asian markets)
- 1 large cucumber chopped into long matchsticks
- salt
- cooking oil
- sesame oil
- sesame seeds

Equipment
- bamboo sushi roll mat

1. Heat some oil in a pan and stir fry the carrots until cooked through. Season with salt. (Everything should be seasoned more salty than usual because the rice is not seasoned and it will balance it out.)

2. Blanche the spinach in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse in cold water to stop overcooking.

3. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil and mix it up. Season with salt. Set aside with the rest of the filling ingredients.

4. Place bamboo mat on the cutting board.
5. Place a sheet of seaweed on the roll.
6. Use a spatula and spread a thin layer of rice on the seaweed. Leave aninch on the top and bottom end empty, with the exception of a few grains.
7. Place the filling ingredients on the bottom third of the rice.
8. Carefully bring the bottom part of the bamboo and bring the seaweed over the ingredients and tuck it in to start the roll.
9. Move the bamboo back and and make another half roll. Press firmly and carefully with each half roll.
10. Repeat until you reach the end. The few grains of rice will keep the roll closed.
11. Roll the seaweed roll in the bamboo and press a little to make a nice round shape.

12. Brush some sesame oil on the roll. Sprinkle sesame seeds.

13. Cut into slices with a sharp knife.

Serve with pickled daikon.

* other versions. you can make kimbap with almost anything but the ingredients that are usually always included are carrots, pickled daikon, pickled burdock root, and spinach

kimchi kimbap: add chopped drained kimchi
tuna kimbap: add tuna mixed with some mayonnaise
beef kimbap: add ground beef cooked with some soy sauce

Bapsang

2011-06-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

This was our lunch last Saturday. Too bad we ran out of kimchi!

Bean Sprout Soup (Kongnamul Guk)

2011-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Have we mentioned that Koreans love soup? Sometimes it is the main point of a meal sometimes it is just an accompaniment. Either way we think a meal is not really complete without a soup.

This recipe is for a simple soup made with bean sprouts and is more of a side dish. When you go to restaurants and order a dish, this kind of soup will just come out on the table with the rest of the banchan. It's the kind of dish that you won't ever order because it's never on the menu and you won't plan a meal around this dish, but you will miss if it's not served.

Ingredients for 2

200g bean sprouts

6 dried anchovies

1 piece of dried kelp

2 inch slice of daikon

6 cups water

2 t salt

1t Korean red chili powder

2 T chopped green onions

1. Make the broth. Put the water, anchovies, kelp, and daikon into a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. Take out the anchovies and kelp.

2. Add bean sprouts and put the lid on the pot. Raise the heat and bring to boil for 1-2 minutes. Then add the salt, green onions and red chili powder.

Put in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. And you're done. It tastes the best when it's piping hot.

Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Japchae)

2011-06-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Japchae is one of the more well known Korean dishes and we've had quite a few requests for this dish, so here it is.

Japchae is not really an everyday dish because it takes a while to make and requires a bit of work. It's usually made in big batches and that's why our moms used to make this dish on holidays or birthdays. Relatives would come early to help with the preparations and the women would all be in the kitchen cooking and gossiping for hours. It took us over an hour but was actually really fun to make because we were cooking together and we knew there would be loads of leftovers to take home and share.

Ingredients for 6-8 servings
1/2 large white onion sliced thinly
1/2 large carrot sliced into matchsticks
1 red bell pepper sliced thinly
1 green bell pepper* sliced thinly
1 1/2 cup of oyster or shitake mushrooms sliced thinly
6 oz thinly sliced beef, we used sirloin
2 eggs beaten
Vegetable oil for stirfrying
200g glass noodles
8 T soy sauce
3 T sugar
2 T sesame oil
2 T sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
* Usually spinach is used. (We just couldn't get any that day.) Just trim and blanche one bunch of spinach and season with 1t sesame oil and some salt. Doesn't need to be stir fried.

Ingredients for beef marinade
1T soy sauce
1/2 T minced garlic
2T chopped green onion
1T rice wine
1t sesame oil
Pepper

1. In a small bowl mix the marinade ingredients with the beef and set aside. Put a pot of water on high heat to boil the noodles.

2. In a large frying pan heat up some oil and pour in the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Flip after a minute to make a thin sheet of fried egg. Cool on a plate, then cut into matchsticks. Set aside.

3. In the same pan stir fry the onions, mushrooms, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, carrot, then meat in that order with the vegetable oil and season with salt. The ingredients must be stir fried separately to keep the flavors in tact. And the order of frying should be from the lightest color to the darkest.

4. Set aside with the egg.

5. In a pot of boiling water add the glass noodles. Let cook for 8 minutes. Put in a colander and run under cold water to prevent overcooking. Drain thoroughly.

6. In the same frying pan heat up the sesame oil and add the drained noodles. The oil helps prevent the noodles from getting soggy. Mix around then add the soy sauce and sugar. If the noodles seem wet and slippery just let it sit in the pan for a little bit until all the moisture is gone and the noodles are more sticky than slippery. It should taste more salty than usual because the stir fried ingredients will balance out the taste. If it's still bland add a little more soy sauce.

7. Turn the heat off. Add the stir fried ingredients and mix it all up with your hands. Taste one more time and season with salt and pepper if needed.

8. Put in a serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. And you're done! It's perfect for a pot luck or dinner party. You will be surprised at how fast this huge bowl disappears.

Grilled Fish (Saengsun Gui)

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Saengsun means fresh fish in Korean. This recipe is perfect for when you have a whole fresh fish and you don't have time or can't be bothered with fancy recipes. Last night I was at the grocery store wondering what to get for dinner when these beauties came into view, sitting on ice, perfectly firm and fresh. I was tired but really felt like a home cooked meal so this was just what I needed.

In Korea, the common fish found in home style restaurants is mackerel or sardines as they are abundant and easy to get. But you can use this recipe for most any kind of fish that is commonly sold and cooked whole. Here we are using branzino, a favorite of mine at Italian restaurants. It's so simple to make it can hardly be called a recipe.

Ingredients:
1 whole branzino (a little under 1 pound, scaled and gutted)
1 T sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lemon wedges
1 T soy sauce and some wasabi for dipping

1. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and and use a knife to make slits into both sides of the fish 1 inch apart.

2. Brush both sides of the fish with the sesame oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a grill pan (or regular grill, if you have one) on medium. When the pan is hot place the fish onto the grill. Let it grill for 5-6 minutes or until the bottom is brown and crispy.

4. Flip it over and grill for another 5-6 minutes. Remember to only flip once to prevent the fish from getting mangled.

And you're done! Put it on a plate with lemon wedges and soy sauce with wasabi. These condiments will really bring out the flavor of the fish. It's a very satisfying and easy main dish and is a perfect compliment to any kind of jjigae or even just a simple bowl of rice.

Seasoned Fish Cake (Uh Mook Jorim)

2011-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Uh mook means fish cake in Korean. There are many shapes and varieties and they are usually found in the frozen food section in Asian markets. It's one of those foods that is very nostalgic for us because it was a common side dish in our lunch boxes when we went to school and we could always find it at street food carts. It's kind of a guilty pleasure since it's usually not that healthy for you, but we try to make up for it by buying the more expensive fish cakes made with natural ingredients.

This dish is an easy and tasty side dish made by stir frying it in soy sauce.

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil
2 sheets fish cake (100g) sliced into 1/2" slices
1/2 small onion sliced
2 T sliced red or green pepper
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1/2 T sugar
Black pepper
1 t sesame seeds

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat and add the garlic. Cook until you can smell the garlic cooking.

2. Add the onion and cook for another minute or two.

3. Add the fish cake slices. Stir around until the fish cake is soft, a couple minutes.

4. Add soy sauce.

5. Add the sugar. Reduce heat and mix it around until the sauce is absorbed and the fish cake is an even golden brown. 1-2 minutes.

6. Add some pepper.

7. Add the pepper slices. Stir around until the pepper is slightly wilted.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and put on a cute plate. Ready to serve with some rice and kimchi and any other dish. It will also last for another day or two in the fridge, and it's great to pack in a lunch box with rice.

Spicy Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae)

2011-05-23T00:13:00.000-07:00

Jjigae means stew in Korean, and is another common dish we constantly crave. Here we make it with kimchi. It's hot and spicy and tangy and makes a bowl of rice disappear in a second.

The secret to kimchi jjigae is using very old kimchi(see kimchi bokkumbap). If you can't get a hold of the old kimchi that is sold, you can just let your kimchi age in your fridge until the cabbage loses its whiteness and turns dark and a bit transparent like the picture below. Taste the kimchi and if its really sour then it's perfect for jjigae.

Ingredients for 2 people:
1 1/2 cups old kimchi cut into small pieces
1 T cooking oil
1 can of tuna packed in water, drained (we think Dongwon brand is best for this dish)
6 dried anchovies and 1 square of dried kelp (Optional)
2 cups water
1 t sugar
1 t red pepper powder
1 T red chilli pepper slices
2 T green onion slices

1. Add anchovies and seaweed in to a pot with water and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a ceramic pot(it's ok to use whatever pot you have) and put in the kimchi slices. Let it fry for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add sugar.

4. Add the red pepper powder and mix it around.

5. Add the anchovy stock to the ceramic pot. Bring to boil then let it simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add the tuna and let simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Simmer time may vary depending on how thick you like the jjigae to be. The longer you simmer, the richer the taste.

7. Add the green onions and red pepper and simmer for 1 more minute. Put on the table and enjoy!

* Pork version is also delicious and a bit more hearty. Just add 2 ounces of pork belly when you are frying the kimchi and let it cook through. Replace anchovy broth with regular water.

Green Onion Pancake (Pa-Jeon)

2011-05-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Koreans make Green Onion Pancakes (Pa Jeon) for a very low key snack or big holiday side dish.

When I (Jeana) was little, my mom would make this for our rainy day snack. I'm from a small town in Korea so I had never heard or tasted of pizza until I was in 8th grade when I finally visited Seoul, so this dish was kind of our version of pizza back then! : )

There are lots of different versions of these pancakes (Jeon) but this time we made the most simple one using only green onions. If you have left over kimchi or seafood (squid, mussels, shrimp..) you can just throw some in and it will taste even better!
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*Ingredients for 1 pancake*
Korean Pancake Mix or Flour 1Cup
Water -- about 1Cup
A bunch of thin green onions
Red chili pepper 1 sliced

*Dipping Sauce*
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 T chopped green onions
Red and green chili peppers sliced
1t vinegar
Red pepper flakes (Optional)

This is Korean Pancake Mix.

In a medium bowl, combine pancake mix and water. If necessary, add more water to make batter desired thickness. (It shouldn't be too thick)

Heat a frying pan over medium high heat and add vegetable oil. Spread the green onions on the pan.

Pour the batter over green onions and make a round or square shape with a spatula. (another way: chop the green onions about 3 inch length and mix it with batter)

Add red pepper.

While one side is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining the ingredients listed above.

When the bottom is a little brown and crispy, turn it over. (I turned it over a little too early...oops! but still tasted good!)

Serve it with the dipping sauce. We often eat this with rice wine in Korea.

Kimchi Fried Rice (Kimchi Bokkumbap)

2011-05-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is one of our favorite ways to use old kimchi that's been sitting in the fridge for a while. It's so easy and comforting.

The key is to use kimchi that is a little old because it is more tangy and tastes better when fried. Also important is using rice that is a day old because it has less moisture and gets crispy at the bottom of the pan. If you don't have rice that's a day old, just make rice as usual but use a little less water and stick it in the freezer for 5 minutes to cool.

Also Our favorite brand of Kimchi is "Chongga". We've tried all kinds of brands but this one is by far the best. The one on the right is regular fresh kimchi which needs at least 10 days to be ready for Kimchi Fried Rice. The one on the left is old fermented Kimchi so it's already ready. This is about $7.99 at a Korean Market.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
4 cups old kimchi, cut into bite size pieces
4 bowls of one day old rice (cold)
2 T cooking oil
1 T butter
1 T red pepper paste (gochujang, sold in Korean markets) - if you don't have it, you can skip it.
1 T sesame oil
Pepper to taste

Garnish:
4 eggs
Sesame seasoned seaweed, crushed (sold in the Asian section of most supermarkets)
Chopped green onions

1.Heat a frying pan on medium and add cooking oil. Then add the kimchi and fry for a few minutes until it is heated through.

2. Add butter and red pepper paste

3. Add the rice. Use a spatula to break it up and mix it around so all the rice is evenly coated in the kimchi and paste.

4. Add sesame oil.

5. Spread the rice evenly on the pan and let it sit for a couple minutes so the bottom turns a little crispy and brown.

6. While the rice is browning, fry up the eggs in a separate pan. We like sunny side up because it looks the nicest. But remember to cover the pan with a lid so the top side cooks and is not too runny.

7. Mix the rice again using the spatula and then put in serving bowls. Top each bowl with a fried egg, crushed seaweed, and a sprinkling of the green onion.

*Variations with more protein: Fry some chopped ham in the pan before adding the kimchi. Or add canned tuna(drained) with the kimchi.

Bapsang

2011-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

These dishes make a nice set of meal (Bapsang)!

Spicy Cucumber Salad (Oee Muchim)

2011-05-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

'Muchim' is the Korean word for any dish that is made by mixing vegetables and sauce ingredients by hand in a bowl. These dishes are usually whipped up in the kitchen as a quick side dish and are a nice alternative to kimchi when you don't have any in the house. Definitely a useful recipe to have on hand.

Ingredients:
5 small cucumbers sliced 1/4"thick
1 T salt
1 t minced garlic
1 T chopped green onion
2 t red chili powder
2 t white vinegar (rice or apple vinegar preferably)
2 t sugar
1 t toasted sesame seeds
1 t sesame oil (optional)

1. Put the cucumber slices and the salt into a bowl and mix around with your hands. Let sit for 5 minutes then squeeze out any excess water that formed.

2. Add the vinegar, red chili pepper, sugar, minced garlic, green onions and mix it around so everything is evenly coated. (add sesame oil if you'd like)

3. Add sesame seeds and it's ready to serve. Will stay good in the fridge for 1 or 2 days.

Soy Seasoned Tofu (Doobu Jorim)

2011-04-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is another common dish on Korean menus. It's popular because it is super healthy, costs nothing to make and so delicious. There are many variations but we like this version because the layer of corn starch adds a little crunchy texture. We really can't stop making this dish. Hope you like it too.

Ingredients for Soy Seasoning:
4T soy sauce
1t minced garlic,
1/2 t red chilli powder,
2t sesame seeds,
1/2 T honey,
1/2 T sugar,
4T chopped green onion,
1/2T white rice wine (or any white cooking wine),
1T water
1/2 T rice vinegar
1/2 t sesame oil

Other Ingredients:
1 package of firm tofu
3T corn starch
3T flour
2-3 T cooking oil
extra sesame seeds and chopped green onions for garnish

1. Mix all the ingredients for soy seasoning in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel. Slice half lengthwise then into 1/2 inch slices.

3. Mix the corn starch and flour in a shallow bowl. Then dredge the tofu slices in the mixture. Shake off the excess.

4. Heat oil in a fry pan. When pan is hot place the tofu in the pan. Heat for 3-4 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.

5. Flip the tofu slices and cook the other side until it is golden brown. If the pan is too dry add an extra tablespoon of oil.

6. Spoon all the soy seasoning onto the tofu slices. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is mostly gone.

7. Put on serving plate and garnish with extra green onion slices and some sesame seeds.

Enjoy while it's still warm! It's great with rice and kimchi or with an ice cold beer.

Korean Miso Soup with Manilla Clams

2011-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Another staple in a Korean meal is soup. No matter what kind of food you are having, or where you are having it, chances are there will be some kind of soup on the table. We just love our soups. And half the time it will be some variation of Korean miso soup.

Today we will be making it with Manilla clams.

Ingredients:
1 pound Manilla Clams
2 tablespoons Korean soybean paste (Found in Korean markets sold in a plastic tub.)
1/2 jalapeno pepper sliced thinly seeds removed
1/2 bunch of enoki mushrooms (Found in most Asian markets.)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper powder (Also found in most Asian markets. Don't use cayenne or western chilli powder. It will taste confusing.)
3 tablespoons of green onions slices plus some extra for garnish
4-5 dried anchovies (Found in asian markets sold in bags, but can be skipped if not available.)

1. Prep the clams: discard any clams that are open and scrub the rest under running water. Then soak in water for half an hour.

2. Start the broth: bring 5 cups water and the dried anchovies to a boil. Lower heat then remove anchovies after 8 minutes.

3. Lower the heat and add soybean paste to the broth by pushing it through a strainer with a spoon. We do this so the soup is smooth without any bits of bean floating around. Discard the chunks that don't go through the strainer.

4. Add the garlic and clams to the pot. Bring to boil for a minute then let simmer on low until the clams are all open.

5. Add the enoki mushrooms, green onions, jalapeno slices, and red pepper. Let cook for a couple minutes or until the veggies are slightly wilted.

6. Serve into bowl and top with some green onion slices for garnish. Enjoy!

Basic White Rice

2011-04-18T23:27:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a boring yet essential post as rice is the staple of a Korean meal and it's quite easy to ruin a good meal by botching up the rice.

1. Choosing the rice. Get short grain or sushi rice. Small bags can be bought in any grocery store but we like to go to Asian markets and get the 20 pound and up bags. They are usually stacked at the entrance ways. Kind of like dog food bags as one friend put it.

2. You can use an electric rice cooker and if you don't have one, a regular pot with lid is fine too.

3. Follow cooking instructions on bag of rice. If you don't have any measuring cups handy you can use this trick that a lot of Korean moms use. Put a big handful of rice per serving in the pot, and for the water just put in enough to not quite cover the tops of your fingers.

4. When the rice is done, use a spatula to fluff it. Then serve.

And there you have it. The most basic staple Korean food. Add a fried egg, some soy sauce and sesame oil and you have a quick and easy meal or midnight snack.

Welcome to Bap Story

2011-04-18T16:22:00.001-07:00

'Bap' is the Korean word for rice but also means food or meal. So you can imagine how much comfort we find in this word.

We will be sharing delicious, easy, homestyle recipes that anyone can make as well as insider tips on shopping in a Korean market and the best places to go for certain dishes. Like who sells the best white daikon kimchi, and where to get the best hangover soup. Yum.

FYI, we are by no means expert cooks. We just love Korean food and want to make it easy for everyone to love it as well.

Stay tuned for our first recipe!

xo
Jeana and Bo