Ssamjang

 

Instead of going out for Korean BBQ (which is not do-able right now anyways, because COVID), consider making your own Korean BBQ at home! There's definitely convenience to going out because of all the banchan (the side dishes, my favorite part) ... but at home it's a fraction of the price.

All you need is steamed rice, romaine lettuce or red leaf lettuce, sliced green onions and some roasted sesame oil with sea salt mixed in. Your choice of meat - in the refrigerated section of Asian markets, you'll find a lot of sliced meats, mainly for shabu. Look for thicker sliced pieces meant for grilling, about 1/8" thick. The above photo is pork jowl (my favorite cut) but you can also use short rib, which is common at KBBQ. If you go to a Korean market, you'll also find marinated meats and bulgogi, which also work with the above.

As for banchan, you'll also find them readily available at Korean markets. I made the steamed egg custard above when I made the rice, but you can buy a ton of items pre-made. And of course kimchi (we were out and M didn't like the brands at the market we went to).

And you'll want ssamjang - this is totally optional but it ties everything together.

Eat in any combination you like but I like bites with a bit of everything on it - lettuce topped with rice, ssamjang, green onion, meat and maybe a bit of banchan. It's totally up to you!

Ssamjang

Approx 1 cup

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/3 cup dwengjang (Korean soybean paste - NOT miso)

3.5 Tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

2.25 Tbsp mirin

2.5 tsp roasted sesame oil

2 Tbsp white sesame seeds

Mix everything together thoroughly. Use to taste, it's salty and full of flavor!

Portuguese Kale Potato Soup

I haven't been here forever!! But I just made my own spin on the traditional Portuguese soup (caldo verde) and it's too good not to post. What makes it awesome are these tiny Korean Berkshire sausages. There are a few brands out there and I cannot seem to find a picture of the one that is my favorite, but it basically looks like this:

The sausage I prefer has a happier cartoon sausage on it but they're about the size of Vienna sausages. I like them because the skins/casings are really crisp and have a great snap when you bite into them. Sometimes it's easy to also just pan fry up half a package. No oil needed, just a hot pan over medium high heat - shake the pan until the sausages brown.

Portuguese Kale Soup
Serves 4 as main course

2 Tbps butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bunch kale, curly or lacinato, shredded
2 large russet potatoes, quartered lengthwise and 1/4" sliced
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 package Korean Berkshire pork sausage, cut into 1/4" coins

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, with a large pinch of salt, stirring occasionally.

Once the onion is translucent and sweated out, add kale, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring a few times. As the potatoes cook down, they'll break up and make the soup creamy.

Add sausage and heat through (should only take a couple minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Substitutes:
* vegetable broth and omit sausage to make this vegetarian
* use any sort of garlic-y sausage, diced into 1/4" cubes