Sides

Every once in a while I have these phases, where I get this incredible urge to cook a certain style of cuisine or type of food. I just had my Korean phase where I've made Korean dishes for the past week or so. How and why did I enter this phase? Well, Na Sang Shil can tell you.

An integral part of a Korean meal are little side dishes that function to refresh the palate. These are some sides that I've made in the past, mostly Asian inspired. I didn't bother to list measurements but the ingredients and method is written down. It's a good source for ideas nonetheless.

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Kimchi - salt nappa cabbage and let sit for 2 hours. wash with cold water and drain thoroughly. make sweet rice paste by boiling water, glutinous rice flour and sugar until thickened. mince garlic, onions and a little ginger. chop green onions and daikon radish. in a bowl, combine sweet rice paste, garlic, onions, green onions, ginger and daikon. add fish sauce to taste. add korean red pepper powder. mix well. rub the nappa cabbage with paste mixture then store in a glass container in refrigerator to ferment however long you want it to ferment.


Korean spinach - boil spinach in salted water for about 30 seconds. drain, squeeze out water, and chop once or twice only. mince garlic and blanch for about 15 seconds. drain, add to spinach. dress with sesame oil and a little sugar.


Korean bean sprouts - boil bean sprouts in salted water for about 1 minute. drain well. mince garlic and blanch for about 15 seconds. drain, add to spinach. dress with sesame oil and a little sugar. sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.


Korean radish - cut radish into long strips or strands. salt and let stand for at least 5 minutes (or longer to get excess liquid out). wash with cold water to remove excess salt. drain and squeeze. add red pepper powder, some rice vinegar and sugar. mix well.


Korean Dried Anchovies - deep fry dried anchovies until crispy. set aside. in a saucepan, combine soy sauce, sugar, mirin, korean corn syrup, and a little kochujang (red pepper paste). boil until you get a syrupy consistency. cool to room temp and dress anchovies with this mixture. sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.


Radish and Cucumber - boil a 2:1 ratio of vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. let cool. cut radish and cucumber into strips, matchsticks, or into thin half-moons. dress lightly with sugar-vinegar mixture.


Basic japanese style salad - in a bowl, grate carrots, apple, onion, and a little ginger. add some miso, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. set aside as a dressing. rough chop some lettuce and thinly chop some daikon radish. Mix together and dress with the dressing.


Mayonnaise-miso japanese style salad - in a bowl, mix together some mayonnaise, miso, sugar, and a small squeeze of lemon. thinly chop some apple and rough chop some lettuce. dress with mayo-miso dressing.


Soy simmered potatoes, eggplant and zucchini - Dice some potato, eggplant and zuchinni. In a saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Simmer potato, eggplant , and zuchinni until cooked. Remove from saucepan and serve at room temperature.


Carrots and mayo - slice carrot into long thin strands or strips. blanch in salted water until slightly cooked. drain and let cool. add mayonnaise.


Atchara - in a saucepan, combine native vinegar and sugar in a 2:1 ratio and add salt. grate green papaya and carrots into semi long strips. mince some red pepper and add to green papaya and carrots. boil sugar and vinegar mixture until sugar is dissolved. add to green papaya, carrots and red pepper.


Battered fried spinach - in a bowl, combine some salt and rice flour (or cake flour and baking soda). add very cold water and mix well until you get a slightly thin batter. dip spinach leaves individually in batter and deep fry in oil.


Korean pancake - in a bowl, combine egg (optional), flour, salt, water and a few drops of sesame seed oil and mix well into a batter. slice green onion, onion, and carrots into thin strips. slice some shrimp. add to batter then pan fry until both sides are golden and crispy. can also add kimchi into batter if desired.


Spicy enoki mushrooms - in a pan, heat up some oil. mince some green onions. pan fry enoki mushrooms and green onions. add a splash of soy sauce. add sugar and red pepper powder.


Vietnamese style radish and carrots - cut daikon radish and carrots into 2 inch, 1/4 inch thick matchsticks. salt daikon and let stand for at least 20 minutes. blanch carrots until slightly cooked then cool. in a sauce pan, boil some vinegar and sugar in a 2:1 ratio. add a pinch of salt then let cool. drain radish, rince with cold water then pat dry. combine carrots and radish and dress lightly with vinegar mixture.


Bagoong and zucchini - chop zuchinni into half moon slices about 1/4 inch thick. in a pan, heat some oil and saute some bagooing. add zuchinni and continue to saute until zuchinni softens. add a squeeze of lemon or calamansi if desired.


Vietnamese style cabbage and chicken salad - chop finely some skinless cooked chicken. in a bowl, combine minced garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and a little chicken stock. finely chop some cabbage and blanch until slightly cooked. cool. finely slice some onions and place in a bowl. add rice vinegar and salt and let stand for at least 20 minutes. drain. mince some green onion. combine cabbage, chicken, onions and green onions. dress generously with lime juice mixture. sprinkle with ground peanuts.