October 2024 letter
Temple style pan-cooked cucumbers & a side dish for soju - spicy whelks! Plus more photos and stories from you guys
Fall is on the way, bringing chilly winds in the mornings and evenings. What food can warm and calm my body and soul? That’s it! I choose gomtang (beef soup). You can find your own comforting and invigorating dishes among the many soups and stews of Korean cuisine.
I want to give a special thanks to all of you. In last month's newsletter, I shared the sad news of losing my mother, and I really didn’t expect for the numerous messages of sympathy and support through comments, messages, and emails from you. Reading and rereading these messages really helped me deal with my grief, and made me realize how lucky I am to have so many people caring for me and supporting me. Especially when you told me your own personal stories, I felt like we’re really connected to each other. I’m still sad because I will never see her again, but as many of you told me, it never really goes away. You just get better at dealing with it as time passes.
I believe my mom would definitely want me to stay strong, pick myself up, and continue pursuing my work with passion, just as I have been doing.
With all of you by my side, I will never feel lonely or defeated. I look forward to seeing you again through my videos with a bright spirit. I love you all!
New recipe: Temple-style Sautéed cucumbers
A few years ago, when I visited a temple in Korea, I was served a temple meal for lunch, and one of the side dishes was this oi-bokkeum. It’s thinly sliced cucumber, almost like paper, seasoned with sesame oil and lightly stir-fried. It didn't contain garlic, so the taste was mild and refreshing. I've made it often since then. When your Korean table setting is mostly brown-colored dishes like galbi and bulgogi, adding a plate of sautéed cucumbers will suddenly bring a beautiful splash of color and harmony to the meal. Check out the recipe here!
Short video: Spicy whelks
Sweet and sour whelk salad is a beloved drinking snack among Koreans. It's an easy dish to prepare when unexpected guests show up and you need to set up some drinks and side dishes, and it's also a staple on the menu at any Korean bar. As you may know, Koreans always enjoy food with their alcoholic drinks. You can easily find canned whelks at Korean markets, and I keep some at home and make this on the spot when needed. If you serve it with some noodles, it also makes for a great meal. Check out the full recipe and the video here!
Michelle’s Oi-bokkeum
Michelle’s beautiful oi-bokkeum! You prepared it perfectly, preserving the cucumber's fresh aroma and crisp texture!
Hotteok with Ube cream filling!
I’ve mentioned before that I am sometimes amazed by your creativity, right?
When making hotteok, Koreans usually use sugar, cinnamon, and nuts as the filling, but one of my readers seems to always change the filling ingredients and enjoys making it that way. This time, she made it with ube cream as the filling. “I tried it with Ube cream filling and I love it so much!” I didn't know what Ube cream was, so I looked it up, and it turns out it's a cream made from purple sweet potatoes. Anyway, you can use any filling that you like, but what's important is the hotteok dough. Follow the recipe for the dough and try making hotteok with your favorite filling!
SueJL’s Green onion kimchi
Sue posted her photo of green onion kimchi on my website and said, “I made these last night and it tastes good!…”
Seeing the green onion kimchi, which is thin and long with plenty of seasoning mixed in, gives a sense of neat and organized beauty, right?
In the past, I once went on a one night two-day trip with my mother and sister, and we decided to have dinner in the hotel room. Before going, we stopped by a Korean market to buy pre-made foods like rice cakes, ribs, and fried fish. When it came to deciding on the kimchi, we agreed to choose only one between napa cabbage kimchi and green onion kimchi, and all three of us chose green onion kimchi. We love green onion kimchi that much, but one downside is that the smell lingers in your mouth for at least a day after eating it. : ) Check out my recipe for green onion kimchi here!
Sue’s Rosé tteokbokki
Sue shared this delightful photo of rosé tteokbokki! The abundant rich, creamy, cheesy broth, perfectly complementing the chewy rice cakes and sausages! Yummy!
Just in case you don’t know what rosé tteokbokki is, it’s a creamy, Italian-inspired twist on the popular Korean street food, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).
You can make this, too. Check out my recipe here!
Messages from readers & viewers
You always inspire me, amaze me, make me smile and make me think. Here are some of your messages that I chose to share this month!
Every Korean eats seaweed soup (miyeokguk in Korean) on their birthday. Hiimsanvo told me he was planning to make the soup for his girlfriend's birthday. I was really touched by his thoughtful idea!
Your sharing makes me so emotional. I’m making this soup for my girlfriend’s birthday after she moves to a new country for me.
I used Korean perilla seeds powder in my mushroom soup recipe. One of my readers made the soup and enjoyed it a lot, but she wanted to know how to use up her 1 kg bag of perilla seeds powder.
My answer:
If you visit my website, maangchi.com, and type 'perilla seeds powder' into the search box, you'll see all the dishes that use perilla seeds powder.
Someone was trying to find one of my recipes she used to make but had forgotten the name of the dish. She gave me some vague hints, which I found pretty funny. It actually took me a while to figure out what it was! : )
I was watching a bunch of your videos a while back and you had a stir fry video with cheddar cubes added inside, and I was talking to someone about that and how I made it and it was sooo delicious, but now I cannot find the video. Is it still on here, or do you have a link to your website? It was so good, I’d really love to make it again! Many thanks!
My answer:
Omu-rice (Korean style omelette rice)!
Someone asked, “How do you wash the pot easily since the rice is burnt and stuck at the bottom of the pot?” I’m sharing my answer here in case you have the same question.
If the pot burns after cooking rice, pour water into it and let it soak. To make it soak faster, you can place it on the stove and boil it. After that, clean it thoroughly. I use a wire scrubber to scrub it, and it comes out sparkling clean.
Natasha was 14 when she first watched me make kimchi pork buns. Seven years later, listen to what she has to say now. : ) :
I remember watching the video over and over again when I was 14 years old. Back then making bread was too intimidating and I could never afford any of the ingredients. But now 7 years later I finally made it, and it was….sublime. The long wait was definitely worth it because I just ate 3 buns all by myself. Thank you Maangchi for such amazing recipes ❤️
That’s it for now! I will see you next month on November 1st!
Keep being happy with your delicious Korean cooking!
I like all the presentations and got some soup recipes. Yum delicious
Never say never. I believe it is possible that you can see your omma again. I don't know anything about your spiritual/religious beliefs but I do believe in the Bible. What about you? Anyway, your website is about Korean cooking. I hope to try your cucumber moochim recipe before the end of next month.