my golden hour

Every time I am in Korea, my first restaurant stop is Myeongdong Gyoja. They have the best kalguksu I have ever had, which is perfect for me because kalguksu is my favorite food! Kalguksu literally means “knife noodles” and fortunately, they taste delicious in just about any broth. Myeongdong Gyoja uses a beef broth, but I make mine at home with chicken broth. I love kalguksu because I can’t turn down a good bowl of noodle soup. Ramen, pasta, pho, the list goes on, but my absolute favorite is kalguksu. Yes, your breath will smell like garlic for a few hours, but let’s be honest, is that really so bad?

You can freeze the leftover broth or use it as a delicious base for other soups. It will also make a fantastic shabu shabu base broth.

Noodles (Maangchi):

• 3.5 cups flour
• 0.5 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp veg oil
• 1.25 cups water

1. Noodles: Mix together flour, starch, salt, vegetable oil, and water. Knead for 5 minutes. Let it rest 30 min, knead again 2-5 min, let it rest 10 minutes.
2. Roll out as thin as possible. If using a pasta maker, roll out the dough on the first setting, then move to second setting and roll out again. Then, use a tagliatelle or pappardelle cutter to cut your noodles.
3. If rolling out by hand, dust the dough with flour evenly on both sides and roll the dough into a loose roll. Using a sharp knife, cut slices around 1/8-1/4″ thick and unravel the noodles with a toss of flour so they don’t stick together.

Dadaegi (chili sauce, yangyeomjang):

• 2 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes gochugaru (cannot be substituted with any other chili flakes!)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 green chili pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, minced finely
• 1/2 cup green onion
• 1 tbsp shirodashi
• 1/4 cup chives (optional)

1. Dadaegi: Mix together all the ingredients. Let it rest for 10 minutes, mix again until it is a thick paste.

To assemble:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high. If using vegetables or mushrooms as toppings, blanch them and then remove using a slotted spoon.

Add noodles to the boiling pot and stir well so they don’t stick. Boil for 4 minutes on high.

Drain the noodles and add them back to the pot. Add a few ladles of the broth and add salt or shirodashi, and pepper to taste. It shouldn’t be too salty, since the dadaegi is very salty.

Divide the noodles and broth into bowls. Top with shredded garlic and mushroom chicken, mushrooms, chives, and other toppings if using. Serve with dadaegi sauce on the side.

I like to use a separate bowl and add the dadaegi a little at a time to each bite of noodles. But you can put the dadaegi directly into your bowl if you’d like as well!

There are some dishes in life that can affect you in a profound way. For me, this was THE dish. This dish redefined what pasta meant in my life. That sounds incredibly dramatic, but it serves to illustrate the level of mind-explosion that I experienced when I first tasted this dish. It was most definitely food DEFCON 5.

My husband first made this for me about a year ago and I can remember the exact moment these flavors touched my tongue. It was salty, savory, deep, and umami-laden with incredible flavors of golden garlic, a touch of heat from chili peppers, and intense depth of mushrooms. I fell in love. With this pasta. And pretty sure I felt like I fell in love on another level with my husband.

I am sharing this recipe here after trial and error (and quite frankly, my desire to send this dish out into the world so that others can taste the amazing-ness as I did). Kahn worked so hard on this and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Wafu pasta is a Japanese-style pasta. I know what you’re thinking…SOY SAUCE?! DASHI?! PASTA?! But believe me. This is a journey of food you only wish you took earlier in your life.

UGHHHHHHHHH I AM GETTING HUNGRY ALL OVER AGAIN and I have been eating this for 3 days in a row. That’s what happens, when I make it, I literally cannot eat anything else for the next few days because it is THAT GOOD.

Notes:

1. If you want to get a little fancier, use pancetta instead of bacon.
2. If you want to cut the bacon out, that’s fine too. (I just love bacon!!)
3. Don’t be mad/angry/upset/sad about throwing out the bacon fat. The first time Kahn made this, I got really upset about this, but after I tasted the richness and deliciousness of his final dish, I got over that REAL FAST.
4. If you want to make this vegetarian, use mirin or a very, very reduced kombu-dashi instead of hondashi.

ENJOY and let me know what you think!

I posted my previous kimchi jjigae post FIVE YEARS AGO. Wow.

Since then, I have tweaked and updated my original recipe to something entirely elevated to a new level, with a lot of help from the QUEEN herself (Maangchi). I honestly love her videos, personality, ability, and spirit so much and have been infinitely inspired by her creativity and passion on a weekly basis. This new kimchi jjigae recipe is an adaptation of her recent update to her recipe here.

Here is a new video I made for this updated recipe:

Notes:

1. You can use either pork or beef, but pork definitely imparts a more velvety-flavor that goes hand in hand with kimchi. Mmm….

2. Pork belly is also great for this, but perhaps a little more fatty (is this a bad thing?)

3. If you are using the last of your kimchi, don’t just throw away the jar! Pour some water in there and pour the little juices/spices into the stew. The more flavor, the better.

4. Must eat with rice.

5. Feel free to add tofu or vermicelli noodles!

If you love candles as much as I do (and maybe spend a little too much on them), this is a must-read.

Like many things in life, making candles at home was never a thought that came into mind. That is, it wasn’t until one day I came across a fantastic blog post on DIY soy candle making and it looked like a possible fun weekend project. I promptly ordered a basic set of supplies from Amazon, and I got started. (I ordered all of my supplies for candle making on Amazon, links are below!)

Little did I know that I awakened a candle-making beast inside of me and my “fun weekend project” became a new near-daily obsession. (You might be able to see my crazy-eyes in the video…that’s how much I love this new hobby!) For how much I spent on candles per year (you don’t even want to know…) this is an excellent, cost-effective way to make a lot of candles. The best part about it is being able to make candles for people near and dear to my heart because they are wonderful homemade gifts. The most expensive part about this process is the essential oil, so if you’re unsure of what scents to try, start with my below combinations since they’re tried and true. Then, as you feel more comfortable, you can try using different oils.

Making candles at home is incredibly relaxing and fun. Plus, it will make your home smell AMAZING always.

Here is a video tutorial on how to get started on a very fun, relaxing hobby.

To get started, you will need the following:

• Bag of soy flakes (wax) – I used 444 blend
• Heatproof melting pot
• Thermometer
• Glass jars
• Plastic drinking straw
• Wicks
• Clothespins
• Disposable spoons
• Tablespoon measure
• Mixing bowl
• Essential oils
  • For the 3 scent combinations in my video, I used the following essential oils:
    • Lavender
    • Rosemary
    • Thyme
    • Bergamot
    • Lemon
    • Cedarwood
    • Fir
    • White Musk
    • Vetiver
    • Sandalwood
    • Jasmine
• Paper towels

Directions (for one 8 ounce candle):

1. Heat a medium pot of water to a boil and add melting pot. To the melting pot, add your wax. For the wax: 2 cups (16 ounces) of solid wax = 1 cup (8 ounces) melted wax, so for three 8 ounce candles, I used 6 cups of solid wax (48 ounces).
2. Once the wax starts melting, use your spoon to take a few drops of wax and add to the bottom of your jars. This will be the “glue” you use to secure the bottom of your wicks to the bottom of your jar. Act quickly because the wax hardens immediately!
3. Use clothespin to secure the cotton wick to the center of the jar. If using wooden wicks, no need to secure it (it will stay in place due to its rigid shape).
4. Once the wax is melted to at least 180 degrees, reduce the heat on the stove so that the wax will stay at a constant temperature. Melting the wax to 180 degrees makes sure that the wax will stay warm enough when poured into the mixing bowl.
5. Pour 1 cup of melted wax into the bowl and add your desired scent.
   1. Lavender/Rosemary/Thyme: Add 1 tsp each of lavender and rosemary essential oils and 1/2 tsp of thyme essential oils.
   2. Bergamot/Lemon/Cedar/Fir: Add equal parts bergamot, lemon, cedar, and fir essential oils to measure 1 tbsp total.
   3. White Musk/Sandalwood/Vetiver/Jasmine: Add equal parts white musk and sandalwood, (around 1.5 tsp each) and then add 10 drops each of vetiver and jasmine.
6. Stir thoroughly for at least 30 seconds so that the essential oils bind to the wax and blend evenly throughout the mixture.
7. Pour slowly into prepared jar with the wick, and then leave undisturbed for at least 24 hours before moving/burning. Your candles will be ready to enjoyed after 24 hours!

All items purchased from Amazon:

Bag of soy flakes (wax) – I used 444 blend – https://amzn.to/2PNDaO3

Heatproof melting pot – https://amzn.to/2RHDjQi

Thermometer – https://amzn.to/2REo9va

Glass jars – https://amzn.to/2JSP1VT

Plastic drinking straw

Wooden Wicks – https://amzn.to/2JSPp6N

Candle wicks: https://amzn.to/2JN8erY

Clothespins
Disposable spoons
Tablespoon measure
Mixing bowl
Essential oils
For the 3 scent combinations in my video, I used the following essential oils:
Lavender – https://amzn.to/2REpt16

Rosemary – https://amzn.to/2DaYmae

Thyme – https://amzn.to/2JOzdDo

Bergamot – https://amzn.to/2ASskOl

Lemon – https://amzn.to/2JNsiub

Cedarwood – https://amzn.to/2ASLMLe

Fir – https://amzn.to/2JNIxHN

White Musk – https://amzn.to/2JMyfrk

Vetiver – https://amzn.to/2JOyPET

Sandalwood – https://amzn.to/2D4O6QJ

Jasmine – https://amzn.to/2F9ky6Z

Cost breakdown (approximate):

• 10 lb bag of soy flakes (wax) – I use 444 blend $25.00
• Heatproof pouring pot $12.00
• Essential oils
  • Lavender – $12.00
  • Rosemary $12.00
  • Thyme – $22.00
  • Bergamot – $18.00
  • Lemon – $13.00
  • Cedarwood – $15.00
  • Fir – $15.00
  • White Musk – $20.00
  • Vetiver – $20.00
  • Sandalwood – $25.00
  • Jasmine – set of 6 floral notes for $20.00
• Mason jars (12-pack) – $7.00
• Wicks (around 200 cotton & wooden wicks) – $24

Total: ~$250 – $260

I have probably made around 40 candles so far and I have barely made a dent in my essential oils. You will need to buy soy wax/flakes frequently as you will go through one 10-lb bag quite quickly, along with the mason jars.

You may notice different fragrance oils online to be a lot cheaper, but I recommend staying away from those synthetically produced oils. Essential oils are pure, distilled scents extracted from organic ingredients and there are no synthetic chemicals involved. Since these are candles and flames are involved, I personally want to reduce as much chemical exposure in my life as much as possible so it is much, much cleaner to use essential oils rather than fragrance oils.

Lately, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to find the time to pursue what I truly love doing – cooking. And like everyone else who is busy working and living in this world, there aren’t enough hours in the day (or weekend) to devote to epic cooking projects. Between balancing my desire to cook and my lack of time, I have developed an upcoming series of posts for making delicious meals in a fraction of the time it usually takes, without sacrificing taste and quality.

This is my 10 minute jja jang myun. My original jja jang myun post is here, for those who want a more “traditional” recipe. But I’ve got to say, this quick ten-minute version is amazingly quite comparable and dare I say, even more delicious.

Notes:

1. My husband mentioned a very valid point the last time I made jjajangmyun. He asked me why all the ingredients are cubed because they always seem to end up all at the bottom of the bowl and don’t get slurped up with the noodles? Besides tradition, I can’t find a reason why the vegetables have to be diced. So, for this 10 minute version, I cut all the ingredients length-wise and similar in shape to the noodles. And you know what? It was a genius move. THERE ARE NO LONGER A PUDDLE OF VEGETABLES at the bottom of the bowl. You will get even distribution of pork and veggies with every bite of noodle!
2. To help you cut the pork, freeze it for 30 minutes before using.
3. For slicing the cabbage, a mandolin helps tremendously, as this is undoubtedly my all-time favorite kitchen tool.

I make this gyeran jjim around 2-3 times a week. I eat it as a side dish (banchan) for dinner or sometimes by itself with a bowl of rice. It’s one of my favorite dishes because it is so simple, absolutely delicious, and best of all, healthy.

For people who have never tried this before, don’t be put off by the name of the dish. I guarantee that you will find yourself addicted to this because after one spoonful, it’s impossible to stop eating it.

Notes:

1. I personally love the slightly toasty bottom that happens when you cook this in a ttukgaebi (earthenware stone pot) on the stove. It fills the entire dish with this richness and deepness that you can’t achieve from microwaving or using a regular pot. You can find this bowl here: Earthenware Pot. If you prefer a non-toasted flavor, decrease cooking time by 1 minute.
2.  Use any lid you have that covers the top fully to create a seal.
3. I like a very mild gyeran jjim because I love the subtle flavors. But if it’s not salty enough, you can add more salt to taste at the end.

Those who know us best, know that we love shabu shabu. Like, LOVE. We love it so much that we have it nearly once a week, and our favorite thing to do is to invite people over to indulge in our shabu shabu nights.

I was looking on my Instagram the other week and I came across a beautiful photo taken by one of my oldest friends, @djsim34, of a dish made by his new wife. I HAD to know what it was because it looked like shabu shabu…but not at the same time. I looked it up online and found this excellent tutorial here: http://seonkyounglongest.com/?p=3081 which I used as the foundation for my adaptation of this dish.

Mille Feuille Nabe is literally translated into “thousand leaves hot pot”. Obviously, I didn’t use 1,000 leaves (you could if you wanted to!) but using different kinds of kale, cabbage, beef, and pork made this super colorful and complex-looking.

Notes:

1. This feeds 6, comfortably.
2. We ALWAYS make ramen to eat with the broth at the end of cooking all of the ingredients. Our secret is to use torigara – which is a Japanese-style chicken flavoring – (we use this one:
   
   and we use a special ponzu:
   
   For the ponzu, don’t be afraid to dish out a little more than you expect for a bottle. Typically, a good ponzu will be around USD $13.00, which was a bit of a sticker-shock to me at first, but I soon realized there was a HUGE difference between a more expensive bottle and a cheaper bottle of ponzu. The flavor of the yuzu is really obvious and quite amazing, whereas cheaper bottles are made with yuzu substitute or lemon. Not quite the same. We add the torigara into the main broth, and then add around a 1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon of ponzu to each bowl individually, to taste. We finish with some fresh ground black pepper and a medium-boiled egg. MMMMM.
3. I used 2 heads of napa cabbage because the leaves get considerably smaller as you peel towards the center, and I wanted to make sure I have enough for all of my leaf layers. I then chopped up the smaller core leaves and used them in my second round of veggies for the shabu shabu.
4. For the broth, I use my go-to for my base in most soups. For this, I used kombu, some chicken bones from a roast chicken I made the night before, radish, onion, and some Korean myul-chi (dried anchovies). It was delicious and not fishy at all, for those of you who are wary of using myulchi. I used to be terrified and quite frankly, grossed out to use myulchi in cooking (I still don’t like them stir-fried) but for flavoring soup bases, it’s absolutely delicious. If you are feeling a bit lazy (which I often do), I do a VERY basic broth with just kombu and sake, and the broth still ends up tasting delicious.
5. Our dear friends (hi Gui’s!) gifted us this Breville electric skillet which is one of the most wonderful kitchen appliances ever created. It’s absolutely PERFECT for shabu shabu. It can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BEW600XL-Hot-Wok/dp/B0042RUPFC. If you don’t have one of these tabletop electric skillets, we used to use a table-top gas stove and a heavy-bottomed dutch oven.
6. You can substitute this to whatever meat you want, if you want all beef, or all pork, you can adjust it to your preference.
7. We like to use gomadare (sesame) sauce, ponzu sauce, and the sauce inspired by http://seonkyounglongest.com/?p=3081. Though I usually make my own gomadare, if you are in a bind, this store-bought is fantastic: 
8. To make perfect medium-boiled eggs, bring a large saucepan of water to a rapid boil, and then add eggs. Set timer for 8 minutes exactly, and then make an ice bath in a large bowl. When the 8 minutes is up, immediately plunge each egg into the ice bath and let cool for 15 minutes. Peel, and enjoy.
9. I found these awesome little sauce bowls on amazon that are literally the perfect size for shabu shabu sauce here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LVHLY6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00 and the best part: they were a very reasonable price – 12 bowls for $21.00!

Sauces:

Gomadare (Adapted from http://www.littlejapanmama.com/2011/11/goma-dare-recipe-sesame-sauce-for-shabu.html):

• 1 cup Sesame Seeds
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 cup Mirin
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tbsp miso (I use miso with hondashi in it)
• 1 tsp hondashi powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup kewpie mayonnaise

1. In a food processor, add sesame seeds. Process until the seeds look “wet” and stop moving around. Add the tahini, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, vinegar, water, miso, hondashi powder, salt, and mayo. Process until combined.
2. Taste, and add salt or soy sauce to taste.
3. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Shake before using.

Spicy soy sauce (Adapted from http://seonkyounglongest.com/?p=3081):

• 3 Tbs. Soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• Fresh zest and juice from ½ lemon
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 chili of your choice, jalapeno, Thai bird chili, Indian Jwala pepper, etc, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp gochukaru (Korean red chili powder)
• 3 Tbs. shabu shabu broth
• 1 green onion, minced

1. In a bowl, add all ingredients and stir until well-combined.

Ponzu:

Pour into a sauce bowl. 🙂

This is an update to my favorite post of all time, my mom’s yukgaejang recipe. It has also been a Cozybogie favorite over the past four years (!), thanks so much for all of your support! I made a video to help demystify anything that the pictures failed to explain. Please let me know if you have any lingering questions.

I’ve copied some of my notes/pictures from my previous post here, as they still apply. I took my old recipe and updated it with some minor improvements over the years, and I’ve got to admit….it’s better than ever.

1. Many Korean grocery stores sell a special cut of beef made especially for yuk gae jang, or for making beef stock. I strongly recommend using this if your grocery has it. If not, using brisket and a mixture of beef bones will work just fine. This time, I used around 3.5 lbs of beef soup bones and 2.5 lbs of beef eye round and beef shank. Any cut of beef with a long grain is fine (ie flank, brisket, beef eye round, beef shank).

2. I like to use red chili flakes on their own in this recipe, as opposed to a mixture of chili paste and flakes. The paste can leave the broth tasting impure and sweet.

3. Using a lot of fresh, green onion is a key flavor component to this recipe. Halve the white portions length-wise because the white part is often too thick. I know 12 stalks sound like a lot, but don’t leave it out.

4. My favorite part of this soup is the egg, so I use 3. If you don’t love eggs as much as I do, feel free to use 1.

5. Use fernbrake root, also called boiled royal fern. This can be found in the refrigerated section. Yuk gae jang is not yuk gae jang without this delicious root. I noticed it’s also called “osmund” at H-Mart. I’ve also found it in my Japanese grocery store as “Warabi”.

6. You can either use mung sprouts or kong na-mool (bean sprouts).

7. This may sound like cheating but if you have it, feel free to sprinkle in a little  beef da-shi-da (Korean beef stock powder) towards the end of cooking. It’s fine if you don’t have it or can’t find it, but it adds a nice extra bump of flavor.

Don’t walk away! I know, I know. Soft….tofu….stew? 

That’s the #1 reaction I have gotten from every person who has never tasted this stew before, and you know what? I completely understand. I’ve got to admit, it does not sound appetizing. But let me try to change your mind, wait, blow your mind, with one of the most delicious dishes to have been created by the Korean people.

The second reaction I’ve received (after I’ve convinced my non-Korean friends to try soft tofu stew) is “OMG…this is one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted!”

So without further ado, here is a fool-proof, restaurant-quality-guaranteed soondooboo jjigae recipe that I created. I know that by calling this recipe “restaurant-quality”, it’s giving it a lot of hype. But trust me. Once you try making this version at home, it will be difficult to go out to eat soondubu in a restaurant because you KNOW you can make it just as well at home, maybe even better.

Notes:

1. The key to any delicious stew or soup is a deeply flavorful base broth. In the past, I never used “myul-chi” (Korean dried anchovies) or “dashima” (kombu or dried kelp) to flavor my soups, and ever since I made the change and substituted water for this broth, it has made a WORLD of a difference. I like to make a big batch at a time and freeze it, defrosting by the quart whenever I need to. For the anchovies, make sure the head and guts are removed prior to using.

2. If you don’t have these stove-safe stone bowls, no worries! Use any heavy-bottomed pot that can hold heat well and evenly. These stone pots were a lovely and generous wedding gift from our friends (thank you again, Park’s!) and they seem to make the stew taste better because they hold heat for so long (but be careful to heat them gradually, because any drastic temperature change will cause your bowls to crack). If you want to purchase them, you can do so here: http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Stone-Dolsot-Sizzling-Bibimbap/dp/B00AFLP06S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435969247&sr=8-1&keywords=hot+stone+bowl 

3. Use whatever toppings or add-ins you desire. My favorite are dumplings, so I always keep a bag of frozen dumplings in the freezer (my absolute go-to: Gyoza) and boil them for around 10 minutes while I’m making the jjigae. You can use clams, seafood, kimchi, vegetables, mushrooms, or whatever combination you’d like.

4. Be careful not to burn the gochukaru in the oil when toasting. They can go from toasted to burned in seconds so keep a watchful eye.

5. Korean red chili flakes – gochugaru/gochkaru – cannot be substituted with any other chili flake.

6. Since I was making 2 bowls simultaneously, I divided everything in half. If making 1 pot, use the quantities below. My husband doesn’t enjoy spice as much as I do, so I do my best to protect him from my raging spice-tolerance.

7. After adding the tofu, try not to stir it around too much. The longer it cooks/the more you stir it, the more watery the soup will get from the water that is being extracted from the tofu.

8. Make rice and eat it with the stew, there’s no better combination.

Sundubu Jjigae – 순두부찌개 (Soft/Silken Tofu Stew) Recipe

Serves 2; 1 hour cooking time

Ingredients

• 12 Korean dried anchovies (Myul-chi)
• 8 small squares or 2 medium-sized pieces dashima (kombu) dried kelp
• 3 cups water
• 6-8 ounces sliced pork (pork butt, pork belly, pork loin)
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced finely
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• FOR VERY SPICY – 3 tbsp gochugaru
• FOR MEDIUM SPICY – 2 tbsp gochugaru
• FOR MILD – 2 tsp gochugaru
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 tsp fish sauce (start with 1/2 tsp, taste, and if you need more, add up to 1/2 tsp more)
• 1 1/2 cup dashi broth from above
• Topping of your choice (I used 8 dumplings from my freezer that I boiled for 10 minutes)
• 1 package sundubu cut in half
• sea salt to taste (optional)
• 2 egg
• 2 green onion, sliced

Directions