Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Korean Dumpling - Mandu


I eat Korean dumplings on New Year's Day - Korean name is Mandu.
I use it for dumpling soup, fried dumplings or steamed dumplings.
There are a lot of recipes for dumplings in Korea.
But I chose my mother-in-laws recipe. Actually, I modified it a little bit to my taste;I added Napa Cabbage. :)
Dumplings are very easy to make. But making a filling is kind of hard work. It needs lots of effort. Phew~
Because I have to squeeze each ingredient. 
In other words, I need strong arms to make dumplings!
If I don't squeeze them, the filling is soggy.

My friend who is from the Czech Republic likes Korean Dumplings (Steamed Mandu).
When she came to my house, I served it. Of course, she loved it!
However,,,,
After making dumplings, I felt totally spent. Ha Ha Ha.


Ingredients
Dumpling skin 3 packs
2lb mixture of equal parts ground pork, beef and veal(You can buy them at Whole Foods)
Onion 1 (sliced, salted and squeezed)
Chopped Garlic 2 tbsp
Ground Ginger 1 tsp
Soy Sauce 2-3 tbsp
Sesame Oil 2 tbsp
Tofu 1 pack (squeezed)
Napa Cabbage (salted down and squeezed)to equal 2 cups
Chopped Green Onions 1/2 cup
A handful of Parboiled and Chopped Sweet Potato Noodles

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients.
Place about 1 tbsp of filling in the center of a dumpling skin.Dab water around the edges. Then fold the skin over to form a triangle press down edges to seal.

Enjoy!

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Old-Fashioned Korean Sugar Candy - Bbopki

When I went to elementary school in Korea, there was a bbopki vendor outside my school. 
So I sometimes stopped by the bbopki vendor after school.
After school, my friends and I gathered around the vendor and watched him make sugar candy by melting sugar, mixing it up and adding baking soda.
The bbopki vendor had a lot of stamps for candy. So, I selected my favorite stamps, star shape or hat shape, because I could get another bbopki for free if I managed to eat around the shape without breaking it.
Eating bbopki is one of my good memories. :)


Ingredients
Sugar of your choice, not sugar substitutes 
Baking Soda

Directions
Heat 3Tbs of sugar in a ladle and melt it until it becomes pure liquid by stirring it with wood stick.
When the sugar completely melts, add a pinch of baking soda and mix well.
Empty contents of ladle onto foil or a baking sheet sprinkled with sugar. Press it and stamp with your favorite shape!

You can eat sugar candy and play the game together with your family and friends!


This YOUTUBE will be helpful.


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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

This is my final harvest of the year

I had my final harvest this weekend.  
Still I was very pleased with what I had.
I will Miss U.

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Welcome Back, Pound Cake

Hello, Big smile pound cake?  :)

I baked it by round pan.  
How does it look?  looks like smile man~.
The absolute best pound cake ever.
Very moist, light and easy!
But It was not baking well - some parts were not done.
Maybe,,,
This is the reason why I didn't use self-rising flour ???
I used normal cake flour.

Ingredients
2 1/3 cups self-rising cake flour
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar (+ 1/4cup to taste)
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 large eggs

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch (3-quart) bundt pan, knocking out excess.
Sift flour. Beat together butter and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla and beat on low speed until just combined (mixture will appear dry and crumbly). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (mixture will form a batter as eggs are added).
Pour batter into pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

- Aunt Rose's Pound Cake.

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Puff Pastry Apple & Pear Tart



It is time for fall desserts.
I think of apple, pear, pumpkin and cinnamon first when it comes to fall. 
So I used apple and pear!
Actually, my husband likes my apple cake but I wanted new fall dessert.    



Looks like French Cafe Dessert  :)


These are puff pastry apple & pear!!   

Where is ice cream and syrup?? I need- - -  

What better way to welcome autumn than by making an apple tart?     :p

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