Box o' Kimchi

Tonight I've decided it's time to make more kimchi. In that regard, it's also time to get rid of the last of the last batch. So, bento to the rescue!

Nothing fancy as far as presentation goes, just my favorite rabbit box with kimchi bokkeumbap, kimchi mandu, a few small slices of cucumber, kimchi over white rice, and a small thing of soy sauce to splash over the mandu(when something includes kimchi I tend to use the Korean name for it, just wouldn't feel right not to).

All really quick and tasty. For kimchi bokkeumbap, aka kimchi fried rice, just take a large frying pan/wok, sprinkle some vegetable oil in and set on medium-high heat. While it gets up in temperature, mince one or two cloves of garlic and add it to the oil. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add about a cup of kimchi and, optional, some chopped scallions and matchstick carrots/daikon.

Cook the kimchi for a few minutes, less than ten, more than two, then add in one to two cups of cooked white rice. Fry them together, using a spatula to fold the kimchi into the rice, until the rice starts to brown. Serve as is, tasty.

Kimchi mandu is, basically, mandu made with finely chopped kimchi as the filling.

As for how to make kimchi itself? I might take some pictures tonight to share, though I'm not sure I'm ready to post a how-to. I've made it many times though change it a little each time, trying to make it my kimchi. Though I do feel I should note that, as far as this blog goes, unless I say otherwise, it should be assumed that when I refer to kimchi I'm talking about napa cabbage kimchi.

Prepara Power Plant Mini - GO!

Okay, so this is only kinda related to food/tea, but my blog, my rules. Got these for sale from my work for roughly ~$8 a piece(ngl, never would have given them a shot at regular price: ~$30-40). Today I loaded them up for the first time, hope this goes well.

One on the left contains catnip, the one on the right is basil. Arbitrary choices.

Hope the sound of them being 'on' doesn't get on my nerves. Reminds me of the sound of my mother's indoor fountain thing. Might move them to the guest/storage room later.

Tea with Wonder Woman

Sometimes fancy cups are overrated.

Jiao zi(餃子)

...or mandu or potstickers or gyoza or momo-cha or dumplings or whatever you want to call them.

Yes, they'll look different depending on how you close the top and the whether your wrappers are circles or squares, but ultimately the process is pretty much the same.

For the filling, finely chop and/or grate whatever veggies interest you. Here I used grated carrot/daikon/potato with finely chopped garlic/mushroom/broccoli. Kinda westerny, I think, for today. Peas, ginger, bok choy, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, scallions, and just about anything else you're willing to chop very small all make great additions to the filling. Again, this is very much a personal-taste thing.

Once you're done fussing over that, mix it all together in a bowl and get yourself settled in. Making jiaozi takes a bit of time(it's generally ideal to make as many as manageable at once and freeze whatever you don't eat for later due to how time consuming the process is).

Typically my set-up[first picture up there] includes: A cutting board or other flat/moveable surface to place the ready ones on. A plate over which to fold them(the plate keeping the table clean and providing something to put them on when ready to eat ;p). A cup of water. A stack of pre-made wrappers(can be found in most any Asian food market and even some Western stores. Be sure to skim ingredients in case of eggs! You can also make these yourself, might get into that with a future post). Bowl of filling w/ spoon or chopsticks. Tea(for drinking). Laptop(for watching Korean dramas while making- optional). ;p

Once settled in, it's time to start! (1) Free one wrapper from the rest. While holding it in your hand, use a spoon/chopsticks/your free hand? to place a bit of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Try to clump it together. (2) Dip a finger from your free hand into the water and wet the edges of the wrapper in a circle around the filling. Carefully, so nothing sticks out, fold the wrapper in half around the filling and press the edges together. This part varies a little from type-to-type so feel free to close it however you like so long as it gets closed! (3) Ta-dah! You've completed one. Only ~49 more to go!

After running out of wrappers, filling, or space(whichever comes first), separate those you don't plan to cook now from the rest onto a cookie sheet. Freeze them on the sheet them dump them into a container or zip-lock bag for later use. Then clean up and move to the stove top. This will explain boiling/frying them, though you can also steam them in a steamer if that's more to your liking.

For boiling though, (1), take a medium-sized pot and fill it with water, place it over medium-high heat until boiling. Going 3-4 at a time, boil your dumplings(it might be a good idea to re-wetten and re-pinch the edges before dropping them in unless you like empty boiled wrappers and veggie-filled water. ;p

Using a strainer or large spoon with holes, fish out the jiao zi once the sides start to become a little more transparent. After you've repeated this process with all the dumplings you can either begin to chow down or move onto the next step, (2) frying(some fry without boiling first, though this was just how I was taught and how I do it. I also normally have some of both so this just works for me).

Setting the frying pan/wok on roughly the same heat used for boiling, lightly coat the bottom in vegetable(or canola or garlic- if you know where to buy garlic oil in the States I will love you forever for telling me!) oil and fry 'em up! Be sure to flip them, with chopsticks or a spatula, (3) then serve them with some dipping sauce or as a side for a meal once lightly brown on both sides!

Also, don't worry if you end up with filling leftover, just toss it in the pan with some leftover white rice from another day/meal and it makes for some really tasty fried rice!

~New Pot~

My new baby, roughly 150ml. It was a gift and I love it, and yes I included a quarter for size-reference though it's kinda falling down into the slot there. First session with it, along with tasting notes for a 1990s Malaysian-stored pu'erh brick(from TeaChat's OTTI 9), coming up soon!

Of Zebra Sencha and Pittsburgh tea

For roughly a week at the very tail end of December, I visited some family in Pennsylvania. While I brought tea with me, I was eager to see what Pittsburgh had to offer.

In all I visited four shops and walked away with 6 oz. of tea.

The first two shops I visited were on a whim, we were in the area, though proved disappointing. The first, who's name escapes me, I figured would be a bust, clearly very much a coffee shop.

The second, Prestogeorge Coffee & Tea, had a large selection though taking in that the place still smelled strongly of coffee(which could possibly be absorbed by the tea) and the tea was all stored in very large glass jars(large = air and glass = light, two things you don't want to overly expose the leaf to), I decided to pass.

The latter two shops were purposely driven to, even if still an 'in the area' way as my little sister was getting her first tattoo done down the street.

First up was Te' Cafe. Mixed feelings, the staff was friendly, the tea seemed stored well, and they had a small selection of teaware but it just wasn't my cup of tea, so to speak. I imagine that someone who grinds their own coffee/largely brews at home/would have felt at home in those first two shops might feel the same way walking into a Starbucks as I did at Te' Cafe.

Despite this, I bought 2 oz. of their gyokuro and a 'pot' of their dong ding to go(they serve hot tea by the pot, a pot being roughly the amount of a large coffee complete with disposable cup). I probably would have skipped the latter, but my aunt who was with me is a coupon junkie and had one for 'buy one, get one' on a pot of tea from there so she got a flavored type(peach?) and I got the dong ding.

For a tea junkie, I'd say skip the pot and stick to their loose leaf. The gyokuro was pretty good. I'm no expert, but it was very green and fabulous. The dong ding? They brewed it exactly the same as the type they were serving my aunt and it tasted as much(re: really oversteeped). I mean, I can't really complain about a free cup of tea, but I couldn't see myself buying it.

Gyokuro secured and cup o' dong ding in hand, I then headed to the final shop of my trip, Margaret's Fine Imports. This was a tea shop caught between all manner of brew. There were many English-style pots, but I spied a yixing as well. Tea canisters, strainers, cups in all shapes and sizes, not a single gaiwan though plenty of selection nonetheless.

As for the tea? Unfortunately stored in jars that customers are free to open and sniff, if you manage to find something, you might want to ask to have your tea taken from the bags behind the jar instead of the jar. Unlike Te' Cafe, more information on the teas is provided. After a moment of looking things over, I settled on some Guangzhou Milk Oolong(careful with this, chances are very slim that it's been made with milk, China not being known for its dairy industry, milk is expensive there, though fake milk oolong does stand a higher chance of some manner of tampering) and the Zebra Sencha.

Both picks based on curiosity. While I'd read up on it, I had yet to try milk oolong, and something from Guangzhou made it all the more sweet. For the sencha, I'd heard of Japanese-style teas being grow/processed out of Africa, but had yet to give it a shot. In the end, the milk oolong was alright, likely wouldn't buy again, but the Zebra Sencha was a bit of a surprise. Light, roasted, has this hint of grassiness to it that makes for a decent cup when reaching for something cheap. I'd recommend it at least once.

So, there we go. Four shops, 6 oz. and a pot to-go.

Anyone know any other places for my next trip?

Kimchi Jeon(김치전)

Apparently I am pretty bad at the 'everyday' thing. But, I do promise to post often enough(so vague, yes?).

That aside, a brief snack post.

Take 1 c. all-purpose flour, 1/3 c. rice flour(optional), 1 c. water, a dash of garlic powder, an even tinier dash of salt, and roughly 1/2 c. of chopped kimchi(and any other veggie that might appeal) and mix them all together in a bowl.

From there put a large frying pan on the stove at medium heat and either spray some cooking oil over it or coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil.

Once hot enough that a small drop of the batter sizzles on it, pour about a third of the batter onto the pan and use a fork or spoon to spread it out thin(though not enough for holes!). Resist the urge to flip it until at least half of the side you see is no longer very batter-like(partially cooked).

Flip and press, flip and press, and once it starts to look a bit brown on both sides, move it to a plate, cut it up into bite-sized pieces, repeat the same with the rest of the batter, and serve with your dipping sauce of choice(ex. pictured: minced garlic with Korean soy sauce)!

Quite tasty and spicy, though not for those who don't already have a fondness for kimchi. ;p