I guess you can say this is very traditional? (except that we didn't have any meat banchan). Ha.

You are supposed to have different color and different kinds of banchans. We had anchovies fried banchan Myulchi Bokkeum, mung bean sprouts salad Sookju Namool, radish Mu Kimchi, cabbage Baechu Kimchi, Yuchoy salad with soybean paste Yuchae Namool.

With a bowl of rice and a bowl of spicy pork soup (I didn't take a picture) I had nice nutirious 'gluten-free' breakfast.

I didn't  know exactly what 'gluten-free' foods were...sorry for my ignorances...but I went to  Natural Products Expo East 2011 last Thursday and saw variety of organic and 'gluten-free' products. Very interesting! I also found out that most of Korean foods are gluten-free anyways! Now I'm very interested in 'gluten-free.'

More to come about that expo.

What was your breakfast today?

I love fresh vegetable wraps. I always cut up chickens to smaller pieces and put lots and lots of veggies. I always ask for more lettuce too.

I just wish they provide chopsticks too. Ha ha. That would be nice and convenient... well for chopsticks experts... I always find it little hard to get the veggies neatly in the lettuce with fork...so I give up and use my hands. It's nice that they give you a wet towel to clean your hands.

Kyu ordered DaVinci? Pasta.

That day the pasta sauce was perfect!!!! I don't know what the cook did differently that day but oh my! It was DELICIOUS!!!

We ended our meal with two cups of coffee each and a red velvet cheesecake~! Perfect.

Cheesecake Factory Gifts on ebay:

Cheesecake Factory COCONUT CREAM CHEESECAKE Recipe ~ no nuts or pineapple US $.99

Cheese Cake Factory $25 Gift Card - Nationwide - all restaurants or online FS US $24.27

Herrington Collectable Teddy Bear Ltd. Ed. 2006 Cheesecake Factory US $20.00

For homemade dressing we mixed olive oil, red wine, Dash, soysauce and vinegar.

It's healthy and tasty but I need to grab something more to eat. I've been starving too much in the morning. Maybe I'll make some kimchi fried rice.

Then we wanted to play with it so added kimchi to make kimchi kimbop.

Later I mixed a canned tuna and Red hot pepper paste and used that to make Tuna Kimbop too. Pretty good with sesame leaves too.

I think it would taste pretty good to use Spicy Tuna Recipe in Kimbop.

Seaweed laver (Kim)/Sushi nori on ebay

100 Sheets Roasted laver Seaweed Sushi Nori Gimbap US $15.70

Korean Roasted Kimchi Seaweed Laver Nori 12 Packs Lot US $9.99

Kimbop roll mat on ebay

BAMBOO SUSHI MAT Makisu Roll Asia Chinese Japanese 9.5" US $2.77

Bamboo Sushi Mat ~ Brand New~ Lowest Start Bid~ US $.01

Helen's Asian Kitchen Sushi Mat & Rice Paddle Kit US $5.89

2 LARGE BAMBOO SUSHI MATS NEVER USED!!!! US $.99

First, you need some steamed rice...
If you don't have a rice cooker it's okay! Follow how to cook steamed rice in a pot steps.

Then, let's steamed the bean sprouts...
(This is not the mungbean sprouts you get for pho...)

Just get a pot of water and put bean sprouts in and cover the pot. Bring it to boil.

Make sure you cover it and don't open it too often. My mom says that prevents a strong odor from bean sprouts and keeps the taste fresh. When it starts to steam just don't go too far and turn your sprouts mushy. It should still be crunch enough.

Now the sauce...

soy sauce
sesame seeds
chopped scallions
red pepper flakes
drops of sesame oil

Don't put too much soy sauce...it's too salty...when you mix them in taste it and adjust accordingly to your personal taste.

And just mix them up!

Enjoy!

Anyhow back to her bibimbop...

She sliced radish very thin and mixed with some salt and red pepper flakes. Spinach steamed and mixed with sesame oil, salt, and garlic.

She also prepped carrots, bean sprouts, mushroom, and Bulgogi and put them in separate bowls for us to choose what we want.

Fried egg on top finishes it off. Add red pepper paste and sesame oil ( makes it easier to mix). This is the usual bibimbop but you can add or remove things to make different variations. That's the beauty of bibimbop. And this was mine! She had Miso soup and kimchi as a side.

So I had this big bowl of bibimbop and couldn't sit straight after. So full whew.

Mixing/Noodle Soup Bowls on ebay:

2x Japanese Noodle Miso Soup Bowl Dragonfly Green #4309 US $9.99

Pottery Barn Asian Japanese Japan Set of 4 (8) Noodle/Soup Bowl Plates Off White US $79.99

24 pcs 7" 20 oz Restaurant Porcelain Noodle Soup Bowl US $19.99

18 pcs 8" 28 oz Restaurant Porcelain Noodle Soup Bowl US $19.99

Japanese Plastic Lacquer Udon Noodle Soup Bowl #7133 J1871 US $7.99

10x Japanese Plastic Lacquer Udon Noodle Soup Bowl #7133 J1871 US $45.00

Koreans have a term when eating soup like this hot and spicy soup. We say it's 'shiwon-hada' which literally means 'it's cool' (Shiwon-cool).

Rather than focusing on the temperature of the soup, the term describs how it tastes and feels once the food goes down your stomach... if you know what I mean. For example...I don't it's the best example...but, if you were eating a hamburger and you drink coke to wash the greasy food down or coffee afterwards. That feeling? Lol and Koreans love to have that feeling with hot and clean soup. It doesn't always have to be spicy though. Bean sprouts clear soup is the popular 'shiwon' soup. This term is used usually for clear soups like this hot pot or bean sprouts soup.

What's your 'shiwonhada' soup?

Bought this at H mart for $9.99. I stopped by Lotte and found out that they have the exact same brand for $10.99.

Hmmmm....anyhow...I wanted Wang Sohn Mandu (meaning Giant Handmade Mandu). In fact, that's what the package says.

I steamed the Giant dumplings..or shall I call them meat buns?

I sliced some pickled radish called DanMooji (this goes in Kimbob/Maki rolls or you can eat them with Ramyun...etc.) to eat with

This dumpling is rather wrapped with fluffy dough than the regular mandu/dumpling.

I gulped down so many of them that I forgot to take a picture of inside...Mmmmm...it was good~

I want some more now....!!

Mandu/Dumpling books on ebay:

NEW ~ ASIAN INSPIRED BAMBOO VEGETABLE DUMPLING POTSTICKER DIM SUM STEAMER BOXED US $19.99

Asian Tidbits (Dessert, dumpling, snack etc) Cookbook US $5.90

DELICIOUS ASIAN SEAFOOD RECIPES Spring Roll Dumpling Soup Crab etc Cookbook New US $9.99

Mandu/Dumpling items on ebay:

Master Piece Doll My Little Dumpling by Laura Lee Wambach GREAT CONDITION US $275.00

Massachusetts MA Dumpling Rock Light Postcard Old Vintage Card View Standard PC US $.50

Posts related to Mandu:
Mandu Recipe
How-to Fry Mandu
How-to Steam Mandu

Other Special Recipes:
Easy Spicy Wing
VERY Spicy Noodle Salad
Korean Seafood Pancake

Kimchi Recipes:
Traditional Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Quick 'n Easy version Kimchi

Other Recipes:
Mini Ground Turkey Pancake
Bulgogi-Korean BBQ beef

I got this Edamame at H mart for $0.89 on special price. Regular price is not so bad either..around $1.
I think it's a really a good price for healthy nutritious snack...(and it tastes great too!!!)

Simple to prep too...just steam heat...and you're ready to EAT!

I'm actually nibbling on these right now Yum~
Sometimes I sprinkle sea salt but most of the time I like it as it is.

I just put it in my mouth sideways and just 'pop' and drag out the beans...no need to use your hands to open and pick...how do you eat your edamame?

And now it's ALL GONE! I finished it all while posting..sigh..

Edamame on ebay

New Relax and EDAMAME Keychain Bean Pea key chain US $15.66

1 Bag 15 seed edamame GREEN SOYBEAN sushi soy bean C032 US $1.45

1 Bag 15 seed edamame GREEN SOYBEAN sushi soy bean C032 US $.99

Dry Roasted Edamame. A Delicious Healthy Snack US $5.99

Unlike Quick ‘n Easy Korean Banchan(sidedish)-Fresh Spicy Cucumber Salad Recipe which only uses the flesh part of cucumber (no seeds, no skin), this sidedish just uses the whole cucumber like other regular salads.

Ingredients

1 tbsp sea salt for pickling
1/2 lb cucumber

1 chopped scallion
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp red hot pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic

*NOTE: salt, sesame oil, pepper flakes, sugar, and garlic are all basic Korean spices. There's no right and wrong amounts to these like all other cuisine. Try it first as the recipe and feel free to adjust to your liking ^-^

First, cut cucumbers like the picture and put sea salt to 'pickle' just little bit. Maybe 15 min. Let it sit for a while...just enough that it's flexible but still fresh and crunchy.

When you think it's enough (don't let it sit tooooooo long), wash and gently squeeze excess water out.
and mix with all other ingredients. Adjust the spices accordingly to your liking.

Enjoy!

Other Recipes:
Bulgogi-Korean BBQ beef
Zucchini fried jun
Korean style Pickle (Oiji)
Fresh Spicy Cucumber Salad
Fresh Tofu Salad
Stir Fried Eggplant

Kimchi Recipes:
Traditional Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Quick 'n Easy version Kimchi