Korean Beef with Rice

A just got back from his two-week Asia trip with his friend - finally back from our hiatus! This also meant he was two weeks behind at work since no one took over his projects. Alas, we picked another simple recipe. Simple, but delicious!

Korean Beef over Rice

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef 
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
• salt and pepper
• green onion
• rice

Instructions

1. In large skillet, add garlic and sesame oil.Stir in ground beef, cook until browned.
2. Drain most of the beef fat. 
3. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper and red peppers. 
4. Simmer for a minute. 
5. Serve over rice. 
6. Garnish with green onion. Enjoy!

Source: ElizabethBryant

Chicken & Waffles Recipe

I recently learned that my roommate has a waffle maker - my mind went straight to Chicken and Waffles! My friend M got a deep fryer for K and me during Christmas last year, so it was perfect. However, he forgot to bring it, so alas, I resorted to the good ol' stove top.

Ingredients
For Chicken:

• 2 lbs chicken (I used drumsticks, but thighs work too)
• 3 cups water 
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon 
• 2 tsp seasoned salt 
• 1 tsp herbs (I used oregano, thyme, basil)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup flour 
• Crisco/Vegetable Oil 

For Waffles:

• 1 lb bacon (optional) 
• 1 3/4 cups flour 
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Syrup

Instructions
For Fried Chicken:

1. Combine water and salt. Cover chicken with mixture for 1 hour. 
2. Combine herbs, garlic powder, seasoned salt, chicken bouillon, and pepper. Mix in flour. 
3. Remove chicken from water. Dip chicken into flour mixture and coat well. Let chicken sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Melt Crisco until 1 inch keep in skillet or pan. Heat to 375 degrees. 
5. Fry chicken, turning once every 5 minutes - be sure to cook chicken until done. 
• Alternatively, preheat oven to 375. Fry chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Let rest on paper towel to allow excess oil to drip off. Place chicken into oven to finish cooking. 
• Or you can take the easy route out like we did - after frying, microwave to ensure center is fully cooked. 
6. Rest chicken on paper towel until ready to eat. 

For Waffles:

1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain. Crumble, and set aside. 
2. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking power, and salt. 
3. In a larger bowl, beat egg yolks, milk, and butter. 
4. Stir dry ingredients into large bowl until smooth. 
5. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter. 
6. Add bacon (optional). 
7. Before making each waffle, stir batter. 
8. Follow instructions for waffle maker. 
9. Enjoy! 

Source: CopyKat | Taste of Home

Dan Dan Mien

My friend K told me about this recipe, A and I went right to it for our weekly Wednesday dinner. The recipe was surprisingly easy to follow despite having so many ingredients. A ended buying more meat than suggested in the original recipe, so we basically 1.5-ed the ingredients - portions may be a little off, but it worked. I was hesitant of this meal at first since I can't handle spice that well; fortunately, it wasn't bad at all. If anything, maybe next time, we should add more chili oil.

Note to Future Self: more chili oil, season meat longer, boiled egg

Ingredients

• Sichuan chili oil 
• Dan Dan Sauce
• 0.5 lb ground pork 
• 1.5 tsp soy sauce
• 1.5 tsp sesame oil 
• 6 cloves of garlic 
• 1 tbsp ginger (~1 piece) 
• 4 tbsp douban chili bean paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine 
• 4 cups chicken stock 
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• Asian white noodles (ex. flat udon noodles) 
• sprig of cilantro 

Instructions

1. Bring pot of water to boil to cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain and separate into two bowls. 
2. Meanwhile, mix ground pork with soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside. 
3. Mince garlic and ginger. Combine with douban paste and peanut butter. 
4. In a medium pot, brown the pork in 1 tbsp oil. 
5. Add douban mixture and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
6. Add rice wine. 
7. Add chicken stock. 
8. Bring to simmer. Then add 1.5 tsp sugar to balance out saltiness. 
9. Add white ground pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes. 
10. Serve into bowls. Add sauce.  
11. Add chili on top to taste
12. Add cilantro. Enjoy! 

Source: Lady and Pups 

Mung Bean Dessert Recipe

Mung Bean Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 cup green mung beans
• 1/3 cup small sago (tapioca pearls)
• 8 cups of water
• 1 cup lotus seeds
• rock sugar (to taste)
• 1 can coconut milk 

Instructions

1. Boil a pot of water. Add sago and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the fire, cover the pot with a lid, and let the sago sit for another 10 minutes, or until all the sago is translucent. Run the cooked sago through a fine sieve to move the excess starch. Set aside. 
2. In a large pot, add green beans and water. Bring to a boil. 
3. Add lotus seeds. Reduce heat to simmer, partially covered, for about 50 minutes. Stir the sides and bottoms occasionally. Top off with water if necessary. 
4. Stir in rock sugar until fully dissolved.
5. Add cooked sago to green bean soup. 
6. Stir in coconut milk. 
7. Serve warm or chill. Enjoy! 

Source: NoobCook | Le Petit Oven