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Snowman Rice Balls?? Yes, it's you favorite Jumeokbap (주먹밥) in the shape of a snowman! I love making snowman in the winter, don't you? I love living in California but I do miss the snow here during the holiday time. I know this is a pretty last minute Christmas recipe idea but better late than never, right? And these rice balls really don't need a lot of time or special ingredients so hopefully it's something you can whip up, even if it's last minute. It would be great as a rice substitute for dinner or even as a snack for your children during your Christmas holidays! And you can have some fun making these with your little ones.

For a while now, I have been trying to come up with something fun to cook for Christmas or the holidays. I have searched through all my Korean cookbooks for dessert ideas but as you know there are no special Christmas foods in the Korean cuisine. So.. instead of desserts, I decided to make these cute Snowman Rice Balls (Jumeokbap)!! ⛄️  ❄️ ⛄️ The great thing about these special Snowman holiday theme rice treats is that it's actually not high calorie or too sweet but something that you can eat with your everyday meal. I'm sure you can make even more cute designs than mine here but not too bad, right? haha

[caption id="attachment_7044" align="alignleft" width="243"] Korean Rice Balls Joomuk Bap[/caption]

The stuffing for these snowman rice balls were taken from my Jumeokbap post so please check that recipe on how to make the spam and ground beef stuffing. Although I have not included in this recipe, you can also stuff the rice balls with tuna+mayo, chopped kimchi, sauteed anchovies (myeolchi bokkeum), salmon flakes.. the possibilities are endless.

This post is a first for me in that I am asking you to watch the video for the details of how it is done rather than read my detailed recipe because trying to explain how you make the snowman would be way too hard to do with just words and pictures.

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[caption id="attachment_15970" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Pressure Cooker Jangjorim (Korean Soy Braised Beef)[/caption]

Jangjorim has always been my favorite side dish in my lunchboxes as a kid in Korea but now, in this time of SIP, this pressure cooker Jangjorim has become a staple menu item. Having to come up with menu ideas every day, this salty, sweet and savory beef banchan has been a lifesaver for me and my family.

We often make rice bowls with it - with some egg and sometimes even butter added on top! YUM!! It's great for breakfast or lunch when you really don't want to cook something. You can also make bibim noodles with it - just add some sesame oil, sesame seeds and some green onions..

So these days, I make Janjgorim in big batches in my Instant Pot (here's my stovetop version) and store it in my kimchi fridge for longer storage. In addition to the fact that you can store this for days and that it's yummy just straight out of the fridge, it's a side dish that just keeps on giving.. haha.. you can do much more with it than just having it as banchan.

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[caption id="attachment_15338" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari) slices[/caption]

Korean Egg Roll is probably one banchan that a beginner Korean home cook will most likely learn to make first before anything else.. well, maybe other than cooking instant ramen 😝. And I'm so sorry that I'm so late in bringing this to you.

At the beginning of my blogging years, I didn't post it because I thought that it's so simple to make and doubted whether it even needed a recipe?? But now, I know better. What's simple to me may not be so simple to someone who has never seen it made before.

Btw, this Korean egg roll is a great last-minute side dish to make for any Korean meal because it goes with any dish (especially well with strongly seasoned dish like spicy kimchi jjigae and fish jorim) and can be made easily with very few ingredients.

It is most often served at room temperature as a side dish to meals and is especially popular in Dosirak (lunchboxes) but can be great as snacks and also as anju (food that goes well with alcoholic drinks). Cheese Egg Roll is especially popular among young people, at indoor Pojangmachas 포장마차 (small street vendors) these days.

The post Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari 계란말이) – 3 ways appeared first on Kimchimari.

Korean meat and seafood banchan (side dishes) that you can make at home. Easy and full of flavors, these dishes can be added to any meals or even enjoyed as hearty snacks.

[caption id="attachment_12304" align="aligncenter" width="640"] 12 Korean Meat and Seafood Side Dishes (Banchan)[/caption]

Korean Meat and Seafood banchan (side dishes)

Here are 12 more meat and seafood banchans (in addition to the 15 vegetable banchan I posted recently)to inject a burst of Korean flavors to any meal on any occasion. These are popular banchan that you've probably come across at Korean restaurants, and I'm sharing with these simple recipes with you to try at home. Be sure to heck out my 15 Korean Vegetable banchan recipes if you are looking for some more side dishes!

These recipes are an easy gateway to Korean cooking, using common Korean ingredients like dried seafood and highlighting authentic Korean flavors like the wonderful and well-loved gochujang paste. Add one or two to your meals, or have them as a snack. You'll be surprised at how addicting some of them can be!

Jorim vs Jjim vs Bokkeum vs Gui vs Jeon Banchan - What do they all mean?

Although I have tried to use the right corresponding English words to describe these dishes, I have to say they are not always an exact match. For example, I've used 'braised' to describe jorim or jjim but technically it is not the exact same method because Braising assumes there is a searing or browning of the ingredient before it is slowly reduced whereas jorim or jjim rarely includes any browning process. But they are both similar in that they are slowly cooked on low heat until the liquid is reduced.

So, I will now share below what each of the names mean and how the cooking process is different.

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Omurice is short for Omelette Rice which is fried rice wrapped in egg instead of other stuffings like ham and cheese.

[caption id="attachment_9496" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Omurice Omelette Rice Recipe Closeup[/caption]

Omurice comes from two words, omelette + rice. The dish originally comes from Japanese cuisine but it has become so popular in Korea over time that now it has become a part of Korean cuisine. In particular, it is usually a part of a Korean food category called Bunsik.

Now, let me talk a little about Bunsik. What does Bunsik mean? Bunsik 粉食 분식 literally means "food made from flour" but in reality, it has become to mean a certain group of Korean dishes that are inexpensive, attractive to younger crowds and is also great as snacks. Tteokbokki, Udon, Oden soup, Kimbap, Twigim, Mandu and other noodle dishes like ramen are some very classic menu items at a Bunsik restaurant.

So since when and how was Bunsik ever came to exist?

The post Omurice (Omelette Rice) 오무라이스 Recipe appeared first on Kimchimari.

Garlic Scapes lightly stir fried with dried shrimp is just sooo good.

Garlic scapes or Maneuljjong 마늘쫑 is one of those vegetables that is still only available for a short period of time (May and June) in a year. I am old enough to remember the days when most vegetables and fruits were seasonal and the change of seasons brought excitement to me, dreaming about how fabulous strawberries would be or how wonderfully cooling a watermelon would be when they are in season. Now, everything is available all year around and I think life is less exciting just because of that.

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