Today Seoul got its first major snowfall of the season. It’s been snowing off and on for weeks now up in the mountains and some provinces to the north of us, but we’d only gotten flurries before last night. Just before we went to bed, we looked out the window and noticed these huge snowflakes falling almost in sheets of snow from the sky. We woke up to a snow-covered city.
I had the best of intentions, planning to take the camera and go to the nearby park that overlooks a good section of southern Seoul. But I ended up just venturing out briefly to the store and taking a few cheap shots from our window. (You can see them in my Flickr photostream, above.) I’m really not a cold weather person.
It proved to be a good excuse to stay inside and try some new recipes. I managed to do a pretty decent version of dak galbi (닭 갈비) a spicy chicken stir-fry. Thanks to this excellent recipe at My Korean Kitchen. (The food was yummy, but the picture I took turned out blurry so I’m not posting it.) My version wasn’t quite as good as the one at the restaurant in COEX that we regularly go to when we’re craving this. But, it was very good, if I do say so myself. I especially like the flavor from the sesame leaves. When I’ve had this dish before, I noticed that it has a sweeter, deeper flavor—even when it’s made with a lot of spicy gochujang—than a lot of other dishes. I think the sesame leaves are most of what I was tasting.
To go with it, I also followed Sue’s recipe for dubu jolim (simmered tofu, above), and it was delicious. David even ate several pieces, and he doesn’t really like tofu. I do, but I’ve never had it served in a way that still lets it taste like tofu—smooth and kind of slippery, but with flavor. It’s also really simple to make. I think I’ll probably make this again and just serve it with some side dishes and rice for a simple, light meal. I thought we’d have leftovers, but we ended up eating all of it in one sitting. A whole package of tofu.
I mean, we are talking about sautéed bean curd here, so you know the recipe is good!
{ 5 comments }
sue 12.17.06 at 11:25 pm
We had first snow here in Gwangyang in this morning, but it all melted as soon as it landed. So I didn’t get to take any pictures sadly.
Anyway, it’s really good to hear that both recipes turned out well. I didn’t expect the tofu recipe to be popular with other people. Western people don’t seem to like tofu much unless they are vegetarian. Good to here that you and David liked it. :)
By the way, I really like your new theme for this blog. It looks concise and catchy.
Jodi 12.18.06 at 7:10 am
Wish we had snow down here but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Forecast predicts it to be in the upper 40s-50s by the end of this week.
Anyway, thanks for the recipe tip! I’ve been looking for simple, stove-top recipes that don’t require a lot of time to prepare and this one is perfect! :)
Rose Byrd 12.20.06 at 12:27 am
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Tofu offers proteins that meats don’t. As you seem to have discovered, it can also be a real comfort food. Glad to hear David showed proper appreciation by “cleaning his plate.”
Maryam in Marrakesh 12.21.06 at 6:54 pm
This sounds absolutely delish. Unfortunately, no tofo here in Morocco - or at least none that I have ever seen. I must look harder.
Cat 12.23.06 at 5:49 am
Maryam, from what I know, tofu is mostly an East Asian thing, but I could be wrong. I would think it might pretty difficult to run across where you are.
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