Saturday, February 8, 2014

Tales of Hansik by Arirang

For anyone who has wanted to learn more about Korean food Arirang television has produced a series called Tales of Hansik that shows some of the major types of Korean food.

The first episode begins with 밥 (bap) rice. Rice is a basic of every Korean meal. Besides plain, regular old white rice I also enjoy 닭죽, chicken and rice porridge, and 비빔밥, rice mixed with various types of 나물 with 고추장 (a spicy chilli paste.)


Episode 2 tells about 떡 (ddeok) rice cake. Favorites for me are: 떡볶이, rice cakes in spicy sauce (some times with onions, fish cakes (오뎅), and some times ramyeon noodles; and 떡국, rice cake soup, a traditional soup eaten on Lunar New Year's Day.


Episode 3 has 국수 (guk su) noodles. I like: 비빔국수, noodles mixed with spicy 고추장 and vinegar sauce with a few slices of cucumber; and 물냉면, buckwheat or arrowroot noodles with refreshing cold and tangy broth.


Episode 4 features 전 (jeon) Korean style pancakes. There are so many types that it is hard to choose just two. I would have to say my most favorite is 파전, incredibly easy too make, you just need flour, water and green onions. My second favorite is 해물전, seafood jeon, another incredibly easy to make pancake, but very delicious.


Episode 5 has 죽 (juk) porridge. I think the most famous kind of juk is 전복죽, abalone porridge, often given to sick people. Another one is 호박죽, pumpkin porridge and is nice and creamy.


Next up for episode 6 is 육류 (yugru) meat! There really are so many delicious types of meat, I think the most famous ones are 갈비/LA 갈비, 불고기, and 삼겹살. I often enjoy: 육회, which you can think of as Korean steak tartare; and 짜장면, which is a Korean-Chinese fusion dish with black bean sauce, noodles, pork, zucchini and onions.


Episode 7 is about 생선 (sang sun) fish (dead fish actually since 물고기 means live fish.) I like 고등어구이, grilled mackerel, and 회덥밥, rice with salad greens, raw fish and a spicy sauce made with 고추장.


Episode 8 국 (guk) most easily explained as soup. Favorites of mine include: 배추 된장국, a nice and easy napa cabbage and soybean paste soup often had with rice for breakfast; I also love 미역국, seaweed soup, I make a large batch of this and freeze it, this is the soup that Koreans have on their birthdays and mothers will eat a lot of this soup after giving birth.


Episode 9 brings us 나물 (namul) I think this is best explained as seasoned vegetable side dishes. Favorites of mine include: 오이 초절임, a cold, sweet and tangy cucumber dish; 시금치나물, blanched spinach mixed with green onions, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.


Episode 10 is about 찌게 (jigae) stew. I love 김치찌개, kimchi stew, and 된장찌개, soybean paste stew.


Episode 11 you can't have a story about Korean food without having 김치 (kimchi.) Some of my favorite recipes with 김치, and there are hundreds of types of 김치, are 김치볶음밥, kimchi fried rice, and 부추 김치, garlic chive kimchi.


Episode 12 is all about 두부 (Dubu) bean curd. Some of my favorite dishes with dubu are: 두부부침양념장, a pan fried dubu with a spicy sauce, it is nice and lovely straight from the frying pan and 순두부찌개, a silken dubu stew, which is just great and really a comfort food for myself.


Episdoe 13 is about 반찬 (Banchan) side dishes. Episode 9 was about 나물, which is a type of 반찬. My favorite types of 반찬 are: 멸치볶음, pan fried mini anchovies; and 가지나물 eggplant namul, which is chewy with the eggplant skin but also melts in your mouth.


I hope you enjoy the videos, but remember the videos don't even begin to scratch the surface of Korean food.


Swagbucks it is how I make money for amazon gift cards!
So far I've made $10 in amazon gift cards with Swagbucks and it is only the 8th of February.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

5 February wants

1.
It is still really cold here, so I don't know where or when I'd ever wear these, but I adore the print.

2.
This would go really well with the new wool coat I got.

3.
I would need these too for the coat.

4.
Yep, something else to match with the new coat.

5.
These would be great for Jasmine. I think she would love the Electric Violet color, now if I only had a spare £66 laying around.


Currently watching: 별에서 온 그대 (My love from the star)

Currently reading:

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies Book 1) by Pittacus Lore


Swagbucks it is how I make money for amazon gift cards!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Books I read in January


The Honour of the Knights (Second Edition) (Battle for the Solar System, 1) by Stephen J. Sweeny
I would describe this as kind of like David Weber'sOn Basilisk Station Honor Harrington series. (On Basilik Station is free by the way.) Only Honour of the Knights has less politics and history going on, at least in the first book.


City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
I continued with rereading this series. I had forgotten a lot of the details of the story, but I did remember the basic plot.


Wicked Appetite (Lizzy and Diesel) by Janet Evanovich
Since I still haven't been able to find Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, No. 2) at the library, or at the local bookstore, I may have to wait to finish that book series until I can buy it on kindle, or go to a different library. The library did have the first two books in this series, so I thought I would try it. It is a bit jumpy in spots and none of characters are ever amazed at the magic that happens. I think that even people who lived in Salem, Mass. would be surprised that magic actually existed.


City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
The library doesn't have the fifth book, so this is the end of rereading this series for me. It has been fun to reread, but on to other stories.


Wicked Business (Lizzy & Diesel Book 2) by Janet Evanovich
So... I just finished the second book in this series and I don't know... I won't be buying the books, but if they were at the library I might check them out. It is just... this series has some problematic words and phrases. They biggest one I remember is "slut makeup." The main character, Lizzy, is describing what she is putting on for a night out with her friends, and she says that she puts on "slut makeup." Why couldn't she just say that she was putting on makeup, why does it have to be "slut makeup?" What is "slut makeup?" There were other things too, not so many in the first book, but this second book had me a bit disappointed.


Chocolate Box Girls: Cherry Crush by Cathy Cassidy
I got this book from the library, I thought it might be something that Jasmine would enjoy having read to her. But it is a pre-teen/young adult book. Originally I was delighted when I found out that the main character, Cherry, is biracial, half Japanese and half white, because maybe Jasmine would enjoy the book when she was older. Unfortunately there is some cultral appropriation that happens fairly early in the book when the soon to be step-mom, Charlotte, places chopsticks in her hair, because she doesn't know how to use them. Asians don't put chopsticks in their hair, there are hair pins that might look similar, but they aren't the same thing. There really was no point for this character to be part Japanese, besides for othering and exotification purposes. Too bad, could have been a good story. Overall disappointed.


Curtsies & Conspiracies (Finishing School Series Book 2) by Gail Carriger
From the authoress of the The Parasol Protectorate series, here is Curtsies & Conspiracies the second book in the Finishing School series. I really enjoyed this book, as I have of the other books by Ms. Carriger that I have read, there are a few short stories by her that I have not read yet.


City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare
Oh, managed to snag this from the library. I thought that I had read this book before, but if I have I have forgotten a lot of it. I guess it is just as well that I am rereading it, the last book in the series comes out in May.


Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon
I got this book from the library, but I was turned off in the first chapter when Lenia, the mermaid, not only describes her naked breasts, but also her nipples. I got about half way through the book, but I gave it up.


I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies Book 1) by Pittacus Lore
I watched the movie, which was honestly quite horrible, I figured I'd give the book a try.

Books read to date:.... 9 1/2

Currently watching: 별에서 온 그대 (My love from the star)

Currently reading:

I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies Book 1) by Pittacus Lore


Swagbucks it is how I make money for amazon gift cards!
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