MYLIGHT Kitchen

♥ For food lover, by food lover ♥ - Malaysians based in Melbourne - MYLIGHT Kitchen is a platform dedicated to share with all the Korean food lovers, who have passion and interested in trying out some cooking at home to spread out love! Find your simplified yet authentic Korean cooking recipes, information about condiments that are commonly used in Korean cooking and also interesting facts about Korean food in our blog! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[mylight-kitchen]

Spicy Grilled Chicken and Vegetables (Dak Galbi/닭갈비) - Serves 6

Main Ingredients:

4 pieces of chicken thigh fillets, half a quarter of savoy cabbage, 2 medium potatoes, 1 medium carrot, 1 small onion, mozzarella cheese and canola oil

Marinate:

Minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, Korean hot pepper paste and Korean hot pepper flakes.

Steps made Easy:

Cut savoy cabbage and potatoes into matchstick size; cut carrot thinly; and also cut onion into 4 smaller pieces. (The amount of vegetables can be adjusted according to personal favourite.)

Cut chicken thigh fillets into bite size, and marinate it for about 5 – 10 minutes with 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper paste, and 2 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper flakes.

Put 2 tablespoon of canola oil onto a pre-heated pan. Stir fry potatoes for about 1 minutes, then stir fry cabbage, carrot and onion for about 2 minutes.

After that, make a space in the middle of the frying pan and put the marinated meat on the pan.

Stir fry them all together for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables are soften and the meat is cooked.

Cover the pan with a lid and let it boil at medium heat for another 5 minutes.

Then, add a handful of mozzarella cheese on top of them and cover it with a lid for about 2 minutes to let cheese melt.

Serve with white rice while hot.

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

- Where to get Korean groceries? - 

TANG Asian Food Emporium (Great Eastern Food Centre)

Formerly known as Great Eastern Food Centre, TANG Asian Food Emporium is Melbourne’s premier specialist in providing asian food, snacks and beverages. Specialising in regional food from Japan, Korea, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand. There is a decent selection of alcoholic drinks, frozen food, fresh soy milk and mooncakes during Mid-Autumn Festival usually at late September or early October.

Phone:

03 9663 3716

Opening Hours:

Sunday to Saturday 10am-11pm

Location:

185 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000 ; Map

Website

Source: The Urban List

[mylight-kitchen]

- Where to get Korean groceries? -

ACE MART

Located in the heart of Melbourne CBD, Ace Mart often put up discounts and free groceries for people to grab on!

Opening Hours:

Monday to Sunday 11am-10pm

Location:

365 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, 3000, Australia

Links to ACE Mart:

Facebook, Map

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Wrapping Meat in Lettuce?

Ssam, translated to “wrapped” is a traditional Korean dish in which often being eaten with a lettuce leaf. It is usually being wrapped with fillings like rice or a piece of meat like pork. It is usually topped with raw or cooked garlic, onion, green chilli or a banchan (small side dish) such as kimchi. Ssam is often bite-sized to avoid spilling out the fillings.

It was originally eaten in the Goryeo era (approximately 918–1392) by women who had been taken as maids and ladies of the court to Mongol’s Yuan Dynasty. By the end of the Joseon Dynasty in 1897, Ssam was an established favorite to the point that it became the dish of Daeboreum, The Full Moon Festival.

Source: Visit Korea, The Spruce, The Table

[mylight-kitchen]

Why do Koreans eat seaweed soup on birthdays?

When Koreans gave birth, the first thing they would eat is seaweed soup as it portraits a very healthy dish to eat first thing after giving birth. As seaweed contains a big amount of iodine and also iron which is able to help the mother to restore the blood lost during child birth.

In Korean culture based on Confucianism, a birthday is also a reminder of the day a mother gives birth to a life. Thus, in respect of the mother and as a way of saying thank you, a person would eat Korean birthday soup which is the seaweed soup known as Miyeokguk.

Source: Bee Line

[mylight-kitchen]

Army Stew (Budae Jjigae/부대찌개) - Serves 6

Main Ingredients:

Half a quarter of savoy cabbage, 1 medium onion, 1 cup of kimchi, 3 shiitake mushrooms, 1 medium size cleaned octopus, 5 mini Frankfurt, 1 pack of tofu, 2 packets of Korean instant noodles and green chilli.

Paste: 

6 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper paste, 1 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water.

Steps Made Easy:

Soak shiitake mushrooms in cold water at least 1 hour prior to preparation. Later on, thinly slice the shiitake mushrooms and save the mushroom water for the stock base.

Wash and soak octopus with a pinch of salt in cold water.

Cut cabbage, onion and kimchi into bite size pieces.

Thinly slice frankfurts and tofu into 1 inch pieces.

Mix minced garlic, Korean hot pepper paste, Korean hot pepper flakes, soy sauce, sugar and water together to make the seasoning paste.

Place cabbage and onion at the bottom of the pan. Then, follow by shiitake mushrooms, octopus, kimchi, frankfurts and tofu above. Also, add the well-mixed seasoning paste on top.

For the stock, mix the 2 cup of warm water, mushroom water and 1 teaspoon of salt and stir well. After that, pour the stock into the pan to let boil over medium high heat for about 10 minutes.

When it boils, turn and stir the ingredients evenly and put Korean instant noodles onto it and continue to boil for another 3 minutes.

Add thinly sliced green chilli for garnish.

Serve right away when the noodles soften.

Source: My Korean Kitchen

[mylight-kitchen]

Green Chilli Pepper in Everyday Diet

The green chilli pepper, known as cheong gochu (청고추) are eating by many people in the world. Some are spicy some are not. It is eaten in many Korean cuisine. It could be eaten raw just as it is or as garnishes for stews. Studies have found that eating green chillies are good for the body as they are able to boost the immune system, speeds up metabolism and also good for people with type 1 diabetes. 

The chillies are planted in spring and harvested throughout summer. The green chillies will turn red in late summer and it would be made into red pepper flakes and red pepper paste. It is said that Koreans eat most chillies per capita in the world. In Korea, chillies are eaten raw, cooked, as garnish and as seasoning. Koreans eat red chilies to symbolise boys and ward off evil spirits.

Source: Bart J.Meijer 

[mylight-kitchen]

- Where to get Asian ingredients? -

Footscray Market

Footscray Market is a large indoor market with a wide range of fresh produced goods. It is just opposite Footscray Railway Station and with easy access from trams and buses. 

The market is always buzzing with activities and fresh produces ranging from fruits and vegetables to poultry, fish and exotic food such as lotus flowers, pigs’ ears and cassava root.

Opening Hours: 

Tuesday and Wednesday 7am-4pm

Thursday 7am-6pm

Friday 7am-8pm

Saturday 7am-4pm

Tram & Buses to Footscray Market: 

Tram Route 82 or Buses 402, 404, 406, 223 and 216

Location:

Cnr Hopkins Street and Leeds Street,  Footscray 3011 ; Map

Source: Footscray Market , Meld Magazine , Only Melbourne , 

[mylight-kitchen]

Soybean Paste (Deonjang/된장)

Another classic paste to be used in Korean cuisine. It is a classic fermented Korean seasoning that could be used in a variety amount of stews, soups, dishes and dipping sauce. The rich nutty flavour and is full of umami. It is made by grinding the soybeans into paste and then dried and fermented for months before use. Dishes like

Green onion pancake

Soybean paste stew

Grilled beef

Pork bone soup

Source : Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Why is Korean Ramen (Ramyeon/라면) so famous?

In this century, Korea had underwent an enormous cultural disruption that changed its cuisine forever. Although traditional dishes like kimchi and soybean paste soup are still enjoyed by all the Koreans today as they were back in the days, Korean ancestors would struggle to understand the food their great-grandchild is consuming.

This dish is known as ‘ramyeon’ which basically means Korean instant noodles. Ramyeon, noodles in spicy broth is very popular today because, In the 1960s, Koreans were finding themselves to be time poor and money rich so they needed food which is available instantly. It was not something that exist then.

Consisting dry noodles and a pack of spicy seasoning. Some add bean sprouts, egg while others add slices of processed cheese which will melt in the spicy broth.

The popularity of this instant noodle has spread well beyond the world where the brands sell particularly well in Russia and China.

Source: Tim Alpher

[mylight-kitchen]

Benefits of Korean Cooking!

“A well-planned traditional Korean meal includes sweet, sour, bitter, hot and salty tastes.” - Hendley (2010) This is able to represent the 5 elements of yin & yang principle : wood, fire, water, earth and metal.

A professor named Kathryn Sucher from San Jose State University stated that the principles fit neatly together with the western saying of ‘get variety and moderation in our eating’. This could be a reason why obesity is low in South Korea where 1/3 of adults are overweight compared to 68% of the Americans.

In Korean cuisines, small side dishes known as ‘Banchan’ will be served with the main dishes. Banchan could include seasoned bean sprouts, stir fried zucchini, seasoned spinach, spicy cucumber salad, kimchi and steamed broccoli. 

Not only that, a way to help Koreans slim and healthy includes a tradition of drinking soup in every meal where it means filling up low-calorie but satisfying food. Kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish is also served at every meal. Which shows that vegetables are included in every meal where it provides fiber and lowers cancer risk. However, too much consumption of kimchi will lead to increased of stomach cancer due to the sodium it contains.

Source: Joyce Hendley

[mylight-kitchen]

Hot Pepper Flakes (Gochugaru/고추가루)

An essential condiment that should be used in Korean cuisines. The spice level of this flakes range from mild to hot. This vibrant red spice is made from sun dried red pepper. It adds a fiery punch into Korea dishes. Also, it could be used as ingredients to make kimchi, dipping sauce, dressings and marinades for meat. Some recipes include:

Army stew

Spicy cold noodles

Fish cake soups

Spicy rice cake

Kimchi stew

Spicy tofu stew

Dumplings

Steamed egg

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Kimchi Stew (Kimchi Jjigae/김치찌개) - Serves 4

Main Ingredients: 

1 cup of kimchi, 1 tablespoon of Korean hot pepper paste, 1 medium potato, 1 medium onion, half a packet of enoki mushroom, 1 packet of silken tofu and 1 green chilli.

Steps Made Easy:

Heat up a pot and put a teaspoon of sesame oil, then stir fry the chopped kimchi for about 3 minutes until the kimchi juice dries up.

Add 3 cups of water into the pot and wait till it boils.

When it boils, add 1 tablespoon of hot pepper paste and continue to let boil for about 15 minutes.

Cut potato and onion into bite size pieces and add them into the pot and continue to boil for another 15 minutes.

Then, add the enoki mushrooms and let it continue to boil for around 10 minutes.

After that, add the silken tofu and sliced green chilli right before serving.

Best serve immediately while hot with white rice.

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Black Bean Noodles (Jjajangmyeon/짜장면)

Main Ingredients:

2 pieces of chicken breasts, 1 medium potato, 1 medium carrot, 1 medium zucchini, 1 small onion, 250g of spaghetti and instant black bean powder.

Steps made Easy:

Cut chicken breasts, potato, carrot, zucchini and onion into cube bite sizes.

Stir fry chicken breasts, potato and carrot with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil for 3 minutes.

Add 5 cups of water into the pot and let to boil.

Slowly add the instant black bean powder into the boiling pot while stirring.

Later on, add zucchini and onion into it and continue to cook for about 7 minutes.

Boil the spaghetti until it soften.

Serve the spaghetti with the black bean sauce while hot.

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Grilled Pork Belly (Samgyeopsal/삼겹살구이) - Serves 2

Main Ingredients:

500g of pork belly, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Seasonings: Salt

Steps Made Easy:

Sprinkle salt onto the pork belly for about 10 minutes for flavoring.

Pre-heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and put sesame oil in it.

Place the pork belly on the pan to grill.

After about 3 minutes, flip over the meat to cook the other side.

Keep cooking and flip on each side until the meat turns golden brownish.

OPTIONAL: Add on onion and enoki mushroom to grill to enjoy with the crispy grilled pork belly!

Source: Maangchi

[mylight-kitchen]

Kimchi Food Fact!

Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine. 

Traditionally kimchi is fermented underground in earthen pots during winter for 3 moths to a year before consumption.

Kimchi could last for 3 years if stored properly.

An average of Korean consume about 18kg of kimchi a year

[mylight-kitchen]

Soy Sauce (Ganjang/간장)

Soy sauce is one of the most important condiments that is needed in all Asian cuisines. However, they are plenty of variety of soy sauce in the Asian cooking world. Korean soy sauce has a slight sweeter taste compared to Japanese and Chinese soy sauce. It is made from soybeans like soybean paste but processed in a different method which results it having a much darker and mild taste. It is best suited using as dipping sauce or a flavouring agent. It doesn’t change the color of soup like dark soy sauce. Some of the dishes could be made with soy sauce are:

Bibimbap

Naengmyeon

Army Stew

Korean Fried Chicken

Bulgogi

Gimbap

Mandu (Dumplings)

Steamed egg

Source: Maangchi