Maangchi's letter to you
Embrace December with winter berries!
I bought these winter berries to celebrate December of 2021! Yes, it's another winter experience in my life! We will have a new year soon with lots of "2", 2022 (ttoo-oh-ttoo-ttoo)! : )
New recipe: beef bone broth
When it starts to get colder like it is these days, I make beef bone broth for me and my family, every year. I freeze it in containers and enjoy it for a while.
Koreans consider this collagen rich bone broth to be very nutritious and rejuvenating, which is why I like to fortify my family’s bodies for the wintertime.
It takes 20 to 24 hours to get such a white milky broth. I usually turn off the heat before going to bed and boil it again the next morning. But in the video I simmered the broth straight through without stopping to give you an accurate timeline.
Since I posted this video, many people have let me know their interest in making this, which is great!
New recipe: eggshell rice
My grandmother used to cook rice in a cauldron over a fire. While the rice was simmering she would grill fish over the embers or just tuck a potato or sweet potato in there to roast. Later when it’s all cooked it can be our snack. This kind of eggshell rice was popular in Gyeongsang province in Korea and I can understand why! It’s fun to make and peeling the shell to eat the rice is fun to do. You feel special eating it, especially if someone makes it for you and gives it to you as a snack.
Perfect looking fried chicken made by Schrei!
Schrei made Sweet, Sour, & Spicy Korean Fried Chicken! I can almost smell and taste it in my imagination from this photo. Excellent! Check out the super easy recipe here!
Johannes' family eggshell rice
Who put the rice into these 5 eggshells! : )
Johannes posted a photo and said, "Nice way to keep the kids busy before dinner."
Looking at the photo and reading the comment gave me a big smile. I could picture the children putting the soaked rice into the shells, having fun and talking to each other. The shiny and semi-translucent rice looks so delicious!
George makes kimchi again 6 month later!
I know many of you make kimchi on a regular basis these days. Then how often do you make your kimchi? I usually make my kimchi every 2 or 3 months. George says, "The last batch lasted me about 6 months! Now ferment my lovelies!"
Spinach side dish is always good!
Korean spinach side dish called sigeumchi-namul is one of the most popular and easiest vegetable recipes on my website. It goes well as a side dish to any meat or fish dish on the table. Erin served this on Thanksgiving and said, "Sigeumchi-namul is so bright with heavier food."
Messages from my readers and viewers
It's a real pleasure to read comments from my readers and viewers every day. They amaze me with their passion and make me thoughtful with their life stories! Here are some of their messages that I chose to share with you.
Have you watched my bibimbap video? One of the ingredients is marinated raw beef. Over the years, many people have asked me if it's ok to eat uncooked beef in bibimbap. If you are one of them, I'd like to share my reply to a recent question about the raw beef.
My answer: "It's a Korean traditional dish called yukhoe made with very fresh beef seasoned with lots of garlic, soy sauce, honey or sugar, and toasted sesame oil. You can eat it raw. It's very delicious! But if it's bothering you, pan fry it and then add it to your bibimbap."
Do you have coming potluck party and wonder what to bring?
Make dakgangjeong (Korean sweet crunchy fried chicken). Every time I take it to a potluck party or make it at home for my guests, the chicken is gone quickly, which means it's very popular.
Can you imagine if you spend lots of time making a nice, gorgeous, colorful, healthy salad for the party, but not many people pick it? You will feel a little embarrassed. : )
Rams R let me know her/his dakgangjeong was a big hit at potluck party. Yay! "Everyone loved it and asked me for more..."
One of the comments made on my seaweed soup (miyeokguk) video made me feel so warm. I'm sure you will feel the same way.
My lovely Korean Daughter-in-law is pregnant with my first Grandchild, I will visit her in Jeju-do in 4 months and make this soup to keep her healthy and strong to look after the baby,
Might give my son some too if he does the washing-up :D - Food is about, family, friends, happiness and health, love your cooking Maangchi.
Greetings from Inverness, Scotland.
Se's Korean sweet custard cream bread!
My longtime reader Se made this cream-ppang!
She said she didn't know much about Korean cooking but after years of learning from my recipes, now she has confidence in cooking many Korean dishes. Actually when I saw this photo, I felt my mouth watering. Ooh, la la~ So what? I made it! It's so easy to make. The recipe is here.
Korean style beef jerky
My reader posted her homemade beef jerky photo on Reddit. It looks well dried but a little moist. I feel like picking one and tearing it into strips and eating it. That's my yukpo!
I make beef jerky near Christmas every year along with my gim-bugak(seaweed chips). When I stock up on something delicious like these, I feel so comfortable and it puts me into festive mood. It also makes a good holiday gift for meat lovers. The recipe is here!
How about making Korean style Mapo tofu?
Smileypeas from the UK made Korean style mapo tofu and enjoyed it with rice! It's absolutely a one plate meal! During the holidays, I suggest you make this simple and hearty dish. Everybody will love it. The recipe is here.
If you type any Korean dish into the search box on my site, you can find it (if I have a recipe for it). Just take a look at https://maangchi.com!
Enjoy your holidays and I will see you next year on Jan 1st with my first letter of 2022!
Take care!