How To Make Kimchi

Ever wonder how kimchi is made? I will teach you the right way of making homemade kimchi. This kimchi tastes better than store-bought ones, I promise.

Just follow the instructions and you should be able to make your own very delicious and nutritious kimchi. Kimchi is the world's healthiest vegetable, don't you know?

Ingredients:
2 or 3 big chinese cabbages (I only used 2)
2 bunches of spring onions, sliced
Half of a big, long radish
1 small ginger
1 medium carrot
Plenty of sea salt
Half cup dried shrimp
1 1/2 cups chilli powder (use 1 cup if you don't like it to be hot)
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

 

Dried Shrimp

 

 Korean Chilli Powder

 Spring onions, radish, ginger, and carrot

 

 2 cabbages

Instructions:

• Slice the cabbage in half. Make sure that you don't remove the core of the cabbage so that the leaves do not separate.

 

 

• Wash properly the cabbages.

• Remove excess water and we're now ready to salt.
• Sprinkle salt to each of the cabbages' leaves.

 

  

 

• Once all the cabbages have been salted, let it rest for 2 to 3 hours.
• After 2 to 3 hours, wash each leaf of the cabbages to remove all the salt.
• Remove excess water from the cabbages.
• The leaves of the cabbages should already be flexible by now and easy to work with.
• Set aside.

Now let's make the kimchi paste:

• Peel ginger, radish, and carrot, then chop.
• Put the chopped ginger, radish, and carrot in a blender.
• Add 4 tbsp fish sauce and the dried shrimp into the blender.
• Puree by pulsing. Make sure the veggies have been pureed very well.

• Remove the veggies from the blender and put in a container.

• Add the sugar and the chilli powder and mix well.

 

Use 1 cup of chilli powder if you don't like it to be very spicy.

• Add the spring onion and continue mixing until incorporated.
• We now have the kimchi paste.

• This kimchi paste should be able to make kimchi from 3 big cabbages but I only used 2 cabbages so I just stored the excess paste in an airtight container.

We're now ready to make kimchi:

• Spread paste into each leaf of the cabbages.

 

  

  

 

 

• Store in a plastic container and then seal.

• Refrigerate for 3 days and the kimchi should be ready for consumption by then.

Canned Tuna Pasta

This is my version of the Tuna Pasta which I like to be quite hot. This is a delicious meal that my family loves.

Serves: 3 to 4

Ingredients:
200 gms pasta of choice
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup water or chicken stock
1 chicken bullion (is using water)
2 dried chilli peppers, chopped
1 can tuna
Pinch of crushed black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

  

  

Instructions:

• Boil 2 liters of water in a pot.
• When the water is already boiling, add fistful of salt then add the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a pan.
• Add the garlic, onion, and chopped chilli peppers and saute in a medium heat until fragrant.

• Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika and saute for 3 minutes.

• Add the tomato paste and continue sauteing until the paste has been incorporated.
• Add the chicken stock or water with bullion.
• Simmer until the tomatoes are tender.
• When tomatoes are tender, crush with the spatula.
• Add all the contents of the canned tuna.
• Add the basil and continue simmering.
• When half of the stock has evaporated, scoop a ladle of pasta water and add to the sauce.
• Put a pinch of pepper and put salt if neeeded.
• Continue simmering in a low heat.

• When pasta is already al dente, strain the pasta and add to the sauce.
• Mix well until the sauce has incorporated into the pasta.

• Plate and serve while hot.

Miso Soup

Miso soup is served in all Japanese restaurants as a starter. It's quite refreshing and you can add any vegetables that you desired. Typically, this soup contains tofu and seaweed but my version contains potato, carrot, onion, bell pepper, misua noodles and spring onion -- since those are what I got in the fridge at the time I cooked this.

Serves: 2 - 4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp miso paste
1 potato, cubed
1 carrot, cubed
1 small pack misua noodles or any noodles as desired
1 small onion or shallot, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
3 stalks spring onion, chopped
3 cups water

 

 

Instructions:

• In a small pot, boil and then simmer (covered) 3 cups water together with the potato and onion.

• When potato is already tender, add the misua and the remaining vegetables and simmer for 3 minutes, covered.

• After 3 minutes, add the miso paste and simmer for 2 minutes more.

• Serve immediately.

Pork Curry

I liked the flavor of the Japanese Golden Curry so I decided to cook a dish that uses this brand of curry.  You can substitute pork with beef or chicken.

Serves: 10 to 12

Ingredients:
1 kg pork, cut into cubes
1 whole pack Golden Curry (see photo)
1.5 liters water or low sodium chicken stock
1 chicken bullion (only if using water, and this is optional)
2 large carrots, cut into cubes
2 large potatoes, cut into cubes
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil

 

  

The Golden Curry

 

Instructions:

• In a pot or casserole,  saute onion and garlic with 2 tbsp oil over medium low heat, until fragrant.
• Add the pork, increase the heat, mix and saute until browned.
• Add the bay leaves, the water/stock, and the bullion (if using water).

• Boil and simmer for an hour, covered.
• One hour into simmering, pour all the contents of the Golden Curry then stir until everything is incorporated.
• Simmer for another 45 minutes, covered.
• After 45 minutes, add the potatoes and continue simmering for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, add the carrots and simmer for 5 minutes more.
• Serve hot.

Stir-Fried Vegetables

I have been trying to lose weight for over a year now and I still need to lose around 10 pounds (of fat). This last 10 pounds is what I am struggling to lose away, which is quite a  challenge, by the way.

My plan of attack is to eat less carbs and get my calories mostly from protein. This dish is a healthy and perfect replacement for my rice at lunchtime.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1 small carrot, julliened
1 bell pepper, julliened
2 tomatoes, julliened with seeds removed
1/4 cabbage, julliened
5 young corns, chopped into bite size pieces
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

The vegetables

Instructions:

• In a pan, using medium high heat, saute garlic and onion until fragrant.

• Add your vegetables and stir fry over high heat for 3 minutes.
• Keep stirring.

• After 3 minutes, lower the flame and add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper.
• Stir for around 30 more seconds.
• Plate and serve.

Fetuccine Alfredo with Shrimp

The authentic Fetuccine Alfredo does not contain any milk or cream. It only contains fetuccine pasta, butter, and parmesan cheese. Still being true to the original recipe, I added parsley for garnish and shrimp to make it a complete meal.

Ingredients:
500 gms Fetuccine pasta
6 oz. butter
1 cup parmesan cheese
Parsley, chopped (you can also use Kinchay)
500 gms shrimp, peeled and deveined
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

• Add salt and pepper to your shrimp and some parsley.
• Heat a pan in a medium high heat with 2 tbls of extra virgin olive oil.
• Saute the shrimp until cooked.

• Set aside the shrimp.

• Boil 2 liters of water in a pot.
• Once boiling, put a fistful of salt and add the pasta.
• Cook as per instruction or until al dente.
• When the pasta is al dente, strain off the water and replace the pasta into the pot.
• While still hot, stir in the butter which has been stored in room temparature.
• Mix to incorporate the butter and add the cheese little by little.
• Add parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the shrimp then mix.

• Serve immediately.