It's Kimchi Making Season !!

If you are a fan of Korea , you already know that
" a Korean man can live without a wife but can never live without his Kimchi " (an old Korean proverb ). Kimchi might be too spicy for you but it is very healthy and beneficial for your body.
In the past , it was hard to get vegetables during winter season , that is why Koreans used to make Kimchi and save it for cold winter days.
There are many types of Kimchi but their main ingredients are radish, green cabbage, green onion , cucumbers and garlic in addition to korean seasoning such as red pepper paste , ginger and salt . What makes Kimchi so great is the use of korean ingredients to give it a special and unique taste.
Kimchi is not only a healthy mix of vegetables, you can aso add the famous Korean fish sauce to provide you with needed proteins which makes it an ideal meal not just a side dish.
Making Kimchi is a great event in Korea , all family members get together to help their moms and if you are a foreigner living in Korea you can always enjoy some fun events where you can experience Kimchi making processes along with other foreigners with the assistance of some nice Korean Ajumas.
So remember that it is getting cold , so keep warm and don't forget to eat your kimchi ;)

Cute coffee shops in korea

One of the greatest things about Koreans is that they can make something cute out of everything and anything. Even it is a very simple basic item, Koreans would wrapped in a fancy yet cute style and make it so adorable and believe me you will waste all your money in Korea if you stop and buy everything that seems cute for you :D hhh ( PS: I'm guilty of doing that as well ).
Not only accessories, phone and key chains, blankets, socks and pretty much everything else is so cute in Korea, places such as coffee shops are also turned to an adorable cozy place that you can never resist.
I wouldn't be able to count how many times I was tempted to drink coffee just because is too cute to be missed haha. One more great thing about Korean coffee shops is that they offer some snacks and great homemade sweets in case you were hungry. And  of course I don't need to mention the free high speed wireless  internet , hehe Come On it is Korea !! hh
So if you want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while finishing your homework in a cozy cute place, take the first plane to Korea :P hh

Here are some pictures of a Hello Kitty Coffee shop in Seoul   but believe me, it is not the cutest out there :)
Enjoy and please let me know what do you think about it in the comment box below ;)

aaawww !! ^_____^

wanna try them all !! yummyy

!!!! hhhhhhh

claim:picture from seoulstyle

How to cook daktoritang !!!

So I talked before about Daktoritang (닭도리탕) and how it is one of my favorite Korean food ever !!
If you are living in Korea then you don't have to worry about cooking by yourself unless you really enjoy it, In Korea restaurants that deliver goodness to your home are everywhere , you can order a  huge bowl  for 2 to 3 people of this chicken stew for like 14,000 Won.
But in case you are not in Korea and you would love to enjoy some Korean delicious meals , I thought you would like to know how to cook Daktoritang !!  It is extremely easy to make !!


To make this dish for 4 people you will need : 
    2 table spoons of hot pepper paste ( you can make it less or more depending on your taste )
    2 table spoons of minced garlic 
    2 table spoons of soy sauce 
    1 table spoon of ginger 
    2 table spoons of red pepper flakes 
    2 cups of water
    8 chicken pieces ( or as much as you want to eat :) ) 
    4 potatoes 
    2 onions ( 1 of them is preferably green onion )
    2 carrots 
    salt 


Let's start !!


1)  peal the potatoes , cut each into 4 pieces , shop up an onion and the 2 carrots and throw them all into the pot 
2) Add all the ingredients ( except 1 green onion and salt ) to the pot and mix it well 
3) cover and cook the mix for 30-40 minutes over medium heat
4) add salt depending on your taste and stir it occasionally
5) reduce to low heat and add the last onion cut in circles
6)  when It is done , serve it hot with rice !!


It should look something like this :

I hope you enjoy everybody !!
  

Top 10 Cheap and Tasty Korean Food !!

I truly believe that Korean food is very healthy ; I can see that from the general health condition of Korean Ajumas and Ajuchis (old women and men). They remain very healthy and strong even in their 70s. Don't be surprised if you see a Korean old men pushing a very heavy cart. I think that a lifetime of healthy diet is the reason behind this amazing healthy status of Koreans. That is one more reason that makes me love Korean food !!
So moving on to the list of my favorite Korean meals and snacks that are very cheap:

10) Teokbokki 

It is a very popular Korean snack; you can buy it from street vendors or Pojanmacha . A full bowl of Tteokbokki will cost you only arround 3,000 Won\.
The basic ingredients for this dish are Korean rice cake, fish cake, spring onion, eggs, carrots and spices.






9) kimbap 

It looks similar to sushi rolls, you can get it at a kimbap store; there is one nearly in every street corner in Korea.
It is very cheap : starting from 1,500 Won \.
It is basically rice and different other ingredients(eggs, carrots, Tuna, meat, cucumber) rolled in Kim which are sheets of dried laver seaweed)
There are a lot of types of Kimbap , my favorite one is Tuna Kimbap or 참치 김밥 (chamchi kimbap).






8) Galbi Tan 갈비 탕 

It is basically a short rib soup with some vegetables. It is served with rice and Kimchi and costs around 4,500 Won\. It is very good and healthy especially during winter time.

7) Bibimbab 비빔밥

It is one of the popular Korean traditional dishes. It is basically mixed rice dish that is served as a bowl of rice topped with seasoned vegetables along with paste of chilli and pepper, a fried egg and tuna or sliced meat.

You need to stir all the ingredients together to enjoy it. I love this colorful dish and it was actually one of the first dishes that I tried in Korea. It costs 3,500 Won \ and youcan get it everywhere in kimbap chungguk .

6) Cheese rameon 치즈 라면

It is just Rameon with a small amount of sliced vegetables such as onions and carrots topped with a slice of cheese.It is a fast meal that costs you only 2,500 Won \ 

5) Jajangmyeon  짜장면 

It is thick noodles made from white wheat flour toped with a thick sauce that is made with black bean paste, called chunjang. It costs only 2,500 Won \

and you can get it from any local kimbap Nara.

3) Omelet rice  오므라이스

 it is basically fried rice with carrots, onions, ham or shrimp wrapped in an omelet  and topped with ketchup. It is very tasty and costs 4,000 Won \. 

2) cheese rabboki 치즈 라볶이

It is basically a mix of noodles,  Tteokbokki , some onion slices  and eggs, all topped with slices of cheese to make it all a perfect meal !! I love this cheese rabboki and I can never get enough of it !! And the best part is you only need to pay 4,500 Won \ to enjoy it !!

1) saewoo bokkumbap 철판 새우 볶음밥

My all time favorite Korean food. It is simply fried rice with shrimp and diced veggies along with some peas. You can get it for 4,500 Won \ . I'm sure you will like it !!

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite tasty, fast, cheap Korean food; Have you tried any of these dishes? What are your favorites ? 

Happy New Year !!

Seolnal or the Korean New Year is a major holiday in Korea. It is basically the Chinese lunar new year. Korean get excited for this 3 day-holiday because they get to travel to their hometowns and visit relatives. They share expensive gifts and delicious traditional food .
Most of the Koreans dress up in Hanbok : the korean traditional clothing.
On Seolnal all Korean's eat duck-gook which is rice cake soup. The soup is made by diagonally slicing rice cakes into thin, oval slices. The rice cake slices are soaked in water, then boiled in beef broth. The soup is garnished with chives, seaweed, and egg and is eaten for good luck in the New Year. If you want to wish a happy new lunar year for a Korean; you should say 설날 복 많이 받으세요 (sulnal bok mani badeuseyo). You can also use  새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo) which kids actually say to their grandparents in order to get their Seolnal money :))  .
My favorite thing about being in Korea for the Seolnal is the 3 day off that we get from school and of course sales !! 
Happy Seolnal everybody !!