The Housewife Chronicles: Kani and Broccoli Kimbap

My friends and I plan to cook Korean food on Friday.  I had all the basic ingredients around so I decided to get my hands dirty and practice making kimbap (Korean sushi).  

You'll need Japanese rice seasoned with vinegar, mirin, sugar and salt.  I sprinkled sesame seeds on my rice just because I like the taste.  You'll also need some nori sheets, kani sticks, mayonnaise and gochujang (Korean chili paste).  I also blanched some broccoli leaves for added flavor.  

I tried making the kimbap in two different ways. The first one with the nori sheet outside, placing the rice on top and the gochujang, mayonnaise, kani and veg in the middle of the rice. 
 

Fun part! Rolling the kimbap!

Second way you can roll the kimbap is by spreading the rice on the mat and then placing the nori on top along with the fillings.  An easy and neat way to roll the rice is to wrap cling film on the mat before spreading the rice.  Also wet your hands with some water to prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers. 

Yey!  Two perfect rolls ready for cutting.  

Remember to use a sharp knife as not to crush the roll.  Also wipe the knife with some water to stop the rice from sticking on the knife.  You can also roll the roll a little after each cut so you don't end up with a round top and a flat bottom.

See? One perfect kimbap slice :)

 

Mashishoyo! 

The Housewife Chronicles: Pizza Night!

Making dinner for two is a puzzling math problem.  You'll want enough food for some but not too much leftovers, just enough for another meal or else someone will complain that he's sick of eating the same stuff. You have to measure and portion your meat, fish or vegetable in advance so you do not have to thaw a whole kilo of chicken when it's just the two of you eating.  And sometimes, it is just too much effort to cook a separate meat and vegetable dish. But you also want to cook healthy and well balanced meals.

After two and a half years of marriage, I think I have cooking for two down to an art! One of the easy and yummy dish in my repertoire is this recipe for no-knead pizza.  It is virtually oil free.  It has lots of fiber since I use half whole wheat flour for the dough.  It is a balanced meal; you just choose your protein and vegetables to top the pizza.  And most important, it's easy and quick! haha

I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is quick. 

Prepare a bowl.  Place 500 grams of flour.  I use half all-purpose and half whole wheat.

Add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast,

3/4 teaspoon of salt,

3/4 teaspoon of sugar,

 and 1 and 1/2 cups of room temperature water. 

Stir until combined.  If the dough seems dry and there is excess flour add a tablespoon or two of water until combined.  Leave in a warm spot for two hours until it rises.  You can also leave the dough inside the refrigerator for 2-3 days and just use it when you feel like it.  What I do is use half the dough immediately for dinner and freeze the other half for another day. 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a baking sheet with a tablespoon of olive oil and spread half the pizza dough with your fingers.  Don't leave it too thick, you want your pizza crunchy and just slightly doughy.  Spread with some pesto or basil oil and tomato sauce. 

Top with grated cheese.

Adding our favorite toppings: onions and mushrooms.  Protein for tonight is shrimp.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is slightly brown and crispy.

Eat hot for maximum satisfaction.  Enjoy!!! 

The Housewife Chronicles: POACHED EGGS WITH MUSHROOMS AND PESTO SAUCE

I usually just cook breakfast and dinner for E and me. (We eat my mom-in-law's yummy cooking for lunch.) I tend to lean toward simple, easy to assemble meals with not much braising or assembling beforehand. (Read: I am lazy and do not want to stand in front of a hot stove for more than 30 minutes!) I could say that I am the master of 30 minute meals, move over Rachel Ray!  

One thing I know will please E is perfectly cooked eggs.  My biggest hurdle used to be poached eggs.  I have always had the notion that it was difficult and best left to the pros.  But when I saw how easy it was to poach eggs in a Masterchef episode, I decided to take the plunge and pop my poaching cherry! The first attempt was really terrible.  I used the vortex method which is in quite a few Youtube videos.  All the egg white separated from the yolk and I ended up with perfect egg yolk and egg drop soup!  The second trial resulted in beautiful eggs.  The method just requires you to heat up some water until barely simmering (meaning there is almost no bubbles), add a tablespoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt.  Break the egg into a small container, gently lower the container into the water and slip the egg in.  You can use a spatula to gently nudge the egg white closer to the yolk, wait about 2 minutes, lift out of the water, drain on a paper towel and you'll have yummy, oozy poached egg. 

So dinner tonight is just some poached eggs, bread, ham and a mushroom sauce with cheese on top.  Simple  but healthy, yummy food. 

The egg gently cooking in the water.

So proud of my second attempt!  Looks good right?! 

Place eggs on top of some toasted bread and ham.

Whipped up an easy mushroom pesto sauce.

Topped with some cheese and microwave for 30 seconds until the cheese melts.  Watch husband devour and enjoy.  Mission completed!