Clam Noodle Soup

I am in the perfect situation to experiment with ingredients I've never had easy access to, and considering my love of food-centered experiments, this is the perfect situation! Within my first month of life in South Korea I picked up a package of noodles which I made assumptions about, created this dish, and knew it could have been better. Well flash foward a few months and a LOT more Korean-dining experiences later and I've just about clued into this particular noodle. Hoping I could incorporate this noodle more as it ought to be, I attempted a bit of 'fusion' cooking using ideas from a previous cooking class and my own innovations to whip up this pot of Clam Noodle Soup.

Ingredients:

A dozen Clams

Handful of Bean Sprouts

1/2 Carrot, diced

1 Leek/2 Green Onions, sliced

6 Sesame Leaves, chopped

3-4 cups Broth or Tea

Korean Noodles (could substitute spaghetti, udon, ramen)

Salt and Pepper to seasoning

Directions:

Wash clams. (I've since learned there's a lot to this process and I've far from perfected it, chime in if you have advice; here's what I've learned: scrub down clams, soak in salt water for several hours. Add cornmeal to expel grit and such - I tried oatmeal as cornmeal is a hot commodity here in the ROK, scrub again, then boil, prepare as directed. If clams do not open during boiling process they are bad. Summary of information I found here.) In pot, bring broth/tea to a boil, add rinsed and clean bean sprouts to the pot with clams, boil with lid on for about 8 minutes. If clams are opening up, add carrot, simmer for about 5 minutes until carrot is tender. Add noodles, cook until tender. (For a more accurate Korean dish, prepare noodles separately, drain of liquid serve with broth and clams spooned on top). Fill bowl with noodles first, top with broth and a few opened clams, sprinkle sesame leaves on top, season to taste with salt and pepper, enjoy!

More clam recipes and cooking directions can be found by clicking the yellow box below!

Manila Clams

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

In preparing to leave Laramie, WY for the otherside of the world, there was one restaurant I knew I'd miss terribly; Sweet Melissa's - a Vegetarian Cafe. If you've never been, you really ought to stop by. Any vegetarian cafe that can make a Wyoming-meat-eater say "Wow, that was good and filling" - is a vegetarian cafe worth frequenting! It is in fondly remembering this special place little cafe nestled in old downtown facing the train tracks that I was pushed forward in pursuing Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos here in the land of kimchi.

With plenty of inspiration and reccomendations, coupled with the limitations of an Asian market vs. a Latin market, I set out to re-create tastes of home.

Ingredients:

2 cups Black Beans

3 cups Sweet Potatoes, mashed

1 Onion, diced and sauted

3-5 Green Chiles, roasted and diced

2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced

Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin - to taste

Prepared Salsa

Tortillas

Cheese

Directions:

Saute onion, garlic and green chilies, add to sweet potatoes. Combine beans and potatoes (can be mixed, pureed, slightly beaten - however you most desire.) Add seasonings, fresh cilantro and lime juice would be nice if it's available. Spreak potato and bean mix onto tortilla, top with cheese, fold and bake in the oven until warmed through. We have a convection oven so cooking time is about 15-20 minutes or less. Serve with salsa on the side or green chili on top. Best enjoyed with good friends, conversing about winter vacations and adventures!

Tips for creating this meal in Korea:

Black beans are a bit tricky to find - yet not impossible. My best bet has been to buy them in their dried state; you can find them at Costco and many times at HomePlus. If you're at Costco, might as well pick up some tortillas as well. Various international food stores provide fresh cilantro, for a bit more info regarding 'foreign' markets in Korea, check out this post.

For dried black beans this is the way to go!

Oreo Crumb Cookies

My new obsession: http://www.foodporndaily.com/

Inspired these cookies.

Basic cookie dough + Oreo-like Cookie crumbs = Hollah! Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Seriously though...AMAZING concept. Especially when Oreos aren't really Oreos. Especially when you've got a carton of milk in the refrigerator. Espeically when you realize bits of chocolate and white chocolate should also enjoy the mix...SOOO good!

Here's the idea: Take your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe or a simple Basic Cookie Dough recipe - from there, add WHATEVER you want, in this case, I added 10 Oreo's mashed and broken plus some bits of dark chocolate and white chocolate.

Bake as you would any other cookie, enjoy with a glass of milk just like you would an Oreo - you will not be sorry!

Chinese-American Fried Rice

Perhaps this is more accurately a Chinese-American Fried Rice with Korean influences...not sure how often ham is thrown into fried rice, but in Korea, no problem.

I generally use this concept when preparing fried rice: whisked egg with a bit of soy sauce fried up in sesame oil, egg removed from pan, veggies and ham (in this case) heated and sauted for a few minutes, add prepared rice, a bit more soy sauce and the egg - wam, bam, thank you Ma'm we've got dinner! Top with fresh green onions and sesame seeds for a fresh, happy appearance before downing the bowl at ligtening speed.



YubuChoBap

I'm posting this primarily...because...I don't know. Maybe someday I'll attempt to make such a dish from scratch...who knows. Anyway, if you're living in Korea - you should be able to find a 'kit' - I'll post a pic later if I can to make this dish at home - it's quick, easy and tasty. All you need to do is prepare rice, the rest of the ingredients are in the package, mix the two small packets with the rice, scoop rice into tofu 'pockets' and viola - ready to eat!

If this post isn't exciting enough for you, as it shouldn't be, check out the beautiful blue-haired Korean woman's photos and video for making YubuChoBap...you won't be sorry!

Peanut Butter Blondies

This recipe had very little to do with me, and a whole lot to do with this. Not to mention my recent cravings regarding peanut butter...and brownies...

Ingredients:
1-⅛ cup All-purpose Flour
1-¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
⅛ teaspoons Salt
⅓ cups Butter, At Room Temperature
¾ cups Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ cups Peanut Butter
1 Tablespoon Corn Syrup
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F and spray an 8×8 square cake pan or round pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, peanut butter, and golden syrup. Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Pour into the prepared pan and spread to the edges. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

If you go to the original recipe, you will find a recipe for frosting and her brownies appear much less dense than mine. I mixed a bit of Peanut Butter with whip cream as I haven't found powdered sugar here yet, and it was delicious.

Photogenic Dinner

I make and eat 'Hash' all the time - the recipe is ever changing...potatoes, other veggies, spices you love the most, fried egg on top - enjoy! This particular hash just happened to be more 'photgenic' than others ^.^