RECIPE: KIMCHI STEW
Saturday, November 03, 2012
I try to eat healthy foods for breakfast whenever I can, because it feels like the only meal where the choices are the least oily or unhealthy. So what do I usually eat for breakfast?
1. Mashed banana mixed with milk and all bran cereal and/or flax seeds
2. Plain yogurt with honey and all bran cereal and/or flax seeds
3. Unsweetened applesauce with all bran cereal and/or flax seeds
4. Mashed avocados with milk and all bran cereal and/or flax seeds
Of the four, I recently snapped a picture of the last one:
Mashed avocado with milk and flax seeds
You must be wondering why I have to include all bran and/or flax seeds, and it's because they're super high in fibre! I'm always worried that the foods I eat throughout the day won't have enough fibre, so I try to eat a substantial amount in the morning. Another plus that should convince you to eat flax seeds as well is that they're rated number one in providing you with your daily recommended value of omega 3 fatty acids (132.9% of your daily value, with just 2 tablespoons!).
So after eating a nice meal for breakfast, it allows me to be a bit more guilty throughout the day...
Creamy white sauce pasta with vegetables and Sriracha
I think Sriracha is an awesome spicy accompaniment to creamy or thick sauces. In times of Tobasco desperation (which is exactly what I'm going through right now), Sriracha is my go-to spicy sauce :)
The reason I like Sriracha and Tobasco is because... I love spicy foods! Or any foods with spicy sauce.
So in today's blog post, I will teach you how to make one of the easiest spicy stews, Kimchi stew! I hope to make cooking this as least intimidating as I can make it, because there really is no experience in the kitchen required for this.
Say what?
No, I didn't lie. You can make this even if you've only lived off making ramen all your life.
You'll need (some/all) the following ingredients:
Oil
Sliced onion
Minced garlic
Sliced pork/beef or canned tuna works too
Hot pepper paste
Chili flakes
Sliced green onion
Kimchi and its juice
Sliced vegetables (I like mushrooms in mine)
Tofu
Ramen
Fish cake
Sesame oil
Of course, these ingredients are just outlines, and you can tweak it around/take away the stuff that's not currently in your pantry (I omitted garlic and meat)/add stuff you like, as with almost all cooking - how convenient :)
First you want to sautee the onions and/or garlic until it's fragrant, then add in everything (except for ramen/tofu and sesame oil). Now pour enough water to submerge everything, put the lid on and let it boil on high for 10 minutes, then lower it to medium (lid on still!) for another 15 minutes or so.
A nice tasting
You should always taste your food while you're cooking so you know if you need to add some sugar or soy sauce to make it yummier. I added a spoon of soy sauce to mine because I found it less salty than I hoped it would be.
Open-lid to take a picture of the boiling-in-process!
After the 25ish minutes of boiling, you can add in your sliced tofu or ramen in (I think either or, because I find it weird to eat tofu and ramen together). Boil for 5 more minutes if you add the tofu, and however long it takes for your ramen needs.
The ramen looks like brains. :O
After the ramen is cooked, I also cracked two eggs because I like eggs whenever I eat spicy foods, remember? Oh yes, and don't forget a drizzle of sesame oil (if you have some on hand).
Steaming hot and ready to serve
Maybe you're complaining because there's no measurements, but hey, I said I wanted to make this very simple for anyone to make, and I think measurements are a little bit intimidating and a hassle. So just put however much you think you can eat - or you and others can eat because people will want to eat with you if you make this! (It smells soo good)
There are times where I don't want to cook - which, yes, really happen. These times include making foods that require deep frying with batter, and so when I really wanted to eat pork cutlet (I've been craving this certain food for a week), I went to a Japanese restaurant to fulfill this oddly specific craving.
We are greeted by a friendly purple carnation and a low sodium soy sauce :)
And warmed with a nice cup of hot green tea.
My pork cutlet(s?)
It came with steamed vegetables (and a nice tangy worcestershire-y sauce), to offset the oil, I suppose, but I could care less. I wanted my meat, deep fried in all its glory, and no vegetables would come in my way.
It's funny I say that because, feeling rather guilty halfway through, I ate the veggies (best friend/girlfriend did help) and eventually left the plate free from greens (and oranges - the carrot).
Until next time, take some time to cook delicious food for yourself!
X
MUAH MUAH MUAH
VICKI CHOW
P/S
I forgot to take pictures of our Halloween costumes...
How could I forget??? Now I'll have to wear them again someday to take a picture.
Anyway, I have recently conquered my dislike towards deep frying things (it uses so much oil, and make you smell like oil after, and gives you burns when it splatters), and discovered something that I make really well!!
It will be in my next blog post, so look forward to it :)
