You didn’t think I would only have one post about online recipes, did you? Here’s part 2! If you haven’t checked it out yet, go see part 1. Just like the first part, I have tried all these recipes multiples times. These also have my family’s approval which is why I’m recommending them to you. Note: I tend to mostly eat Asian dishes so those looking for recommended Westernized recipes will be disappointed.
4) Japchae
Japchae is a famous Korean dish that I would always order when I’m at a Korean restaurant. This dish usually has vegetables and beef in it. It’s perfect because it has carbs, meat, and veggies. It’s very filling.
I like this recipe because there was a separate section for the noodle sauce (I would like to state for this recipe, I can only comment on the noodle sauce because I disregard the other parts). It’s perfect for me since I only want the noodles. People find that strange. To me, all that extra meat and vegetables is unnecessary. I enjoy the recipe so much that I no longer order japchae at restaurants because I can make it at home and save money.
I like my noodles chewy. Each brand is different so I always read the back of the package to see the recommended time for boiling the noodles. Make sure you have enough water in the pot because there have been several times where I was cooking the noodles and there’s no more water left. The noodles ended up sticking to the pot. It was annoying. I also don’t wash the noodles in cold water after boiling them unlike the instructions say. They turn out fine. I’ve tried rinsing the noodles with cold water after boiling them. There’s no difference.
5) Korean Fishcakes
Since we’re talking about Korean food, here is another Korean dish I like to eat. Korean fishcakes. A side dish that Korean restaurants often serve. They’re my favourite side dish and I always ask for seconds at restaurants. I usually eat it with japchae and now, I have the best of both worlds. I have two amazing recipes I can make myself. But I was sick of only being able to eat it every time I went out to eat Korean. What if I wanted to eat them and I’m not at a Korean restaurant? I mean, some Korean supermarkets have them pre-made that you can grab and go. I do buy those once in a while but I don’t live near one though. So usually I can only suppress my craving.
One day, I stumbled across this recipe and thought it was perfect. I can buy frozen packaged fish cakes. Put them in my freezer (they last for a long time) and when I’m feeling like fishcakes, I don’t have to look for restaurants that have them (since not all of them do). I can make fishcakes during times I have a craving instead of waiting for the next time I eat Korean food.
The recipe has an option if you want your fishcakes to be spicy. Personally, I’m not a fan of spicy food so I don’t add gochugaru (Korean red chilli pepper flakes). I buy pre-sliced fishcakes so I don’t have to cut them (the recipe uses fishcake sheets). Instead of draining them as the recipe suggests, I put the frozen fishcakes directly in the pan once I hear the oil sizzling. I wait for the fishcakes to defrost in the pan before adding the sauce ingredients. I like my fishcakes a bit softer and have a darker look so I cook them longer than 2 minutes.
This fishcake sauce is really good. There have been many times I considered mixing some noodles with that sauce. It’s something I think about a lot. I haven’t tried this yet but will soon in the future. Hey, maybe I’ll like it more than the garlic noodles.
6) Soy Sauce Enoki Mushrooms
This is also more of a side dish but something I like to eat often. I love mushrooms and this combination is deadly. It is an extremely simple recipe that is delicious. I don’t have much to say about this one here. Just follow it 100% and I’m sure you’ll love the flavour.
7) Miso Salmon
Salmon has always been one of my favourite seafood dishes. You should know by now how much I adore seafood. I like mainly two salmon dishes: teriyaki salmon and miso salmon. They’re equally as good but unfortunately, I haven’t found a go-to recipe for teriyaki salmon. I’ve tried so many already but something’s still off about them. I haven’t found any recipes that are worth remaking. If there are any suggestions, please let me know!
On the bright side, I found a great miso salmon recipe. This recipe doesn’t require much work, which I love. The author suggests marinating the salmon between 30-60 minutes. I tend to marinate the fish longer (50-60 mins) because it is more flavourful that way.
I’m not very good at knowing when salmon is done cooking. Rarely, the salmon is perfectly baked the first time. I usually have to take it out after the recommended time (10-12 minutes) and check to see if it’s ready to be served. There have been many times where I realized that the salmon is still raw inside. Can you tell I’m a newbie or what? Each salmon piece has a different thickness so I have to play it by ear. I’m hoping that this is something I will get better at with practice. I want to be able to look at it and be more confident in knowing whether or not the salmon needs to be cooked for longer. I have to even break apart the salmon sometimes to see if it’s finished cooking. The look isn’t as visually pleasing because the salmon is chopped in half.
Those who don’t usually cook Japanese food might have to buy mirin, cooking sake, and miso for this dish. I adore Japanese food so all three are a must-have in my kitchen. Many Japanese dishes require you to use mirin and cooking sake. Even the Korean fishcakes require mirin. If I were you, I would buy a bottle of each to put in your kitchen.
Final Notes
One of the things I’ve learned at quarantine is to take pleasure in the little things. Discovering new recipes is something that makes me happy. It’s fun and it makes me feel like I’m on a treasure hunt. When I’m cooking, nothing is occupying my mind. I have to concentrate to make sure I’m following the recipe. I’ll usually listen to music as I’m cooking. It’s quite relaxing actually.
I hope to eventually be one of those people that tries a dish and can say this dish needs one more tablespoon of paprika. I also want to able to start creating my own recipes from scratch. I’m not there yet but I am patient that I will get to that level one day. For now, I’m excited to try new recipes from the Internet. I would like to emphasize that these shared recipes are not mine. These people have been so wonderful and shared their recipes with the entire Internet. I’m one of them so I’m extremely thankful.
I’m sure there will be a part 3 eventually and I’ll let you guys know when there is.
Xoxo,
Nicole