Creamy Gochujang Noodles

Creamy Gochujang Noodles

Creamy Gochujang Noodles

In the mid-2000s, Korean street food vendors took cues from the Italian pasta dish penne alla vodka by introducing heavy cream into their traditional tteokbokki.

Tteokbokki is a popular stir-fried rice cake snack that is simmered in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. Gochujang is a Korean red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. The addition of cream results in a distinctive rosy color, hence the moniker “rosé tteokbokki.”

My previous Korean-French fusion salmon dish, a Creamy Gochujang Braised Salmon, blended those same spicy and creamy elements. This Korean-Italian fusion noodle dish also wows with a delicious fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers in the paste.

Bucatini stands in as an interesting alternative for rice cakes because of its wonderfully chewy quality. Handmade bronze dies give the pasta a fabulous coarse, sauce-absorbing surface, perfect for soaking up all those spicy-sweet-creamy-umami flavors that rosé tteokbokki is famous for…

Creamy Gochujang Noodles

Creamy Gochujang Noodles Recipe

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Chinese Food on Christmas

Chinese Food on Christmas

Chinese Food on Christmas

🕎🎄🕎🎄🕎

The custom apparently started in Manhattan, around the turn of the last century. Immigrant Jewish and Chinese neighbors did not share in the celebration of Christmas with other New Yorkers. So it seems that Jews were grateful to find Chinese restaurants were open on a holiday when all other restaurants were closed…

OK, fast forward to today. Jewish people eating Chinese food on Christmas has become an American tradition. It’s become part of the holiday spirit. And nobody’s kvetching.

Christmas Menu

Soup Dumplings
Roast Duck Two Ways
Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles
Stir-Fry Vegetables
Three Sauces

Chinese Food on ChristmasChinese Food at Home

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Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)

Our newest tradition for a BLACK FRIDAY meal is the polar opposite to everyone’s beloved Turkey & Stuffing. JAJANGMYEON couldn’t be more perfect for the day after the Big Feast, giving those precious leftovers a little space to breathe and be enjoyed later on with gusto.

A super-satisfying bowl of noodles coated with slurpy black bean sauce that’s chock-full of pork and vegetables, Jajangmyeon is Korean/Chinese comfort food at its zenith.

Lovelorn Koreans typically eat this noir dish on BLACK DAY which is “celebrated” on April 14th every year. It’s a day dedicated to single people who haven’t yet found their true love; a reverse Valentine’s Day of sorts.

I’m advocating eating Jajangmyeon on BLACK FRIDAY as well. Jajangmyeon can follow that special day of high culinary expectations and not let anyone down with its super tasty salty/sweet flavors and visually astonishing deep dark color.

Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles)Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles) Recipe

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Cold Fusion Cuisine: Noodles, Peanut Butter Sauce, Banana

Cold Buckwheat Noodles, Peanut Butter Sauce, Banana

Cold Fusion Cuisine

Buckwheat Noodles, Peanut Butter Sauce
Banana, Serrano, Scallion, Peanut, Cilantro

Cold Fusion: The hypothetical process of creating energy at room temperature by the fusion of hydrogen atoms into helium. If possible, this process could potentially provide unlimited cheap energy for all of humanity. One problem – scientists have never been able to duplicate that 1989 experiment.

Fusion Cuisine: The melding or blending flavors, foods, or techniques from the cuisine of one or more regions, cultures, or ethnicities.

Cold Fusion Cuisine: The harmonizing of foods from different regions into a stellar cold dish. One rarely sees peanuts or peanut butter in Korean cuisine. Here I’m pairing fresh Korean buckwheat noodles with a zippy sauce made with peanut butter and banana.

Cold Food Festival: Hansik Day is a traditional Korean holiday which falls on April 5. The festival is a time to honor one’s ancestors and welcome warmer weather. Like the Chinese, Koreans eat cold food on this day. Try my cold buckwheat noodles, with peanut butter sauce and Szechwan peppercorns for an energetic celebration of flavors!

Buckwheat Noodles, Peanut Butter Sauce Recipe

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Chicken Pad Thai, Korean-Style

chicken pad thai, bibimbap pad thai, noodle bibimbap
Before
chicken pad thai
After

Chicken Pad Thai, Korean-Style

Spicy Roasted Chicken Thigh, Stir-Fry Rice Noodles
Pickled Turnip, Peanuts, Garlicky Spinach, Bean Sprouts
Quail Egg & Gochujang Sauce
Lime, Thai Chili, Cilantro Garnish

The inspiration for this twist on Thailand’s Stir-Fried Noodle dish comes from one of my favorite Korean rice dishes, Bibimbap. Chicken Pad Thai, Korean-Style is the third in a series of unique Pad Thai dishes ~ this is Pad Thai fusion!

One of Thailand’s most popular dishes is commonly made with stir-fried rice noodles, eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, red chili pepper, bean sprouts, garlic, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, peanuts, coriander and lime ~ the Taste With The Eyes Pad Thai Series incorporates all or most of these ingredients into recipes with a creative angle or unusual point of view.

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