kimchi, beef, ramen, and small explosion

Suddenly out of nowhere,
I'm craving some Korean kimchi. It is strange because I don't usually like kimchi so this is strange. I taste a lot of different kimchi but I never fond of the taste.

Except one in some small restaurant in Jakarta (that i doubt if its still open today). It was 10 years ago maybe (now I feel old!). That was the first kimchi I ever like...ever. It is the only one that i can manage to eat.

Eating in Korean restaurant would be a luxury for me since they are quite expensive and they have *uncommon* type food so I rarely want to eat it. Couple times I went and i got really confused when I read the menu...they all look the same to me.

Have I mentioned that they all look RED for everything? (seems they love spicy things so much). It give me that eerie-creepy feel somehow seeing almost all the food in super-reddish color.

Anyway since in Finland it started to get autumny, coldy, windy and super darky (with additional cold and flu sickness also) plus I binge-watched this awesome Korean woman "Maangchi"

That kimchi-stew-soup seems so warm...spicy...and hot...
perfect for this time of the year!

I must make those!

But then again I was super-skeptical at first since kimchi sounds so fancy and hard to make. And I don't want to buy store-bought-kimchi, they usually horrible plus the Asian market is far from my home (I'm to lazy to go).

After couple googling and reading Maangchi blog again and again, I found a simple recipe to make in here.  I didn't use any raw squid or other raw seafood like the original recipe, It is scary just to think about putting them altogether...euuughyyy...

So let's start by chopping the most important part of the kimchi ; chinese cabbage! (kiinaankaali)

I love the cruchy-crunch sound they make when you cut these :D

I have a funny-stupid moment doing my *first* kimchi. 

I didn't realize that I should give more space in the glass jar that when I check it after 2 days there's some *fizzy-fishy* stuff happening. I was panicked and open the jar without thinking too much.

And then *sploorrrchh* the kimchi exploded bursting everywhere from the jar.

lesson learned here ; 
fermentation give you carbon dioxide reaction

*ouch*

*The culprit of the kimchi-explosion

After a painful kitchen cleaning, I split the kimchi in 2 jars afterwards to prevent more explosion. Fortunately its only the *kimchi sauce* that bursted out. All the vegetables are safe and really yummy to taste.

I am satisfied with the result and even make one more easy Korean dish "Yak-gochujang" (Fried gochujang). It consist beef, pine nuts, honey (mmmmm honeyyy) and Korean fermented chili paste "gochujang". This kimchi is really good when you mix it with other food, especially with ramen noodle soup.

I should try more Korean foods in the future after this ;)

What i've learned 24022012.

Some week ago, i have an urge to eat chinese potsticker ( jiao zi ). I want to make it myself but get scared of failing it.

Then i push myself at last to make it, and it turns out well and nicely even the look of it not so promising i think, here's the evidence ;

The taste are pretty same with what i remember when i still in Indonesia. I really happy that i tried it, it's not too hard actually, i will make more of this later.


#Life, is the same. 


We always afraid to do new things for the first time, after you try it and experience it yourself, you eventually gain more courage to do it more and making it better. 


Learning from your mistake in the past and move on into new challenges.


Sometimes we scared at first before even try it because see or hear other people said it is hard. But until you try it yourself, how do you know if it really hard? who know if it really easy?


It's like when you open one door, 


the other will open also for us. 

guilty pleasure ; quote17102011.

"I am not a glutton; I am an explorer of food."


- Erma Bombeck -

°picture : sakura meat pie

°picture : homemade apple pie with heavy cinnamon

comfort food.

What's your comfort food?

Have you ever been nostalgic, or feel homey, or sentimental with some type of foods?
It's called comfort food if you ever felt like this.

In my case, *noodle* is one of which remind me of my homeland.

It is strange how some humble, simple food can bring you back to some moment that you cherish.They make you relax and comfortable.

°picture : fried noodle with sunny side up