Gaji namul is one of the basic Korean vegetable side dishes. I remember what my grandmother told my aunts about gaji namul. She said, “gaji namul should always be mixed with lots of crushed garlic and sesame oil to make it really delicious!” Since I heard it, I have always used garlic generously in my gaji namul.
Cut 3 medium sized Asian eggplants into 2 or 3 pieces. Then cut each piece in half lengthwise
Pour 2 cups of water into a steamer, and place the pieces of eggplant inside. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes over high heat.
Turn the heat off and move the cooked eggplant to a bowl. Set it aside to cool down.
After the eggplant has cooled, drain the liquid from the bottom of the bowl.
Tear each piece of eggplant lengthwise with your fingers, and put the strips into a large bowl.
Add these seasonings to the bowl: 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 ts of hot pepper flakes, 1 chopped green onion, ½ tbs sesame seeds, 2½ tbs soy sauce, and ½ tbs sesame oil.
Oi naengguk is another simple but popular Korean side dish, perfect for summer. I have made so many different kinds of naengguk (cold soup) using different vegetables, but this is my most favorite recipe. The seasoning in this recipe could be changed a little according to your taste, more sugar if you like it sweeter, or more chili peppers if you like it spicier.
Oi naengguk (오이 냉국)
Ingredients: Cucumber, garlic, green chili pepper, red hot chili pepper, green onion , 1½ tbs vinegar, 1 ts salt, 1 ts fish sauce, 1 ts sugar, 1½ cup of cold water (purified or boiled and cooled down), and 6 ice cubes.
Get a bowl ready, one that can hold more than 2 cups. One that is made of glass looks the best.
Put about 1¼ cups of cucumber, cut into thin strips (julienne style), into the bowl.
Mince one clove of garlic, chop up half a green onion, and cut up 1 or 2 ts worth of green chili pepper (depending on how hot you like it). Add them to the cucumber strips in the bowl.
Add 1 ts of salt, 1 ts of fish sauce, 1 ½ tbs of vinegar, 1 ts of sugar to the bowl and mix it well with a spoon.
Pour 1½ cup of cold water (purified or boiled and cooled down) to the bowl and mix it.
Add 6 ice cubes.
Cut some red hot chili pepper to garnish and sprinkle on the top of the soup.
Serve it with rice.
You can also make naengguk with miyuk (sea plant), or egg plant, instead of cucumber. Or you can make it with mi yuk (sea plant) together with cucumber, too. You can try some different combinations to see what you like the best.
My best friend’s mother–in-law had major surgery that caused her to stay at the hospital for months. When she got out of the hospital, my friend asked, “Mom, what do you feel like eating now that you can eat any food that you want? I would like to make your favorite food, something you couldn’t eat for months!”
The mother-in-law said, “I don’t have any food that I feel like at the moment except for oi naengguk”. My friend expected her mother–in-law to say that she wanted some expensive gourmet food, but all she wanted was simple “oi naengguk”!
After meeting my friend on the day, what do you think I did when I came back home? Haha, I made a huge bowl of oi naengguk and enjoyed it, thinking about the mother-in-law. Whenever I eat oi naengguk, it reminds me of my friend’s mother-in-law.
Yes, we don’t always have to have expensive luxurious gourmet food, sometimes very humble food makes our lives happy.
“Gye ran mal yee” (rolled omelette) and “gye ran jjim” (steamed egg) are very basic Korean egg side dishes. Gye ran mal yee is usually used as a side dish for school lunch boxes.
Rolled omelette
(Gye ran mal yee: 계란 말이)
Ingredients:
3 large eggs, ½ ts salt, a pinch of sugar, ½ chopped medium size onion, ground pepper, vegetable oil.
Crack 3 large size eggs and put it into a bowl.
Make egg mixture by adding and beating these ingredients: ½ ts salt, a pinch of sugar, ½ chopped medium size onion, ground pepper
Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium heat and spread a little vegetable oil.
Pour about 1/3 of the egg mixture on the pan and spread it thinly by tilting the pan.
When it’s cooked, lift the right side edge of the omelette and roll it with a spatula from right to left.
Repeat this step of 4 and 5 until the egg mixture runs out. *tip: To make nice yellow rolled omelette, lower the heat and cook it slowly
Make a long rectangle box shape by cooking 4 sides.
When the omelette cools down, cut it into bite size and serve it with rice.
Steamed egg
(Gye ran jjim: 계란 찜)
Gye gran jjim (steamed egg side dish) is very easy to make if you use a microwave oven.
My grandmother made her gye ran jjim using her special method. She had a huge pot made of cast iron (“ga ma sot” in Korean) with which she made rice or soup. She made her gye ran jjim when she cooked rice at the same time. When her rice was almost done, she lowered the heat to let it simmer, then she put the bowl that contained egg mixture into the pot and closed the lid. Several minutes later, not only her rice but also her gye ran jjim was done. She took her gye ran jjim out from the pot. The steamy gye ran jjim always made my mouth watery and excited!
Ingredients:
3 eggs, ½ cup water, 3 ts of salted shrimp sauce (“sae woo jeot” in Korean) , 2 green onions
In a microwavable bowl, put 3 cracked eggs, ½ cup water, 3 ts salted shrimp sauce, 2 chopped green onions and stir it with a fork *Tip: If you don’t have sae woo jeot (salted shrimp sauce), you can use 3 ts of fish sauce.
Put it into the microwave oven and cook it for 5 minutes. Serve it with rice.
If no microwave oven is available, you can steam it. In a large pot, pour about 3-4 cups of water and place the bowl that contains the egg mixture in the center of the pot. Close the lid of the pot and cook it over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Spicy steamed egg
(Mae woon gyeran jjim: 매운 계란찜)
This spicy steamed egg side dish is unusual because hot pepper flakes are used. I learned this recipe from my cousin living in a very southern part of Korea. Sometimes I make it this way and sometimes I make the mild one, which is more authentic gye ran jjim.
Ingredients:
3 eggs, 1/2 cup of water, 1.5 tbs soy sauce, 2 ts hot pepper flakes, ½ tbs toasted sesame seeds powder, 3 green onion or chopped asian chives (bu chu)
In a microwavable bowl, add 3 cracked egges, ½ cup of water, 1.5 tbs soy sauce, 2 ts hot pepper flakes, 3 chopped green onions, and ½ tbs toasted sesame seeds powder and mix it well with a fork.
Put it into a microwave oven and cook it for 5 minutes.
I heard that there is a huge Korean community in Flushing, so I went there the other day. It took about 40 minutes to ride the subway from Manhattan.
I was so excited about visiting there that my heart started beating before getting there even on the subway. Yes, it was surprising scene! I felt like walking around somewhere in Korea!
I bought some items that I can’t find easily in midtown Manhattan such as a long broom, cheap hangers, and I found them! Then of course I had to stop by the Korean grocery store, Han Arum mart.
I found a good bakery store “Koryudang” to order my favorite snack patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red bean and fruits). Almost all of customers were Koreans. I used to make it for my children when they were young. When they came home from school in hot summer afternoon, I used to be waiting for them with ready made patbingsu. Once they came home, I gave it to them and they were of course happy. So when I order potbingsu for myself, I can’t help thinking about my children and feel a little strange.
On the way back home to take the subway, I saw a woman sitting on the sidewalk selling so many different kinds of Korean vegetables that she grew in her home: lettuce, green chili pepper, cucumber, minari, small, cute pumpkins (for doen jang jjigae), and sesame leaves! I asked, “How much is it for all the “kkaennip” ? She paused some seconds and seemed busy counting quietly. She said, “20 dollars”. I said, “How about 15 dollars? I will make kimchi with them”. She paused again and “sure!” :) I know I should be generous to the seller. How dare I could ask for discount! But, it’s my life time bargain habit that I learned from my own mother.
When I came home, I made sesame leaves jang ah jji instead of making kkaennip kimchi because making jang ah jji is easier than making kimchi.
For those who may be interested in learning how to make this jang ah jji, I am posting my recipe here with pictures.
1) Wash both sides of kkaennip thoroughly and drain them. Put them in a container or jar.
2) In a large skillet, add 5 cups of water, ¼ cup salt, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of soy sauce, and ½ cup of vinegar and boil it.
3) When the mixture of the liquid boils, pour it carefully, slowly, and evenly into the container where fresh kkaennip is placed.
4) Press it down with a spoon to help the sesame leaves get submerged. Then put something heavy on top to keep them down in the mixture
5) Close the lid of the container and let it sit for about 12 hours. (You can turn over to salt evenly)
6) Next day, when you open the lid, you will see lots of liquid came out from the leaves
7) Drain the salty juice into a pot and boil it for about 20 minutes. (Don’t boil the salted sesame leaves, leave them in the container without much liquid.
8) The amount of salty liquid will get less than before. Cool it down.
9) Switch the salted sesame leaves into a smaller container that fits them, then pour the cooled down salty juice over them.
That’s all!
Eat it with rice as part of your meal. First, get a spoonful of rice…
Then wrap a leaf around it and put it in your mouth!
Stir 1 cup of small dried anchovy in a heated pan for 1 minute.
Add 1 tbs olive oil and stir it for another minute.
Push the cooked myulchi to the edge of the pan away from the heat.
Make sauce by adding 1 or 2 tbs sugar, ½ ts minced garlic, 2 ts water, and 1/2 tbs corn syrup (optional) to the cleared spot on the pan.
Tip the pan so only the sauce is over the heat. Simmer it until the sauce looks shiny.
Mix the cooked anchovy with the sauce and turn the heat off.
Add ½ tbs sesame seeds and 1 ts of sesame seeds.
For spicy myulchi bokkeum:
Stir 1 cup of small dried anchovy in a heated pan for 1 minute.
Add 1 tbs olive oil and stir it for another minute.
Push the cooked myulchi to the edge of the pan away from the heat.
Make sauce by adding 1 tbs hot pepper paste, 1 tbs sugar , ½ ts minced garlic, 4 ts water, ½ tbs corn syrup to the cleared spot on the pan.
Tip the pan so only the sauce is over the heat and simmer until the sauce looks shiny.
Mix the cooked anchovy with the sauce and then turn the heat off.
Add 1 ts sesame oil and ½ tbs sesame seeds.
* You can keep it in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks until you finish eating it. When you eat it, put it at room temperature for a while before eating, so it can get soft.
Yeolmu mul kimchi is usually eaten in summer in Korea. Making Bibimbap with barley rice, doenjang jjigae, yeolmu kimchi, hot pepper paste and sesame oil is one of the most popular and delicious dinners in hot summer. My mouth is watering while writing this explanation!
Gamja jorim (potato side dish) used to be my regular lunch box menu. My mother sometimes added small dried anchovies and carrot, and sometimes she added ham cut into dice like potato. I used to make this all the time as my children’s lunch box side dish, too.
Ingredients:
2-3 medium sized potatoes, onion, 2 cloves garlic, soy sauce, 1 tbs corn syrup, 1 tbs sugar, half cup of water.
Peel the potatoes, wash, and cut them into 1 inch dice and make 2 cups.
Rinse the potato using colander in running water to remove starch.
Cut half onion into bite sized pieces.
Heat the pan and add 1-2 tbs olive oil and pour the potato into the pan.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauté it until the potato look a little translucent, then add the onion and keep stirring it.
Add half cup of water into the pan, 2 tbs – 2½ tbs soy sauce (depends on your taste), 1 tbs of sugar, 1 tbs of corn syrup and mix it and simmer it over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the liquid is evaporated.Tip: Keep checking and stirring not to burn it and to cook evenly, if it needs more water, add some.
When the potato is cooked, turn off the stove and add 1 tbs of sesame oil and sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds.
Potato with mushroom
(”gamjachae bokkeum”)
This potato dish can be made only using potato. I found the taste turns out very good when white oyster mushroom is added. By using white oyster mushroom, this color of dish is still clean white. If you don’t have mushrooms, just use potato as it is.
Ingredients:
1 medium size of potatoes, 2 cloves garlic, 2 white oyster mushrooms, half onion, ½ ts to1 ts of salt, 1 to 2 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs sesame oil, 4 to 5 tbs of water.
Tip: If you only use potatoes, use 2 medium size potatoes and ½ cup of water.
Peel the potatoes and wash and cut them into julienne strips.
Wash the potato in running water using a colander to remove starch.
Cut the mushrooms into julienne strips.
Slice the onion and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
In a heated pan, add 2 tbs of olive oil and add the potato strips. Stir it with a wooden spoon for 1 minute.
Add 4-5 tbs water and lower the heat over lower heat to cook and stir it.
Cover the lid of the pan and simmer it for a few minutes.
Open the lid and add garlic and the mushroom strips and sauté until potato strips are fully cooked.
Add ½ ts to1 ts of salt (depends on your taste), 1 tbs of sesame oil and turn off the heat.
Kong jang is made with soybeans and Koreans eat it as a side dish for any meal. It’s a little sweet and sticky, like honey, and addictive to eat. You’re going to love it!
2 cloves of minced garlic,½ cup of sugar, ½ tbs sesame seeds.
Directions:
Rinse 1 cup of soy beans and drain it and place in a skillet
Add 2 cups of water in the skillet and soak the beans for 8 hours
Boil the beans on the stove over medium high heat for 10 minutes *Tip: about 5 minutes later, it may boil over, and then open the lid and turn down the heat over medium heat and cook another 5 minutes
Add ½ cup of soy sauce, 1 ts of vegetable oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and ½ cup of sugar and boil it over medium heat for 30 minutes (cover the lid)
Open the lid of the pot and heat it up over high heat and stir the beans occasionally with a spoon until the beans look shinny.
*Tip: Beans will be submerged with shiny and sticky seasoning sauce
Turn off the heat and add 1 tbs of toasted sesame seed and cool it down.
Transfer it into a container and keep it in the refrigerator
They were having trouble because the middle of the pancake was too soft. I decided to try it again myself and have jeon for dinner.
Before starting making cooking videos, I never measured anything when I cooked. Also, I never failed! Koreans never measure anything with cups and tablespoons when they cook. But for my videos of course I need to explain how to make these dishes.
So I watched my own video and followed my steps. I found out that it was exactly right! I had a wonderful pancake for dinner. It was nice and crispy.
Even this time I didn’t use any seafood. I put an egg in the middle and it turned out really nice.
So my advice is that if you are having trouble with these recipes, please just follow the recipe as close as you can. Sooner or later it will turn out fine.
Here is the exact recipe, which I wrote down while cooking:
Ingredients:
½ cup of flour, 2/3 cup of water, 1ts salt, 1 egg, vegetables: green onions, chives, zucchini, chili pepper), 2/3 cup of chopped scallop and shrimp, vegetable oil
In a big bowl, place ½ cup of flour, 1 ts salt, 2/3 cup of water and mix it.
Chop ½ cup green onions and 3 cup of Asian chives, and shred zucchini to make 1/ 2 cup. Total cups of vegetables will be 4 cups
Put chopped vegetables into the mixture of flour and mix it up.
Chop 2/3 cup of shrimp, scallop, or squid (optional)
In a big heated pan, put some oil and spread the vegetable pancake batter thinly and lower the heat down to medium.
Place the chopped seafood over the top and press it with a spoon or spatula.
When the pancake is cooked about 80 %, beat one egg and spread it in the center of the pancake and turn it over using spatula or flip it
Add more oil if needed, and serve it hot with dipping sauce by mixing 1 tbs of soy sauce and ½ tbs of vinegar.
*Tip: To make it crispier, add oil more generously and spread the pancake mixture thinly. If your pan is not big enough, I suggest making 2 pancakes.
"Debbie, You can skip oysters, but if you don’t add rice flour porridge to your kimchi paste, the paste will be too thick. Then it will be difficult for you to..."
- Maangchi in Kimchi and Kaktugi December 27, 2008
"Nishu, oh, thank you very much. I am going to post the information on the forum then. Thanks a lot."
- Maangchi in Black bean paste December 27, 2008
"lilian Ph, oh, I’m sorry to hear that! Next time, use more water and cook longer. Don’t give up! : )"
- Maangchi in Rice cake (gyungdan) December 27, 2008
"pimky, mostly it’s used in side dishes such as seaplant salads, radish salads…"
- Maangchi in Apple vinegar December 27, 2008
"Hello! Maangchi, I am from Singapore, thank you so much for sharing your Korean recipes… I love love Korean food. I just have a question, I make my kimchi..."
- Debbie in Kimchi and Kaktugi December 27, 2008
"hey maangchi i am not able to send information there so i m sending here adress of korean store in New Delhi ,India {A-Mart korean grocery store} A-1 Mahipalpur..."
- Nishu in Black bean paste December 27, 2008
"i tried making it before but at the end the dough is un-cook in the middle. and it turn out hard"
- lilian Ph. in Rice cake (gyungdan) December 26, 2008
"i want to know what is the use of vinegar in korean food? for example in salad, rice???"
- pimky in Apple vinegar December 26, 2008
