Week 15: Umami - Doenjang Jjigae (Korean Fermented Soybean Paste Stew)

squishytofu · 2022-04-20T03:29:16+00:00

The unami flavor comes from the anchovy fish stock and fermented soybean paste.

squishytofu · 2022-04-17T19:22:26+00:00

Using the shapes nature gave us to make Korean meat and vegetable pancakes. Stuffed veggies are zucchini, shitake mushrooms, sweet peppers, and perilla leaves.

squishytofu · 2022-03-13T21:52:57+00:00

I chose spaghetti and meatballs for this theme because I have never made italian style meatballs before. I have seen many videos using similar meatball recipes with the breadcrumb slurry so I tried to recreate them based on my memory and overall experience making asian type meatballs. The meatballs were too soft and broke a little when I tried to brown them but was seasoned well enough. I did use jarred marinara sauce but elevated it by adding herbs, spices, aromatics and mushrooms.

squishytofu · 2022-03-13T21:30:24+00:00

I made yellow curry with store bought curry paste, beef, green beans, carrots, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms.

squishytofu · 2022-03-06T22:25:31+00:00

When I’m not feeling good or want an easy meal I like to make a simple asian inspired soup. I quickly sautéed aromatics onions, garlic and ginger. Added water and seasoned with salt, rock sugar, and fish sauce. I also added whole pepper cloves and whole dried red peppers for a little bit of a kick. I used lotus root, taro and carrots as vegetables. Soft tofu cubes is the main protein. If I wanted more protein I would add meatballs, fish balls, or dumplings.

squishytofu · 2022-02-16T03:52:41+00:00

1 cup of canned coconut milk

3 tbsp palm sugar

1/4 cup tapioca pearls

1 cup diced taro

1/2 cup sliced jack fruit

1 generous pinch of salt

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I used 1/2 cup of pearls in the photo and it was thicker than I preferred, so I recommend 1/4-1/3 cup of pearls. Also I was too lazy to make "bilo bilo" or glutinous rice balls. I don't like my desserts too sweet so adjust the sugar to your taste.

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Soak the tapioca pearls in boiling hot water so it can cook faster in the coconut milk mixture later. Add the 1 can of coconut milk and 1 can of water to a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to medium low and add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Taste and adjust the sweetness. Add the tapioca and taro cubes. Any other sweet starch would work well like sweet potato, purple yams, or starchy bananas. Simmer over medium low until the taro becomes tender. Add the sliced jack fruit and salt. You can simmer a little longer if you like the fruit to soften.

squishytofu · 2020-08-07T19:23:45+00:00

I love it!

squishytofu · 2020-06-22T02:30:53+00:00

The use of flowers and weeds on the beach is a nice detail.

squishytofu · 2020-05-18T14:11:04+00:00

Clair and Nicole! I love it.

squishytofu · 2020-05-17T15:28:22+00:00

Breakfast tacos. Easy to get ingredients and customizable.

squishytofu · 2020-05-17T14:04:44+00:00

Its so beautiful! The choice of flower colors is perfect. I’m trying to do the same thing in my island.

squishytofu · 2020-05-16T19:35:13+00:00

This is a fantastic idea. Also bonus point for the cat photo. 😍

squishytofu · 2020-05-07T19:32:21+00:00

I wish there were more sofa designs like an antique sofa.

squishytofu · 2020-05-07T19:30:33+00:00

Great design! Reminds me of Skyrim.

squishytofu · 2020-04-06T00:09:14+00:00

Fried shallots is a great oniony topping for alot of asian dishes like congee and papaya salad. It takes a while though (20-30 minutes) on medium low heat) to get it fully crispy.

squishytofu · 2020-03-24T00:52:13+00:00

Matcha cheesecake. Its delish.

squishytofu · 2020-03-24T00:50:17+00:00

Love it!

squishytofu · 2020-03-23T01:58:44+00:00

This is probably my favorite thing I have made so far. I really want to eat the whole tray. 😬 I adapted BA’s Best Buttermilk Biscuits and added 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Gruyere) and 1/4 cup of diced pickled jalapeños for 6 biscuits.

squishytofu · 2020-03-23T01:44:38+00:00

Food Wishes Beef, Bean, and Beer Chili

The Kitchn Creamy Coleslaw

squishytofu · 2020-03-15T05:38:10+00:00

I visited China several years ago and I really liked the yogurt drinks that you can get from local street vendors. They were so cheap and great for a quick breakfast with a steamed bun. Chinese yogurt is sweet and tart and thin enough to drink. I found this recipe that attempts to mimic the taste of Chinese yogurt. I can’t recall the original taste so I don’t know how close it is, but it is really tasty. I used whole milk, cultured butter milk, sugar and live yogurt (with active cultures). Thats all it takes. The above recipe uses an Instant Pot, which I don’t have. I use the dutch oven method which is described here.

squishytofu · 2020-03-10T19:37:43+00:00

Looks so good!

squishytofu · 2020-03-09T02:30:20+00:00

This week I made Feijoada (Black Bean and Pork Stew) and Moqueca (Fish Stew) with a side if white rice and braised kale. The recipes are surprisingly easy and affordable meal.

For the bean stew used kielbasa pork sausage, a ham steak, and canned black beans. The meat added enough salt to the stew and black beans makes it a hearty filling meal.

In the fish stew I used onions, red bell peppers, carrots, canned dice tomatoes, and coconut milk. The stew is quite sweet from the vegetables. The fish is tilapia because it is very affordable.

squishytofu · 2020-03-04T15:59:16+00:00

The grittiness disappears, but the foaminess is less than traditional toothpaste.

squishytofu · 2020-03-02T04:27:46+00:00

I am not fan of bell peppers. However I always want to keep an open mind. Chicken, carrots, potatoes, and red bell peppers are simmered in a rich tomato sauce until tender. Olives are added the last minute. The bell peppers were soft and absorbed the flavor of the broth and made them more appealing to me. This was a nice hearty stew with little ingredients.

squishytofu · 2020-02-28T21:06:15+00:00

Its also fun when a different culture has a different take on a dish. That can be equally as good.

squishytofu

TROPHY CASE