Post image for Korean Stew Budae Jjigae

Korean Stew Budae Jjigae

by Ling on March 6, 2010

budae jjigae

I don’t remember when this obsession with korean food began. I certainly never had it until I came to NYU, and even then I lived off my meal plan freshman year and ramen/spaghetti my sophomore year.  Somehow kimchi and bulgogi and I just clicked instantly though when we met, and the rest is history…

ingredients for stew

Budae Jjigae (“army stew”) is one of my favorite korean dishes ever, perfect on a cold winter’s day. Of course, the first time I made it happened to be on a hot summer’s evening, so the stew left my two friends and I dripping with beads of sweat as we ate the piping hot stew.  It is extremely easy to make and often leaves you with leftovers for the next day. It gets quite spicy though with the chili paste, so I highly recommend eating the stew over rice to neutralize some of the spiciness.

budae jjigae

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk Green onions (scallion)
2 packages Enoki mushrooms
2 packages ramen (I used Shin Ramyun)
1 can vienna sausage
1 can spam (lite)
1 package soft silken tofu
2 eggs
Half jar Kimchi
10-15 pieces Dduk (korean rice cakes)
Gochujang (red chili paste)

SPAM? VIENNA SAUSAGES? That might sound weird in korean food, but actually this stew was popular after the Korean War when meat was scarce in Seoul and people used surplus foods from the U.S. Army bases. Hence the canned meats.

chili paste

I would actually substitute hot dogs for the vienna sausages in the future. We used vienna sausages the first time but they were a little too soft for my taste. No springiness when you bite down =(. The amount of ingredients listed is just a guideline. The beauty of this dish is that you can always adjust according to personal preference and it will still be delicious.

I’ve also made another variation of this where I added in squid, shrimp, and mussels. YUM seafood!

[read more…]

{ 4 comments }

Post image for MEGU Midtown Restaurant Week

MEGU Midtown Restaurant Week

by Ling on March 2, 2010

I lay on my bed staring at my computer at 1:30AM, not tired enough to fall asleep but already anticipating my regret when I wake up at 7AM for work. Memories flood my mind of some of the best meals eaten during Restaurant Week Summer 2009. There are many catch up entries to write, so bear with me as I take a little journey back in time. =)

Taking the day off from work for MEGU Midtown Restaurant Week lunch (eh heh..), I took my friend Guss along to the far east side for a $24.07 lunch at MEGU. While the MEGU we dined at lacked the cool Buddha ice sculpture at the Tribeca location, the delicious food and attentive (but not overbearing) service were sufficient enough to make this a very excellent lunch.

Guss was very patient as I took countless pictures of the food. Of course, I always take pictures of the dining companion’s food first so he/she doesn’t have to wait TOO long. We both ordered the Caesar Salad with Yuzu dressing to start. What else can I say – fresh crispy mixed greens and romaine leaves topped with julienned carrots, croutons, parmesan cheese, and MEGU’s yuzu dressing. A light start to the meal.

caesar salad with yuzu dressing

Meat eater and eternal spurner of seafood, Guss ordered the Kobe Washugyu Beef burger. The bun does look quite large in the picture compared to the rest of the burger, but the meat was absolutely delicious, the natural meatiness blending well with the special sauce on top. The sauce really does make or break the burger, especially when you’re paying more money for a premium version. Oh I think thee, young massaged cows that have provided us with this kobe beef.

Kobe Washugyu Beef burger

I opted for the bento box, and to my pleasant surprise and delight, my meal did not come out in the standard rectangular compartment box. The food came out on a long crystal plate, and the waiter did not lie – it was a true sample of the restaurant’s more popular dishes.

bento box

My favorite had to be the Grilled Silver Cod Saikyo Miso with Parsley Sauce. LOVE fish, and so tasty! The bento box also featured Premium Kobe Washugyu Beef Steak, Chef’s Choice Half Roll, Crispy Asparagus, and Kobe Beef Croquette. The arrangement greatly increased the appeal of the food.

Grilled Silver Cod Saikyo Miso with Parsley Sauce

Premium Kobe Washugyu Beef Steak

[read more…]

{ 1 comment }

Words of Wisdom: Backup!

by Ling on March 1, 2010

Something valuable learned in the past few days, a lesson I have repeated to myself time and again but never seem to heed until it’s too late – BACK UP YOUR FILES (or be better at self trouble shooting one’s blogging code). Wordpress’s infamously short upgrade step did not work, and working backwards didn’t help me connect back to my mySQL database. =( I finally finished re-posting old entries from the past year archived at “My Fork and I”.

I guess it gave me an excuse to touch up on all the old images..anything for the love of food, right? Ling Li is officially out of hibernation and ready to unveil her new blog with a renewed drive for documenting her food experiences. Pictures are many, words are fewer. But Ling Li’s appetite is limitless. =D

{ 1 comment }

Post image for Harvest Veggie Pasta Recipe

Harvest Veggie Pasta Recipe

by Ling on October 26, 2009

Hello world! While real life took a huge toll on me the past three months and led to my brief disappearance, I have never forgotten to continue to eat well and take pictures as I do. While there are many restaurants to discuss with yummy photos to accompany the reviews, I just had to share this delicious pasta dish with everybody. A good friend from home came over to cook dinner Friday night, and voila! Harvest Veggie Pasta! It is a perfect dish for Autumn, incorporating some key Fall veggies like yellow squash and zucchini.

harvest veggie pasta

Serving size: 2

Ingredients:
1/2 pkg rotini, cooked al dente, keep warm
1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 yellow squash, trimmed, diced
2 zucchini, trimmed, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp butter
oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock

Instructions:
1) Add 1/2 Tbsp oil to pan on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add yellow squash and zucchini; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 min. Remove from pan.

2) Add remaining Tbsp oil to pan; reduce heat to LOW. Add onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 min, until soft but not browned.

3) Add tomatoes; cook on MEDIUM-LOW, stirring 5 min, until soft. Add butter and squash mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, 1 min to melt butter; add oregano and stock. Cook on MEDIUM-HIGH, stirring, 2 min to heat through; season to taste with salt.

4) Toss warm pasta with sauce.

The recipe is based upon the original one posted by Wegmans, with a few adjustments.

{ 1 comment }

Molten Lava Cake Recipe

July 5, 2009
Thumbnail image for Molten Lava Cake Recipe

This is a simple but delicious recipe for molten lava cake! Such an elegant gourmet dessert with the perfect combination of hot chocolate fudge and cold vanilla ice cream. The cakes are yummy eaten both freshly carved and filled with hot fudge or reheated in the microwave the next day.

Ingredients:
Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake [...]

Read the full article →

Om Nom #4 – Italy (Basta Pasta)

May 28, 2009
Thumbnail image for Om Nom #4 – Italy (Basta Pasta)

The anal, perfectionist side of me finally caught up. With the (little?) spare time I’ve acquired recently after the end of school, I decided to embark on a project – a quest to manually readjust the levels of all the food photographs currently in the gallery. (Eh heh..) While time consuming, I find it so [...]

Read the full article →

Ramen Setagaya

May 23, 2009
Thumbnail image for Ramen Setagaya

Ramen here, ramen there, ramen shops everywhere. I’ll truly miss all the amazing ethnic cuisines available within walking distance when I move out of the East Village come July 31. Ramen Setagaya was actually my first experience in a ramen shop, introducing me to the world of non-fried, non-instant ramen I had known my entire life. I [...]

Read the full article →

Graduation: Le Cirque

May 21, 2009
Thumbnail image for Graduation: Le Cirque

College graduation. One of the pinnacle moments of one’s life that calls for celebration. I consider my dinner at Le Cirque last week to be one of the last hurrahs I could push off financially onto my parents. Proof? I’m writing this as I nibble on a large side of 85 cent rice cooked with spinach [...]

Read the full article →

NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi

April 7, 2009
Thumbnail image for NY Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi

Hello world! I returned from spring break in Dominican Republic about two weeks ago, and I finally found time to start writing again. While it was nice to be back in the city, I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed the cold weather and homework assignments waiting for me upon my return. [...]

Read the full article →

Roasted Asparagus

March 10, 2009
Thumbnail image for Roasted Asparagus

I love going through the weekly circulars at Associated Supermarket and seeing what fresh produce is on sale every Friday. I found asparagus for $1.99/lb last week, and I decided to experiment! All I knew about the vegetable was that it made your pee smell (random fact) and my parents occasionally stir-fried it at home. This [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries