My Favourite TV Drama Final Episode - The Moon Embraces The Sun

I watched the final episode of The Moon Embraces The Sun last night last night. I only watched this drama to see Kim Soo Hyun and Jung Il Woo who are rising celebs in Korea at the moment.


Kim Soo Hyun is so handsome and even in the usual traditional costume he is inevitably noticeable. He is the CUTTIEST KING in the whole Korean TV Drama series. This Drama is a total fiction and is not based on Korean history at all. The plot is almost like a cartoon. It�s fun, not too heavy to watch even if you know nothing about the history and romantic.


Many of Kim Soo Hyun fans will miss the KING~




And my another favorite celeb Jung Il Woo. 

My Favourite TV Drama Final Episode - The Moon Embraces The Sun Link Free Download

Korean Ramen - Nagasaki Jjamppong

In my presvious posting, I wrote a review on KKo KKo Myeon which is a Korean instant noodle.


After it became a trendy new product as one of the biggest seller among clear broth based instant noodle, other leading Korean Ramen companies started to come after their own version of clear broth based ones. (You can click the image link below to buy it at Amazon)

To benchmark against KKo KKo Myeon, one of the companies came with a product called Nagasiki Jjamppong. Jjamppong is a kind of noodle soup which is Chinese in its origin. Chinese food in Korea is very unique in many ways compared to any other Chinese restaurants in other countries. In Korea, Chinese food has evolved around to suit Koreans taste buds. Koreans don�t like too much oily food. Koreans also love spicy food. If you love Chinese food, you know that not many dishes in the Chinese restaurants are actually as spicy as Korean food. Although in some districts of China the food is famous for the spicy heat, e.g. Sichuan food. That�s why at least Koreans would like Sichuan chilli and its food.For this reason, many Chinese Koreans who run Chinese restaurants in Korea came up with their own version of Korean Chinese style food. Two most representative ones are JJa Jang Myeon (This is a Korean Chinese style black bean soy sauce noodle.) and JJam Ppong.

You will see, when you go to a Chinese restaurant in Korea, people commonly finish their meal by having either JJa Jang Myeon or Jjam Ppong. To help relieving the stress of choosing between the two, many restaurants also offer half half in their menu so the customers can eat both without having to choose between the two. That�s why a lot of Korea ramen companies have their own version of JJa jang myeon or jjam ppoing.

The name, Nagasaki, is a district in Japan. Japanese food is not commonly spicy. Their noodles in particular are almost always clear broth based. I guess that�s why they launched their new ramen product name as Nagasaki Jjamppong. This is only my personal guess.





Back to the story, the aim to benchmark against the rival product, KKo KKo Myeon , was a big success. Because now this new product is also selling very fast and it�s already selling more than KKo KKo myeon amongst young customers. I know there is another political reason behind this too but it�s not really relevant to food topic at all. It�s just that a judge in Korea used its product name, Nagasaki Jjam Ppong as a cynical synonym in political term and tweeted this on his personal tweet and became a Hot Potato issue. Nevertheless, the side effect also resulted in promoting the product name too.










I tasted it too myself. Whatever the reason behind its selling success, the taste of the ramen itself is the best amongst many Jjamppong category in instant noodles, I think. I personally like Kko Kko myeon better only because I like chicken soup based noodle. But many of my friends who also used to love Kko Kko Myeon prefer Nagasaki Jjamppong now and say it�s spicier. See it for yourself and tell me which one you like better 





If you like to try both you can lick the image below to buy 5pack each combo at Amazon.

Korean Ramen - Nagasaki Jjamppong Link Free Download

Pho, Vietnamese Beef noodle Soup

Vietnamese noodle, known as Pho, is one of my favourite noodles. There are many recipes on this but it�s very hard to make the broth because you need lots of effort to simmer the beef stock with lots of spices. Here, I would like to share with you 3 different recipes I tried. I personally tested all other recipes and these are the best 3. Out of these 3, the very last one is my own recipe which I was taught by my friend. In my opinion, this personal recipe was the simplest and easiest of all to make Pho without the hassle of getting all spices and boiling for long hours. And yet, I guarantee you won�t be disappointed by the actual result despite the  simplicity of actual ingredients you use in this recipe. At first, I was very sceptical when I was told about this recipe since it sounded too simple until I actually decided to give it a go. I am glad I tried.


1. Traditional recipe


(This is from Women�s weekly recipe which I  tried myself and found it took excessive amount time and effort but the outcome is worth it.)


INGREDIENTS


2 pieces cassia bark, about 5cm each in length
2 whole star anise
6 cloves
3-4 cardamom pods, bruised
1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 large piece of ginger, bruised and slightly crushed
2kg veal bones, including split chin bones
500g piece beef brisket
3-4 litres cold water, to cover bones
1/3 cup fish sauce, to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
1-2 teaspoons sugar, to taste
200g rice stick noodles, soaked or blanched in boiling water 2-3 minutes until tender, cooled and drained until needed
2-3 spring onions (green shallots), cut into 2-3 cm batons
200g eye fillet or sirloin or rump steak (optional), sliced very thinly
1 bunch coriander, picked and roughly chopped
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh herbs (to serve)
1 cup bean sprouts, trimmed
1 cup Thai basil leaves, picked
1 bunch long coriander (Mexican coriander, thorny coriander, saw-leaf herb, saw-tooth herb), washed and trimmed
2-3 long red chillies, sliced on the angle
2-3 limes, cut into wedges


Preparation


1. Pre-heat salamander style grill or top element of oven to a high heat.


2. Place cassia, star anise, cloves, cardamom, onion and ginger in an ovenproof pan or baking tray and grill 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Remove. Turn off grill.


3. Place grilled spices, onion and ginger in a large stockpot. Add veal bones, brisket and enough cold water to cover, bring to a slow boil.


4. Simmer two hours, skimming the surface of any fat or scum as necessary, then remove brisket and store, covered and refrigerated until needed.


5. Continue cooking stock a further 2 hours, skimming as necessary. Season with fish sauce, sea salt and sugar to taste, using the above quantities as a guide.


6. Strain stock and discard bones, onion, ginger and spices. Cool and store refrigerated until needed or strain stock to a clean pot and bring back to a simmer, ready to serve.


7. To serve, place sprouts, herbs, chillies and lime wedges in little bunches around a serving plate, place on table for guests to add to their pho as desired.
8. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil. Using a small blanching basket or chinois, blanch a small handful of noodles and spring onions for each person. Transfer each portion to individual serving bowls (pho is one of the few Vietnamese dishes not shared, with each diner receiving their own bowl).
9. Slice reserved brisket thinly and place atop noodles. If using, add 20-30g thinly sliced raw beef per portion. Ladle hot stock over beef and noodles (the heat of the stock will cook the finely sliced raw meat).


10. Garnish with chopped coriander and chives, season lightly with pepper.
Serve hot portions to each guest, accompanied by Asian soup spoons and chopsticks (for the handling and choice of the fresh herbs).
 
2. Secret Pho base soup Recipe from a Vietnamese noodle restaurant


 (With this recipe, you will have to guess how much you will need for each ingredient. What you need to do is to refer to the first recipe and guess how much of each ingredient you might need. Basically, they are vey similar except the last secret ingredient, dried sandworm. I didn�t know until I came across this recipe but apparently, this is very commonly used in pho in Vietnam by asking many of my Vietnamese friends. It was very hard to find dried sandworm but I got it from a Chinese herbal medicinal place in China town once. To this recipe, you will need to add lime juice, coriander and basil otherwise, the broth itself is not quite what you expect to get at a Vietnamese restaurant.)

Ingredients

Marrow bone
Oxtail
Brisket
Boiled chicken
Cinnamon
Star anise
Cardamom pods
Dried sandworm
 
3. My own personal recipe
 
Ingredients


1 litre Campbell beef liquid beef stock
100g thinly sliced beef (get shabu shabu cut from a butcher)
1-2 Star anise whole
1/2 thinly sliced brown onion
1/2 lime (just use the lime juice)
some fish sauce to season
1 bird eye chilli chopped
bunch of long coriander, chopped
bunch of basil, pick the leaves only
2 cups bean sprouts
1-2 piece of lemon
2 TBS dried fried onion (optional, you can get it from Asian groceries. It�s only added because some Vietnamese restaurants, pho is served with sprinkle of it on top)
Rice noodle (I use fresh noodle which you can get from an Asian market. If you use dried noodle, it�s not quite the same as what you would get at a restaurant)
 
Serves 2


Preparation


1. Place Campbell beef liquid stock in a pot and add the whole star anise.  (I personally like the taste of Campbell but it�s totally up to you. But do not use stock cubes. I used it before and the result is quite different)


2. Boil the stock on medium heat. When it�s boiling add 100g of beef in the stock and simmer. Add in lime juice and fish sauce to season.


3. In a separate bowl, boil some water and soak the noodle for 2 minutes. Discard the water after 2 minutes.



4. Place the rice noodle into a bowl. Pick out the cooked beef (Originally in Vietnamese noodle, you would place thin slice of raw beef and pour in hot broth to cook it but I don�t like the raw meat in the soup. If you prefer it that way, that�s also doable) and place them in the bowl around the noodle. Pour in the hot broth and sprinkle sliced onion, dried fried onions (only optional), chopped coriander, picked basil leaves. Now, when you serve it you can serve it with bean sprouts to add in and a piece of lemon. I like adding a little bit of chopped fresh bird eye chilli just to add heat. But again, it�s personal choice!!


5. When you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, you will almost always see two sauce bottles on each table. They are chili sauce and hoisin sauce. You can add combination of both into your soup if you like or dip the beef in the sauce. The most common brands the restaurants use are all shown below. 

Pho, Vietnamese Beef noodle Soup Link Free Download

Great tip for poaching eggs

Found this at my google plus stream. I am going to try this technique.

Great tip for poaching eggs Link Free Download

Kid�s favourite Cooking Video Clips

I came across by searching cake making long time ago. Recently, I have visited my friend�s house, and her kids and I were playing with my iPhone. They asked me to play Howdini. At first I wasn�t sure what it was but soon I realised that it was the video clip I found at Youtube on cake making. Yes, I was very inspired by the ideas, especially, I know that the look of the cakes they make would surely fascinate kids. But it was very surprising to see kids were actually interested in watching this. They don�t get to actually make such cakes at home but why do they like watching it? For adults, especially mums would watch it since they want to make such cakes. But why do kids like just watching it?

My kids also love being involved in cooking. They are far too young to give me a hand, rather they cause mischief in the kitchen throwing everything everywhere. But I want them to be involved sometimes. It�s very educational for them to learn what is healthy and how can they make healthy food. They show a lot of interest in food when they are actually involved in the making process.



I ask my kids what they want to eat and they choose what vegies they want to put in. Of course, this is not always success because they are cheeky sometimes by saying, Mum it looks awesome but I am too full to eat it. But most of the time, they will show more interest towards if they are in the process of making.

For cakes, I am a little cautious since it has too much sugar content. It�s very hard for my kids to absolutely avoid it but at least, they know how to moderately control their temptation. I know some parents are very strict on what to eat and what to avoid. But even I sometimes like a piece of chocolate, some cakes or biscuits. It would be a lie if I tell my children not to eat any of those just because they are bad for their health. How can you all avoid something bad in our busy everyday life? I�d rather teach my kids how to control their temptation and to eat in moderation.

But it�s still very tough to make the young ones understand why eating too much sugar is bad. I try to bake cakes with less sugar content and try to add healthy stuff in them such as blueberries, carrots, rice flour etc. I get ideas from such video clips like Howdini and try to substitue the food colourings or even the icing. I guess it doesn�t take much to impress kids when it comes to baking. In fact, they often get fascinated by the idea of putting the play-dough (of course the flour dough I mean. Do not bake kids� play dough!!!) into an oven and get a loaf of bread.

Here is some video clips of HOWDINI. Get inspired and enjoy baking with kids.

Kid�s favourite Cooking Video Clips Link Free Download

Cooking Apps 1234

Cooking apps are very handy when it comes to find recipes today. 


I have many hard copy cookbooks since I love to look at the pictures of lots of dishes that I can get inspired, especially the pictures give an idea on the presentation of the finished meal. But when I actually try to cook the actual recipe, printing out that page is difficult unless you have a photo copier. I don't have enough space to lay my book in the kitchen and flipping the page through is awkward with wet hand whilst cooking.
It's when cooking app comes handy. Today I would like to review some of the cooking apps that people recommend and I personally use.







Jamie's 20 Minute Meals 



I am sure this app is already in your device. As a Jamie Oliver fan, I ought to get one.

All my friends know I love cook books so a lot of them buy me cook books for my birthday present. I came across Jamie Oliver cook book as a gift from a friend. Of course, I knew him on TV but I never thought to buy his book myself because I found that his cooking involved lots use of fresh herbs. I like herbs now in my cooking but back then, I didn't want to buy a bunch of herb just to use a little bit for a particular dish and the remaining went straight into the bin since I had no other use. When I got the book from my friend, I went on reading it for the whole day. My friend commented that he never saw anyone reading a cook book like me as if reading a novel. Yes, it was that good. His tips were great and his philosophy about cooking was easily seen through every page. Now you can even enjoy his tips on videos, which I enjoy watching. Great tips of quick meal ideas - I rather like inspired by his ideas.

Woman's Day Cooking Assistant

Australian's #1 weekly magazine features lots of practical cooking ideas.

 I love to watch the TV show as well. I find the cooking recipe they give are very practical and easy to follow. They publish a little handy cook book series which cost around A$5.00  Personally, I trust their recipe because I know they are tested so even if you are not into cooking, the outcome may not be much different than what it's suppose to come out. I tested some myself and the result was very very promising. If you have a party, and you need a quick party meal ideas, I recommend their recipe. As I said, their recipes are very practical so if you use imagination for the finished touch on the presentation, I am sure, your guests will be fascinated by your cooking skill. Their Asian food recipe is also very practical. They do not require too much foreign ingredients and yet, the outcome will be satisfactory.

Mangaeyi-recipe





Here is what I recommend if you can read Korean. In this app you can view 10,000 recipes with pictures, mostly Korean food. There are many secret recipes on authentic Korean food but at least, the recipes here will enable you to cook Korean food on a basic level. It's also helpful with pictures if you are not very familiar with a particular ingredient.


Korean Video Cuisine How to


If you can't read Korean, don't worry. Here's another app on Korean cooking recipes. One thing good about this app is that there are video clips on cooking instruction.











Ddeog Bog Gi Jjang!


If you like Dduk Bbok I, and can read Korea, here's all related recipe on dduk bbok i. Fos those who don't know what it is, it's spicy rice cake stir fry.

Cooking Apps 1234 Link Free Download

K-Pop Star Live Audition Top 9

Here's my favorite TV series again! K-Pop star! Go Ha Yee ~~ I love you.


We need your voice. Soul Queen~ Your voice is just so mesmerising. Amazing Girl.






You sing so Naturally well. I love your sweet voice, Ji Woong.





OMG~ You're not an amateur. You are already a singer :p Park Ji Min



My second favorite candidate~ Michele. Love you !!!


This week's unfortunate candidate, Kim Na Yoon. She chose too hard song for her voice, I think. But she's so so pretty.

K-Pop Star Live Audition Top 9 Link Free Download

Korean Ramen

Today, I am introducing a special Koran Ramen (instant noodle) to you.

There is a story behind the birth of this special ramen. There is a TV comedy program called, Nam Jae Ja Gyuk in Korea. It is a group of TV entertainers, all men mainly comedians, who challenge many different things in the pursuit of becoming a worthy man. Of many series, they participated in a competition held by leading Korean Ramen companies. The Ramen companies held the competition in order to get an idea on a new products. No one actually expected any of the entertainers in this TV program might win because their cooking skill was way below the average compared to many other competitive participants. It was rather experimental for them to cook authentic ramen. Anyways, the rule was that all the participants could choose to begin their cooking with any of the ramen companies' products using their secret ingredients to enhance the outcome flavour. Many interesting skills and ingredients were introduced.

Of the least expected winner among the show hosts, Lee Kyung Gyu (very well known Korean comedian), came with an idea to make a spicy ramen with clear chicken broth. His idea was easy to adapt to make an instant ramen since he only used simple ingredients unlike many other participants. The flavour was also suitable for Korean ramen buyers who love spicy heat in the soup. There aren't many clear broth based ramen in Korea. His idea was a big hit amongst the TV program fans. Of course, he won the competition and his idea actually came reality when one of the ramen company bought his product idea.

Way before the product actually came out, people were eager to taste this new ramen. As soon as it became available on the market shelf, it was the biggest hit seller in ramen industry. I waited a long time before I could even taste this ramen because it was always ALWAYS SOLD OUT!!! I think I could try it about 3 months after it came out!!! Even Lee Kyung Gyu revealed in the interview that he had to order it online because it was hard to get it from a market as it was always first thing to go.

Here is a TV ad on the KKo KKo Myeon (Name of the ramen).




It says...to enjoy KKo KKo Myeon most deliciously, you add 500ml of water and boil just 4 minutes.

Yes, I liked it very much. Warning though, it is very spicy!!!

Korean Ramen Link Free Download

K-Pop Star Live audition

Last time, I posted on K-Pop Star, Korean Audition program.

I love watching this TV show and this week I watched the episode on live with my friend.

Here is some video clips I've fetched from Youtube. Enjoy~

K-Pop Star Live audition Link Free Download

Radish broth with Oyster mushroom

Did you know some mushrooms have medicinal use?

Of many mushrooms we eat today, oyster mushroom is commonly used in Korean, Chinese and Japanese cooking as a delicacy. The unique scent resembles anise and almond. Because the scent is not too overpowering, it is well suited with many other ingredients in stir fry.

Traditionally, it is known to strengthen veins and relax tendons. In China,  oyster mushroom is used for joint and muscle relaxation. A product containing oyster mushroom, called "Tendon-easing powder," is effective in the treatment of lumbago, numbed limbs, and tendon and blood vessel discomfort.

In Chinese, they are called p�ng gu (??; literally "flat mushroom"). In Vietnam, the mushroom is known as n?m s� or n?m b�o ngu. It is called chippikkoon (???????????) in Malayalam.




Today, I made Radish broth with oyster mushroom.
It is great for breakfast with some cooked rice especially in winter.

Ingredients

250g Korean Radish (note: Korean radish gives sweet flavor in broth. If you use different kind, it would probably taste bitter. )
200g gravy beef
handful of oyster mushroom, tear each mushroom lengthy ways
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup dried shrimp
4 x 5 cm dried kelp
1/2 cup dried octopus (Totally optional, you can also use squid if you like but again, optional)
4cm shallot, cut diagonally
2 TBS sesame oil
salt and pepper for seasoning

Note: In most Korean broth, try to use unrefined sea salt. In Korea, people never use rock salt in the broth. If you use rock salt, the broth will taste bitter.

Serves 2

1. Put 2 TBS of sesame oil in a pot on medium heat. Add finely chopped garlic and stir try it until fragrant. Then through in the gravy beef and brown the meat.

2. Once the beef is all browned, pour in 1 liter of cold water and add the radish. Add the dried kelp, shrimp and dried octopus (optional), close the lid and heat it up until boiling.

3. When it starts to boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain out the dried kelp, shrimp, and octopus.

4. Now, bring up the heat to high again, put in the oyster mushrooms and shallot. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

5. Season with unrefined sea salt and pepper.

Radish broth with Oyster mushroom Link Free Download

Lunch pack ideas for mums & kids

By Bellalean

   When there is vegetables in the fridge, perhaps the easiest, quick meal solution would be fried rice. You can add any veges of your own choice. For kids, it is great because you can feed them lots of veges. I often add veges that kids don't usually like to eat in the salads. This speedy lunch pack is also handy to make if you have frozen veges or frozen shrimp. Of course, it would be great if you can have fresh prawns   but I save my time by using frozen ones.









   For rice, you can also cook it and freeze them in advance so you can make fried rice in a short time. Here I make a link to the posting on how to prepare cooked rice and freeze them in advance.

http://bellalean11.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/freeze-cooked-rice-in-advance.html#more


Ingredients

1 cup frozen prawn or shrimp roughly diced. (Dice it while it's frozen. It's easier to cut)
1/2 cup bacon diced (This is optional. I like bacon in my fried rice)
4 button mushrooms roughly diced
1 small carrot chopped
1/2 brown onion chopped
1 capsicum chopped
2 ts finely chopped garlic
1 TBS oyster sauce
3 TBS chopped shallot
2 servings of boiled rice
salt and pepper
peanut oil

serves 2

By Bellalean

By Bellalean

1. Warm up the wok and put some peanut oil. Pour in the chopped garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes until fragrant.

2. Add chopped onion and stir fry 2 minutes and then add the chopped carrot. When the carrot is half cooked, add the capsicum and stir fry for another 2 minutes.






3. Lastly, add the shrimp and bacon together, stir fry them just for 2 minutes. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

4. Put aside the fried ingredients. Using the same wok, add 2 TBS of cooking oil and pour in the cooked rice. You can use defrosted cooked rice that you may have prepared in advance. When you defrost the rice, just leave it at room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. You don't want to use hot boiled rice that's straight from the rice cooker. If you are going to use warm rice, make sure you cool it before frying. Otherwise, it becomes too sticky and soggy.

5. Stir fry the rice for about 1minute and combine the fried ingredients in the wok. Keep stirring on high heat. Add the oyster sauce and mix well while frying. Throw in the chopped shallot in the last minute.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Lunch pack ideas for mums & kids Link Free Download