Seafood Scallion Pancake

해물파전[Hae-Mul-Pa-Jeon]
I wish the picture of this seafood scallion pancake had turned out to be more appetizing than it looks on the screen because it really is delicious. I guess its two dimensional form couldn't help it. Anyways, these seafood scallion pancakes make the best appetizer ever especially if they are served right off the stove when they are still hot and crispy.

For 2-3 servings:

scallion (6 stalks, cut in half)
seafood mix (1/2 cup)
flour (1 cup)
water (3/4 cup)
egg (1)
oil

1.

Mix flour and water.

2.

Mix in seafood mix.

3.

Cut scallions about 4 inches long and lightly coat them with flour.

4.

Add half of the prepared scallions into the seafood and flour mix.

5.

On a skillet in high heat, place a few stalks of scallions over oiled surface.

6.

Pour the seafood scallion mix onto the skillet, and cook at high heat for the first couple minutes and reduce to medium heat.

7.

When the bottom side of the pancake is about cooked, pour an egg mix over and around the edge of the pancake.

8.

Add remaining scallions onto the top and fry both sides of the pancake by turning until they turn golden and crispy.

Scallion

파 [Pa]

My parents came to visit us couple weekends ago, and when they came they brought some fresh home grown scallions. Scallions from my parents' garden are somewhat smaller and softer than the ones found in regular grocery markets. I suppose it's because they are home grown, or they may come from a different seed. Hmm... not sure.

My dad is especially fond of growing vegetables himself. Though my sisters and I often tell him that it would be more cost-effective to buy vegetables in the market than growing them in the backyard and paying for water bills in Southern California. A parcel of land in his backyard subdivided for farming purpose has only grown over the past ten plus years producing more varieties of fruits and vegetables each year. In the garden, he grows all kinds of edible, and the only edible, vegetables and fruits -- tomatoes, peppers, plums, apples, apricots, raspberries, cucumbers, zucchinis, dates, persimmon, pomegranates, to name a few. My dad would proudly say they are truly organic produce that you can't buy elsewhere no matter how much you pay.

In Korean cooking, scallions are generally used as a garnish for soups or dishes or for making scallion pancakes or scallion kimchi.

Related recipes:
Scallion Pancake
Garlic Chives Pancake

How to Enjoy Soybean Paste Stew with Rice

강된장찌게 [Kang-Doeng-Jang-Jji-Gye]

There are several variations of soybean paste stew you could make. I mentioned in my previous post that you could make soybean stew practically with any ingredients you want whether you are a vegetarian or a meat eater. You could also make the stew more like a watery soup by adding plenty of water when you are cooking and serve it as a side soup next to your steamed rice. Or, you could make it thick with just little bit of added water. One of special ways to enjoy thick soybean paste stew is to mix it with steamed rice in a large bowl together with some fresh vegetables and little bit of red pepper paste. It will make an instant bibimbap, a form of popular Korean dish which literally means "mixed/stirred rice" or "mixed/ stirred meal".

For 2 servings:

soybean paste (1 1/2 tbl)
dry anchovies(10, chopped)
water (1 cup)
shrimps (4, chopped)
onion (1/2, chopped)
shitake mushrooms (4, sliced)
white zucchini (1/3, sliced)
tofu (1/2, diced)
red pepper paste (1/2 tbl)
a handful of garlic chives or arugula leaves

1.

Remove the head and entrails (dark in color) from dry anchovies. Though I normally use whole anchovies for making soup stock, in this recipe, it's necessary to clean each anchovy because they are ground and are added to the soup directly.

2.

Chop dry anchovies coarsely.

3.

Chop shrimps, onion and scallion, and slice zucchini, mushrooms and some red pepper.

4.

In high heat, add prepared dry anchovies, shrimps, mushrooms and zucchini to a pot. Add water (1 cup) and soybean paste (1 1/2 tbl), and bring it boil.

5.

When the stew starts boiling, add tofu.

6.

Add chopped scallion, chilies and garlic for seasoning shortly after, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat.

7.

Place some fresh vegetables like garlic chives or arugula leaves over steamed rice.

8.

Add a scoop of thick soybean paste stew.

9.

Add little bit of red pepper paste for seasoning.

Related Recipes:
Soybean Paste Soup with Beef Stock
Soybean Paste Stew with Anchovy Stock

Gordon Ramsey's Scrambled Eggs

스크램블 에그
Few days ago, when Min and I were grocery shopping, Min insisted that we buy portobello mushrooms and I wondered what he had in mind. On Sunday morning, he revealed his plan and boasted his cooking skills with a little help from Gordon Ramsey, whose show he watches with a crazy interest. Personally I am not a big fan of Gordon Ramsey because he is just too rude to people, but I guess some people find it more entertaining than his foods. Nevertheless, Gordon Ramsey's scrambled eggs and mushrooms (by Min) were so yuummy. I often like foods that are simple and are true to the taste of raw ingredients. In this recipe, I particularly loved the juicy, tender and mushroomy flavor of portobello. Scrambled eggs were just perfect, too, which were very creamy and mildly fluffy.

For 2 servings:

eggs (4)
butter (2 tbl)
cherry tomatoes (20)
cream (1/2 tbl)
porabella mushrooms (2)
chives (1 tbl, chopped)
olive oil
salt

1.

Glaze a skillet with enough olive oil and place portobello mushrooms and cherry tomatoes (in vine, if possible). Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper over and let them cook by themselves in low to medium heat.

2.

While the mushrooms and tomatoes are cooking, in a separate pan slowly whisk eggs and butter over medium heat.

3.

Keep stirring on and off the heat as the eggs start to get fluffy.

5.

Add some fresh cream to eggs.

4.

Season the eggs with little bit of salt and pepper and chopped chives. Instead of chives, we used scallion that we had. Serve with portobello mushrooms and tomatoes and a piece of sour dough bread.