Kimchi Fried Rice: I Dare You Not to Crave This

I am lucky enough to work alongside a large host of food lovers. As such, I get to hear about a variety of favorite dishes to cook and eat. Lately, after a heated debate about Korean cold noodles (...pun somewhat intended), I found myself overcome by an insatiable craving for kimchi.

Insatiable, that is, until my Korean friends tipped me off to their favorite take on the vegetable, kimchi fried rice.

Oh yeah. This is good looking kimchi.

Kimchi, for those not yet enraptured, is a spicy, pungent, fermented vegetable side popular in Korean cooking. It is most commonly available using Napa Cabbage, although the fermenting technique can also be applied to radishes, cucumbers and so on. It is served alongside Korean barbecue, in the form of stews and soups, and even in pancakes. It has a taste uniquely its own and dangerously addicting.

So, pairing this hearty, spicy ingredient with the already-indulgent notion of fried rice is pretty much a recipe for a late night craving. Plus, being solely familiar with the Chinese variety, I was more than happen to have my mind opened by this new variety.

The gals at work spoke of how, while each cook tends to have their own special take on the kimchi fried rice preparation, it typically includes leftover white rice, scallions, bacon/pork belly/SPAM (yes, SPAM!) and, of course, kimchi, sautéed in sesame oil and seasoned with Korean seasonings and soy sauce. It is often topped with a fried egg (as if it couldn't get more tantalizing).

From an entertaining angle, this is an amazing dish to have in one's arsenal lest you have last minute weeknight dinners. This is also a handy recipe to double if you are serving a big group, as the ingredients are very cost-effective. It looks lovely in a big serving dish, and you can lay out additional condiments (sriracha, sambal, additional green onions, etc.) in small, passable bowls for a more interactive component.

So, how do we make this?

Start with finely diced sweet onion, garlic and green onion.

...and some chopped kimchi. Try not to eat all of it before the cooking begins.

Cook five slices of chopped bacon in a pan...

...until nice and crispy. Remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel.

Drain some of the fat, add a touch of sesame oil and cook the onions and garlic in the fat until translucent.

Add kimchi and bacon back to the pan, and cook for several minutes.

Add your sauce ingredients of choice - in this case, I used a smokey-colored Korean red pepper powder, soy sauce, black pepper and a pinch of sugar.

Add rice and green onions and cook for several minutes. This can easily be eaten at this stage...

...UNLESS you want to top with a fried egg. Mmm, you should do this.

Serve rice into bowls, top with an egg and sriracha (if so desired). Enjoy!

Does your kimchi fried rice recipe differ? Comment below!

Kimchi Fried Rice

Adapted from Food Wanderings in Asia

Serves 4 (or 3 very hungry people)

For the sauce:

1 tbsp Korean red pepper powder (Note: The original recipe calls for red pepper paste, but I had this on-hand)
1 tbsp soy sauce
Pinch of sugar
Black pepper, to taste


For the rice:

5 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Kimchi, chopped
3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
2 cup cooked rice


Toppings:

2 eggs
1 tbsp butter, for frying egg
Sriracha

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside to let the flavors merge.

Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, and cook, stirring, until crisp. This will take several minutes. Once crispy, remove and set aside. Drain half of the bacon fat, and add the sesame oil.

Add the sweet onion and garlic to the pan and cook several minutes, until translucent. Stir occasionally so the garlic doesn't burn.

Add bacon back to the pan, plus the kimchi. Sauté for several minutes, stirring, until everything is heated through. Add green onions, rice, and sauce. Stir well, until there are no lumps. Once everything is well-combined, cook for several more minutes to let everything fuse.

Serve in a bowl topped with a fried egg and sriracha (if desired).

The Dudes' Ceviche - A Perfect Summer Treat

Once upon a time, I was very intimidated by ceviche. For those unfamiliar, ceviche is a dish comprised of small pieces of raw fish, 'cooked' in citrus juices and seasoned with peppers, cilantro, or a plethora of other options.

The 'cooking' in citrus juice factor is what daunted me the most. Sure, science and every other place that serves ceviche says that it is cooked, but what if I poison my friends by accidentally serving raw fish that isn't sushi-grade? Well, that was until I went to Mexico on my honeymoon and was positively spoiled by the delicious ceviche made available. Upon arriving home, I wanted more. ASAP.

Fortunately, Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook (prolific restaurateurs in Los Angeles) have the best cookbook on our shelves (heck, probably anyone's shelves) that includes a delicious recipe. This book is Two Dudes, One Pan: Maximum Flavor from a Minimalist Kitchen, and you should open a new tab and buy it immediately. Really. I'll wait.

OK, welcome back! You won't regret it. Back to my initial ceviche-at-home aversion. In essence, I just make sure to get good quality fish from the fancy grocery store (Bristol Farms, in our case) for my peace of mind. Don't get the manager's special 'probably still good' fish for this one.

Prepped and ready to set in the fridge.

This dish also feels very decadent, while really being extremely simple. The hardest part is making sure to plan an hour to several hours ahead, so the fish has time to marinate. In the times I have made this, we have typically had leftovers. The next day was often even better than the first. Sure, I wouldn't push it any more than 24 hours for aforementioned paranoid reasons, but, until then, you can get your hands on some damn fine ceviche.

Served with tortilla chips, this also makes an excellent appetizer for a party. It is fresh-tasting, bright with the citrus and peppers and stretches amongst a large group of people as folks are far less likely to destroy a dish of fish than, let's say, shoveling in hummus.

Ready to serve!

Peruvian-Style Citrus Ceviche

from Two Dudes, One Pan: Maximum Flavor from a Minimalist Kitchen by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo

Serves 4 to 6

Substitutions and Adjustments: This recipe calls for fluke, group, or halibut but, considering our fancy grocery store didn't have fluke or group and halibut was $33 a pound (a little rich for my blood), the fishmonger suggested tilapia. This came in at about $13 a pound, and turned out great. This can also stretch to feed about 8, if served as an appetizer. Finally, I substituted tortilla chips for popcorn or corn nuts.

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (from about 1/2 orange)
1 jalapeño or serrano chile (seeded and deveined for less heat), finely diced
1 tablespoon finely diced red bell papper
1 tablespoon finely diced yellow bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 8-ounce skinless fluke, grouper, or halibut fillets, cut into 3/4-inch cubes [NH: I used tilapia]
Popcorn or corn nuts for serving (optional) [NH: I served with tortilla chips]

Whisk the lemon, lime, and orange juices together in a large bowl.  Add the jalapeño, bell peppers, cilantro, sugar, and salt and whisk to combine.  Add the fish and toss gently with your hands.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours. Serve in bowls with popcorn or corn nuts on the side.

A Quick-and-Easy Italian Quesa-pizza

Adding arugula on top essentially makes it a salad.

Open-faced quesadilla?
Tortilla pizza?

Let's just go with "Quesa-pizza."

I had a friend swing by randomly the other day, and I had nothing to eat. Well, nothing that wasn't part of my Freezer Binge Cooking Day.

So, if you are looking for a quick-and-easy snack for your impromptu guests that isn't tortilla chips and old salsa, I recommend this quick fix. It has the casual, cheese-laden hint of college "cooking" that pairs nicely with daytime beer.

Plus, isn't anything made better when you sassily turn it into a pizza? In the past we've put palak paneer on a pizza and broiled it so it got nice and melty (palak paneerza, anyone?). We also cooked up some Trader Joe's marinated Bool Kogi and put that on a pizza along with mozzarella and kimchi. Fusion is so hip right now.

This time, as I had some leftover "Italian" ingredients, I went for favorite pizza toppings on my lazy woman's pizza crust (:cough: tortilla).

Italian Quesa-pizza

Serves 2, 1 tortilla per serving

2 tortillas
2 fistfuls shredded cheese (whatever is on-hand - I used shredded Italian blend)
2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced thinly
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
Butter
2 cups arugula
Lemon juice, to taste
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

Start by laying out your tortillas on your work surface and sprinkling each with almost half of the cheese. Set a little cheese aside for later, about a couple tablespoons. Spread half of the mushrooms, then sprinkle half of the sun-dired tomatoes across each. Sprinkle the small amount of cheese you set aside on top. No practical purpose for this, just that cheese on top looks more alluring.

Heat a griddle up over medium-high heat and rub a small pad of butter over it. Put the pre-assembled tortillas on the griddle until the cheese on the tortilla starts to melt. If you are overly hungry, as in my case, cover with a pot lid for a melting catalyst. This also works if you don't have a griddle, just heat up two skillets.

Once the cheese melts, place on the plate you are going to serve on. Cut into desired segments. Use your high school geometry here, as I am pretty sure this is the only context in which I have. Place a heaping cup of arugula in the middle and add lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper on top of the arugula to taste.

Viola! What is your favorite quick-fix snack?

Freezer Binge Cooking - Day 2 (and 3 and 4)

The cooking day hath been completed, and several tasty meals have been born! Specifically, 45 individual servings of easy weeknight goodness.

For those of you who missed my first post (and its nerd-tastic planning), you can check it out here. This post is going to more 'memoir' than didactic, and I recommend checking out the recipes themselves for more of a detailed breakdown. It also may have morphed into three extra days of cooking, not because of difficulty but primarily because I am easily distracted.

One detail I was arguably way TOO excited about was the fact that I was able to procure some restaurant-style takeout containers in which to store two portions each. These babies are courtesy of Amazon, which was very handy for stacking (read: stuffing) our new food in our already-packed freezer. Hey man, four half-used bags of frozen peas take up space!

Ooooh, sexy containers. You headin' my way?

But what went in those containers, you ask? Oh I will tell you.

The very first step on the cooking day was actually remembering to take out the spinach for the lasagna I was going to make that afternoon, which has to be fully thawed. Thank you, planning notebook!

When it came time to begin the real cooking, the chili was first up. This is Pioneer Woman's "Simple Hearty White Chili," which cooks on the stove for several hours. I prepped the necessary produce for the recipe, and let it cook on the stove so I could move on to prepping the rest of the produce needed for the day.

On to Martha Stewart's Primavera Lasagna. Oh this lasagna is good. I started by making the creamy sauce (made with whole milk instead of cream so, you know, zero calories), then added the vegetables and let it all cook together while prepping the other lasagna components. Mainly cheese. If making at home, be sure to prep an extra cup of grated cheese or so for snacking, otherwise the lasagna won't turn out right.

Once prepped, the lasagna is layered and put in the oven. Here is the final product, pre-freezer:

Lasagna Primavera and White Chili. So so good...

Lasgana money shot.

Having pre-shredded all of the produce for Smitten Kitchen's Stuffed Cabbage, I cooked up the parsnip, carrot and celery and set aside to cool.

...then I realized I was running super late for my friend's amazing Crawfish Boil and decided to make the rest of the stuffed cabbage the next morning. Which, thankfully, worked out very well! This is a great place to stop if you have to dash out.

The next morning, full of crawfish, I picked back up and finished the filling, prepped the cabbage leaves, and assembled the rolls, letting them stew in tomato sauce.

Tomato-y goodness.

Turns out, doubling the recipe makes a LOT of stuffed cabbage, which I conveniently forgot from the last time I made this recipe. I'm talking 16 servings.

Ready to freeze.

As the cabbage cooled, it took no time to throw together the Black Eyed Peas in a Spicy Goan Curry. I immediately spooned small servings into freezer bags and stacked them so they could be frozen as sleek, thin rectangles.

Yes. I made a bit of a mess  by the time it was all done.

Cleaning service, anyone?

The one straggler that made its way to Monday was the Curry Chickpeas with Dill, out of sheer laziness. However, making a double batch on Monday yielded two dinner servings and three hearty lunch servings, so it was all worth it. It really does make an excellent lunch. No photos. Too hungry.

So.... there it is! A fantastic binge freezer cooking weekend (+Monday). All things considered, it really didn't take me long at all for the amount of meals that we have. It is also much cheaper to buy everything at once and prep in bulk. Highly recommended! We are reaping the bounty tonight and having a much more leisurely evening, no cooking required.

What are your favorite freezable recipes?

Freezer Binge Cooking - Day 1

Last night, Ryan and I had an amazing night of Game of Thrones, cleaning, and going to bed early (our favorite kind of crazy night). The trick? Having. Dinner. READY.

Some time back, Ryan was out of town and I spent a full day making a bunch of big batch meals to freeze - it was a glorious day of watching all of Season 2 of Luther on my iPad, hanging with the dog and feeling monstrously productive.

As the days are getting longer and I would much rather spend my evenings relaxing and not prepping meals, I have decided to do a Freezer Binge Cooking Day this weekend. Because I was hungry when I picked the recipes am feeling ambitious, I am going to try my hand at no less than FIVE freezable meals. They are as follows, with links:

Courtesy marthastewart.com

Primavera Lasagna

from Martha Stewart

This one is the most complex of the bunch, but is great when you have a full day to commit to cooking. As lasagnas go, this one is one of the healthier recipes you can find.

Curry Chickpeas with Dill 

from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices by Ruta Kahate

Handy Online Version

This dish is an absolutely delicious, simple dinner. It is very easy-to-follow for Indian novices as well, which was important to me as I am only now teaching myself Indian cuisine at home.

Black Eyed Peas in a Goan Curry

Also from 5 Spices, 50 Dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices by Ruta Kahate
Handy Online Version

This was one of the other early dishes I made from this cookbook. In the description, this is called out as a common breakfast dish. If you like spicy food, as I do, it is nice to mix up the same 'ol breakfasts with something with more character.

Courtesy smittenkitchen.com

Beef-Stuffed Cabbage

from Smitten Kitchen

The ultimate comfort food? Definitely in the running. I will cook these as the recipe recommends, then heat up the thawed versions in some marinara sauce on low temperature, covered.

White Chicken Chili

from Pioneer Woman

Another phenomenal use for a Costco chicken, and this recipe serves about 6 (amply) or 8 (modestly). Super hearty.

The Preparation 

The written prep day is my absolute favorite, compulsive day where I go through and make a huge shopping list and cooking strategy. Writing all these lists out by hand is my preferred method as it gives me an opportunity to wrap my head around the recipes' ingredients, preparation steps and time so I will have digested it (no pun intended) by the time I reach my cook day. Here is my personal method:

Nerd, anyone?

1. Create a shopping list divided by store, and organized into total quantities of an item for ALL recipes. I use an online tool, ziplist.com, for this as it will allow you to create a shopping list which is automatically organized into store categories, and can be categorized further by store.
2. Organize to-be-prepped ingredients in format of (specific recipe quantity) (ingredient) -> (preparation method), with the recipe it corresponds to noted on the right. 
3. Using the above list, I can take everything that has the same method of prep and move into one task (e.g. if I am grating carrots, ginger and mozzarella, I will do all of the grating at one time while I have the grater out and then portion out per recipe later)
4. Review printed copy of recipes, and make notes on how long I realistically think each step will take, whether it cooks on the stove or in the oven and what dish it needs (e.g. if I am making chili in my big Dutch Oven and it takes 2 1/2 hours, I will start that first so it will be done by the time I need it to cook my stuffed cabbage).
5. Do one last read-through of recipes to ensure there isn't some major step I'm missing (e.g. let beans soak 6-8 hours or let frozen spinach thaw).
6. If I am feeling VERY Type-A, I re-write the recipes with my own shorthand. I retain information better by writing it out by hand, so this by this stage I can usually just reference the recipes quickly for quantities.

This is the type of amazing control and strategizing that makes me feel like I am a superwoman, dominating the kitchen and planning the eff out of my friggin' weeknight dinners. I am Martha! I am Ina Garten! I am... well, organized for a change. Let's see how this goes...