Spicy Korean Chicken and Potatoes

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, fat trimmed & cut into small pieces
3 potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, cut into large chunks

Sauce
3 Tbs Korean chili flakes
2 Tbs Korean chili paste
4 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs mirin
2 Tbs honey or corn syrup
1 Tbs sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced

Garnish
sesame seeds
green onion, chopped

In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

Add prepared chicken and vegetables to crockpot. Stir in sauce and mix well until evenly incorporated.

Cover and cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high until the chicken is fully cooked. Once done, stir in chopped green onion. Top with sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Japchae

One of my favorite Korean dishes aside from Korean BBQ and Bibimbap, Japchae is pretty up there. The first time I ever had Japchae was when we were stationed at Ft Drum, NY. If you're stationed up there, it's called Koreana. I miss that place!

Ever since I got back into Kpop (waaaay before Psy and Gangnam Style took over the world) and watching shows, I have been eating and cooking more Korean dishes. There's a tiny K-Town out here down S Tacoma Way and I'm lucky there's a couple Korean markets near by. They also recently opened up a H-Mart closer to my house *woot*



I posted chicken stir-fry with japchae sauce awhile ago and it's pretty much the same thing except this time, I used the right noodles and what a huge difference! I also doubled the sauce and mine turned out a little sweeter then the first time I made it. I wish there was a kick to it though... next time, I would add a little spice to it. You can also add beef like the original recipe, but I omitted that.



Japchae
recipe from Korean Bapsang

6 ounces Korean potato starch noodles (dangmyeon)
4 - 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until plump
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 small carrot
1 small sweet onion
2 scallions

vegetable oil for stir frying
salt and pepper

Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles according to the package directions (5-6 minutes). Rinse in cold water and drain. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears or a knife into 6 -7 inch lengths. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce in a large bowl.

Cut stems off the mushrooms and slice into 1/4-inch thin strips. Season with 1 tablespoon of the sauce.

Blanch the spinach in boiling water only until wilted. Drain quickly and shock in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, cut into about 2-inch lengths, and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Cut the carrot into match sticks. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the scallions into similar lengths.

In a large non-stick skillet, stir fry the noodles over medium heat, stirring frequently, until translucent and a bit sticky (about 3 - 4 minutes). Transfer back to the large bowl.

Stir fry each vegetable (except the spinach) separately with 1 teaspoon of oil over medium high heat, lightly sprinkling with salt and pepper, about 1 - 2 minutes. (Do not overcook. The vegetables should be crisp.)

Transfer the vegetables to the large bowl with the noodles as each is cooked.

Combine all the ingredients and the remaining sauce. Toss well by hand. Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding a little more soy sauce and/or sugar.

Lazy Fried Rice in the Crock Pot

The time has come where I used a crock pot to make fried rice... of all things. I think I was desperate and hungry and well, truthfully, I really needed to do the dishes. Fried rice in a crock pot? Sure, why not. It's not the most exciting recipe to share, but for those who are always on the go, this is a great way to get dinner on the table without the wait. On the plus side, it's a great way to use up leftover chicken or bits and pieces of vegetables you have.

Lazy Fried Rice in the Crock Pot
recipe from crockpot 365

2-3 cups leftover rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 cup of fresh or frozen vegetable (i used a mix of carrot, green beans, corn and peas)
leftover meat (I had leftover rotisserie chicken)

Mix everything in the crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 3-4.

炒年糕 | Chinese Stir-Fried Rice Cakes

I don't if you guys know, but I'm Chinese/Taiwanese. 90% of the people I met in life has always questioned my nationality. Most people's first guess is always Korean then Vietnamese. Recently I had someone guess Filipino which is waaaay off. I've even had people ask if I was mixed. When they find out I'm Chinese, the first thing they ask is "Can you make me Chinese food?!" No. Sadly this Chinese cannot cook Chinese food. Besides, orange chicken and beef and broccoli is not even an authentic dish served in China or Taiwan for that matter.

So.. I don't think you guys know, but I'm also currently obsessed with KPOP, watching Korean TV dramas, TV shows/variety shows. My Mom is mad at me because all I watch is Korean shows and instead I should be brushing up on my Chinese. I originally bought rice cakes to make Ddukbokkie | 떡볶이, but instead I came across Jayden's Chinese stir-fried rice cake. I haven't had 炒年糕 since I was a kid! And I remember we use to eat it during Chinese New Years. So, when I found Jayden's recipe, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to make it and it was so good!

The recipe itself is extremely simple. It can be a little time consuming if you don't prep in advance because you need to marinade the pork, soak the mushrooms and rice cakes ahead of time. The recipe calls for Chinese rice wine. You will not be able to find this at your local grocery store and some Asian markets unless it's like 99 Ranch Market or you live in a heavily populated Asian city. I went to my local Korean market and nobody knew what Chinese rice wine was. If you can't find it, you can substitute it with Shaoxing Wine. If you can't find that either, I've read you can use dry sherry. DO NOT use cooking wine or sherry cooking wine.

I basically omitted it all together since I couldn't find any. Looking for the wine itself was more time consuming then prepping + cooking the recipe.



炒年糕 | Chinese Stir-Fried Rice Cakes
Original recipe from Steamy Kitchen*
*please go to her blog to check notes on rice cake and mushrooms

One 24-ounce package fresh rice cakes
4 dried Shiitake mushrooms
2 teaspoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 slices of pork, cut into very thin strips
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6 ounces Chinese Napa Cabbage, shredded
One 6-ounce can julienne cut bamboo shoots, drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1. In a large bowl, soak the fresh rice cakes for about 2 hours. Soak dried Shiitake mushrooms for 2 hours or up to overnight until softened. If you are using fresh shiitake mushrooms, skip this step.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tsp soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, rice wine, cornstarch together. Mix in the pork and marinate for 20 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

3. When you are ready to cook, have all of your ingredients ready. Drain the rice cakes. Drain the mushrooms and slice into very thin slices.

4. Heat alarge saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add the pork and cook until browned and almost cooked through.

5. Add in the mushrooms and the bamboo shoots, stir fry for 1 minute. Add in the cabbage and stir fry for 2 minutes. Mix in the soy sauce.

6. Add in the rice cakes and toss very well. Pour in the broth, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the rice cakes have browned a little and are softened. The sticky rice cakes will be just slightly chewy (but not hard to chew). Taste and add in additional soy sauce if needed. Serve immediately.

Chicken Stir-Fry with Japchae Sauce

It doesn't get dark til 8pm here and dinner has gone from 6pm to now past 8! I've been craving for Japchae for awhile now and the Korean market is a good 20+ minute drive away so instead, I used whatever ingredients I had on hand. Japchae means a mixture of vegetables and traditionally you use sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), but I used Vermicelli (bean threads) instead. The flavor of the sauce is the right balance of saltiness and sweetness.

So, I started to follow this recipe, but I messed up and ended up kind stir-frying everything together and tossing in the sauce. It's almost like Japchae, but not? I recommend rinsing the vermecelli after you drain so keep from sticking. It was a huge mess. Overall, it was delicious and I wish I made more!



Chicken Stir-Fry with Japchae Sauce
Recipe adapted from Korean Bapsang

3 bundles of vermecelli
1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 scallion, diced
1/4 cucumber, sliced
1 chicken thigh, cut in bite-size chunks
vegetable oil for stir frying
salt and pepper

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Soak vermecelli noodles for 15 minutes in hot water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears and set aside.

Cook the chicken thigh with 1 TBsp of the sauce and 1 TBsp oil til fully cooked. Set aside.

Stir-fry the vegetables with 2 TBsp of the sauce.

Mix in your noodles, chicken and the rest of the sauce. Cook til heated through.

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers & Peanuts

Spicy Thai Tofu with Red Bell Peppers & Peanuts
Original recipe from Epicurious

1/3 C. Olive Oil
Red Bell Peppers (I only had the frozen mixed bell peppers)
Ground Ginger (Couldn't find mine and still tasted great)
3 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
Extra Firm Tofu, cut into cubes
3 Green Onions, chopped
3 TBsp Soy Sauce
2 TBsp Lime Juice
1/2-3/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 Bag of Baby Spinach
1/3 C. Basil, Chopped
1/3 C. Peanuts, Chopped

Method:
Heat oil over high heat. Cook bell peppers, ginger and garlic for 2 minutes. Add Tofu and green onions, toss for 2 minutes. Add the next 3 ingredients, Toss to blend. Add Spinach. Mix in basil. Season with Salt & Pepper. Sprinkle with Peanuts.

Serve with Rice.

Pork Adobo

Pork Adobo
original recipe from appetiteforchina

2-4 Boneless pork chops, cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4-1/2cup vinegar
1/2- 1 cup water
2 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons brown sugar

In a medium sized saucepan, brown your pork for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Saute onion and garlic til soft and a bit caramelized. Add the soysauce, vinegar, water, bayleaf, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cooked pork and 2 TBsp of brown sugar. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Serve with rice.

Pork and Cabbage Jiao Zi

You can buy the ones in the frozen aisle, but there's just something about homemade potstickers that brings back memories of my family and that one summer trip my brother, Jefferson and I took in China. Called my mother for her recipe, which is pretty simple, the process of making the meat filling does take about 30 mins, filling it and pleating was pretty easy after you get the hang out of it- Which i didn't til the last 5 of them haha.



Pork and Cabbage Jiao Zi

1 lb. Lean Ground Pork
Napa Cabbage (if you can find it, use regular cabbage)
Green Onions (scallions- optional)
1 Tsp Sesame Oil
Water
Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Cornstarch
Dumpling Wraps (the circle kind)
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
Soysauce
Sriracha Sauce

Filling:
Cut the cabbage into small pieces. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle in about 1/2-1 cup salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. In another bowl, mix in the ground pork, napa cabbage, green onions, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 Tsp Cornstarch.

Sauce:
1/4 Cup soysauce
dash of sesame oil
1 Tsp Sriracha Sauce
Minced Garlic

Process:
Make sure your dumpling wraps are thawed if frozen! Put about a teaspoon of filling in the center of wrap. Using your finger to dab the outter circle with water. Fold in half like a taco, pinch in the sides.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in your dumplings, gently stirring it so they won't stick. Bring to a boil, add a cup of cold water and then cover with a lid. Bring it back up to another boil, add another cup of cold water. They should float to the top. Check the meat to see if it's done- Should be white. Drain and serve hot.


Terrible explanation i know. But here's a video to help you better understand the pleating :)

*NOTE* Sorry for the misunderstanding, but the video i linked above is not mine. Its just a video i found on youtube and thought it would help you better understand how to pleat. Again, sorry you guys!

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Original recipe from Gina

Peanut Sauce:

* 1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
* 6 tbsp peanut butter
* 1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
* 2 tbsp honey
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Chicken:

* 16 oz chicken breast, cut into thin strips
* salt and pepper (to taste)
* 1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce (more or less to taste)
* juice of 1/2 lime
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
* 1 tbsp soy sauce
* 8 oz rice noodles (I used rice stick noodles)

Veggies:

* 3/4 cup green onion, chopped
* 1 1/4 cups shredded carrots
* 1 1/4 cups cup shredded broccoli slaw
* 2 tbsp chopped peanuts
* 1 lime, sliced
* cilantro for garnish (optional)


For the peanut sauce: Combine 1 1/2 cup chicken broth, peanut butter, sriracha, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until sauce becomes smooth and well blended, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

Boil water for the noodles cook pasta according to package instructions.

Season chicken with salt and pepper, sriracha, lime, garlic, ginger and soy sauce.

Heat a large skillet or wok until hot. Add oil and sauté chicken on high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes; remove from heat and set aside. Add 2 cloves crushed garlic, scallions, carrots, broccoli slaw and/or bean sprouts and salt, sauté until tender crisp, about 1-2 minutes.

Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Spicy Thai Noodles with Crispy Pork

I browse Foodgawker every day, at least a couple times a day and I came across this recipe and it was calling me to make it. ASAP! I refuse buy meat at my local supermarket since I know I can get it for a lot cheaper at the commissary on post. Sadly, it was pay day and that means prices are jacked up a little higher, stock is low and crazy people, so instead I went to the Asian market in Tacoma and was lucky to find ground pork for cheap, giant zucchinis and all the ingredients I need for this recipe.

Now, I'm full Chinese and Asian cooking is just not in my blood. I pretty much can't cook Asian food if my life depended on it, unless it came from the freezer section or I can just heat it up in the microwave. So, I was definitely a little wary when it came to this recipe, especially using fish sauce. I'm just thankful that this dish was not only edible, but delicious! The recipe only called for 6oz of the noodles, but I put the 10.5oz package which came with 4 bundles and I used 3 which resulted in A LOT of noodles, so I had to double the sauce. I didn't have peanuts on hand, so I had to omit that, but I'm sure it would of been tasty with it. I also couldn't find bird's eye chili at Safeway AND at the Asian market, so I bought some frozen red chili peppers which wasn't too too spicy, but I also didn't put that much in. If you like spicy, I would recommend adding more.



Spicy Thai Noodles with Crispy Pork
Recipe from The Kitchn

1/2 pound ground pork
1 6-ounce package glass noodles (bean threads/saifun)
3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1 bird's eye chili, ribs and seeds removed, minced (substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
2 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
Extra chopped peanuts for garnishing

Warm a teaspoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to break the pork into tiny crumbles. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring less frequently, until the pork turns deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

While the pork is cooking, set the noodles in a bowl and cover them with hot water to soak. Let them sit until softened, about 10 minutes or until the pork has finished cooking.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the noodles and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the noodles are stretchy and tender. Drain and rinse under cool water. Use a pair of kitchen shears to cut the mass of noodles 3 or 4 times: this makes the long noodles easier to eat.

Combine the noodles, pork, green onions, cilantro, chili, and peanuts in a large bowl. Whisk together the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Use tongs or clean hands to lift the noodles, fold them over, and gradually work the ingredients into the noodles. Let stand at least 15 minutes before serving or refrigerate until serving. Garnish each dish with extra peanuts.