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Is that not this?: gochugaru



The original recipe called for silken tofu; I'm not huge on tofu so I just omitted it. I agree it would benefit from an additional protein.

I'm not a big bean sprouts person. Green onion would definitely work.



Baby shrimp was one option I was thinking of for the second protein.

With a smaller portion I would definitely do a rice pairing on the side.
Oh yes! It is gochugaru. I only read gochujang in your post lol

Adult shrimp is better but that’s my preference. Also baby squid and mussels would be my top choice.

P.S. for those who want to make a really good seafood base without much effort or need a unami kick, I highly recommend getting Ajinomoto Hondashi Bonito extract.
 
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Kimchi Soup:

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Pork Belly, cut into 1/3 inch/1cm pieces and marinated in ginger, garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce, and soy, then fried off in butter, in a heavy-bottomed soup pan for 5m, then chopped onion is added for a further 5M saute.

There after, 2 cups of Kimchi, (strained) and chopped, blended with more of everything in the marinade, along with gochugaru (Korean Chillies ground up) and gochujang and cooked for 2-4M, then add the Kimchi liquid (about 1 cup) and 6 cups of homemade chicken stock.

The base recipe here called for 2tbsp Gochugaru and 1tbsp Gochujang. I like spicy and more than doubled that. But add heat to your own taste. This did give me a good brow sweat eating a bowl.

This made roughly 4 full bowls after reduction.


Finish with a choice of green onion or chive (or Korean Chive) for garnish

you just made "kimchi jigae" which is my favourite. Now a tiny bowl of this will set you back at least $16 at any Korean Restaurant in Toronto.
 
Plating could have used a bit more refinement, but I was quite pleased with Thai Beef Salad, severed with lime-cilantro jasmine rice; and a some fresh cucumber and scallion, and fresh mint.

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It's been a while I posted here!

I was lucky to have a friend giving me a referral code to Chef Plate a meal kit delivery. As an expert cook I think Chef Plate is good for intermediate cooks with a bit of basic knowledge.

Anyway I paid $4.99 with free delivery for 5 meals of food. I had leftover for next days lunch. Without the discount code...I won't be using the service since the cost be the same as a typical grocery haul.

Enjoy the food pics for now!

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Burger with pesto mayo & baked fries

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asian inspired turkey larb bowl with Pickled carrots & salad

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Indian inspired chickpea curry

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Mediterranean style pork chop served with couscous and tangy greek yogurt

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Sweet potato and chorizo taco swerved with feta, tomatos and avocado salsa
 
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I played around with Chef's Plate, GoodFood and HelloFresh during COVID. They were all very similar with decent offerings, and we had a bit of fun with them. At one point, when we could have people around, we even did a couple of food kit dinner parties with each couple being assigned one kit. I got tired of managing the subscriptions though -- I didn't want them every week, and we travel, so I had to keep remembering to update which was more trouble than it was worth. PC used to have one that you could order just when you wanted, but they discontinued it.

One of the best ideas I heard was a group of friends who rented an Air BnB for a vacation, and they brought a couple of meal kits to offset the cost of dining out every night and to avoid having to bring a bunch of ingredients with them or buy things they would have to bring back home or waste a bunch of food.
 
I played around with Chef's Plate, GoodFood and HelloFresh during COVID. They were all very similar with decent offerings, and we had a bit of fun with them. At one point, when we could have people around, we even did a couple of food kit dinner parties with each couple being assigned one kit. I got tired of managing the subscriptions though -- I didn't want them every week, and we travel, so I had to keep remembering to update which was more trouble than it was worth. PC used to have one that you could order just when you wanted, but they discontinued it.

One of the best ideas I heard was a group of friends who rented an Air BnB for a vacation, and they brought a couple of meal kits to offset the cost of dining out every night and to avoid having to bring a bunch of ingredients with them or buy things they would have to bring back home or waste a bunch of food.

Haha, as the only gentleman in my every friend circle and family...I am always in charge of the cooking. From holiday gatherings to vacation trips, I work away in the kitchen.

I find meal kits to be quite convenient from the stand point of not having to think "what's for dinner tonight". The instructions are clear for the beginner cook, but the time to put a meal together can be a bit longer than what the recipe card says.

I got tired of managing the subscriptions though -- I didn't want them every week, and we travel, so I had to keep remembering to update which was more trouble than it was worth.
I find this to be a hassle as there are days I have to plan around the meal kit meals vs If I can go out with friends for a dinner!

"rented an Air BnB for a vacation, and they brought a couple of meal kits to offset the cost of dining out every night and to avoid having to bring a bunch of ingredients with them or buy things they would have to bring back home or waste a bunch of food."

I never thought of this idea haha but it's great for those who don't like to cook on vacation and still be able to save a bit of money. Maybe my friends and family are lucky, I usually just handle the food part. I guess it's similar to the saying, " don't piss off the designated driver in the vacation."
 
Northern Light's Take on Thai Popcorn chicken w/snow peas, lime-cilantro-scallion rice; and sweet heat Thai Chili sauce featuring White Vinegar, Lime Zest, Lime Juice, Sriracha, Garlic, Ginger, Fish Sauce, Bird's Eye Chili, Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Sugar.

The Popcorn chicken is boneless, skinless Chicken Thigh, cut small, and breaded in cornstarch with generous amounts of cumin, white pepper, coriander, garlic and cayanne; and was marinated in 1/2 of the Sweet Chili Sauce w/extra soy and chili.

Served with a chilled Italian Orvieto (off-dry white)

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Fall eating: potatoes roasted in the fat leftover from a roast chicken on the weekend.

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Some of those got a little over-browned, though some might say those are the best ones...

look delicious!

my biggest pet peeve not using tin foil or parchment paper when baking...it must be a hassle to clean the sheet pan after baking @Jonny5
 
Beef Tenderloin, with a crust of freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt, seared in brown butter, w/homemade cesar salad (including scratch dressing and croutons); along w/frites, tossed w/fresh chives, butter, thyme, and garlic.

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Steak is not as gratuitous as it looks, LOL

Good sized portion (packaged as one steak); ~190 grams
 
Beef Tenderloin, with a crust of freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt, seared in brown butter, w/homemade cesar salad (including scratch dressing and croutons); along w/frites, tossed w/fresh chives, butter, thyme, and garlic.

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Steak is not as gratuitous as it looks, LOL

Good sized portion (packaged as one steak); ~190 grams
hello....where is my invitation to this steak dinner?

All jokes aside, the steak looks good but "A+" for the fries. I'm a sucker for cutting the steak into slices for the presentation.
 
"A+" for the fries.

Triple-fried Yukon Gold Potato Frites, tossed in a little bit (1/2 tsp) homemade garlic butter, w/fresh chives, dried thyme and a quick dusting of freshly grated parm; plus some freshly cracked black pepper and some maldon salt.
 
Triple-fried Yukon Gold Potato Frites, tossed in a little bit (1/2 tsp) homemade garlic butter, w/fresh chives, dried thyme and a quick dusting of freshly grated parm; plus some freshly cracked black pepper and some maldon salt.
My favourite seasoning for beef tenderloin is equal parts butter and roquefort (or other blue cheese) with minced shallot, salt and pepper.
 
My favourite seasoning for beef tenderloin is equal parts butter and roquefort (or other blue cheese) with minced shallot, salt and pepper.

I like to go simple just salt & pepper since too much seasoning can burn the meat's exterior and may cause undercooked the inside. I mean i still finish it with a butter basting to elevate the flavour. The leftover fond and butter in the pan I would create a nice sauce with it like "au povire" or beef jus.
 

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