Monday, October 17, 2011

"Korean food isn't shy."

Video from YouTube uploaded by KimchiChronicles. 

The "Kimchi Chronicles" is described as "part travelogue, part food fantasy and part documentary of self-discovery." 

Each episode discovers and highlights a part of Korean cuisine that is both colorful and hunger-inducing in a way that we've never seen before, especially in a made-for-American broadcast on Korean food. 

The show stars Marja Vongerichten, who was born near Seoul to a Korean mother and an American soldier and was ultimately adopted by a family in Virginia at the age of three. 

Years later, she eventually reunited with her birth mother in Brooklyn who cooked her a traditional Korean meal and the meal, she said, flooded back memories and taste of her childhood in Korea. 

Her husband is critically acclaimed chef Jean-George Vongerichten who received the top honor of three stars from the Michelin Guide. 

Check out our review of The Patio, a Korean barbeque restaurant in Tustin that's famous for its grilled kimchi. 

For more information on the "Kimchi Chronicles," visit kimchichronicles.tv.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Shrimp tempura for dummies

This video from YouTube is a meticulous, step-by-step 
and fool-proof way to make fried ebi*. 

Editor's note: Watch for the great tips on how to 
remove shrimp poo and prevent curling. 



Video from YouTube uploaded by CookingWithDog


*Prawns.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Chiritorinabe please

Feel like eating Japanese tonight? Maybe you haven't tried this.

It's called Chiritorinabe and it's a spicy stew-like soup with vegetables and meat that's savory and delicious.

At Oki Doki in Tustin, a mini-stove is brought to the table holding a square pan filled with vegetable broth and stacked with pork, beef intestine and vegetables.

After cooking down the tall pyramid of vegetables and meat and after eating all the soup, diners add rice to make a Japanese-inspired risotto that should satisfy any comfort food enthusiast.

Cabbage, spicy kimchi, bean sprouts, pork and beef intestine waiting to be cooked down. 
Here are some basic guidelines to help you get started: 

Step 1: Mix and cook down the ingredients. Wait until done, which means the beef intestine should taste buttery and tender until it falls apart in your mouth. This takes a while so don't rush. 


We never thought we would say it, but beef intestine is really good!

Step 2: After eating plenty of the hearty stew, add rice or noodles and cook down.

This still needs about five more minutes and should resemble the consistency of risotto. 

There are a wide variety of additional toppings available to add, ranging from pork cheek, leek or enoki, but we like to keep it simple.

1. Plain soup. (We don't add anything, it's good the way it is.)
2. "Japanese risotto" rice at the end.

Favorite part of the meal: The beef intestine is so buttery, tender and flavorful and the epitome of fatty goodness.

Editor's tip: Have the waitstaff help you. Yuki, a waiter at the restaurant made us the BEST chiritorinabe. If he's around, ask for him. Tip #2: Save some intestine at the end to mix with the rice. Yummm!

Here are a few other items we also love to eat at Oki-Doki:

Kakuni: Pork belly stewed until tender topped with bok choy. 

Halibut carpaccio with sea salt, lemon juice and yuzu citrus pepper. Simple but amazing, especially the yuzu citrus pepper. We wish they would bottle it up and sell it. 

Oki Doki's homemade sesame tofu served cold or hot (pictured) agedashi style. Instead of soy beans, this dish is sesame-based and has a unique texture and nutty flavor.  

Oki Doki is located at 13681 Newport Ave. #9 in Tustin near the 5 freeway. Closed from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.