Hearty Korean Platter!

I first tasted korean fare at a friend's place. She tried some recipes from a korean recipe book. After having that lunch that day, I was so inspired by the korean cuisine that I immediately noted down the recipes. I have made the dishes a number of times now, and finally get to post it at my favourite place. 

I made a few changes to the original recipes to suit my taste buds and according to the ingredients available here in Munich. The extensive use of sesame, garlic and soya sauce obviously adds a great flavour to the dishes. I haven't used any salt in the dishes, as the salty taste of soya sauce is just perfect.

Hobak Chon (Rice wrapped in Salad leaves)

original recipe calls for pumpkin leaves but I used Savoy cabbage, one can also use chinakohl or pak choi.

1/2 cup - cooked rice
savoy cabbage 1 cup - mixed herbs, finely chopped (I used dill, parsley and chives)
1 tbsp - finely chopped onions
2 1/2 tbsp - sesame oil
1 tsp - sesame seeds roasted
2 -3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp - soya sauce (I used light soya sauce)
1 - green chili, finely chopped

Method

1. Wash the savoy cabbage. Cut into long, broad stripes (5-6 cm broad, 15-20 cm long). Slightly blanch the cabbage stripes and pat dry the leaves with a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner. 
2. Mix together the finely chopped herbs, onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, green chili and soya sauce. Keep aside.

Sambal Oelek Paste

For this chili paste I used sambal oelek but one can also make the sauce with pureed fresh red chillies. 

2 tsp - sesame oil
1 tsp - roasted sesame seeds
2 tsp - honey
4 tsp - light soya sauce
2 big cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbsp - sambal oelek

Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Keep aside.

Kong Chorim (Buttered Beans)


130 grams - french beans
a blob of butter
3/4 tsp - roasted sesame seeds
5-10 pieces - whole black pepper
1 tsp - light soya sauce

1. Wash the beans and chop off the tops and the tails. Blanch for 3 minutes. Drain the water. 
2. Heat a non stick pan, add the butter and the black pepper. Add the blanched beans and cover the lid. Cook for approx 10 minutes, or until the beans are soft. Do not forget to stir the beans occasionally. 
3. Sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds before serving. 

Oyi Seng Tshe ( Spicy Sesame Cucumber Salad)
I used zucchini instead of cucumber.

1 - zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 - green chili, finely chopped
1 tbsp - sesame oil
1 tbsp - roasted sesame seeds
2 big cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp - light soya sauce
1 tbsp - coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp - dill, finely chopped
a pinch of salt
pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Place all the prepared dishes on the table. Take the savoy cabbage strip, place some rice in the centre of the cabbage strip. Add the Sambal oelek paste (according to your taste) on the rice and top it up with some mixed herbs. Roll the salad leaf from both the ends and enjoy this with the buttered beans and Zucchini salad.

It's hearty fare indeed. Both my hubby and I, enjoyed the meal on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon. And, yes, we ended up the meal with a cup of korean green tea ( a gift by the same friend who introduced me to this cuisine)

Mashikeh- mogoseyo - that's Korean for "enjoy your meal"!

Almond Saffron Drink/Badam Kesar ka Sharbat

With Holi, the indian festival of colours just round the corner, I thought about making Thandai - but after pondering over it for a while, I thought I should do something different this year for Holi. So the next idea was to make this rich almond-saffron drink or badam-kesar ka sharbat.

As the name suggests, the star ingredients of this drink are almonds and saffron. I like to use saffron very generously (I am a bit of a Saffron afficionado), but of course you can reduce the quantity of saffron if you are not fond of an intense saffron aroma.

The shelf life of this syrup at room temperature is around a month, if you live in a warm country then I would suggest to put the syrup in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

100 grams - almonds, soaked overnight

1170 grams - sugar

1 1/2 cup - water + to make almond milk

3/4 tsp - cardamom powder

1/2 gram - saffron 

1 tsp + 1/2 tsp - rose water

Method

1. Blanch the almonds. Grind the blanched almonds using some water. Sieve/press through a muslin cloth and extract the liquid and keep aside. Do not throw the leftover/residue.
2. Put the residue back into the mixer and grind using little water and sieve/press again. Repeat this process one more time.
3. Soak the saffron in 1/2 tsp of rose water and keep for half an hour.
4. Add the suagr and 1 1/2 cup of water in a deep vessel and cook on high flame, until the sugar dissolves. Remove the dirt if any with the help of a spoon. 
5. Add the almond milk and let it come to a boil(be careful as it will splutter a lot) Reduce the heat to medium and cook for approx 3-4 minutes. Remove the vessel from the heat.
6. After 5-7 minutes, add the soaked saffron, cardamom powder and 1 tsp of rose water and mix. Cover the vessel and let it cool.
7. Store in glass jars when completely cool.
8. To serve: Add 2 tsp of sharbat or according to your taste (if you want it sweeter or less sweet), to 250 ml of chilled milk. Give it a whiz in the blender and serve. Alternately, whiz 2 tsp of sharbat, a little vanilla icecream and some soda in a blender and serve immediately. Tastes simply awesome.

Note

If you notice sugar crystals in the sugar syrup, first transfer the non crystallised part into another glass jar and than add a little hot water to the remaining syrup. Let it cool completely before storing in a glass jar.

Enjoy!

Green Peppercorn and Capers Bread

I enjoy all four seasons – but Winter most of all, especially when it’s snowing. Winter has its own special charm and fun. There are so many things one can do and of course, it is also the time we can eat a lot and still hide the results under layers of clothes . Unfortunately, it's just when the winter is about to get over, I start worrying about the extra weight and the calories.

Of course, there are a lot of activities which certainly help in keeping the balance – we went tobogganing and it was great fun, and very very tiring. We certainly selected a very good day for it, it was not too cold but snowing and fresh snow is not too bad at all. The scenic beauty was breathtaking, the fresh snow and the sledding, it was a great day.

By the end of the day, we were all kaput and really enjoyed a generous helping of a cake and hot cocoa on the way back.

Today's recipe Green Peppercorn and Capers Bread was baked a week ago - we had it with the Pineapple Soup. The idea came spontaneously, especially as I had not baked fresh bread for quite some time, and was also an attempt to use some leftover green peppercorns and capers. I also used a new kind of flour- grapeseed flour. It's supposed to be really healthy and it gave a very nice nutty texture to the bread. I am planning to experiment a bit with this flour in future. The pepper and capers flavours went very well with the  Hot and Spicy Pineapple Soup…hope you enjoy it as well!

Ingredients

210 grams - whole wheat flour + to dust the work top

15 grams - grapeseed flour

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - baking powder

1 tsp - bicarbonate of soda

4 tbsp - olive oil

25 grams - capers

5 grams - green peppercorns (more or less)

1 1/2 tsp - dried italian herbs

100 ml - low fat yogurt

200 ml - water at room temperature

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, dried italian herbs, capers and green peppercorns.
3. In another bowl, mix together the olive oil, yogurt and water.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the liquid mixture and mix lightly with a wooden spatula so that everything just comes together.
5. Generously dust the work top with some whole wheat flour.
6. Gather the dough into a ball on the floured work top and with floured hand flatten the ball and try and give a round shape. 
7. Using a sharp and floured knife slit the dough. Don't push down into the dough. 
8. Transfer the dough to the lined baking tray and place the tray in the centre of the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 30 - 35 minutes.
9. Serve with Hot and Spicy Pineapple Soup or with any other soup of your choice.

Enjoy!

Back to snowclad and freezing Munich - with a hot and spicy pineapple soup.

I am back from my lovely India trip.This trip was beautiful and a most memorable one for me, wIth my little sister getting married and entering a new phase of her life. I also managed to travel to Rajasthan (my birth place), which is always really special to me. Visited the beautiful temples and also went to Ranthambore and did the adventurous Safari.

And then...back to Munich which is absolutely freezing with temperatures around -18 and looks life a beautiful snow-clad fairy land. I took my time to get used to the sudden temperature change, from no woolens in Kolkata to only woolens here in Munich, from all the hustle bustle of Kolkata and so many people to quiet Munich and comparitively less people :-) On one side, I do miss my home for so many years - Kolkata, but on the other side I am glad to be back to my current home.

I am a winter person and actually enjoying the winters here now, the snow, and suddenly entering in a cafe to have a cup of hot cocoa to beat the chill. It's fun!

I made this Pineapple soup which I thought is apt for this time of the year. Hot, sweet and spicy Soup and had with caper-pepper bread, recipe follows next.

view from my kitchen window...

Ingredients

9 pieces - pineapple from the can, pureed

1 1/2 cup - water

2 tbsp - sugar

1/2 tsp - cumin powder

1/4 tsp - black salt

salt to taste

3 tbsp - lemon juice, adjust according to your taste

little garam masala optional

1/2 of a fresh red chilli cut into rounds

coriander leaves to garnish

For tempering

1/4 tsp - sunflower oil

1/4 tsp - cumin seeds

a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

For the paste

2 inch - ginger, peeled and chopped

1 - green chilli

Method

1. Add the pureed pineapple along with the water to a pan and cook with the sugar, cumin powder, black salt, salt and lemon juice for 5 minutes on a medium heat.
2. In another pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and hing and let it splutter, add the ginger and chilli paste and saute for a minute. 
3. Add the tempering to the cooked pineapple mixture. Add the chilli rounds to the soup and cook further for a couple of minutes. 
4. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Aloo Dum - Spicy potatoes and away for a month

Aloo dum is one of my favourite starters /snacks. In my hometown, Kolkata, it's also a favourite street food, and, of course, I happen to be a big fan of street food.

Normally I do not eat too much chilli. This is, however, one of the few recipes which I love in spite of it's high chilli content. The dish is spicy and tangy and simply mouthwatering. But a word of warning - whenever I eat this, I always keep a bottle of water and some Kleenex handy. The eating ritual is a classic - I take one bite and then a sip of water, and then another bite, then a quick nose wipe with the kleenex, then another bite, and another sip of water - you get the picture, I guess. My face soon turns red and eyes watery, but still I enjoy this as much as anything else. My sis and bro always pull my leg afterward, but it's worth it! My love for this dish overpowers my lack of tolerance for spicy food.

Of course, the original recipe would have one fry the potatoes - but I generally do a baked version.

I love this one, and I hope you like it too!

Ingredients

500 grams - baby potatoes (or if you don't get them, really small potatoes), boiled and peeled
6 tbsp - sunflower oil + to grease the baking tray
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
4 bay leaves
2 tbsp - coriander powder
2 tbsp - tamarind pulp (adjust according to your taste)
2 tsp - salt (or according to taste)

To be coarsely ground together using little water:
60 grams - garlic, peeled and chopped
6 pieces - whole red chillies
2-3 inches of ginger
1 tbsp - cumin seeds

To garnish: rock salt, lemon juice according to taste and loads of finely chopped coriander leaves 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease the baking tray with a little oil. Place the potatoes and mix lightly so that the oil coats the potatoes. 
2. Place the tray in the center of the preheated oven and bake until slightly golden (alternately you can also fry the potatoes). 
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and the coarsely ground paste. Be careful as the paste splutters a lot. 
4. Saute the paste on a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the coriander powder and salt and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. 
5. Add the baked potatoes. Mix lightly, cover the bowl and let it cook for 10 mins, stirring occassionaly. 
6. Add the tamarind pulp. cover and let cook for another couple of minutes. 
7. Remove from the heat, but leave the pan covered. To enhance the taste and the flavours, prepare afew hours in advance (previous evening for today, or in the morning for the evening. 
8. Serve at room temperature, after garnishing with the rock salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves (garnish just before eating!). 

Enjoy the potatoes - while I enjoy a prolonged India trip. Will be away for a month, will be in touch with you again in February.