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Kimchi Stuffed Mushroom November 8, 2009
It’s MY CREATION.. lol
i’m inspired by my friend’s upcoming birthday dinner. She told me that she’s going to make stuffed mushrooms. so I thought I’d give it a try my self…
I bought the mushroom at Ha Na Reum Mart at North Road, Lougheed, where I also found very delicious cabbage kimchi! I higly recomend it!
tips from me: don’t by kimchi in the plastic jar *the one that looks neat and factory made* it has different taste of sourness and it has some weird taste, like a chemical or sth.. *gaahh!!*
I’ll share the recipe to you all.. *remember I don’t believe in exact cooking measurements..just use your instinct, be your own chef!* lol
Ingredients:
- Portobello Mushrooms (or any kind of mushrooms that you can stuff, I think..hihihihih)
- Kimchi
- Ground pork/Beef
- garlic plus seasoning (it’s like garlic and other herbs sprinkles)
- salt
- egg (i used 1 for 2 portobello mushrooms)
- sesame oil
- Korean red pepper
How to cook
- diced the kimchi, squished out the water *remember mushrooms will take out its water whenit’s cooked*
- in a bowl, mixed the dice kimchi, egg, tapioca starch, seasonings (you can improve, really!), salt, sesame oil, and ground pork/beef
- cut out the mushromms stem
- stuffed the mushrooms with the mix
- sprinkle it with the red pepper powder
- bake it in the oven with 350 C for about 35 minutes
- enjoy! =)
pssttt: just one of this mushroom can stuff you real good! I sprinkled the rice with sockeyed salmon furikake *presentation!!!hahaha* I got from Konbiniya in downtown Vancouver..
the doubt November 8, 2009
The Climb – Miley Cirus
I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high
There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb
The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
The pain I’m knowing
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,
There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb
There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb
Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It’s all about
It’s all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith
In the midst of wariness, doubt, exhaustion, and frustration, I wonder if I can hanging in there. Keeping my self together, chanting to my self some prayers of encouragement..
I doubt and doubt and doubt.. and turned my face away from reality.. I know I have to make things right rather than destructing my self more. In my state, It’s my dream on the stake here.. Do I worth my dream?!
But then I remember.. The faith I had.. the wish that my mom and I planted that last night in Seoul. The promise to myself that I will come back. and I, myself will make that happen! I may feel like I’m on the rock bottom now but God has set this path for me, therefore, He will let me walk through this.
I may so badly crushed right now, I may have made some mistakes and bad decision, I may have lost love of myself and maybe of others… But I remember the night at 청계천 (cheon gye cheon)
in the middle of the hustle bustle of the city.. where no one care… An abundant flow of hopes flow in the city, through a creek named 청계천. It’s a peaceful place where everybody stops. To gain their spirit, to feel the nature, to refresh their mind. it’s a pit stop. I need one. I miss 청계천.
We threw our coin of wishes *not telling you what it was* and I know it’ll come true. I just need to work super harder.
my hero at the creek
Soju October 29, 2009
I blame it on the booze! yep.. all the girls in my basement had this crazy talks just now, and it reminded me of the crazy stuffs my other girls did over the booze.. say what? oh yeah! it’s all due to the mighty SOJU!
I got to know Soju during those times when I spent hours and nights watching Korean dramas with my mom. You know how curious we were about soju? We actually *somehow* figured out the etiquette of drinking soju, when they usually drink it and those kinda information.. and when a Korean market just opened in a mall nearby, we rushed there to by ramyon and soju! and we had it during our drama session! WOOT!
Soju has stood for so many Korean meanings. Some people take it as Korean vodka, or as comparable to Japanese sake. It’s so worldly known now! =)
Once again I did some research *oh boy, how about my paper on HMV due today?! lol* Hopefully it will cover the basic things about SOJU, the bitter good of life *hahaha*
Credit to world.kbs.co.kr
The word Soju literally means “burned liquor”. It is distilled alcoholic beverage which made of rice. There are other known ingredients like as wheat, barley, tapioca, or sweet potatoes.
The distilled beverage was brought into Korea in 1300s by the Mongolians, and in the 1256 Chinese invasion many distilleries were established around Kaesong area.
Now the most known historical place of Soju is located in Andong, where you can find the Andong Soju museum.
From 1965 until 1991, in order to alleviate rice shortages, the Korean government prohibited the traditional methods of distilling soju from pure grain. Soju was then made primarily through dilution by mixing pure ethanol with water and flavoring. Soju produced through dilution from ethanol is known as diluted soju, while soju produced by distillation from grain is known as distilled soju
Nowadays there are a several popular brand of Soju in the market: 참 이슬 “chamisul”, 처음처럼 “cheoumcheoreom/like the first time” *love this!*, and many others. But the largest manufacturer seems to be Jinro.
You might ask, how come Soju is soooo popular in Korea? the first answer *I have to say* because it’s cheap! yep it does! Second of all, we have to remember that Korea is a highly sociable society. Drinks, like Soju *it’s cheap AND a part of tradition* can serve this trait right.
It is an important part in celebration, in business and social relationships, in breaking the ice, in teambuilding and in relaxation. When two men look into each other’s eyes, it’s either to fight or to drink soju. Koreans fighting and departing as enemies after a night of soju drinking always meet the following day and work together as if nothing happened. Soju creates not only new relationships but also strengthen the old ones.
Facts about Soju
- People usually relate Soju with rainy day or bad mood
- It does also means celebration tho =)
- Soju glasses don’t have colorful appearance but has an important secret. One bottle of soju equals seven of soju glasses. So even when two people share one bottle or three people share one bottle, there’s always one glass of soju left. That’s why people order one more bottle, which create a friendly mood between soju lovers.
- The etiquette of drinking Soju reflects friendliness. One should take and receive in pouring and sharing a glass of Soju.
- The bodily manner *hahahaha* I mean posture in pouring and recieving Soju reflects their tradition of the ‘age system’
- oh what am I saying? I think I need a glass of it now?! hahahaha *OK.. OK.. I know I have started to blabber out my random and redundant thoughts*
Anyway, you’ll get the point, right?! Just drink responsibly! and if you don’t quite like the bitter taste of the original Soju, many places has served flavoured Soju *kiwi, lemon, etc, etc, oh my favourite one is the youghurt soju!*
for more explanation please go to & credit to
http://www.trifood.com/soju.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju
http://world.kbs.co.kr
Edible Toothpick, Really?! October 28, 2009
Can you say environmentally friendly and sustainability or biodegradable?
I don’t really know was it started in Korea or any other Asian country, but I was introduced to this cute invention by Ji Un, our tour guide..
The edible toothpick has clear green colour.. *I tried. looking dumb enough when I was trying to chew it up* lol.. It’s slightly softer than the bamboo toothpick and kinda feel like it’s made of plastic, and the Korean Government has actually banned the bamboo toothpick at all!
It’s biodegradable, and environmentally friendly *save those bamboo trees!!* and it looks cute compared to the boring brown regular toothpick *hahaha*
I believe they has started using this method to make biodegradable plastic bags!
more info, I can give you a link or maybe two.. =)
- http://www.himfr.com/d-p113165442462927225-starch_toothpick/
-http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/1097486.htm
psstt.. I’ll upload the pic later *I’m at SFU Library.. trying to focus on my paper, NOT! =)*
Sweet Potato Latte October 28, 2009
Starting Fall or maybe to welcome the thanksgiving, Canadian coffe shops begin to proudly serve the pumpkin spice latte *which I like soo much =)*
Just about yesterday, I suddenly remember about a unique beverage I had while I was in Seoul.
It’s Iced Sweet Potato Latte or 고구마 Latte..
yeah! it’s made of sweet potato.. The colour was yellow. I liked it, but my dad didn’t.. He thought it was weird..
I don’t know if they put any expresso shot at all, because unlike the pumpkin spiced latte, I couldn’t taste a tiny bit taste of coffe at all. Just sweet potato and milk/lait/latte.
Too bad I didn’t take any picture of it.. but I still can taste it somehow.. hahahahaha
Oh yeah.. If anyone happen to be in Seoul or going there, somehow =).. I found this in the Dong Dae Mun/East Gate area. It’s at Doota Shopping Mall, just right beside one of its entrance..
But I believe you can find it somewhere else!! =)
[credit image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23133378@N08/3452182938/]
보드 (Board Café) September 23, 2009
There’s this one cozy café place on Lougheed you can go to which atmosphere resembles the ones in Korea. It’s 보드 란시 Café or also known as Board Café. The place is super cozy. It is located next to a car reparation centre.. and you may miss it. It’s on Lougheed highway accross to the canadian superstore and RBC Banking. *I havent figured out the address yet*.I went there yesterday with my friend, Riani, and wi sat there for hours. It’s sooo cozy you won’t think that you’re at a regular coffee shop *duh*
The specialty, known among my friends, is the shaved ice. I’ve tried some of the shaved ice and I vote for the watermelon sahved ice to be the best options! The interior design plus the unigue measuring glass that used to serve the Ice is just like cherry on top of our girls talk hours..
You can also play the piano there, or play some board games *yes it’s named after board games, I guess..* and there’s an extra charge for using the games per person, per hours.
Basically this is a nice place to hang out. It’s nice and comfortable. The ambience is just good. BUT.. the prices for the juices are like crazy!! and I haven’t tried anything other the ice flakes yet..
*sorry I didn’t take the pic of the ice flakes T_T*
watermelon shaved ice
Day 1 – as I remember correctly September 23, 2009
Hey.. It’s been months since the day I went to Korea
and finally I have some times to recollect my almost blur details on my trip.. but not to worry.. It was soooo special and I have pictures that will help me remember for sure..
Day 1 – arriving at 인천 and going from there
We finally arrived!!! after abouth 8 hours of flight (not so bad at all compared to the 5+12 hours Jakarta-Vancouver.. hahaha)
we met the tour guide right in front of the departure gate.. oohhh The Boss was neat looking! and the girl, who was going to be our daily guide, her name is 지언 (Ji Eon) and her Indonesian is soooo impressive!!! *4 thumbs up for you, girl!*
Since we hadn’t had our breakfast.. we scattered around to find some food.. and guess what my mom, my dad and I had? we had the McDonald’s breakfast! duh!! it was okay… just like any other McDonald you know..
after that 지 언 explain the basic rules and courtesy in korea she’s pretty good at describing facte *oh crap now I forgot it all!!! >.<) of Seoul…
Somehow during the pretty long drive from Incheon.. the Seoul city was starting to reveal it self
My first Impression was.. ouhhh what a neat and super clean city!
everything is just sooo organized… I can’t wait to see what seoul had in store for us
earn it hard August 13, 2009
I decided to fundraise!
well.. you will catch the whole details later, but I’ve decided that I will go to Korea after I graduate from my BA study!
I have calculated *roughly* that I need around 3,000,ooo million Won (about CA$ 3,000) in a year (dorm, tuition, fares, food, books all included)
My mom said that she has started saving up some Won. But I don’t want to be too much of a burden, so I will fund raise my self! *Lord, help me
I will buy some crafts, handmade accessories from my friend who already established kutu asesoris in face book, Browsing through mangga dua shopping mall, etc I will find batiks and more Indonesian ethnic stuffs! Then I will sell it in Canada, through ebay *my nick is dearjourney*, craigslist, any church bazaar and any events etc!
hopefully this thing will work!
I will slowly create my selling e-store brand and blog
FUND RAISING GOAL: 3, 000, 000 Won
ACHIEVED: 100, 000 Won
LEFT: 2, 900, 000 Won
Korean Seafood Pancake Recipe August 12, 2009
*Hey! I can sneak a post during my intern work time! oh what to write..what to write? Oh I Know!!*
I often crave for this particular Koran food:
Korean Seafood Pancake
well, it’s kinda chewy and it has veggies and seafood in it so I made some of it at home without looking at any recipe. Well, not that I’m a cooking Goddess or whatever..it’s just I went to H Mart on Lougheed Highway, I bought the ready to cook pancake flour, sliced some red and green pepper and green onion just like what I saw in the seafood pancake I often eat at restaurantss and mixed some seafood medley in it. For the sauce, I go crazy with my experiments… ha ha ha ha!=)
It’s kinda easy and hard to make. Just as you make a western pancake. It can’t be too thick nor too thin. Don’t burnt it on high because you’ll get raw in the inside and burnt on the outside. not yummy at all!
I’ve found the more complicated recipe *thanks to our dear friend, the internet* and finally we can make the decent sauce at home! *I suggest to stick to the instant Korean pancake mix flour it will save you time and patience* =)
Panjeon/ 해물파전
1/4 cup squid (sliced thin)
1/4 cup green capsicum or green bell pepper (sliced thin)
1/4 cup small shrimps
1/4 cup red capsicum or red bell pepper (sliced thin)
1/2 cup spring onions (sectioned, sliced thin)
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of white pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 egg (beaten)
2 tbsp water
Ingredients for Pancake Sauce (Yang Nyum Jang)
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tsp onion
1 tsp green onion
1 tsp red capsicum
1 tsp carrot
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp sesame seed (toasted)
How to make Pancake Sauce: Blend everything together in a blender. This sauce will not only go well for this seafood pancake recipe but other Korean dishes like steamed rice, meat and vegetables.
