Kimchimari

  Kongjaban was my all time favorite lunchbox banchan (side dish) when I was a kid. My most happy lunchbox(도시락 doshirak) always included at least 2 of the following: Kongjaban, Sauteed string potatoes, Jangjorim, Oeji (pickled cucumbers) and  Gim (roasted sea laver). My school day mornings passed by more quickly and happily when I knew I had […]

This Korean Lettuce Salad is a wonderfully delicious side dish to any grilled meats – especially unseasoned grilled meats. The salty, vinegary and slightly sweet chili flavors really help break up any greasy taste of meats while still highlighting the meaty flavor. Korean BBQ restaurants often serve some variation of this salad with BBQ meats […]

“Bibimbap”… If you have ever taken a Korean flight or been to a Korean restaurant then you have probably tasted (or at least  have seen) this dish before. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this dish. I love some versions of it but actually not all. For that reason, I usually don’t order at restaurants […]

In my attempt to categorize/analyze Korean sauces, I have searched high and low for some reference site or book that organizes the sauces in some structured way. No such luck.  So, here’s my attempt – to me the most natural way of categorizing the sauces is to base it on what the main ingredient is. […]

Yesterday was one of those days when I really did not feel like cooking anything but still wanted to have something good to eat for lunch. And then it hit me…Kimchimari. I almost forgot how great this is! I LOVE how easy this is to make and how light and refreshing it is. I used […]

If you have ever been to a Korean restaurant, chances are you probably have had chopchae/japchae(잡채), either as a menu item or as a side dish. And if side dish was the only way you had it – then I’m afraid you probably had a very poorly made chopchae. It sometimes makes me mad when […]

Check out my post about salads in my What’s for dinner, mom?blog! There are recipes for tofu salad and raspberry spinach salad (they go really well with Korean food) and their dressings which you can make as wonderful gifts! Happy December!!

I still remember the very first time I made Kimchi Jjigae all by myself – it was when I was visiting my brother in Virginia. The winter snow storm that year (1984? 1985?) was so bad that we were stuck in his apartment for almost a week with no means of getting to a store. […]

I used to think that sauteed burdock (woowong bokkeum) was one of those dishes that one could easily live without. Maybe it was because I never had much of it at home growing up or maybe it was because I never had one that was properly prepared from a fresh burdock. But my MIL (mother-in-law) […]

Everyone has a different preference as to when Kimchi(김치) tastes the best – some love eating freshly made, raw kimchi (kind of tastes like a salad); some love eating it when it is just perfectly ripe and then there are those who love sour kimchi (신김치 shin kimchi) which has basically over fermented and obviously […]