Posts Tagged ‘banchan’

  1. Date with Mom

    December 5, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    I finally felt like a human being today and so today, we reserved the entire day for us.

    We spent the morning making banchan (side dishes that are perfect for Bibimbap), chopping veggies and making stocks…we shredded down 10 lbs of ox tail for a delicious upcoming soup.

    We had Indian for lunch (I know, again).  Mama’s rockin’ the houndstooth!

    Dessert…pumpkin and gingerbread fro-yo (because I just didn’t have enough ice cream before, lol).

    A large chain ousted a small mom/pop shop and everything was marked half off.  L-R: sweet rice flour, barley tea, dried anchovies, dried bellflower, laver snacks, soy sauce, baby brine shrimp, sesame oil, and green/brown rice tea.  {Please support your local businesses if you don’t already}

    More goodies, because you can’t ever have too many goodies!  A variety of festive cookies…peppermint/chocolate waffle, chocolate sprinkle, and soft iced gingerbread cookies.

    After we left Trader Joe’s, someone had left this on the roof of my car.  True story.

    After almost the entire day was over, me and mom realized that we were both wearing very similar foot wear–haha.

    After giving mom a mani-pedi.  This woman likes to stomp around and touch everything while they’re wet, lol.

    Dinner…spicy squid soup, mackerel, rice and kimchi.

    and now, here I am cuddled up with these warm and spiced nuts, talking to you guys.

    5.0 from 3 reviews

    Union Square Bar Nuts
     
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    Ingredients
    • 18 oz Nut Assortment
    • 2 tb *fresh* chopped Rosemary
    • ½ ts Cayenne Pepper
    • 2 ts packed Brown Sugar
    • 2 ts Sea Salt
    • 2 tb melted unsalted Butter

    Instructions
    1. Scatter your nuts on a dry baking sheet and toast at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.
    2. Combine the rest of your ingredients in a bowl and toss in your nuts.
    3. Serve warm.

    I guess you could say I found something to do with all those pecans.

    (never you mind that it’s 3 am) :/

    Love and warm nuts no-no, that doesn’t sound right…

    Love and food dates,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.~

    Categories: Appetizers Appetizers Holidays Holidays Life | 36 Comments

  2. Weird, but Delicious

    May 7, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    I brought this over to my friends house.  They wanted nothing to do with it.  I share this recipe with you in hopes that some of y’all will have an adventurous enough spirit to give this a go, at least once…and to be quite honest, I’ve fooled my friends into trying it (unbeknownst to them) before so muhahahah to you! When you dine at any Korean Restaurant, it’s typical for a nice spread of various “Banchan” (side dishes) to be brought out to accompany your meal.  Everything is served in a manner that quite honestly, can’t be separated from one “Muchim” (mixed Banchan) to another.  When lured in by the sight of fatty meats grilling table side, pleasantly sputtering in its own juices, and you and your friends are high on the anticipation of comedically large, steaming bowls of this spicy Soup or that savory Noodle dish, being brought out for the sole purpose of pleasuring you, it’s easy to persuade them to try everything spread at the table before them.  Hence, the trickery!  I distinctly remember them both eating this and liking it so it’s just a situation of mind over matter.

    After spending a weekend with the queen of finicky eaters, I am so not beyond concealing one thing into another just to get someone to eat something.  (I shaved an apple into Princesses Strawberry Milkshake with heaping spoons of ground Flax Seed and she was none the wiser).  I encourage you to set this out with your Kimchi and see how quickly it disappears!

    Korean Food Sea Snail (Whelk) Salad

    Sea Snail (Whelk) Salad
     
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    Ingredients
    • 1 can of Bai Top (Sea Snails), rinsed, drained, cut into pieces
    • 4 Garlic cloves, finely minced
    • 2 ts Rice Vinegar
    • 1 tb Sesame Oil
    • 2 ts Fish Sauce
    • 1 tb Sugar
    • 2 tb Red Pepper Flakes
    • 3 tb Red Pepper Paste
    • 1 tb Sesame Seeds
    • ½ English Cucumber
    • ¼ c shredded Carrots
    • ¼ c cut Cabbage
    • 2 Green Onions

    Instructions
    1. In a small bowl, sprinkle your Cucumber slices with 1 tb of Salt (to draw out the moisture). Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes, drain and squeeze the excess moisture out.
    2. In a separate large bowl, mix your “sauce” together which is everything but your Veggies and Meat.
    3. Toss in your Veggies and Snails.
    4. Take your gloved hands and massage/press everything together. It will produce a vibrant ruby Salad.
    5. Store in the fridge.

     

    Categories: Korean Food Korean Food Seafood Seafood Spicy Spicy Videos | 15 Comments

  3. Big Fish, Little Fish…

    February 13, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Teeny Fish too!

    I know, I know–I’m pretty cool, LOL.

    When I was little, there were just a few handful of things that were on rotation on the menu.  Spam, Rice, Soup, Kimchi, Seaweed Wraps, and these Anchovies.  I remember Mom taking a scoop of hot rice with a few drops of Soy Sauce and mixing it with generous smudges of butter.  We’d eat it with this ‘Banchan’ (side dish).  Stir Fried Anchovies were a common staple in our household.  Crunchy, nutty, easy to prepare, and lasting just about forever, we almost always had this on our table.

    My hope is that you’ll at least try this once in your life.  Anchovies are the unsung heroes, the underdog, never able to claim shotgun and instead, shoved in the back seat.  However, they’re taken advantage of for so many dishes.  Just ask any Italian.  For Korean Cuisine, Anchovies are used for making broths, eaten as a Banchan, Dukbokee (my next video for spicy Rice Cakes), or in my Pops case, eaten straight up dipped into Gochujang aka Hot Pepper Paste-he’ll often eat this with wedges of raw Onion, lol.

    I would highly recommend obtaining teeny, tiny Anchovies as I really like their nuttier flavor.  I would reserve larger ones for stocks.

    Korean Food Stir Fried Anchovies Banchan

    Anchovies Korean Stir Fried Banchan
     
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    Ingredients
    • 1½ c dried baby Anchovies
    • 1 tb Sesame Oil
    • 2 tb Honey
    • 1 tb Sugar
    • 1 tb Sesame Seed

    Instructions
    1. Toast your Anchovies until they’ve attained a golden color (this will enhance its nuttiness)
    2. In a bowl, stir together the rest of your ingredients.
    3. When your Anchovies are “tan” enough, tip in your Sauce and stir until it begins to caramelize slightly and thicken.

    Hoping you’ll give new things a try …

    Love,
    Your Squishy Monster

    Categories: Korean Food Korean Food Seafood Seafood Videos | 2 Comments

  4. Random Illustrations of My Day

    January 26, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    This is what yesterday looked like for me (in pictures)

    I just thought this was so cute.
    Random Fact: I hate the circus.

    I drove by this thing and had to stop.  The conversation with myself went something like this…”self, pull over now–how often do you see a gigantic cow on the side of a high way?!”  lol.

    Then, driving back home from the Grocery Store, 10–I exaggerate not–10 Deer decided to cross the path in front of me.  I was only able to snap this shot because honestly, I was stunned by the sheer number of Deer crossing.  1 or 2 I’m accustomed to but 10 altogether?  Nope.

    My pickins’ from the Grocery Store.  I intend on making Kale Chips, a Chocolate Cake, Curry, Shrimp & Grits, lots of Sandwiches with Avocado, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and maybe even a Pecan Pie =D

    What I had for dinner: Dad flipped paper thin slices of Ribeye.  In my household, we like to eat this with a nice dunking in a Sesame/Sea Salt mixture.  Soooo simple and yummy!!

    Our Banchan (Side Dishes):

    Kkaktugi, Sauteed Bean Sprouts, Kimchi, “Cucumber Kimchi,” Pickled Radish–and Rice rounded out the meal.

    Hope everyone had a fantastic day too!!

    Gigantic Cows & Balancing Elephants
    Love,
    Your Squishy Monster

    Categories: Life | No Comments

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    Welcome to The Squishy Monster!

    Here, I'll share the stories of my on going love affair with food as well as step-by-step tutorials/cooking videos featuring original recipes. I'm a firm believer that despite our differences, our one commonality as humans? Food.
    I'm 100% Southern & 100% Korean. My name is Angela and my friends call me The Squishy Monster.

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