Posts Tagged ‘Daddy’

  1. An Early Father’s Day

    June 14, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    As most (not all) distinguished gentlemen of a certain age, Daddy likes what he likes.  He bites into raw Onions like Apples and grins as he dips his extra large dried Anchovies into Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Paste).  His favorite foods include Maeuntang, Oreos, Fig Newtons, anything with Fish, and this Sujebi.  I used to sit and watch him tear dough to float into simmering broth to make these dumplings and never understood what the appeal of that was.  Mama told us that it was a meal that Daddy used to have a lot with his family because they were so poor.  Flour was inexpensive, water was free, and all sorts of scraps could be tossed in.  I think that last point is where Daddy gets his habit of pairing things that just do not go together from but, I love Daddy with all my heart and since it’s Father’s Day on Sunday and I won’t be here, I wanted to make this just for him. Happy Father’s Day Daddy.  I love you with my entire heart (craziness and all)!

    So, if you’ve got some random bits lying around and some Flour, why not give this a try?

    Sujebi, Korean Dumpling Soup 수제비
     
    Prep time

    Cook time

    Total time

     

    Author:

    Ingredients
    Dumplings
    • 2 c Flour
    • 1 ts Sugar
    • ½ ts Salt
    • 1 tb Oil
    • ½ c Water
    Stock
    • 8 c Water
    • ¼ c Dried Anchovies
    • 2 pieces of Kelp
    • 2 tb Fish Sauce
    Veggies
    • 5-6 cloves of Garlic
    • 1 Medium Onion
    • ½ c Carrots
    • ½ c Potatoes
    • ½ c Zucchini
    Optional:
    • Chopped Kimchi
    • Shrimp
    • Mussels
    • Eggs

    Instructions
    1. Begin by heating up your water with your Anchovies and Kelp.
    2. Simultaneously, work on your dough. Sift together all your dry dumpling ingredients and slowly add in your oil and water. Mix to combine and finish off by kneading with your hands. You want to produce a smooth dough ball. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
    3. When your water has boiled for about 20 minutes, extract the Fish and Kelp.
    4. Add your Veggies and Fish Sauce to the pot, keep in mind your Potatoes will take the longest and the starch will help thicken the soup.
    5. After your dough has chilled, smooth it out with both thumbs and begin breaking off bite size pieces. They are done when they begin to float to the surface (but double check by testing one).
    6. Salt and Pepper to taste and serve with Kimchi.

    I will be back from Florida on Sunday.

    Love & Dumplings,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.^


  2. The Most Whimsical Chef I know…

    March 4, 2012 by The Squishy Monster

    Pops takes the cake, hands down.  (Though he may ask for some Kimchi with that Cake).

    Exhibit A). Tonight after work, he attempted to cajole me into trying some of his “special soup.”  Preying upon my weakened state of hunger, (I hadn’t eaten since breakfast which always puts me in “delirium-mode”)  he presented me with a bowl of brown tinged stew with steady promises of its pure deliciousness.  I was quite doubtful as the aroma alone seemed bold enough to foreshadow what would be to come.  Pops is a man of many talents.  He writes beautiful poetry that seem to set illustrations to his imagination, full of so much emotion, it literally can bring me to tears.  He’s the man with the plan that built so much of our furniture, he’s a dog whisperer (the original, pre-cesar), and I’ve yet to encounter anyone in my life who is as creative and take charge as this man I call Dad.  The title “Chef” unfortunately, is not one of them.   His creativity however takes the turn for the worse when it comes to marrying different ingredients to produce one dish. Let’s elaborate on Exhibit A some more.  Aforementioned stew seemed to comprise of Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce, maybe both, Onions, Potatoes, Sesame Seeds, some type of Oil, Pepper Flakes, Pollack, left over ground Turkey, sliced nuggets of Pork, Kimchi, and Watercress (but you can never be entirely sure unless you were there to witness it yourself as Dad can’t remember what’s tossed, sprinkled, and sometimes slam dunked in, LOL).  I’m sure there were also a million other things that were in the mix as well.  I can clearly visualize Dad cooking even now in my head.  With ninja speed, Dad will haphazardly chop and toss (so is his classic style), if he remembers to, he will stop to taste but mostly, this part is overlooked.  It’s almost like watching a magic trick unfold.  He has such a quick, yet intense way about his cooking that it’s almost mesmerizing to watch bc it’s all done in such a rash manner but almost deliberately delivered.  There’s a certain charm about dipping your spoon into a dish he’s prepared, never knowing what you’ll come up with.  Sometimes, sometimes not, there will be a teeny tiny veggie wedged in there + a gigantic one of Green Giant proportions.  The charm of it alone is enough to convince a person to take a hearty bite and reward him with a winning smile and satisfying “Mmmm!”  Pops may not be the best cook but at least he’s an eccentric character that can always satisfy with humor and comedy =D

    Kimchi Cake & Crazy Mixed Stews,

    Love,

    Your Squishy Monster ^.^


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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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