What are we making?
Hobakjeon (zucchini pancakes)호박전
This is a light dish that my mom still makes for my family all the time. It’s light, flavorful, so easy to make and literally three ingredients. They’re light and crispy and remind me of being a kid whenever the smell and sounds fill my house.
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| photo taken by Andre Malerba |
Ingredients:
-1 zucchini (I like a lot, so one big one for me!)
-1-2 T salt
-1 cup flour
-1 cup water
-Oil for frying
*Slice the zucchini thinly into disks, then cut them into matchsticks.
*Put the matchsticks into a bowl and add the salt, mix a bit and let it sit for ten minutes of so, you want the zucchini to be soft and pliable.
*While waiting for the zucchini, mix the flour and water, you can do more, but always keep it in a 1:1 ratio.
*Rinse the zucchini, and ring it out, literally try to get as much of the salt out, rinse and drain repeatedly.
*Add the zucchini to the batter and mix thoroughly.
*Set a fry pan on medium heat and add a splash of oil.
*When the oil is heated add a spoonful of the batter to the oil, you can adjust how large you want these guys, I do a three-inch diameter.
*When the edges of the pancake start to look clear or iridescent flip the pancakes, you want them to be crispy and light brown in color.
*Do this until the batter is done and serve immediately, they’re best hot and crispy!
Gamja bokkeum (potatoes with soy sauce) 감자볶음
This is another super simple dish with loads of flavors. It’s got tenderness to it and fills you up pretty well. It’s got undertones of garlic, the sweetness of the onion, softness of the potatoes, and is really just a delight for the taste buds and body. You can use any potato really, and it can be adjusted to how many people you are looking to feed, this is about 1-3 servings. (One if you’re really hungry)
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| photo taken by Andre Malerba |
Ingredients:
-2 to 3 medium size potatoes
-1 med to large onion
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 to 2.5 T soy sauce
-1 T sugar
-1/2 C water (may need a bit more)
-Oil for frying
-Sesame seeds (optional)
-Sesame oil (optional)
*Peel the potatoes (optional) and cut them into 1-inch dices.
*Rinse the potatoes to remove some of the starch.
*Cut half of the onion into bit size pieces (you can add more if you like onion, I do)
*Heat a pan and add 1 to 2 T of oil, add the potatoes.
*Add the two cloves of minced garlic and sauté until the potatoes look a bit translucent. Then add the onion.
*Add the ½ cup of water to the pan, the 2 to 2.5 T of soy sauce, and 1 T of sugar, mix away.
*Simmer over medium heat and continue mixing, you don’t want it to get stuck to the bottom of the pan, and you may need to add more water. Make sure the potatoes are cooked through.
*Add sesame seeds and sesame oil to garnish if you want.
Sigeumchi namul (spinach sides) 시금치나물
My brother and I used to LOVE pop eye when we were young, my mom would make this dish so that we could feel strong and tough and all that. Turns out it’s super healthy for you, full of iron, fiber, and layers of flavor, it’s a bit salty but the sauce is great for all sorts of foods. You can eat this with rice if you would like!
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| photo taken by Andre Malerba |
Ingredients:
-Bunch of spinach (a pound or more)
-2 T soy sauce
-1 T sesame oil
-1 T sesame seeds
-2 cloves of garlic
-2 ts sugar
*Blanch the spinach for about 30 seconds in boiling water, remove and rinse it in cold water. Squeeze the spinach gently to remove as much of the water as possible.
*Mince the garlic and mix the remaining ingredients all together.
*Mix the spinach and the sauce all together by hands and garnish with sesame seeds if you wish.
All of these BEAUTIFUL photos were taken by the talented and wonderful Andre Malerba. I will post his site and work up soon. And I am sure he will be mentioned in this blog often!!
Thanks Andre!
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