Maangchi's letter to you
Hello, everybody! Yes, I know it's April 1st, 2022!
How have you been doing? Good? Uh oh, not so good?
Whatever your situation is, I want to invite you to my breakfast table. I mean virtually. How about having breakfast with me? : ) Eating and talking together with people you love is so fun!
New recipe: Nutty noodle soup!
I love hot bubbling noodle soup any time of a year but this knife-cut noodle soup is special because it's made with crushed perilla seeds (deulkkae in Korean). The texture of homemade knife-cut noodles is amazing but the more special part of this noodle soup is the nutty, creamy broth! What makes the broth nutty is all about the perilla seeds.
The broth is made this way: toasted perilla seeds and some water are blended, filtered, and added to anchovy kelp stock, which makes it milky, thick, and gives it a nutty, savory, and its own unique kind-of-herb aroma.
Exclusive tips for busy people!
You have no time to make noodles from scratch? Then use store-bought noodles (for jjajangmyeon). You can find them in the refrigerated section of a Korean grocery store. And you can also use toasted perilla seeds powder, too. The result is almost the same but it will be a little more expensive.
New recipe: Beef doenjang-jjigae
The fermented bean paste stew with beef is right in the center! : ) Clockwise from the bottom left is multi-grain rice, seasoned seaweed, fish cake, stir-fried eggplant, water kimchi, pan-fried yellow corvina.
Doenjang jjigae with shrimp
My reader Coddedge followed my beef doenjang-jjigae recipe but used shrimp instead of beef, and said it turned out so tasty! So if you are a shrimp lover, go ahead and try it! Coddedge guranteed the taste!
Wakinya's homemade oisobagi!
Wakinya made oisobagi (spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi) for the first time and she loved the smell and look! So do I! : ) I sometimes make oisobagi with only 3 small kirby cucumbers, when I have a severe craving for it. It's not only delicious but also it's very easy and fast to make!
Jinjer's omurice
Jinjer made omurice (omelette rice) and said, "What a yummy treat!" Stir-fried rice covered with a golden egg blanket, and even the ketchup makes it look juicy. Can I have some scoops of your omu-rice, Jinjer? : )
Check out my omurice recipe here.
Perfect-looking gimbap made by Elli
Elli, living in Norway made this gorgeous gimbap. The generous fillings are right in the center and the rice looks firm and tender. I can almost picture her rolling gimbap somewhere in Norway. I have never been there but I feel the country is close to me because I have my reader like Elli!
Check out my gimbap recipe here.
Melbmatt's Korean banquet
Melbmatt had a Korean food party with pork skewers and many more Korean dishes he made. He even printed out his own menu so that his guests can see the name of each of the dishes. I'm so happy plus honored to hear that all the dishes were made from my recipes. Fantastic!
Kimchi pork ribs (deunggalbi-kimchijjim)
Imḟuine made deung-galbi-kimchijjim (Kimchi pork ribs) and ladled it over rice in a bowl, so he created his own 1 bowl meal! The ribs look like they are almost falling off the bone, so it must be tender and well-cooked kimchi. Looks so tasty! Check out the recipe here!
Messages and comments from my viewers
My readers and viewers always make me smile, inspire me, amaze me, and make me think. Here are some of their messages that I chose to share with you!
On my doenjang-jjigae video, one of my fellow Koreans left this comment and made me laugh loudly! You can see how Koreans love doenjang-jjigae through this comment. : )
아주머니 이번 레시피는 정말 큰일 날 수도 있겠네요. 이거 미국 사람들 맛들리면 이거 미국에서 한국 된장 동날수도 있는데
Translation: "Ma'am, this recipe may be a huge hit. If people from USA (it means non-Koreans) get used to the taste of this stew, Korean doenjang may be out of stock at a Korean grocery store!"
I always make sure not to assume that everybody knows how to eat every Korean dish! I have so many stories about it, but today I'm going to share this comment made on my ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang) recipe:
I'm making it now. Smells so yummy. What will you do with the ginseng afterwards?
My answer is: "Chew and swallow!" No, I said in more polite way, "Eat the ginseng roots!" : )
A lady with a teenage son has arguments with him these days but the son still loves his mom's food, especially tteokbokki. Do you have the similar experience? She left a comment on my spicy rice cake (tteokbokki) video:
My son is becoming a teenager now, and we're arguing a lot more. We still both love food though, so your delicious food, made with care, helps us remember we love each other. He’s been asking for this one for a while, and I’m going to make it this week!
Alexa is a big fan of their own homemade kimchi sundubu jjigae! I'm very happy to hear that they said this is much better than restaurant sundubu jjigae! That's right, Alexa!
Maangchi, I made this for dinner tonight. Oh my goodness it was SO delicious. I honestly think it is better than the ones I had in restaurants (and no MSG!) The anchovy kelp stock really made a difference I think. Thank you so much Maangchi! :D
I feel some of you are connected to me by making my recipes. As time goes on, you and me are like siblings or relatives even though we've never met. Alex Davy left this comment on my crunchy Korean fried chicken video:
Maangchi I watched you as a student, now I have a husband and baby! I made this for a friend years ago and he loved it so much! Im seeing him and his fiance again soon and will make this again. I told him and he’s so excited! I cant wait to cook it with my daughter when she is old enough too <3
Alexander's Healthy vegan lunch boxes
4 vegan lunch boxes were ready to deliver! How much? Sorry it's not for sale! : ) All the recipes are on my website!
Braised tofu, steamed & seasoned broccoli, and rice are such a great choice for a lunchbox! If you are going to school or work with this lunch box, you will be looking forward to your lunch hour from the morning! It's only me? haha!
See you next time and continue to cook delicious food!
I will see you next month on May 1st! Keep being happy with your delicious Korean cooking!
And remember that if you type any Korean dish into the search box on my site, you can find it (if I have a recipe for it). I use the search box all the time because that's the fastest way to find the recipe among my hundreds of recipes.