hello everyone! it’s been a very long time, hasn’t it? we’ve been busy with school and these days, we do not have the time to experiment with food like we have in the past. these days, we eat and cook what we know and get on with our daily hectic lives! we’ve been eating a lot of our regular staples and one of these dishes includes the ever so delicious and hearty kimchi stew/kimchi jjigae. one of our very first posts on tasty meals was this very dish, but my mom’s version. her version is very sweet due to sugar and much simplified. here, we show you how to make the more common form of kimchi jjigae that you can find served in restaurants. it is not sweet, more porky and sour & spicy. we love this version! we hope you like it too.

what you need:

• 1/2 cup of good fermented kimchi–if the kimchi is not sour, it will not taste good! old fermented kimchi is key for good kimchi stew!
• up to 1/2 cup of pork pieces for stewing
• 1 green chili pepper (korean one or jalapeno)
• 1/4 cup or less of onion
• 1 whole garlic
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of dashi powder
• 1/4 cup kimchi juice
• optional: tofu for stewing (as much as you like)

*a very popular version of kimchi jjigae in korea is tuna kimchi stew. this is very simple to make. about a few minutes prior to serving the stew, add in a strained tuna from can into stew. do not add it any earlier than that as that will cause the tuna to essentially dissolve into tiny pieces!

what to do:

first, chop and slice the onion, pepper and garlic like so.

in a heated pot with little oil, brown the pork pieces

add in the chopped garlic, pepper, and onion to the pot and continue to saute until the onions yellow

add in the kimchi and stir to fully incorporate it to the mix in the pot.

now, if you like your kimchi in your stew to be more firm, you do not have to stir fry any longer. however, if you like your kimchi to be very soft (we do!), you must saute the kimchi continuously until you see the kimchi become semi translucent.

next, add in water to JUST cover the mixture. then add in the kimchi juice and stir well.

bring to boil and add in the dashi and pepper. now simmer for about 15 minutes.

add in the tofu and simmer for another 1-2 minutes.

ENJOY!

It’s been super busy over here in tasty land, but stay tuned because we have cool recipes to share with you all soon! =P

-TH

Shamu doing what Shamu does best!

Trainer doing tricks!

We shared a beef sandwich that was cut from a standing roast.  The beef was surprisingly well flavored and tender.  It was served on a nicely warmed cheese bun with a side of very good potato salad.  We also got a pickle on the side and a drink so the total was somewhere around $18 but it was pretty good food for a theme park.

After Sea World we had dinner at Nobu San Diego!

We both decided to get their special holiday day prix fixe menu for $50 instead of their $90 regular Omakase.

There were two choices per course you could select from and we tried to get the most variety out of the menu but we both wanted the salmon sashimi salad!  The salad had a very good dressing and the salmon was decently fresh.

After the salad, we shared the wagyu beef gyozas and the king crab cakes.  The crab cakes were served on top of a wasabi aioli sauce – super yum!

The beef course came and it was a filet of beef served on a very hot plate much like teppanyaki.  The beef was super tender, not sure if it was quality of beef or a tenderizing agent they used.

This is Nobu’s signature miso black cod.  OMG! This was the best fish we’ve ever had in the most simplistic form.  The fish was perfectly cooked, well seasoned with a hint of miso flavor and finished with some ponzu, teriyaki type sauce.  A must try!

Next came, the chef’s choice sushi selection.  The problem we have with chef’s choice is that they either try to get rid of fish that isn’t selling well / left over, OR trying to introduce new types of sushi to guests.  Either way, the tuna wasn’t that fresh and the sweet shrimp smelled really fishy.  The squid wasn’t that great either…

Next came dessert.  We got the warm chocolate lava cake with green tea ice cream served in a little cute bento box.  This was very rich and tasty!

Finally we got a selection of home made mochi ice cream.  From left to right: pistachio, passion fruit, and raspberry.  Nobu’s homemade version was super tasty and a great way to finish the meal.  Hot green tea was complimentary and paired well with our desserts.  Why get coffee when tea is free =P

Happy Newyear everyone!

-Tasty