Maangchi's February letter

Enjoy Cooking for Auntie, the 4th episode of my new series sharing the stories of my life! Plus more recipes, photos, and comments!

How is everyone spending the New Year so far? I hope you're all staying busy and making the most of it. I’m wishing you and your families good health, with lots of delicious and nutritious food!

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Cooking for my aunt

I made these Real Korean Cooking Stories to share parts of my life, the people I care about, and how we really cook and enjoy food. It makes me happy that so many of you like this series and enjoy the videos so far. This episode is part three.

My aunt taught me a lot about cooking, and over time she became a role model in many different ways. She was smart, creative, stylish, and was incredibly frugal. Sadly, she passed away a few years after we filmed this video and looking back, the abalone meal I made here was both my first and last gift to her.

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Korean traditional beef soup: Gomtang

Are you looking for a nutritious soup that can warm your heart and body while giving you energy? This is a perfect dish for cold winter days—Gomtang! This one minute video edit shows you how to make it. Simmering beef, tendons, and radish for a long time, this soup has tender meat and a rich, warming broth. It’s best enjoyed with rice and kimchi, making it a nutritious meal that restores energy and warms the body. Check out the full recipe and video here!

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Rice cake soup for Lunar New Year’s Day

One of my readers, MaangchiLove from Montreal, Canada, says she makes rice cake soup to celebrate New Year’s Day, just like many Koreans do! The sliced rice cakes, flavorful broth, bright yellow egg strips, and shredded toasted seaweed come together beautifully, making it a perfect one-bowl meal. The recipe is here!

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4 handsome meju made with TLC!

My reader speakfreely started the process to make soybean paste (doenjang) and soy sauce. She soaked the soybeans, boiled and mashed them to make meju blocks, and then started drying them in a warm place on a rack and rotating them several times a day. Currently she’s hanging them as they continue drying.

I can already imagine the delicious soy sauce and soybean paste she’ll make from these in the upcoming months! Every part of this process fills me with excitement and anticipation, from the strong smell of drying meju to watching the salty water they soak in turn the rich brown of soy sauce. Every single step is important and should be done with care, dedication, and good spirits, from drying the blocks, soaking the blocks, taking them out, to putting them back in the brine to ferment. Every step is simple, but they need to be done with care and consideration for the doenjang and soy sauce to turn out well.

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Vegetarian kimchi!

Chogbooh made kimchi for the first time using my vegetarian kimchi recipe. It got a lot of upvotes on Reddit, and the kimchi looks bright, juicy, and delicious! Check out my vegetarian kimchi recipe here!

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Seafood sundubu-jjigae

Lynna made this soft tofu seafood stew (haemul sundubu-jjigae) and said, “Loved how the fresh seafood and silky tofu came together in this dish.” You can make it, too! Check out the recipe here.

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Yaksik (Sweetened rice with dried fruits and nuts)

Bakenboil made a special Korean dessert called Yaksik to celebrate Lunar New Year. I can almost taste its chewy and sweet flavor just by looking at the photo. You need the recipe? Here you go!

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kimchi pancakes

Max-93 is very passionate about making Korean food these days. He’s tried making many different kinds of Korean dishes and shares his photos on my website. Among them, this kimchi jeon (kimchi pancake) photo really tempted me. : ) It’s a slightly thicker kimchi jeon than usual, and I immediately had the urge to pick it up with chopsticks.

After seeing this photo, I went ahead and made kimchi jeon too! With well-fermented kimchi always in the fridge, is there any other dish this easy to make? The recipe is here!

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Messages from readers & viewers

You guys always inspire me, amaze me, make me smile and make me think. Here are some great messages from last month!

For those of you who have been making kimchi for a long time, do you have any secret tips for making it even tastier? Helena asked me if she could add dried squid to kimchi paste. I think some of you might have the same question. She asked:

I'm wanting to add squid to my kimchi - all I have is dried whole squid - is it possible to rehydrate and add it, or would you salt it like you do with fresh squid? Or should I not do this at all?

My answer:

If you want to add dried squid to the kimchi paste, go ahead. Slice it thinly with scissors and cut into about 2 inches long. No need to soak it in water before adding.

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Gim (seaweed paper) has to be kept in the freezer. TaliaMargherita asked me why. I’d like to share my answer with all of you.

My answer:

Seaweed paper should be sealed and frozen to prevent moisture and preserve its flavor for a longer time. Otherwise, whether stored outside the fridge or in the fridge, the seaweed will eventually lose its unique aroma, its color will turn reddish, and the flavor will fade.

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Bernardinelermite1133 wanted to know when spicy stuffed cucumber kimchi (oi-sobagi) should be eaten—right after it's made or after it's fermented.

My answer:

You can eat any kind of kimchi as soon as it’s made. But some types, like dongchimi, taste better when it's fermented.

But for this stuffed cucumber kimchi I think it’s best to eat it fresh, right after making it. You can still eat it after it ferments, though.

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This comment on my spicy soft tofu stew made my day and kept me happy all day! Ooh whoo! : )

I’ve never had such delicious sundubu jjigae IN MY LIFE. I don’t consider myself a very good cook but good enough to cook for myself. I’m very encouraged after this soup. Thank you, Maangchi!

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I've been running my website for a long time, and strangely enough, every new year brings more people to my website than usual. I'm not sure why, but once again this January, many people are coming to my website to look for Korean food recipes. If you're one of them, welcome! : ) Let me introduce you to what we have here.

I am someone who has not cooked very much Korean food before, but I recently tried making your Doenjang-jjigae recipe for my friends for the first time and we were all in heaven! I'm so happy to have found your channel and can't wait to keep trying out more of your recipes. I think you're just amazing and really admire that you do what you love!

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That’s it for now, I’ll see you in March with my next letter! Keep being happy with your delicious Korean cooking!

Love,
Maangchi ❤️