Korean Food Quest on a Rainy Tuesday

You may have known by now that I love anything Korean, primarily because of the influence of Koreanovelas that flooded the Philippine Entertainment industry. My first taste of these interesting dishes was at Hanoel in Antipolo City. I was a regular customer; unfortunately, they had to close because of several reasons.

I wasn't into blogging then, so I did not fancy taking images of the food. Nevertheless, my favorite dish was Ddukbokkie.

Image courtesy of http://listverse.com/2011/04/23/top-10-korean-foods-you-have-to-try/

This hot and spicy rice cake thrilled my taste bud. I don’t know how to pronounce it so I just point it to the owner of the restaurant ( she only speaks Korean ) for her to understand that it is what I wish to eat for lunch. A serving of this dish costs Php 150.00, which is enough to feed two individual. That is why I always find someone who will accompany me during my food adventure quest.

Ingredients:

"The original tteokbokki was a stir-fried dish consisting of garaetteok (cylinder-shaped tteok) combined with a variety of ingredients, such as beef, mung bean sprouts, green onions, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and onions, and seasoned with soy sauce." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokbokki)

Taste:

When you take a bit of this rice cake, you will immediately taste its sweetness. However, you should be prepared with a glass of water because its spiciness will soon bite your tongue. Perfect!

Bibimbap

  

I believe this is their version of rice toppings. I first tried this at a different Korean restaurant also in Antipolo for Php 110 per bowl. The serving is sufficient for one person with a big appetite like mine. It is served with a spicy sauce, just the way I like it. Yum... yum... yum..

Kimchi

I know not all of you enjoys eating Kimchi, but it is one of the best appetizers I love. It is also hailed as one of the world's healthiest food. It is eaten with almost anything from Korean soup, pancakes, to pizzas and burgers. Nothing beats the kimchi of Hanoel, but I appreciate the effort of Tricks ( they made it less spicier, so I did not liked it that much)

Health Benefits: Loaded with Vitamins A, B, C and lots of healthy bacteria that is perfect for digestion. (http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410300,00.html)

Jampong

I love noodles and a bowl of Jampong worth P250 is just enough for me. It will take me some time to finish it but I can certainly indulge in it. I normally order one when I am super stressed and pressured with lots of deadlines to finish. Just imagine my skinny physique finishing a big bowl of these Korean delicacy. You will be surprised. I am just so lucky I do not get fat that easily.

This is a great recipe I borrowed from Asian Supper

Recipe Ingredients:

1/2 large yellow onion

1/4 of a small zucchini

5-6 shiitake mushrooms (pyogo buhsut)

l/1 pkg brown beech mushrooms

2 stalks green onions

1/2 large fresh squid, about 4 oz

3-4 tbsp of olive oil (or vegetable oil)

3 tbsp hot pepper powder (gochugaru)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 pkg of fresh udong noodles, 2.2 lb (1 kg) - Korean stores sell these thick, wet ready-made noodles in a package - usually comes in a 4 bundles which can be 4 large servings

8 oz live mussels

8 -0 10 oz med size shrimp, peeled

1/2 lb bay scallops

3 cups dashima stock (seaweed stock), or use chicken stock as a substitute

1-2 tsp salt

Recipe Steps:

•Prep the vegetables: slice the yellow onion and and zucchini and cut into match style pieces. Slice the caps of the shiitake mushrooms into thin slices, and break the beech mushrooms apart into small pieces. Cut green onions diagonally, 1-2" long. Set aside.

•Wash the squid, and score the inside diagonally, about 1/4" between each line, so that the squid will curl when cooked. Then cut into bite-sized pieces, about 1-2" long. Set aside.

•In a large pot, put 3-4 tbsp of oil and 3 tbsp of gochugaru. Bring to medium heat, stirring, making sure it doesn't burn.

•Add sliced onion, stirring around for a minute, then add garlic, mushrooms and green onion. Cook it for a few minutes, then add all of the seafood - the squid, shrimp, scallops & mussels. Finally add the dashima stock (or chicken stock). Bring to a boil, then add 1 tsp of salt and a dash of black pepper. Cook covered for 3-4 min - taste it to see if it needs more salt.

•Separately, bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. When the water is boiling, dump the noodles in and cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently (or follow the instructions, if any).

•To serve, add a coil of cooked noodles in a large bowl, and spoon enough broth to cover, adding seafood and vegetables as well. Serve hot!"

You are free to cook one for yourself, as for me, I just love eating them. Let someone else do the cooking and I do the tasting... :) :) :)

This is the treat Donna and I indulged in our Korean Food Escapade last Tuesday at Tricks Antipolo City

Both of us finished the Korean Dish serving without any help

The Friendly Waiters of Tricks

Donna, petite like me but with a big appetite

Korean Ramen

Side dish

Korean Chicken Barbecue waiting to be cooked

The Menu

You may drop by and experience a taste of Korean delicacies anytime at Antipolo City. The shop is located near Ynares Center. It is small, yet cozy. Until my next food treat adventure...