Filipino Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons are chewy cookie-llike sweet baked mini desserts that are so jam-packed full of coconut.

That slightly chewiness and "crunchy" texture from the coconut is to-die-for!

Perfect as tiny bites to be served with coffee or milk.

Filipino Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

2 cups Dessicated Coconut

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup All-purpose Flour

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/4 cup Butter, melted

2 large Eggs

3/4 cup Condensed Milk

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, add-in melted butter and sugar, mix well with a fork until creamy.

Crack-in the eggs one at a time while stirring continuously.

Add-in the vanilla, stir well. Then, pour-in the condensed milk, beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Add-in the desiccated coconut one cup at a time. Mix to evenly distribute with the mixture.

Add-in the flour, mix well until thoroughly blended.

Preheat the oven to 205°C.

Prepare your mini muffin tin lined with paper cups; or prepare your macaroon baking molds by slightly greasing with butter.

Scoop a tablespoon of the coconut mixture into each of the paper cups or baking molds.

Bake the coconut mixture in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the macaroons starts to turn slightly golden.

Remove from molds and place in a nice plate. Allow to cool before serving them as a dessert or a snack.

Happy Eating!!

Note:

You can also top your macaroons with raisins or semi-sweet choco chips before baking.

Macaroons are small; if they get burned they’re burnt all over. So you better keep an eye on them while baking.

Macaroons are good for presents too, use colorful paper cups when baking; Transfer them to a fancy box or large cellophane plastic then tie both with nice ribbons and you have the perfect gift.^^

Sweet & Spicy Chicken

Sweet & Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb Chicken Breast Fillets or Thighs, boneless

1 1/2 cup Corn Starch

1 Green Chili, seeded and sliced

1 Red Chili, seeded and sliced

Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

3 tbsp Walnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Deep-frying Oil

Chicken Marinade:

1 tbsp Cooking Wine

1 tbsp dark Soy Sauce

3 cloves Garlic, crushed

1 small Onion, finely chopped

Sauce:

1 tbsp Chili Oil

1/2 tsp Red Chili Paste (Gochujang)

2 tbsp dark Soy Sauce

1 1/2 tsp Pineapple Juice

12 cloves Garlic, washed and peeled

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

Instructions:

Slice the chicken into bite-sized strips, and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade, and mix well.

Add-in the sliced chicken, coating the mixture thoroughly into the meet. Cover and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the marinated chicken with a thin coating of corn starch, covering the meat well and evenly.

In a wok, pour-in the deep-frying oil, filling the wok 1/3 full.

Heat over a high heat to 170°C

Add-in the chicken, and deep-fry for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the chicken, and drain on kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Set aside.

In a large pan, blend-in all the sauce ingredients, adding the whole garlic cloves, and heat over a medium heat.

Once the sauce starts to bubble, add-in the fried chicken, and gently stir to coat the meat to the sauce.

Leave to simmer until the sauce has formed a sticky glaze over the chicken, and add-in the chilies.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with walnuts.

Serve and Enjoy!!

Chinese Beef Broccoli

Chinese Beef Broccoli

Ingredients:

500 g Beef (flank or sirloin), thinly sliced

500 g Broccoli Florets

1 small Carrot, sliced

2 tbsp Peanut Oil

1 large Onion, halved and sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

Beef Marinade:

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine or Dry Sherry

1 tsp Cornstarch

1/2 tbsp ground Black Pepper

Sauce:

2 1/2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Chinese Rice Wine or Dry Sherry

1/2 cup low-sodium Chicken Broth

Instructions:

Marinate the beef.

In a medium bowl, add-in all the marinade ingredients, and stir.

Add-in the beef slices, and stir until well-coated.

Set aside to marinate for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the sauce.

In a small bowl, add-in all the sauce ingredients, and mix well.

In a small pot of boiling, salted water, addd-in the broccoli, and cook for about a minute, or until until tender-crisp.

Drain thoroughly, and wash with cold water. Set aside.

Heat a large wok over high heat. Pour-in the peanut oil and swirl to coat.

add-in the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok in a single layer. Fry for 1 minute.

Flip the beef slices over, and continue cooking.

Add-in the garlic; add-in the carrots, and fry for an additional 1 minute.

Pour-in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil.

Pour-in the cornstarch mixture and continue cooking; stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens for about 30 seconds.

Serve warm with rice if desired. Enjoy!!

Embutido (Filipino-style Meatloaf)

Embutido (Filipino-style Meatloaf)

Ingredients:
600 g ground Pork
6 pcs Vienna Sausage, sliced
2 pcs Hard-boiled Eggs, sliced
2/3 cup Red and Green Bell Pepper, minced
1/2 cup Onion, minced
1/2 cup Carrot, minced
1/4 cup Sweet Pickle Relish
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

1/4 cup Tomato Sauce

2/3 cup Raisins
1 small Egg
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup Bread Crumbs (Panko)

Instructions:
Prepare the steamer. Pour the water in the steamer, and cover with the lid.

In a large bowl, Add-in the ground pork and bread crumbs. Mix well.
Then crack-in the egg. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
Add-in the bell peppers, onion, carrots, pickle relish, cheddar cheese, and raisins. Mix until evenly distributed.
Pour-in the tomato sauce, and season with salt, and pepper. Mix again until well combined.

Spread an aluminum foil on a counter top; then place the meat mixture onto the aluminum foil, and flatten it.
Place the sliced boiled eggs and sliced vienna sausage, alternately on the middle of the flattened meat mixture.
Gently roll the foil, and lock the edges of the foil.

Place in the steamer, and let cook for 1 hour.
Once done, let cool for a while on a tray, then place inside the refrigerator until cold.

When ready to serve, slice diagonally, and place on a serving plate.

Serve and Enjoy!!

Godeungeo Jorim 고등어조림 (Braised Blue Mackerel)

A spicy Korean mackerel dish made with radish, seasonings, and fiery pepper flakes.

Godeungeo Jorim 고등어조림 (Braised Blue Mackerel)

Ingredients:

1 Blue Mackerel, (unsalted) fresh or frozen

400 g Korean Radish or Daikon

1 medium Onion, sliced 1/4" thick

15 cm Leek, sliced diagonally

Hot Chili Peppers, chopped (optional)

1 1/2 cups Anchovy Stock

Sauce:

2 tbsp Red Pepper Paste

1 tbsp Red Pepper Powder

2 tbsp Rice Wine

1 tbsp Soup Soy Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Brown Sugar

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp Ginger Paste

dash of ground Black Pepper

Instructions:

Thaw the mackerel if frozen.

Clean and cut off the fins, tail, and head.

Make a slit from the top to the vent and clean its guts.

Cut the fish across into 2" a piece.

Rinse in cold running water, drain, and set aside.

Prepare the sauce.

In a small bowl, add-in all the ingredients for the sauce.

Mix well to combine, and set aside.

Wash and peel the radish.

Cut into pieces, about 1 1/2" wide, 2" long, and 1/2" thick.

Then place them into a large pot, spreading evenly at the bottom.

Place the mackerel pieces on top of the radish, and pour-in the prepared sauce over the mackerel.

Pour-in the anchovy stock.

Cover the pot with its lid, and bring to a boil over high heat for 15 minutes.

Do not stir! Occasionally scoop some stew broth and pour over the mackerel and radish pieces. Repeat this several times.

Add-in the onions, and continue cooking for about 5-10 minutes, or until the mackerel has completely cooked.

Add-in the green onions, and chili peppers (if you want it very spicy).

Close the lid and lower the heat to a simmer for 5 minutes, or until the radish is cooked thoroughly.

Open the lid, and turn up the heat to boil-off excess broth.

Scoop some stew broth, and pour over the mackerel and radish pieces. Repeat for about 2-3 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and transfer to a serving plate.

Serve hot with rice. Enjoy!!

Korean Soy Sauce 한국 간장

Soy sauce (also called Soya Sauce) is one of the oldest condiments in the world. It is made from a fermented paste of boiled soybeans, wheat mixed with brine, and Aspergillus molds. Soy sauce is a traditional ingredient in East and Southeast Asian cuisines.

Most varieties of soy sauce are salty, earthy, brownish liquids intended to season food while cooking or as a condiment. There are many kinds of soy sauce, and they vary through different methods and durations of fermentation, different ratios of water, salt, and fermented soy, or through the addition of other ingredients.

Here in Korea, you can find different kinds of soy sauce. But there are mainly two major types in the market; and they are categorized by use -- Regular Soy Sauce 진간장 (Jin-Gan-Jang) and Soup Soy Sauce 국간장 (Guk-Gan-Jang).

The Regular Soy Sauce is widely use in Korea; while Soup Soy Sauce is distinctive to Korean cuisine. It is naturally brewed from soy for a very long period of time and is mainly use for soups and side dishes, where salt alone can not give the deep flavor. They are saltier than the regular soy sauce, translucent and lighter in color, thus they don’t affect the overall color of the broth.

Regular Soy Sauce, however, is a blended soy sauce, mixed with naturally brewed and is chemically processed, with a short fermentation period of 3-7 days; It is dark and cloudier in color, less salty, and a little sweet. 

Aside from the two main soy sauces, there’s also Tasty Soy Sauce 맛간장 (Mat-Gan-Jang), Low-Salt Soy Sauce 저염간장 (Jeo-yum-Gan-Jang), Brewed Soy Sauce 양조간장 (Yang-Jo-Gan-Jang), and Braising Soy Sauce 조림간장 (Jo-Rim-Gan-Jang); which are all use in various Korean dishes.

Tasty Soy Sauce, is made by boiling regular soy sauce, with the addition of other flavorful ingredients (garlic, lemon, sugar, rice wine, kelp, or mushrooms).

Low-Salt Soy Sauce, as the name implies, is low in salt. So, it's a healthier option to cut down the sodium.

Brewed Soy Sauce is a good quality soy sauce. It is naturally brewed from soy, about 6-month fermentation process.

Braising Soy Sauce is darker, and is usually use in recipes which calls for braising or simmering vegetables or meats in thick soup or sauces. It is mostly tempered with some water or other liquids, such as anchovy or kelp stock when cooking. Rice wine and vinegar, and red pepper flakes or fermented chilies are usually added with the jorim soy sauce in a recipe, depending on the main ingredient.

Below are some facts about Regular Soy Sauce and Soup Soy Sauce:

(photo grabbed from CrazyKoreanCooking.com)

Personally, I stock our kitchen cupboard up with different kinds of soy sauce because most recipes don’t specify the type of soy sauce to use, and they can vary wildly in flavor, texture, and appearance. But I always have both the regular and soup soy sauce on hand.

Some Koreans mix soy sauce with rice and a bit of butter for a quick breakfast.

If I don't have time to cook, I too, make this sometimes for my husband. But instead of the typical soy sauce-rice-butter recipe, I mix soy sauce with rice and sunny-side-up egg, splash a hint of sesame oil, and sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds. It's really good!^^

Pain Au Lait (Milk Bread)

French milk bread classified under Viennoiseries in France.

They are small, so dense yet fluffy, soft and slightly sweet rolls.

Pain Au Lait (Milk Bread)

Ingredients: 

230 g All-purpose Flour

60 g Bread Flour

125 g Whole milk

1 Egg

4 g Instant yeast

38 g Refined Sugar

5 g Salt

63 g unsalted Butter, softened

Granulated Sugar (to sprinkle top)

1 Egg (for egg wash)

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix-in the milk and yeast together, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the bread flour and sugar, and whisk; Add-in the salt, and whisk again.

Pour-in the milk, and crack-in the egg into the bowl.

Mix everything together; and knead briefly to form a dough.

Then, take the dough out of the bowl and knead again on a clean, floured counter top.

Knead with the heel of your hands to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself until the dough is moistened.

Add the soften butter, give the dough a little turn and repeat.

Keep folding over and compressing the dough.

Knead for about 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is pliable, smooth, and does not stick on your hands.

Place the dough in a slightly greased bowl, and cover the bowl with a cheese cloth  or a plastic wrap.

Leave in a warm place to prove for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 210°C.

When the dough is ready, gently press it down to remove air, and cut the dough into 10 pieces.

Place on a tray, and cover. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle, about 8 cm.

Fold the dough and roll into a small batard.

Place the shaped dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cover the shaped dough; let rise until almost doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

Before baking, brush the dough with egg wash.

Cut the top of the dough with a scissor, and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden.

Serve warm and Enjoy!!

Seafood Chowder

Seafood Chowder

Ingredients:
150 g Shrimps, shelled and deveined
150 g Squid, sliced
250 g Mussels, shelled
150g Alaska Pollack or Salmon fish, cubed
1 large Carrots, cubed
2 medium Potatoes, cubed
1 stalk Celery, sliced
1 tbsp Bacon Oil
20 g Clarified Butter
1/2 cup Cream
half litter of Seafood Stock
2 tbsp All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
1 medium Onion, minced
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Salt and ground Black Pepper

Instructions:
In a pot, heat the bacon oil and butter.
Add-in the onions, and sauté for 1 minute. 
Add-in the flour. Mix until a roux is formed.
Slowly pour-in the seafood stock into the roux and mix well until free of lumps.
Add-in the carrots, potatoes, corn, celery, and nutmeg.
Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add-in the shrimps, squid, and mussels.
Pour-in the cream, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 3 minutes
Add-in the fish, and simmer for 3 more minutes.

Season with salt and ground black pepper.
Serve warm in a bowl and Enjoy!!

Gwangmyeong Market 광명시장

Gwangmyeong Market

Series of stores inside Gwangmyeong Market, selling almost anything...

Gwangmyeong Market is located in Gyeonggi Province in Korea. It is their most famous major traditional market, and contains over 350 stores, selling anything from shoes and clothings, toiletries, and various household items, to fresh seafoods, meats, grains, and other produce and staple crops. Familiar Korean snack stalls are also everywhere. Yes! stores, shops, and food stalls are mixed into together randomly. A bit of a crowded place, but pleasant and convenient place to visit, and see what they are selling... especially food~!!!^^

Grains and other produce~

Well-priced Fresh vegetables... 1,000~2,000원.

purple onions, yellow onions, carrots, potatoes, sesame leaves, garlic stems, leeks, purple radish, etc.

Fresh fruits at a cheaper price... 1,000~3,000원.

A shop selling a wide range of cheap, fresh seafoods and shellfish.

A snack stall of tasty assorted Bindaetteok 빈대떡 (Mung Bean Pancakes)

and assorted PaJeon 파전 (Green Onion Pancakes).

The Bindaetteok 빈대떡 is a bit pricey (3,000~8,000원), and a PaJeon 파전 costs 4,000~7,000원. But they are quite big and really taste great!^^ This Bindeatteok Ajumma has been making and selling these delicious traditional snacks for over 20 years now.^^

Wow!! A bowl of warm Janchi Guksu 잔치국수 (Feast Noodles) for only 1,000원~^^

Jjajangmyun 짜장면 (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce) costs only 2,000원 per serving.

Ready-to-Cook BudaeJjigae 부대찌개 (Army Stew)~^^

This BudaeJjigae Ajussi ran a restaurant for more than 10 years till he decided to sell his delicious army stew recipe in a food cart.

Delicious TteokGalbi 떡갈비... yum!

JokBal 족발 (Pig's Feet) cooked in soy sauce and spices...

A stall of freshly made Buns and Breads 빵.

More display of delicious breads...

Various Banchan 반찬 (Side Dishes)

More display of Banchan 반찬 (Side Dishes)~

An array of various colorful Rice Cakes 떡~

Delicious bite-sized DakGangJung 닭강정 (Fried, Candied Chicken)~ yum!!

Eomuk 어묵 (Fish Cakes)... so cheap and so yummy!

The spicy ones are definitely a must-try~ they're the best!^^

There are tons of stores and mini shops, and Korean food stalls and options inside for a bite to eat. Ultimately, it has something for everybody, and you will realize this when visiting here. A diverse amount of people travel far and wide, to come together here in Gwangmyeong Market. It's all part of its lore. If you go, you are bound to find a treasure or two here.^^

Directions:

Take Seoul Subway Line 7 to Gwangmyeong Sageori Station. Then take a left out of Exit 10, walk straight, and the market entrance will be 50m ahead on your left.

Address:

3-5 Gwangi-ro, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do

Phone Number:

+82-2-2614-0006 / +82-2-2680-6603

http://me2.do/FegHmDkR