Cucumber Kimchi(Oi Kimchi)

My friend Sonja is a bit obsessed with South Korea and everything pertaining to the country.  Her two oldest daughter's have served as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in South Korea so Sonja has been to South Korea and has valid reasons for her obsession.  After having a plethora of cucumbers from my garden and an urgent need to preserve them before my family went on a Summer trip to New York City I decided to indulge my friend's love of Korean food and make cucumber kimchi.  She was able to help me and provide the Korean chili powder for this easy recipe.  I'm not familiar with kimchi at all so this was a new experience for me, but I love making food for my friends.  Hopefully a few more Korean recipes are on the horizon for my family. 

 My cucumber kimchi, its pretty to look at isn't it?

Ingredients:

1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

I don't know why I included the white onion in my photo, it is not in the recipe.  It was photobombing my recipe photo.  

 Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.  

Sprinkle salt onto cumbers in a sieve.  I have some Himalayan Pink Salt I used but that isn't a requirement, sea salt will work just as well.  Allow to drain in sink for 20 minutes.  This will help remove excess water from the cucumbers and change the cellular wall inside the cucumber so the spice mixture will penetrate more.  

 Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.   

 This is the Fish Sauce I forgot to include in my original photo.

Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane.  This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting.  Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.

Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl.  Stir until a paste is formed.

Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined.  Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture.  Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter.  Refrigerate after curing.  The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated. 

Enjoy!

Cucumber Kimchi(Oi Kimchi)

Ingredients:

1 lb Pickling Cucumbers (3 Lebanese cucumbers)
3 Green Onions
2 tablespoon Gochugaru (korean chili flakes, found online or at Asian Market)
1 tablespoon grated Gala Apple
1 tablespoon White Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2" piece of Ginger
Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

Process:

Cut cucumber into 2 inch long by 1/2 inch wide pieces, removing seeds if they are present.  

Sprinkle salt onto cumbers in a sieve.  Allow to drain in sink for 20 minutes.  This will help remove excess water from the cucumbers and change the cellular wall inside the cucumber so the spice mixture will penetrate more.  

Slice green onions width wise to create long skinny pieces then lengthwise into 4 inch matchsticks.   

Grate the peeled ginger and garlic with a microplane.  This is one of my favorite tools, it creates a delicate grate without all the work of cutting.  Dice one quarter of the apple flesh into small pieces.

Combine the Gochugaru, onions, garlic, ginger, and apple in a metal bowl.  Stir until a paste is formed.

Brush the salt off the cucumber and add them to the paste and stir until combined.  Finally sprinkle the sesame seeds on the mixture.  Transfer to lidded mason jars and let set for 12-24 hours at room temperature on your counter.  Refrigerate after curing.  The cucumber kimchi may be eaten after refrigerated. 

Enjoy!

Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Rememebr when I made Phở Bò (Beef Pho)? This is a chicken version, and I've made it as simple as possible.  We all like simple right?  This was our dinner shared with two bachelor friends. Our gentlemen guests were so excited to have a home cooked meal and were completely impressed.  It has been cloudy and cold, so soup was wonderful to come home to.  Plus when I went to pick up our friends, I was on the wrong side of the street.  Anywhere else this woudn't be a big deal, but next to the Queensboro Plaza Train Station, it meant a whole lot of lanes and barriers, dividers, and no way to cross.  I ended up turning too soon and going across the bridge to Manhattan and coming back to Queens.  Thankfully, we finally made it back to the apartment and a wonderful wafting smell from my pressure cooker where the broth was cooking.  I highly reccomend making broth of any kind in a pressure cooker.  The results are always fabulous and fast.

 This is a steaming hot bowl of flavor beyond any chicken soup you have ever experienced.

Ingredients:

4-5 pound Rotisserie Chicken (Costco really has the best price and sized chicken)
2 large bunch of Green Onions
7 large cloves of garlic
3 pieces of Dried Ginger
Roots and Stems of 1 bunch of Cilantro
2 whole star anise
12 cloves
2″x1″ piece of Cassia Bark (a.k.a. Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
80g Light Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Jalapeno

1 Lime

Water

Japanese Noodles or Rice Noodles

Remove chicken from bones.  Place chicken bones in pressure cooker pot with 1 whole bunch
 of green onions, 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, star anise, cloves, cassia bark, black pepper, sugar, fish
sauce, salt, and add water to the top of the fill line for your pressure cooker (mine is 16 cups).  

Set pressure cooker to high for one hour.

Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot.

Bring to a boil.  We used Japanese noodles, but you can use traditional rice noodles if you want.  Cook noodles in broth according to package instrucitions.

Slice jalapeno thinly.  Slice remaining bunch of green onions.  Remove remaining cilantro
from stems.  Place all ingredients aside on a serving plate.  Cut chicken or shred chicken into bite
size pieces and serve next to the broth and plate of vegetables.

This is a build your own Phở Gà bowl.  Add ingredients then the noodles and broth over top.
We really had fun building our soup bowls and customizing how much of each ingredient.

Enjoy!

Phở Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

4-5 pound Rotisserie Chicken (Costco really has the best price and sized chicken)
2 large bunch of Green Onions
7 large cloves of Garlic
3 pieces of Dried Ginger
Roots and Stems of 1 bunch of Cilantro
2 whole Star Anise
12 Cloves
2″x1″ piece of Cassia Bark (a.k.a. Saigon Cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
80g Light Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 Jalapeno

1 Lime

Water

Japanese Noodles or Rice Noodles

Process:

Remove chicken from bones.  Place chicken bones in pressure cooker pot with 1 whole bunch of green onions, 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, star anise, cloves, cassia bark, black pepper, sugar, fish sauce, salt, and add water to the top of the fill line for your pressure cooker (mine is 16 cups).  

Set pressure cooker to high for one hour.

Strain broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large stock pot.

Bring to a boil.  We used Japanese noodles, but you can use traditional rice noodles if you want. Cook noodles in broth according to package instrucitions.

Slice jalapeno thinly.  Slice remaining bunch of green onions.  Remove remaining cilantro from stems.  Place all ingredients aside on a serving plate.  Cut chicken or shred chicken into bite size pieces and serve next to the broth and plate of vegetables.

This is a build your own Phở Gà bowl.  Add ingredients then the noodles and broth over top.  

Enjoy!

Phở Bò (Vientnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

My sister-in-law Rachelle asked me to make Phở Bò (pronounced fuh) a long time ago.  I don't even remember when.  I have been compiling the ingredients and trying to figure out how I would make it.  Today in honor of our friend's the Alemany family who are moving to Utah, we had them over for Phở Bò   This morning I started to set all of ingredients together on my cutting board and realized I was missing Fennel, Fish sauce, and a piece of chuck beef.  I turned on the oven to preheat and went shopping at U Mart a wonderful local Asian grocery store.  I picked up the ingredients and went home.  When I got home I noticed a burnt smell, and the oven was no longer turning on.  Which means that I would not be charring the onions and ginger in the oven.  Thankfully the oven quitting did not stop me and my cause to prepare Phở Bò for our friends the Alemany's and Siri's mom Ann Stone.  I have never had Pho Soup nor have I made it, but unbeknownst to me Siri, Michael, and Ann had all eaten Phở Bò and could tell me if I came at least close to making what they had eaten before. This Pho is for you Rachelle!

 I really love how it looks, how about you?

Ingredients for the Pho Soup Base:

2 Yellow Onions 
4" nub of Ginger
5 lbs. Beef Marrow Bones
1 lb. Beef Chuck Top
6 quarts of Water
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds 
5 whole Star Anise
1 Black Cardamom Pod
6 whole Cloves 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt 1/2 cup Fish Sauce

8 x 8 inch square of Cheesecloth
Butchers Twine

 Peel onions and cut in half through the root.

Cut ginger in half lengthwise.

Thankfully although my oven is not turning on my stove is working.

Place ginger and onion halves directly on stove top burners with flame on high.

Char the onion and ginger until blackened on all sides.

Place cinnamon, coriander, fennel, star anise, cardamom, and cloves inside cheesecloth and bring up sides with twine and tie the bundle tightly.

Put onions, ginger, herb/spice bundle, water, fish sauce, salt, beef chuck, and bones into a pressure cooker pot.  

Set pressure cooker to low and cook for 90 minutes.

After cook time has ended and pressure has released place a large mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth over a large stockpot.

Pour pho broth and all ingredients into sieve.

Allow broth to drain and remove from pot.  

Check flavor of pho broth, add salt or fish sauce if desired.  Keep broth hot, place on stove top burner set to medium.

Ingredients for Pho Soup:

Pho Broth

1 bunch of Mint

1 bunch of Thai Basil

1 bunch of Cilantro

1 lb Flat Rice Noodles

2 lbs Beef Sirloin Steak

2 cups Bean Sprouts

Rinse mint, basil, and cilantro under cold water and remove leaves.

Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions.

Freeze sirloin steak for 15 minutes.

Thinly slice sirloin steak across the grain.

Keep pho broth hot on stove top.

Place desired amount of steak in bottom of bowl, add noodles, herbs, and sprouts and pour 
hot broth over soup.

The hot broth will cook the sirloin steak to perfection.

Enjoy!

Pho Soup

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients for the Pho Soup Base:

2 Yellow Onions
4" nub of Ginger
5 lbs. Beef Marrow Bones
1 lb. Beef Chuck Top 
6 quarts of Water
1 Cinnamon Stick

1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds

1 tablespoon Fennel Seeds 

5 whole Star Anise

1 Black Cardamom Pod

6 whole Cloves 
1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt 
1/2 cup Fish Sauce

8 x 8 inch square of Cheesecloth

Butchers Twine

Process for Pho Soup Base:
Peel onions and cut in half through the root.

Cut ginger in half lengthwise.

Place ginger and onion halves directly on stove top burners with flame on high.

Char the onion and ginger until blackened on all sides.

Place cinnamon, coriander, fennel, star anise, cardamom, and cloves inside cheesecloth and bring up sides with twine and tie the bundle tightly.

Put onions, ginger, herb/spice bundle, water, fish sauce, salt, beef chuck, and bones into a pressure cooker pot.  

Set pressure cooker to low and cook for 90 minutes.

After cook time has ended and pressure has released place a large mesh sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth over a large stockpot.

Pour pho broth and all ingredients into sieve.

Allow broth to drain and remove from pot.  

Check flavor of pho broth, add salt or fish sauce if desired.

Ingredients for Pho Soup:

Pho Broth

1 bunch of Mint

1 bunch of Thai Basil

1 bunch of Cilantro

1 lb. Flat Rice Noodles

2 lbs Beef Sirloin Steak

2 cups Bean Sprouts

Process for Serving Pho Soup:

Rinse mint, basil, and cilantro under cold water and remove leaves.

Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions.

Freeze sirloin steak for 15 minutes.

Thinly slice sirloin steak across the grain.

Keep pho broth hot on stove top.

Place desired amount of steak in bottom of bowl, add noodles, herbs, and sprouts and pour hot broth over soup.

The hot broth will cook the sirloin steak to perfection.

Enjoy!