How-To Archives - Kimchimari

Decorate Songpyeon for Halloween & Holidays!

JinJoo — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 18:11:47 +0000

Decorating Songpyeon is something Koreans started to do in recent years. You can decorate it with small flowers using different color doughs or even make fun Songpyeon for Halloween with little pumpkins and skulls for a fun treat. Make pretty flower songpyeon for the holidays! Decorate Songpyeon for Halloween & the Holidays! Typically Songpyeon is
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Ultimate Guide to Makgeolli – Tastes and Content

JinJoo — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 21:38:08 +0000

Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine that was traditionally home brewed. The complex and robust flavors of this drink pairs wonderfully with all Korean foods but most wonderfully with flavorful foods like Kimchi and Korean BBQs.

[caption id="attachment_11790" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Makgeolli (Korean Rice Wine) Tasting[/caption]

What is Makgeolli?

Makgeolli (막걸리) or Makkolli is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage brewed from rice and a fermentation starter called nuruk 누룩. It is traditionally an 'fast' or 'emergency brew' which can be ready in 7-10 days and is made in a single step fermentation (Danyangju 단양주). Traditionally this rice wine was brewed in each home and served as everyday drink as well as for special occasions like weddings.

What does Makgeolli taste like?

This Korean rice wine is a milky and often fizzy drink having a complex flavor profile that also has sweet, sour, with even a little bit of bitter tastes. It can also have a fruity, dusty, floral aroma with a bit of chalky texture. It is a great filling drink that tastes great on its own but even better with Korean food.

History of Makgeolli

This is the oldest alcoholic drink in Korean cuisine that dates back to Goryeo (고려) Dynasty (918-1320) and some say there are traces of this wine even back to the Three Kingdoms era (57 BC to 668 AD). Makgeolli is a brewed rice wine, traditionally made of just 3 ingredients: rice, water and nuruk. Nuruk is a unique fermentation starter that contains yeast and bacteria that break down the rice to produce alcohol - making this rice wine an alcoholic drink.

Makgeolli was considered a "farmer's wine (Nongju 농주)" because of the high nutritional content and carbonation, it was a great refreshing energy drink for farmers. When I was a child, I distinctly remember seeing farmers and construction workers drinking this white colored drink in a shallow bowl (사발) every afternoon during their break. Farmers or other labor workers (like for construction) would get quite upset 😝 if they didn't get this drink during their snack time. I remember my mom hearing an earful from a construction worker one time when she brought them some red bean pastry and milk for snack --

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9 Chuseok (Korean Harvest Moon) Recipes with Jesa Table Setting Guide

JinJoo — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:23:29 +0000

Celebrate Chuseok (Korean Harvest Moon) with these 9 recipes that you can make at home, from rice recipes like Songpyeon (rice cakes), Sikhye (rice punch), Jeons (fritters) to Samesaek Namul (vegetable side dish with three colors).

[caption id="attachment_14738" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chuseok Recipes for Jesa[/caption]

Koreans start the autumn season with a major celebration known as Chuseok 추석, which takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar - around autumn equinox. In 2019, this day falls on September 13th. Chuseok literally means "autumn evening," and it's a harvest festival commemorating the season's crops, especially Korean rice.

Now, Chuseok is also a time when many Korean families gather together to perform Jesa (제사 ancestral rites) by cooking wonderful foods to offer to their ancestors, setting the table and inviting the ancestor spirits to visit and enjoy the food. Jesa for Chuseok is also called Charye 차례 and when the ceremony is over, the whole family will enjoy the food together.

Traditionally in the past, the women in the family (mom, daughter-in-law, daughters) spent days preparing all the Jesa food. But today's modern Korean family often chooses to go on trips instead or actually order the foods from businesses instead of laboring for days to prepare it all. But it's still good to know the history behind these foods.

Chuseok is also a time to celebrate all the abundance of New Year's crop which will always include rice and fruits. Koreans make rice cake, rice wine, and rice dessert with the new rice crop along with festive dishes like grilled fish, dried seafood (octopus, pollock or yellow croaker), beef jerkey (yukpo), seafood fritters (saenseonjeon), and vegetable side dishes (namul).

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How to make Gochujang at home!

JinJoo — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 05:08:29 +0000

This is how Korean moms make Gochujang at home every year in spring. This is a very authentic and traditional way to make Korean chili paste! If you have the ingredients and some time, this somewhat long process is totally worth it! What is Gochujang? Gochujang is a Fermented chili paste and NOT a sauce.
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7 Uses for Rice Water

JinJoo — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 16:42:50 +0000

As I wrote in my Doenjang Jjigae post, rice water or water obtained from rinsing rice has a separate name in Korean – Ssal Tteu Mul (쌀뜨물) where ssal means rice and mul means water. It is also called Mikam 미감(米泔), Mikamsu 미감수(米泔水), Mizeup 미즙(米汁), Baeksu 백수(白水). FYI, Mi 미 米 means rice. When I
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What is Kimchi and Is it healthy for you?

JinJoo — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:52:14 +0000

What is Kimchi? I share all there is to learn about this wonderful Korean fermented vegetable dish including a general overview, its health benefits, how to ferment and store them properly. What is Kimchi? Kimchi or Kimchee refers to Korean fermented vegetable pickles that are often made by first brining the vegetable for a few
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Traditional Korean Party Menu Ideas for Holiday Dinners!

JinJoo — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 23:19:54 +0000

How to plan a Traditional Korean Party menu for your next holiday dinner – whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. My menu planning tips will help you cook a perfect feast for your family this Holiday – big or small and in a more simplified way. UPDATED 12/3/2022 Traditional Korean Party Menu Ideas A Traditional Korean
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Ssuk Beomul (Korean Mugwort Rice Cake)

JinJoo — Mon, 23 May 2022 21:33:07 +0000

Ssuk Beomul or Ssuk Beomuri is a steamed Korean mugwort rice cake simply made with Ssuk (mugwort) and rice cake flour. A springtime favorite, this Ssuk Beomul is full of herbaceous flavor that’s lightly sweet – perfect for breakfast or a snack. What is Ssuk Beomul 쑥버물? Ssuk Beomul is a simple steamed Korean Tteok
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My Makgeolli Project with Vino Vargas Winemaker

JinJoo — Mon, 18 Apr 2022 23:47:50 +0000

Are you ready for something unbelievable?? You know that I always love to improve a recipe and being a scientist in my previous life, I love to nail down things so that the recipe minimizes the chance of failure. So, a dream of mine was to work with a real master in making my current Makgeolli
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Milk Bread (Soft and Fluffy Asian Style Recipe)

JinJoo — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 22:10:00 +0000

Milk Bread is a wonderfully light, moist and pillowy soft white bread that you will see in many Asian/Korean style bakeries or in Korean coffee shops - served in thick slices usually with jam and butter. Flavors of milk and butter with a subtle sweetness makes this bread addictingly delicious and now you can make it at home!

[caption id="attachment_14753" align="aligncenter" width="745"] Milk Bread (Uyu Sikppang 우유 식빵) Loaf - Asian Style[/caption]

Milk Bread or Uyu Sikppang (우유식빵) is a bread that's very popular not just in Korea but in many Asian countries including Japan, China and Taiwan. And these days you can find them in bakeries like Paris Baguette (which is a franchise from Korea) in various locations throughout the US. It is also called Asian Milk Bread, Japanese/Chinese Milk Bread (Shokupan) and Hokkaido Milk Bread.

OK, so this bread makes me think of my mom.. she loved this soft bread so much. But the way she ate the bread was pretty funny and I know she always thought she was being a bit naughty 😈when she did this. She would rip out the center of the bread, leaving a big hole behind. 😲🤭 As far as I can remember she always tried to a PROPER but soft milk bread was one thing that made her bad.. hahaha..

And you know.. how when growing up... our parents always told us that we should be eating every part of the bread including the crust because of whatever reason?? HAHAHA.. one reason being, we should not waste food!! When there are kids starving in faraway countries and here you are being a picky eater about the crust...

And that only spoiled kids ask for sandwiches made with bread with curst cut out?? HAHAHA 🤣😆

Well... that was one thing my mom could never tell us because she violated this rule all the time!!

So when I made this bread and it came out just as yummy, soft and pillowy soft as how I remember it many many years ago, I was so tempted to just dig out the center and eat it - just like how my mom did... 😂🤣😂

What is special about this Milk Bread?

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