Bánh Xèo (Hoi An Pancakes)

Huh. It has been way to long. Don't even know where that time has gone. The photos from Vietnam aren't even uploaded yet but it has been already more than two weeks since I left... Ah well. Better late than never! So in a (bad, but well-intentioned) attempt at keeping up my promise, here come some more recipes from my last travel destination: Vietnam.

Since I have already posted a recipe of the famous Pho Bo a while ago (see here), I thought I would introduce a new favourite of mine that I met for the first time on a food tour in Hanoi (yes, a tour where you just eat - fabulous idea if you ask me!). Originally, Bánh Xèo, or pancakes-turned-spring-rolls, are from Hoi An. But you could have guessed that from the title too! So let's get started!

Ingredients (serves about 4):
For the pancake batter:
120g dried rice flour
350 ml cold water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (or any other yellow spice such as curry or saffron)
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
150g fresh shrimps (or other seafood - you can also add pork, chicken, etc.)
1 spring onion
250g fresh bean sprouts
Vegetable oil for frying

For the topping:
Fresh mint
Fresh coriander
Thai (or Vietnamese) basil
Lettuce
Mango
Banana flower
Cucumber
More beansprouts and spring onions

For the peanut sauce:
1 tsp garlic
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar or honey
Pinch of chilli powder
60 ml water or coconut milk

You will also need rice paper to transform the pancakes into spring rolls. To soften the rice papers, wrap them in banana leave or a wet towel for a couple of hours.

Preparation:
First, prepare the batter by mixing all the ingredients and letting the mix rest at room temperature for 1 hour. In the meantinme, finely cut the shrimp (if not already done, shell and deveine them first) and spring onions. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the shrimp and any other meat you have chosen to add. Mix the meat together with the pancake batter.
Next, prepare the sauce: crush the garlic and then mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat for 10 seconds.
Spread about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan (create a thin layer). Add some spring onions and bean sprouts, then remove the pan from the heat and add the pancake batter. Fry over medium to high heat until the bottom of the pancake is crisp and golden. Pour out the oil into a bowl and flip the pancake over. Once ready, fold the pancake in half and put it on a plate (which you can cover in paper towel to absorb the oil). Repeat with the rest of the batter.
To serve, place the folded pancake on a rice paper and top with some or all the above toppings. Then roll the rice paper and dip the roll into the peanut dipping sauce. 

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Jeow Mak Keua (Aubergine Dip)

Sabaidee!

As it is my last day in Laos, I thought it would be appropriate to catch up on my blog writing and dedicate today's posts to its dishes. After all, that was the initial promise I made for this trip ;-).

So this first dish, Jeow Mak Keua, is a little bit like a Baba Ganoush or Moutabbal, just with an Asian touch of course. The same dish can also be prepared with tomato and then it resembles a lot what you would put on a bruschetta or serve with Mexican tacos... Maybe I am drawing too many parallels here, but I have come across weird similarities in food preparation in these various regions I have visited. Maybe I am just looking for the familiar. Or maybe people across the globe have just had similar light bulbs when it comes to combining ingredients... Well, going off topic here. So let's start with this first, very easy dish, an aubergine (or tomato) dip. It is typically eaten with sticky rice (hence why you'll find the recipe for that one below too), but you can also dip steamed veggies in it!

Ingredients (to serve as an appetizer for 4):

For the sticky rice:

500g sticky rice (not the same as Basmati or jasmine rice!)

Water

For the dip:

4 small (Lebanese or Japanese) aubergines or 1-2 European aubergines

2-3 chillies (Laotians put up to 15 so suit yourself!)

1-2 small shallots

1 tsp salt

4 garlic cloves

1 bundle of fresh coriander (about a cup full)

Dash of fish sauce

Green part of 1 big (or 2-3 small) spring onion

Optional: you can add mushrooms (champignons de Paris) or a green capsicum

If you are preparing the tomato-based dip, use 12 cherry tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves only and add a squeeze of lime juice.

Preparation:

Sticky rice:

First, prepare the sticky rice as the preparation time is quite long. Wash the rice 3-4 times under running water until it runs clear. Then cover the rice with water and allow it to soak for at least 1 hour, better for 3-4. The rice is ready when you can cut it easily with your finger nail. If you can break it with your fingertip only, you have soaked it too long! 

Drain the water from the rice and rinse it several times. Rinse a bamboo steamer (can be a dumpling basket), add the rice and place it over boiling water. Steam the rice for about 30 minutes. Turn the rice over in the steamer and return it to the heat for a few minutes more. Taste to check that the rice is soft and sticky, but not mushy.

Important: in order for sticky rice to become sticky, you have to prepare a minimum of 500g!

Aubergine dip:

Put the aubergine, onion, garlic and chilli (and/or the mushroom/capsicum/tomatoes if using them) on wood skewers and grill them over open flame or in the oven. If you are using big aubergines and capsicums, you can also just prick them with a fork and place them on the coal directly. Grill the veggies until they are blackened. Allow them to cool and then peel the aubergines/tomatoes/capsicum, onion and garlic. Pound the garlic, onion, chilli and salt in a mortar. Once you have obtained a smooth paste, add the aubergine/tomatoes/capsicum and/or mushrooms and continue pounding until all ingredients have mixed well and the dip is more or less smooth. Chop the fresh coriander and add it to the mix, then season the dip with fish sauce and add the coarsely chopped spring onion. You can add lime juice to the tomato dip, but in the aubergine version, the lime might cover the smokey taste of the former.

To eat the dip, form little sticky rice balls with your fingers and then dip them in the sauce. Bon appétit!

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Laotian Laap

Laap (or larp) is considered the Laotian national dish and as such it is served in pretty much every restaurant you go to. It is refreshing in the heat and adds a zing to your day with the mix of spices and herbs it contains. I have also seen it in Thai cookbooks, but then I guess the cuisines here overlap quite often... 

Laap can be prepared with beef, buffalo (as in the photo above - might be a bit more tricky to find in Europe), chicken, pork or fish and vegetarians may substitute the meet with tofu, mushroom and/or potato. 

As with most dishes in Laos, sticky rice is never very far and you can find the recipe for the latter in the next post!

Ingredients (serves  3-4):

300g ground beef 

1 tsb salt

2 tsb fish sauce

2 garlic cloves

1 small onion

2 lemongrass stalks

1 tsp chicken stock

2 tsp dried chilli powder

2-3 bird's eye chillies (depends on your spice tolerance)

2 tbsp fresh coriander (about 4 stems)

2 tbsp fresh galangal

4 small (or 2 big) spring onions

3 tbsp fresh mint (small bunch)

1 bunch of Thai saw coriander (cilantro)

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 lime

2 snake beans or a handful of French beans

1 fresh banana flower (might be impossible to get at home so just leave it out)

Handful of bean sprouts

2 tbsp sticky rice powder (see below for instructions)

Lettuce leaves and/or watercress for serving

Preparation:

First, prepare the sticky rice powder: roast dry sticky rice (unwashed!) in a pan until it turns brown. Then pulverise it in a mortar.

Lightly sauté the beef in a pan with the salt and 1 tsb of fish sauce. Remove it from the heat, add a squeeze of lime juice and set it aside.

Finely chop the garlic, onions, lemongrass (only the white core), chillies, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. Roughly chop the mint, coriander (both), beans and spring onions. If you have succeeded in procuring a banana flower, peel the outer layers (the pink ones) of the flower and thinly slice the white section into a bowl of cold water. Careful, the sap stains and is impossible to get out of clothes (I speak from experience)! Mix all ingredients together and add the fish sauce and sticky rice powder. Squeeze in some lemon juice if you like and then serve the laap with the lettuce leaves and sticky rice. 

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Amok with Shrimp

Ah, well, it has been a while... This traveling business takes up too much of my time somehow and I have to actually take some time "off" and sit down to type up some more recipes.

Thailand seems a long way away now and hence I decided to skip most of the recipes from there (the best ones will come later, promise) and catch up with a recipe from Cambodia. Undoubtedly the most famous dish from that country is Amok: a paste that can be used for different kinds of meat. Here, I post the version with shrimp, but you can substitute that with fish, tofu, beef or chicken

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the Amok paste:

4 lemongrass stems

4 fresh turmeric roots (you can substitute a root with 1 tbsp of turmeric powder)

2 finger roots (lesser ginger) - use ginger instead if you can't find finger roots, but reduce the amount as ginger is a lot stronger in  taste

2 small shallots

4 garlic cloves

4 Ngor or broccoli leaves

200g white mushrooms

1 onion

300g fresh shrimp

200ml coconut milk

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp chicken stock

Steamed rice

Preparation:

First, finely chop the ingredients for the Amok paste then pound them in a mortar until you obtain a smooth paste. Heat half of the coconut milk in a pan and add the amok paste, sugar, salt and fish sauce. Cook the sauce and add the shrimp, mushroom, onion and ngor leave. Add the rest of the coconut milk and season with chicken stock. Let the sauce thicken a bit and then place it, if available, in a banana leave and serve with steamed rice.

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Phad Thai

This might well be the most famous Thai dish of them all... In Bangkok, you can hardly walk a street without encountering a small stand where it is freshly prepared in front of you. Having tasted "the real deal" plenty of times there I did not think it was possible to recreate it yourself. Yet with the recipe below (again from the Blue Elephant), you actually stand a chance of bringing Bangkok into your home!

For the vegetarians among you, just leave out the dried shrimp, fish sauce and fresh shrimp and add more tofu and salt (the fish sauce is however what makes part of the taste...).

Ingredients (serves 4):

10 tiger prawns (raw)

4 eggs

320g dried rice noodles

8 tbsp vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves

4 small (or 1 big) shallots

4 tbsp fresh tofu

4 tbsp ground roasted peanuts

4 tbsp sweet turnips (pickled - skip if not available)

2 tbsp dried shrimp powder (or entire dried shrimp)

8 stems of thin spring onion

120g fresh beansprouts

4 tbsp white sugar

4 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsp tamarind juice

1 tsp chilli powder

2 limes

Fresh coriander

Preparation:

First, soak the rice noodles in cold water for 20 minutes.Meanwhile, start preparing the ingredients: quarter the prawns (not mandatory), cut the tofu into small cubes and the spring onion into 4-cm long pieces. Thinly chop the garlic and shallots.

In a wok, heat the oil on low heat and stir fry the garlic and shallots until an aroma develops (careful not to burn them). Then add the prawns and fry them until they start to turn pink. Push the mix to the side and crack open the eggs into the wok. Wait until the egg white starts to cook (i.e. turn white) and then scramble it. Once the egg is all scrambled, mix in the prawns and add the tofu and sweet turnip. When they are well mixed, add in the noodles (without the water!) and turn up the heat while stir frying the mix. Lower the heat again and add the seasoning: fish sauce, vinegar, tamarind sauce and half of the sugar (keep the rest for garnish). Continue to stir gently until all ingredients are well mixed. Add the dry shrimp powder and half of the chilli powder and ground peanuts. Finally, throw in the beansprouts and spring onion and mix with the rest. 

Transfer to a serving dish and add the lime, chilli powder, sugar and peanuts on the side. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. 

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Red Curry with Chicken

Today's recipe comes to you more or less directly from the kitchen of the Blue Elephant Cooking 

School in Bangkok... It's what I prepared for lunch today!

Another classic staple in the Thai kitchen, this red curry with chicken is prepared with homemade red curry paste. Once you have tried the fresh version, I promise you'll never want to use the pre-made one again!! The ingredients are relatively easy to obtain and you can store the paste easily in the fridge (see below). So let's get started!

Ingredients for the red curry paste:

1 coriander root

5 garlic cloves

4 very small shallots (or 2 bigger ones)

1/2 tbsp galangal

1 1/2 tbsp lemongrass (= 1-2 stems)

5 dried big red chillies (Serrano chilli)

1/2 tbsp kaffir lime zest (you can use kaffir lime leaves instead, if you can't find the fruit)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground roasted cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground roasted coriander seeds

1/2 tsp white pepper powder

1/2 tsp shrimp paste

Preparation:

Soak the dried chilli in water for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the water and chop. 

Peel and crush the garlic cloves and shallots and put them in a mortar. Chop the coriander root and add to the mortar. Start pounding. Slice the galangal and lemongrass finely and cut off the zest of the kaffir lime (the white of the lime is bitter, so don't use it!). Add to the mix together with the chilli and pound. Then add the salt, cumin, coriander and pepper powder and the shrimp paste. Pound until you obtain a smooth paste. You can also use a blender to do this, but the aroma are not the same (and you need to add some water to blend better). You can "refresh" a pre-made curry paste by adding pounded garlic cloves, coriander root and white pepper powder. 

Storage:

The paste can be kept in an airtight container (or plastic bag) in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or one month in the freezer. For longer periods, add more salt.

Ingredients for the chicken curry (serves 4):

8 tbsp red curry paste

8 tbsp vegetable oil (don't use olive oil for Thai cooking)

350g chicken breast

300g (fresh) bamboo shots

600 ml coconut milk

200 ml water

8 kaffir lime leaves (fresh if possible, otherwise soak dry ones in water)

1 bundle of Thai basil

6 big red chillies (Serrano chillies) - cut out the seeds to make it less spicy

2 tbsp palm sugar

4 tbsp fish sauce

Jasmine rice

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breast into thin pieces and the bamboo shots (if fresh) into slices. Tear the kaffir lime leaves into small pieces (first remove the stem by folding them in half). Slice the Serrano chilli (use only 4 and keep the rest for decoration).

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir fry until an aroma develops. Laddle in a spoonful of coconut milk. Stir continuously until the oil separates from the liquid. Add another laddle and repeat. Add a third laddle and once the coconut milk is boiling, add the sliced chicken and simmer until it is half cooked. Add the bamboo shots and then the seasoning (palm sugar and fish sauce) and kaffir lime leaves. Stir until the palm sugar is dissolved. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and later the water. Add the chilli and sweet basil leaves. Continue cooking for about a mnute, then pour the curry into a serving bowl. Decorate with basil leaves and thinly chopped chilli and serve with rice.

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Tom Kha Kai

The first of a series of recipes directly imported from their country of origin has to be a good one.

So this is it - the soup of all soups ;-). Tom Kha Kai or the coconut soup with chicken. At least for me, a definite favourite (until I met its cousin, the Tom Yum Kung... more about that later). Hence it was obvious that I would pick a cooking class where this creamy coconut soup featured in the menu. And I haven't stopped tasting it everywhere I go here in Thailand. The good news is that it's easy to make at home - the bad news: the ingredients might be a bit tricky to get (at least where the wind blows me...). But I will just start an import business for galangal then. And seaweed on the side. Never forget about sushi ;-).

So here comes the recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Ingredients (for 1):

100ml coconut milk

80ml chicken stock (best made yourself by boiling chicken bones)

60g chicken breast

20g young coconut meat (see my point about the ingredients?) - or alternatively any kind of mushroom

1 coriander root (or 3-4 coriander stems) - save the leaves for decoration

2 small shallots

5 bird's eye chillies

1 lemongrass stem

3 cm galangal (5 slices)

3 kaffir lime leaves

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 tbsp tamarind juice

1/2 tsp lime juice

Chilli oil ("nam prik phaow")

Preparation:

First, prepare the ingredients: slice the chicken breast thinly, crush the coriander root, onion, chillies, lemongrass and galangal and tear the kaffir lime leave (fold it in half to remove the stem, then tear it into smaller pieces). Then bring the chicken stock to the boil (at medium heat) in a saucepan. Add the herbs (coriander root, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and onion) and continue boiling until an aroma develops. Add the coconut milk and bring the soup to the boil, but don't boil it for too long as it will separate. Add the chicken breast and, once the chicken is half cooked, the coconut meat. Simmer for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind juice (not all at once as you might find it too sweet/sour). Mix well and season to your taste. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and crushed chilli. If you wish, remove the herbs before serving the soup. Pour the soup into a serving bowl and add some chilli oil and coriander leaves for decoration. Serve hot. Voilà - that's the secret. 

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Summer rolls

It seems I have a blog-writing block. This could be related to the fact that I am currently in Italy, enjoying my holidays and not spending loads of time indoors. But let’s overcome this lethargy and be a more active member of the blogging community. And let’s do it with an Asian recipe – that always helps ;-).

So today, I propose a recipe for summer rolls, i.e. non-fried spring rolls.

Ingredients:

Spring rolls sheets (available in bigger supermarkets either frozen or dry)

50 g glass noodles

60 g bean sprouts

½ cucumber

1 carrot

1 spring onion

Cooked shrimp (as many as you have spring roll sheets)

Surimi sticks (1 per sheet as well)

Fresh coriander and mint leaves and chives

2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

Preparation:

Soak the spring roll sheet, one by one, in warm water, until soft. Similarly, “cook” the glass noodles by soaking them in hot water. Cut the cucumber and carrot into long stripes (not too thick) and prepare the filling for the rolls.

Place one spring roll sheet at a time on a damp kitchen paper towel and place the filling of the roll onto it (the mint and coriander leaves first so that they shine through the pastry). Fold in the sides of the roll (so that it looks like a Döner Kebap or an envelope) and roll the sheet.

For the sauces, you can either just use plain soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce or you follow the recipes posted when writing about the dumplings.  

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Pho Bo (Vietnamese beef soup)

Uh, after posting the link to my blog on Facebook, the number of viewers increased drastically – obviously you would say. It was still a very positive surprise and motivates me to continue… In the hope that the number of you checking out the recipes will stay high!

Today’s recipe is Pho Bo, a Vietnamese beef soup. I discovered it in London since you know that I have never actually been to Asia… But maybe this fall, I’ll finally manage. Inshallah ;-). Until then, I just ignorantly continue to cook from (probably Europeanised) recipes. Still, they're really tasty... so I hope you like the outcome as much as I do!

 

Ingredients (for 4 to 5 portions):

1 ½ L beef stock

1 tbsp. fish sauce

2 onions

3 cm of ginger

2 stars anise

2 cloves (yes, just 2)

1 cinnamon stick

200g fresh, thick rice noodles (or dried, but cook them first)

200g beef filet

100g fresh bean sprouts

2 spring onions (with the green)

1 lime

2 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves

If you like and have: Thai basil leaves

Preparation:

Firstly, prepare the beef (same procedure as for the Bibimbap): rinse the beef under cold water, then pat it dry with a paper towel and wrap it in cling film. Freeze the meat for about 30 minutes (until it is firm to the touch, but not frozen solid). When ready, remove the beef from the freezer and unwrap the cling film. With a sharp knife, cut the beef into thin slices.

At the same time, simmer the stock with the fish sauce, the onions (cut into quarters), ginger (cut into slices), anise, cloves and cinnamon for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and bring it to the boil. Put the rice noodles (they have to be soft) and the beef (raw!) into soup bowls. Pour the stock over the noodles and beef. Put the bean sprouts, spring onions, lime (cut into slices) and coriander leaves on a plate and serve with the soup. 

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Banana times two

It was festival time in Bern so please excuse the delay in posting new recipes!

I have realised that it has been a while since I have posted any dessert recipe. In order to make up for the long silence and the absence of any sweets, here come two recipes (Asian of course) with banana – both equally healthy... ;-) Enjoy!

 

Fried bananas

Ingredients (6 baby bananas):

50g flour

5 tbsp. coconut flakes

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. corn starch (Maizena for example)

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

¼ tsp. baking powder

2 pinches of salt

100 ml water

6 baby bananas (or 3 normal ones)

Oil (for frying)

Preparation:

Mix the flour, sugar, corn starch, sesame

seeds, coconut flakes, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the water and mix well. Cover the bowl and let the mix rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Cut the baby bananas in half (in the length; if using normal bananas, cut them in half in width as well). Add about 3 cm oil into a frying pan and heat. Turn the bananas in the marinade and bake (i.e. fry) until golden (about 2 minutes per side). Put the bananas on paper towel to dry, but serve warm.

Milky bananas

 

Ingredients (8 baby bananas):

8 ripe baby bananas

150g sugar

200 ml coconut milk

1½ tsp. salt

1 L + 100ml water

Preparation:

In a glass bowl, mix the water with 1 tsp. of salt. Peal the bananas and put them in the water for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat 100ml of water in a saucepan. Add the sugar and simmer (at lower heat) for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved in the water. Take the bananas out of the salty water and put them in the sugary one. Cook the bananas at low heat for 15 minutes, turning them carefully (once is enough). The baby bananas will turn yellow (other bananas turn light brown). Mix the coconut milk with ½ tsp. salt in another saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. To serve, place the bananas into little bowls (with the sugared water) and add the warm coconut milk. 

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Cauliflower-Prawn Curry

As promised, I am moving away from the salads. But not from the Asian ;-). This recipe of a prawn curry is very simple and delicious! If you don’t like cauliflower, just exchange it with another vegetable.

 

Ingredients (for 2 portions):

300-500g prawns

1 lime

1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. yellow curry paste

300-500g cauliflowers

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

4 dl coconut milk

½ tbsp. raw cane sugar

2 star anise

1 cup of jasmine rice

Preparation:

Mix the prawns with the lime juice (keep the limes!). Prepare the rice (before cooking, wash the rice until the water is no longer cloudy). Heat the oil and fry the curry past. Chop the onion and garlic finely and add it to the paste. Break the cauliflowers into smaller pieces and add them to the pan. Steam for about two minutes. Mix in the coconut milk, sugar and star anise and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the prawns and simmer for four more minutes. Take out the anise. Serve the curry with the rice and grate some lime skin on top (or if you happen to have any around, sprinkle with cut kaffir lime leaves). 

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Summery Salads - N°5: Glass noodle salad

I think this will be the last one of the series for a while since maybe you got a bit tired of just reading about salads. To remain true to myself, it’s yet another Asian salad. Very easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients (for 1 bowl of salad):

150g glass noodles

50g raw cashew nuts

300g cherry tomatoes

½ red onion

100g bean sprouts

3 tbsp. honey

1 handful of coriander leaves

1 handful of Thai basil leaves (or sweet basil leaves)

Chilli powder

1 garlic clove

2 Chillies

4 tbsp. lime juice

½ tsp. lime zest

4 tbsp. fish sauce

Preparation:

Cook the glass noodles in a saucepan (in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes). Drain the water and rinse the noodles with cold water. Dry the noodles with a paper towel and add them to a salad bowl.

Heat a frying pan (medium-high heat) and add the cashew nuts. Dry-roast until they start to brown. Add the chilli powder and 1 tbsp. of honey and stir until the cashew nuts are well coated. Once the nuts are cooled down, chop them roughly. Add the cherry tomatoes, onion, bean sprouts, coriander and Thai basil to the bowl with the glass noodles. For the dressing, mix the finely chopped garlic with the chillies (deseeded and sliced), lime juice, lime zest, fish sauce and 2 tbsp. honey. Add the dressing to the salad and serve it with the roasted cashew nuts. 

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Korean dinner (Namul and Bibimbap)

I have mentioned in my introduction post that I have this weird love for Korean food. I think (if I remember well) that it started some years ago in Abu Dhabi where my host family introduced me to the Korean version of Sushi (Gimbap) and my first Korean restaurant (where you sit on the floor around a low table into which a charcoal grill is built in). 

In London, I then extended my knowledge of Korean food mostly through eating in two restaurants around Holborn: Naru and Asadal. To make your mouths water, here some pictures of Bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) at Asadal:

So, what does this Korean food consist of? 

First, there are the side dishes, "Namul". According to Wikipedia, Namul "is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul." Voilà, you learn something every day ;-). The Korean national dish is "Kimchi": a (red) fermented vegetable side dish (most famous is the fermented cabbage). 

Then there are the main dishes, like Bulgogi, mentioned above or Bibimbap, literally "mixed rice" (with vegetables and beef). Of course there are many other dishes. Oh, and if you happen to ever go to a Korean restaurant, try a cinnamon drink for dessert, if they have it, it's delicious! Also, ask to be shown how a Bibimbap is properly mixed and how (and with what side orders) to eat Bulgogi!

Now, if you don't happen to be in the closest vicinity of a Korean restaurant (I wonder if there even is one in Bern...), here come the recipes to make the dishes yourself:

Namul (bean sprout, spinach and cucumber)

Ingredients (for some small side portions):

3 handful fresh spinach

½ cucumber

50g bean sprouts

2 cloves of garlic

½ spring onion 

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Soy sauce

Rice vinegar

Salt

For the cucumber namul (which is effectively a cucumber salad), slice the cucumber into thin circles. Then spread the circles on a plate and sprinkle salt on them. Leave for at least half an hour and every now and then, cover the cucumber slices with paper towel and squeeze out the water. The less watery the cucumbers, the better the taste of the dish. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan and sauté the cucumber slices for about 1-2 minutes. Season with pepper (and if needed, more salt) and if you like, add some rice vinegar. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the cucumber salad.

Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes for the spinach namul. Then remove the leaves and rinse in cold water. Wrap the spinach in paper towel and gently squeeze to remove excess water. Mix 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. sesame oil, 1 clove of finely chopped garlic and 2 tsp. sugar in a bowl and add the spinach. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

And last but not least, parboil the bean sprouts in boiling water for 2 minutes. When done, rinse in cold water and wrap them in a paper towel to squeeze out the excess water. Finely chop one clove of garlic and the spring onion. Mix in 1 tbsp. sesame oil and 1 tsp. soy sauce and season with salt. Toss the bean sprouts into the sauce and serve immediately (or refrigerate, but not for too long as the bean sprouts will perish quickly).

I have to admit that the Kimchi shown in the photo comes out of a can – maybe I’ll make it myself one day and then I'll post the recipe.

For the Bibimbap, here come the ingredients:

300g short-grain rice (Risotto rice is fine)

200g beef fillet

120g bean sprouts

1 small carrot

½ a courgette

200g baby leaf spinach

As many eggs as there are persons eating

1 garlic clove

6 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

Sunflower oil

Sesame seeds

Korean hot pepper paste

Preparation:

1. The shiitake mushrooms: put the dried mushrooms in a bowl, then pour over boiling water and let the mushrooms soak for about 30 minutes (until they are soft). When done, squeeze off any excess liquid and trim off the stems.

2. The beef: rinse the beef under cold water, then pat dry it with a paper towel and wrap it in cling film. Freeze the meat for about 30 minutes (until it is firm to the touch, but not frozen solid). When ready, remove the beef from the freezer and unwrap the cling film. With sharp knife, cut the beef into thin slices. Heat 1 tbsp. sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the beef and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes (or until brown and cooked through). Add the soy sauce and season with pepper.

3. The rice: wash the rice in a saucepan until the water is no longer cloudy (3 to 4 rounds of fresh water). Drain the rice into a sieve and let it dry. Then put the rice back into the saucepan and add 350ml water. Leave the rice to soak in the cold water for about 10 minutes, then bring the water to the boil over a high heat and give the rice a quick stir. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan with a lid and let the rice simmer gently for about 10 minutes (or until the liquid is absorbed). Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid and quickly loosen the grains with a wooden spatula. Replace the lid and leave the rice to steam for 15 minutes until fluffy.

4. The sesame seeds: heat a frying pan and dry-fry the sesame seeds for a few minutes until the seeds begin to pop. Put aside.

5. The vegetables: heat the frying pan and add a little bit of sunflower oil. Add the shiitake mushrooms to the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then drizzle over the sesame oil. Then stir-fry the bean sprouts and the carrot (without adding sesame oil). Steam the courgette for 5 minutes (until soft) and steam the spinach for 2-3 minutes. Drain the spinach leaves of any water and squeeze out any excess water.

6. The eggs: heat more sunflower oil in frying pan. Prepare “sunny-side-up” eggs – with the yolk still running.

To assemble, divide the rice into serving bowls (either as many as there are eaters or in one common bowl), add the vegetables and beef and put the fried egg on top. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve with the Korean hot pepper paste and the namuls.

Voilà! 

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Aubergines Szechuan

This dish is a very tasty starter or side dish and very easy and quick to prepare! Not much more introduction is needed, hence let’s get started immediately:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. peanut oil

800g aubergines

1 tbsp. raw cane sugar

2 tbsp. ginger

3 cloves of garlic

1 red chilli (or dried chilli flakes)

1 dl vegetable stock

4 tbsp. dark rice wine, sherry or Marsala

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tbsp. dark rice vinegar or Aceto balsamico

If available in your household: Szechuan pepper

Preparation:

Cut the aubergines into cubes (about 3 cm x 3 cm) and finely chop the ginger, garlic and chilli (of which you remove the seeds first). Heat the peanut oil in a Wok or frying pan and when hot, add the aubergines, sugar, ginger, garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, rice wine, soy sauce and the vinegar (i.e. all the liquids) and let everything simmer (with the lid on) for 6 minutes. Add the Szechuan pepper (crushed) or some dry chilli for decoration. Ready!

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Sticky rice with mango

As previously mentioned, I have this unexplained passion for Asian food – and especially Asian desserts. I do like cakes and some of the patisserie, but somehow I get much more excited about fried bananas or daifuku (a Japanese rice cake – “mochi” – filled with sweetened red bean paste). In this spirit, here comes a recipe for one of my favourite desserts: sticky rice with mango!

Ingredients (for 6 portions):

150g sticky rice

4dl coconut milk

50g raw cane sugar

½ tsp salt

1 mango

Peppermint leaves

Preparation:

Soak the rice in water for at least an hour then rinse it in a sieve with cold water until the water is no longer cloudy.

Mix the coconut milk with the sugar and salt and put ¼ of the mixture away. Put the rest of the liquid with the rice into a (glass) bowl. Place the bowl into a bamboo basket or in a pan with “steam pan” (pan with steaming basket), with about 2cm of water. Cover the bowl with the lid and steam for 30-40 minutes (until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender). Cut the mango into slices, decorate a plate with mint and add the sticky rice. Then pour the coconut milk sauce (previously put away) over the rice. 

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Maki Sushi

I looooove sushi. And I know that I am not the only one. Judging by the worldwide fish stocks, we may have to forget about them again one day.

Before that though, let's enjoy them while they last. Here comes the basic recipe (with some exotic versions to try).

Ingredients (for 10 rolls, i.e. roughly 80-100 maki):

500g sushi rice

7 dl cold water

10 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp (!) sugar

2 tsp salt

10 Nori sheets (the dried algae sheet)

Wasabi

Soy sauce

Pickled ginger

For the filling, you are quite free, but here are some basic ingredients:

Smoked (or fresh) salmon

Tinned (or fresh) tuna

Prawns (cooked or fried in batter, i.e. tempura)

Surimi (the crab sticks)

Avocado

Cucumber

Eggs

Capsicum

Spring onions (or chive)

Philadelphia (or sour cream or crème fresh)

Mayonnaise

More possible (some slightly exotic) ingredients are: different vegetables (carrots, courgette, mushroom,...), fish eggs (for Gunkan Maki - the ones that look like little boats), tofu, beef, pickled plum, mango and other fruit (strawberries are yummy!), mint,... the list is endless!

Preparation:

The rice is the most important in sushi. Lucky us, every bigger supermarket these days has sushi rice and rice vinegar on some shelf. 

Before cooking, wash the rice thoroughly (just like Basmati or Jasmin rice) until the water is clear. Then add the 7dl cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat, but leave the pan on the stove and DO NOT LIFT THE LID for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the rice vinegar with the sugar and salt and once the rice is ready, mix into the rice, gradually "cutting" through the rice with a wooden spoon. Leave to cool out (the rice is better when at room temperature than cold). Cover with a tea towel.

Start making the sushi by lightly spreading rice on the Nori sheet. Wet your hands before grabbing the rice as this prevents it from sticking to them. Also: you can toast the Nori sheet lightly by holding it over a toaster in order to increase its aroma. Do not squash the rice when spreading it. Leave about 3cm at the top edge and about 1 cm at the bottom, left and right. Place a stripe of ingredients on the first third of the roll, then roll the maki sushi according to the pictures and instructions below.

Slowly start rolling the paper around the filling; "tuck" the Nori sheet under to hold the filling in place.











Press evenly (from the center towards the edges, i.e. moving the hands outwards) on the roll. Then open the matt and roll the roll one by one, turn by turn. Put some rice corns on the top edge of the Nori sheet to make it stick.

To cut the roll, hold a sharp knife (most of us don't have a sushi knife readily available so use a cook knife) under cold water, then slice a piece (about 1-1.5cm thick) off in one go. Try to avoid "sawing" through the roll as this will make the filling fall apart. Wet the knife before every cut.



Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

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Dumplings (a.k.a Gyoza or Wonton or Momo)

I don't actually remember, where my passion for dumplings comes from, but what I know is that a visit to a "Ping Pong" restaurant has become a rite whenever I'm in London.

Dumpling is the "Chinese" word whereas "Gyoza" is the Japanese version and "Momo" the Nepali one. "Wonton" is yet another term for (or form of) dumplings.
Dumplings are little steamed dough parcels that can have different forms, depending on the filling. Gyoza are slightly longer and can also be fried rather than steamed. "Dim Sum" is also frequently used, but this term (apparently, I learn every day) designs a light meal in Cantonese and includes dumplings. 

Dumplings can be filled with pork, chicken, shrimp, mushroom or other vegetables and combinations. The version here is a combination of chicken and shrimp. You can either use Gyoza sheets (or Wonton sheets) or make the dough yourself.

Ingredients (for about 30 pieces):

Dough:
300g white flour
2 dl hot water
Filling:
100g pink shrimp
200g chicken
2 small onions (for example a spring onion)
2 tbsp dark rice wine (or sherry)
2 egg whites
2 garlic cloves
3 cm ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar

Preparation:
For the dough, mix the ingredients and knead until soft (yes, it's enough water!). Let it rest for 20 minutes (covered and at room temperature).
Cut the ingredients for the fillings into little pieces and then puree in a mixer until you have a pasty mass. Roll the dough into little balls and then roll them out (or use the Gyoza sheets). Add a spoon full of filling to each sheet and then steam for 10 minutes in a bamboo basket or a "steam pan": put 2 cm of water in a pan and use a metallic steaming basket. In both cases, cover the bottom of the steamer with baking paper in order to prevent the dumplings from sticking to it. Also: don't layer the dumplings as they will stick together!

As for the sauces, either you use "plain" soy sauce or you can mix either of these two:
Chili sauce: 1 tbsp raw cane sugar, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice (or rice vinegar), 1 tbsp water, chili (fresh, cut finely) and 1 garlic clove
Lemongrass sauce: 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 onion, chili, 2 stems of lemons grass (peel off dried-out layers and slice of the bottom)

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