[non-Korean] Italian Style Mussel Stew

This is a good appetizer or a side dish with a tomato base. I used New Zealand green shell mussels, which can be used for alleviating the symptoms of arthritis and for anti-inflammatory reaction. 

Italian Style Mussel Stew (serves 4)
  


Ingredients
600g mussels (about 20 big mussels)
14 oz diced tomato can
6 garlic cloves, sliced
3 Tbsp dry white wine
2 Tbsp olive oil
[optional] 1 fresh tomato, chopped
[optional] Italian parsley flakes


Cooking Instruction
1. Wash well mussels with cold water and get rid of all the dirt on the outside of shells.

(white creamy color is male mussel, while orange is female. ^-^ )

2. Heat a pot with 2 Tbsp of olive oil, and cook garlic till garlic becomes translucent.


3. Put diced tomato can in the pot and keep heating for 5 minutes with strong fire. Add chopped, skinned fresh tomato at this point.


4. Add washed mussels  and 3 Tbsp of dry white wine into the pot. Stir well while heating them for 2 minutes with strong fire.


5. Cook mussels for 7~8 minutes with a medium fire with a lid on.

How to Serve
Before serving, add parsley flakes for garnish.
This is good appetizer. You can serve it with garlic bread.  
This can also be served as a side dish for drinking or for a mild taste main dish.

[Korean] Cucumber rice rolls with mock crab

This is a refreshing finger food for summer. The freshness of cucumber goes well with the salty taste of the mock crab topping.


Cucumber rice rolls with mock crab (serves 3)
   Korean Name : oh-ee-cho-bop
   cucumber : oh-ee
   sushi rolls : cho-bop

 



Ingredients
2/3 cup rice
1 cup water
2 cucumber
5~6 oz mock crab, shred
1tsp salt (can add more to taste)
1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1Tbsp sesame seeds
2Tbsp onion finely chopped
1Tbsp relish
1tsp lemon juice
1Tbsp miracle whip
a pinch of ground pepper
[optional]toothpicks

Cooking Instructions
1. Bring 2/3 cups of rice to a gentle boil in 1 cup of water. After it starts to boil, simmer till the water is reduced.


2. Mix cooked rice with 1tsp salt (can add more to taste), 1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, and 1Tbsp sesame seeds when the rice is still hot, and set aside.

3. Cut cucumber into thin strips as shown in the picture below.


4. Shape mixed rice into 1 inch diameter balls.

5. Wrap rice balls with cucumber strips. If you want to keep them together better, poke toothpicks through them.


6. For topping, mix shredded mock crab, 2 Tbsp of chopped onions, 1 Tbsp or relish, 1tsp of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of miracle whip, and a pinch of ground pepper. Place the topping on the cucumber rice balls.


How to Serve
Put them on a serving plate as an appetizer or a side dish.

[Korean] Soy Sauce Salmon

This is DELICIOUS and healthy.Salmon is full of protein, omega-3, and vit D.
Click here for information of omega-3.


Soy Sauce Salmon (serves 2)
    Korean name : Yeon-uh gan-jang goo-i
   This way of cooking is called 'goo-i' with sauce.
   soy sauce in Korean : 'gan-jang'
   salmon : 'yeon-uh'




Ingredients [click here for details]

2 Salmon fillets
1/3 big onion, sliced
1 Green onion, chopped
a little bit of sesame seeds
4 cloves of garlic, sliced (or 1~2 garlic cloves amount of ginger, sliced)
a little bit of olive oil
2 Tbsp of Soy sauce
2Tbsp of dry white wine
1Tbsp of sugar
beans or asparagus
steamed rice as a side


Cooking Instruction

1. Stir-fry sliced onions till soft with a little bit of oil, and then set aside.




2. Cook both sides of salmon fillets till brown. You don't need to add more oil since salmon is fatty fish.
   Cook one side completely at once and then cook the other side.
    Not to break salmon, flip only once.

This is when salmon is ready to flip.


Salmon can be cook to brown, and it doesn't produce harmful chemical as red meat does.




3. Add 4Tbsp of water, 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of white wine, 1 Tbsp of sugar, and sliced garlic. (I used sliced ginger because I didn't have garlic at home! Ginger makes good dish, too.) Add the onions cooked earlier. Boil the sauce to reduce.


Picture of adding all the sauce and onion slices, and garlic


Picture when the cooking is finished



How to Serve 

Put cooked salmon on the steamed rice. Put onions on the salmon, and add chopped green onions and a little bit of sesame seeds for garnish.
Add beans or asparagus as a side (steamed or grilled).
I try not to use butter for healthful cooking, although you can put some butter on the salmon when serving.



 
[click]About Steamed rice in Korean foods



How to Eat

On a fork, get a little bit of rice, and cooked salmon with onions, green onions, and sesame seeds.
Enjoy~!