Aeri's Kitchen

Army base soup, budae jjigae was originated during and after the Korean War, when Koreans had very little to eat. People made this dish by combining leftover Spam and hot dogs from U.S. Army facilities, and mixed it with whatever else was available. All of the leftovers were combined with water in a large pot and boiled. Nowadays, most Koreans have enough to eat, but this soup is still very popular with more varied ingredients added to it. Try it someday.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• BuDae (부대) = Army Base
• GunIn (군인) = Soldier

Read more…

The rice cake soup called “tteokguk” in Korean is one of my favorite Korean meals. We usually eat this soup on New Year’s day, but you can eat it anytime you want. You can make the soup with different kinds of meat such as beef or oysters. Today, I will make oyster rice cake soup the way my mom usually made it for us.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• Gul (굴) = Oyster
• Tteok (떡) = Rice Cake

Read more…

Have you ever had leftover dumpling filling? Recently, I made a large batch of garlic chive dumplings. Those delicious dumplings are now steamed and waiting in the freezer to be eaten later. I feel very satisfied having frozen dumplings on hand, since they are convenient for quick meals later. Anyway, for that batch, I had some leftover filling, and with it, I made this recipe. Maybe you had the same experience before and did not know what to do with it; this is a good solution for that problem. Simply mixing the dumpling filling with a few other ingredients turns into a very tasty snack or appetizer.

Yield: 15 Patties

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• Sok (속) = Inside
• Bak (밖) = Outside

Read more…

Triangle kimbap is a very popular food sold in convenience stores in Korea. For people who are too busy to prepare breakfast or lunch, this is a good option. Since the kimbap is wrapped in a disposable plastic package, it is easy to carry and eat wherever or whenever you want. There are many different types available; however, today I will only show you how to make two different types using tuna and kimchi. In a Korean grocery store, you can find the kit for making this triangle kimbap. Why not try making this simple and amazingly delicious kimbap at home? If you have kids, it will be fun to make this together with your children. I cannot wait to make these with my son, Bryson, someday. hehe

Yield: 10 Servings

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• ChamChi (참치) = Tuna
• SamGak (삼각) = Triangle

Read more…

Yangmyeom tongdak (양념 통닭) must be the most popular snack food in Korea. There are many restaurants that offer free delivery service to your home with no tipping. Many companies deliver their food until midnight, and this fried chicken is always a popular choice in Korea. Whenever people have to be up late into the night watching the Olympics, World Cup, or other big events, the fried chicken restaurants will be very busy. lol This chicken is nicely battered and fried with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce. Try it someday.

Yield: 2-3 Servings

Short Korean Lesson: *^^*

• ChinGu (친구) = Friend
• ChinGuDeul (친구들) = Friends

Read more…