So this is my second post about Korean food, and it definitely won’t be my last one. This evening, the Amherst Korean student association made Hoddeok, a popular Korean pancake filled with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon, and peanuts. I learned that Hoddeok is typically eaten during the winter season. (Though it certainly did not feel like winter here in Massachusetts on this sunny, 55 degree day).
I watched my roommate roll the doughy mixture, and pan fry it until crisp and golden brown. The result was as follows:
When I took a bite of this crunchy pancake, I was pleasantly surprised but not overwhelmed by it’s sweet peanut taste. This hot treat was a perfect way to end my hectic day, and it gives me even more reason to continue to follow the events on campus which involve food.
When you love food, you get food. But who would expect a friend to give you a snack called Jiggies? Just the name itself is odd. This addictive corn treat is a South African version of cheetos. Though I trusted my Zimbabwean friend with these foreign snacks, I admit that I went for the cheese-flavored package first (i.e. the one that seemed least foreign to me). The “chilli tomato” ones were surprisingly sweet but very good.
I have yet to try the BBQ beef Jiggies – I am guessing they will taste like beef jerky, which I don’t like. But who knows, maybe I will be surprised. I ate dinner with my friend this evening, and she handed me a plastic bag with more snacks. Oh and get this, the snacks inside were called “Twiggles.” I am already liking the sound of them.
At Amherst, I have befriended many international students. In fact, both my freshman and current roommate are Korean, and they have exposed me to parts of Korean culture that really interest me, in particular, food. Though dealing with the smell of kimchi in my room last year was not too pleasant (this only happened a couple of times), I have enjoyed learning about and eating more Korean food with my roommates.
Over Thanksgiving, my current roommate and I, along with a couple of other friends, went to Bann, a Korean restaurant in New York City. I ate delicious Korean barbecue, which definitely converted me into a Korean food fan. My chicken barbecue came with spinach miso soup, potato pancakes, salad, cucumber salad, a mystery side dish (meaning, I didn’t know what it was), and of course, the dreaded kimchi.
Korean barbecue lunch: potato pancakes, kimchi, cucumber salad, unknown, salad, spinach miso soup, chicken barbecue, rice
I tried to put my dislike for kimchi aside, and try it (hesitantly, I might add). Much to my surprise, the kimchi wasn’t half bad. Don’t get me wrong here, kimchi is not the first thing I will order when I go to a Korean restaurant, but I am beginning to see why it is a staple in the Korean diet. (There is an emphasis on beginning to – I still do not fully comprehend the popularity of kimchi). You might say that I have become more accepting of kimchi.
I have gone with both of my Korean roommates on food tours in my home city (New York), and this summer, I plan on visiting Seoul, Korea to get the full experience of Korean cuisine, which may even include kimchi!
Last summer, I visited the top secret CIA: the Culinary Institute of America. Well, I confess this school is not a “secret” by any means. It is open to the public for tours, and you can also dine at one of its four restaurants. There is also a cafe called the Apple Pie Bakery which provides a more casual dining experience.
I was however truthful when I said it is a “top” school; the CIA rigorously trains students to become masterful chefs. When I was on the campus, I saw numerous people in white coats who were not doctors. Like ordinary students, these chefs-in-training were heading off to classes where they would call their teacher “chef,” instead of “professor.”
On my tour, I found out that the CIA offers two degree programs – one in culinary arts and another in baking and pastry arts. When you apply to the CIA, you have to decide whether you want to specialize in cooking or preparing desserts. My tour guide, who was a current student there, also told me that the saying there is freshman 50 instead of freshman 15. (This piece of evidence further convinced me that I made the right choice to go to a small liberal arts college). This saying makes complete sense though since the students are surrounded by good food every day and often for homework need to sample their food and other students’ food to analyze things such as the crumb structure of a cookie. (I wish that was my homework!)
After the tour, since it was my mother’s birthday, my parents, brother, and I dined in Escoffier, the French restaurant on campus. The food was very good but definitely not my favorite. Nevertheless, the entire experience overall was superb because the restaurant was run entirely by the students of the CIA. They managed the kitchen as well as the table service.
The kitchen at the Escoffier Restaurant
My trip to the CIA was truly memorable, and though I love food, I will still not be transferring to the CIA.
I will start off this post by apologizing for the paper bowl – disposable cutlery, plates, and bowls are just a part of college life. What I am most sorry for is presenting my favorite cake in the whole world in such a manner. After all, it is cut crudely, and the outer layer of chocolate is falling apart. I know that people eat with their eyes first, so I might be taking a risk when I tell you to buy this cake if you ever go to New York City.
Nevertheless, I will continue in hopes that you trust my taste. This cake is called the Busy Bee Cake (yes, I am capitalizing its name because it is just that good), the signature cake of Black Hound bakery. Comprised of three layers of chocolate cake, two layers of almond cake, two layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse, and one layer of marzipan, this cake is a sure winner. Oh, and how could I forget the fact that it is encased in another layer of marzipan and has a hard bittersweet shell with small marzipan bees on top?
Luckily, if you are not yet convinced of the appeal of the Busy Bee Cake and Black Hound Bakery in general, I have a photo which will hopefully entice you.
(Spotted: two miniature Busy Bee cakes on the bottom shelf, fourth from the right, about to be purchased by this blogger).
Whenever I am busy at home, I like to take a break and go downtown to Black Hound to purchase a Busy Bee Cake.
Now that I have been back at school for a few hours and have sampled the cafeteria food, I am already reminiscing about New York City and all the dining options I had at my fingertips. Yesterday, the best birthday gift – a food tour of Greenwich Village – reminded me of all these choices.
On a three hour guided tour, my mom and I explored the streets of the West Village. I learned about the culture and entertainment of this neighborhood, and most importantly, the food!
Here is the list of places the tour took us to and the food we ate:
- Murray’s Cheese Shop: three different cheeses, whose names I forget, but were very good.
- Joe’s Pizza: half a slice of excellent thin crust pizza.
- Faicco’s Italian Specialties: a deep fried rice ball, which was my least favorite thing I ate on the tour.
- O and Co. Olive Oils: a piece of bread with basil olive oil (though seemingly simple, this was my favorite item I ate on the tour), and another piece of bread with honey and truffle salt.
- Milk and Cookies Bakery: a warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie – perfect for a cold winter day.
- Rocco’s Pastry Shop: the best-tasting cannoli I’ve eaten (I never really liked cannoli, but now I am a fan)
- Centro Vinoteca: a plate of four antipasti (from left to right in photo below: bacon rapped gorgonzola (my least favorite on the plate), zucchini fritter, artichoke heart with a piece of cheese, and deviled egg with truffle oil).
Most of the food I ate on the tour was truly exceptional, and I learned things about NYC that I had never known in the 20 years that I have resided there. For example, did you know that the street signs near Wall Street are black to indicate that the area is an old Dutch neighborhood?
You definitely do not need to be a tourist to go on a tour in Manhattan, so why not try a food tour? All you need to bring is your appetite.
I am reminded that it’s finally winter here in New York City when I walk outside with wet hair and feel strands freezing immediately. (I really recommend investing in a blowdryer). The cold weather makes me crave comfort food, above all dessert. I confess, I am a chocoholic, but for some reason, I also really love fruit pies. With a limited time at home, I decided to make my favorite: blueberry pie. I have been making this pie for at least 5 years on Thanksgiving, and it is always a hit. But who says it has to be Thanksgiving to eat pie?
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (and a little extra for rolling)
- 8 tbsp (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 to 5 tbsp ice-cold water
(If you want to make a lattice, double this recipe. You will have some extra pie dough left over, which you can just bake off in the oven. I usually make really simple jam filled cookies shown in the picture below. I just add some more sugar to the leftover pie dough and form bite-sized cookies. I make a well with my finger and put some raspberry preserves in it. I bake the cookies for roughy 10 minutes in the oven heated to 350 degrees).
Filling
- 4 cups fresh blueberries
- the juice from one lemon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sugar (you can also use 3/4 cup if you like your pie sweeter, but I prefer a more tart pie)
- 1 tablespoon flour
Directions
Pie Crust
You have to make the pie dough at least 2 hours ahead of time because you need to chill the pie dough in the fridge before you roll it.
1) Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes.
2) In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse to mix, and then add butter. Pulse some more, roughly 8 times until the butter in the mixture is pea-sized. Add 1 tablespoon of the ice-cold water at a time, and continue to pulse until the mixture starts to hold together. If you pinch the mixture, it should hold together. If not, continue adding water.
3) Take the dough out of the food processor and place it on a cutting board (or another flat surface). Shape the dough into a ball (Make sure not to over-knead the dough).
4) Flatten the dough into a disc, sprinkle a little flour on the top and bottom of the disc, place the disc in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5) Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll out the dough into a a circle with a 12 inch circumference. Carefully fold the dough in half and place into a 9 inch pie dish.
(This pie crust recipe is inspired by and very similar to the one from Simply Recipes).
Filling
1) In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar.
2) Add the flour and mix well. You should not be able to see the flour (add more lemon juice if you do).
3) Add the filling to the pie crust. (Here’s where you would add the lattice).
4) Place pie in an oven that is preheated to 425 degrees.
5) Bake for 10 minutes, and then lower the oven to 350 degrees.
6) Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes.
7) I like to check my pie after it has baked for 25 minutes. I go around the pie and use a fork to poke the blueberries to release some of their juices.
Enjoy!
After a food-filled birthday, which may or may not have included two desserts, I was excited today to be back in the kitchen and cook healthily. I made chicken breasts with mushrooms and artichoke hearts and made a lemon white wine sauce for the chicken. I hope you enjoy my recipe as much as my parents and I did.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8-10 small white mushrooms (shiitake or portobello mushrooms also work well here)
- 1/4 cup of white cooking wine
- 1/4 cup of chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
In another pan under medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Put one tablespoon of flour into the melted butter and stir for about one minute to cook the flour taste out. The flour will act as a thickening agent in the sauce. Next, add 1/4 cup of white wine and stir, incorporating the flour and butter mixture. You will see that the white wine will thicken up very quickly. Let this cook for about a minute or so. Next, add the chicken stock and the lemon juice from the half a lemon. Let the sauce reduce for 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally. (If your sauce is not thick enough, cook it for more time. If it becomes too thick, add more chicken stock).
Lightly season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook them in a frying pan for 8-10 minutes. Pour in the sauce, along with the mushrooms. Add the artichoke hearts and thyme and cook for an additional minute (until sauce, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts are heated). While I was cooking my chicken breasts, my sauce thickened, so I just added more chicken stock.
And there you have it! Your chicken in lemony sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts is ready.
If you look at my photo, there is no mystery why this sandwich is called “the rainbow” – it’s just so colorful. I was first inspired to make this sandwich after I ate a sandwich on grain bread with avocado, tomato, and red onion at a neighborhood coffee shop. The flavors were spot on, but something for me was missing with this sandwich – protein. I decided to add chicken breast and use baguette instead of grain bread (though I have also made this sandwich with grain bread and it is just as delicious. Wheat baguette is also a good alternative).
“The rainbow” is my favorite sandwich to make and with just a few key ingredients, this sandwich goes from simple to sophisticated.
Ingredients
- 1/4 baguette
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 red vine tomato
- 1/4 avocado
- 1/8 red onion
- Enough alfalfa sprouts to cover all the baguette (these are totally optional, and I just added them because they were in my refrigerator)
- 1/4 lemon
- Salt and peper to the taste
Directions
1) Season the chicken breast with a little salt and pepper, and cook it in a grill pan or fry pan.
2) Once the chicken is fully cooked, let it rest for 5-10 minutes so it isn’t too hot.
3) Slice tomato and cut onion into half moons.
4) Mash 1/4 of an avocado and sprinkle lemon juice, salt and pepper. You want the texture to be close to guacamole, but for this sandwich, I like the avocado to have a slightly chunkier consistency.
5) Now for the plating: smear avocado mixture onto the bottom layer of the baguette followed by a light layer of alfalfa sprouts. Put the sliced tomatoes and onions and the chicken breast on top.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
After traveling for 12 hours, I needed a quick-fix healthy dinner that did not compromise taste. I immediately thought arctic char, my favorite fish which has both salmon and trout qualities. I like arctic char more than salmon because it tastes lighter due to its lower fat content. I decided to accompany the arctic char with roasted vegetables. I particularly like roasted leek, so this was the star of my side dish.
Roasted Vegetables
What I love about roasted vegetables (besides the fact that they taste delicious) is their versatility. You can throw in whatever vegetables you like and in any proportion. I used leeks, carrots, and onions. I also put some chopped garlic and a sprig of thyme into my concoction. Other good vegetables to use in this dish are: eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks
- 4 medium-sized carrots
- 2 yellow onions
- 1 sprig of thyme
- Roughly 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to the taste
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
2) Chop leeks, carrots, and onions into bite-sized pieces. (Try to make the vegetables similar sizes so they cook evenly).
3) Place the chopped vegetables onto a large sheet pan and sprinkle roughly 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on them and toss the vegetables. I honestly just eyeball the amount of oil I use- you just want to make sure that all the vegetables are coated lightly with the oil.
4) Season the vegetables with some salt and pepper.
5) Put the sheet pan with the vegetables in the oven and cook them for 10 minutes (with the oven at 400 degrees). After 10 minutes are up, lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook the vegetables for another 35 minutes. I checked my vegetables often- roughly every 10 minutes and tossed them to make sure they didn’t burn. (Please note your oven may be different than mine: the vegetables are done when the carrots are tender but still have a little bite to them).
Servings: 3-4
Arctic Char
This recipe is super simple but does not lack in the flavor department.
Ingredients
- 4 arctic char steaks
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1/4 tablespoon honey
- 1 lemon
Directions
1) Mix soy sauce with honey. (If the sauce tastes too sweet, you can add more soy sauce).
2) Brush a light coat of the sauce onto each of the arctic char steaks. (Please do not feel that you need to use all the sauce – I usually don’t but I always like to have extra in case I spill some).
3) Preheat a grill pan on medium heat. Cook the arctic char on each side for 4 minutes.
4) Serve with lemon on the side.
Servings: 4
You can also add a starch (such as rice) to this dish, but I was not particularly hungry.
Here is my final product:
Food Follower 