.: evil jungle prince :.

Summer's here! Today it's 112F outside, and the perfect time for cooling foods.

Although I've made and published this dish before, this time I took the time to properly season my vegetables and wow. what a difference this made. 냉면 are cold buckwheat noodles in an ice broth, topped with seasoned, chilled vegetables: daikon with a chile seasoning, cucumber with salt and vinegar, and Korean (nashi) pear. Taken all together this is really such a great summer meal which cools but tempts the taste buds with its tangy pungency.

Making it is a multiple-step process, but it goes quickly.

1. Prepare a broth -- you can either make one from scratch or use a the packet which comes with Korean buckwheat noodles. I used the packet this time. Just mix with water, heat, and then place in refrigerator to chill.

2. Begin by cutting daikon into rectangular cubes, relatively thin, and then salt with sea salt. Set aside for 5-6 minutes. Rinse briefly and squeeze out the liquid. Set aside. Do the same with cucumber.

3. After rinsing the daikon briefly, then add the chile seasoning, which is made by mixing: 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes, 1 tsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp ginger juice, 1clove garlic, dash of salt. Add to daikon pieces. Set aside in refrigerator.

4. After rinsing the cucumber slices, add 1 tsp vinegar and dash of salt. Set aside in refrigerator.

5. Now boil the buckwheat noodles in water until they are slightly past al dente -- still rubbery but not soft. Remove immediately and rinse with cold water to remove gluten and cool down.

6. Place the cooled down noodles into a bowl and pour over the chilled broth.

7. Top with seasoned vegetables, Korean pear, and a fried egg (if you like eggs). Enjoy.

P.S. The broth can be supplemented deliciously with a little mustard oil or vinegar. Very recommended!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I never get tired of making and eating kimchi. It forms the basis of my culinary sensibilities and inspiration.

I hope everyone is enjoying summer!

I found this interesting kimchi-making video on Youtube. I'm really intrigued by the way she salts the cabbage and leaves it alone for two hours, rather than the method I've learned, which is to salt and soak in a brine for six hours. I may try this out and see how it works.

I'm also amazed by how much rice powder and sugar she uses, and how she chops up her ginger and garlic (in a food processor!). It's so interesting to see how different everyones' techniques are.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 06:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)

When I planted Korean pepper seeds in my garden some two years ago, I never guessed they'd be my most successful crop. They produce peppers throughout the year in bountiful quantities -- seen here is a single day's pickings. Being a lover of heat, these peppers find their way into just about everything, from Indian cooking to instant kimchi. And though the red ones aren't quite as tasty as the green, they make for a bold garnish with their vibrant, firey hue.

Seeing this photo, I can't help but think of Ito Jukuchu's Vegetable Nirvana, in which Jakuchu humorously and fantastically portrays throngs of grieving vegetables and fruits gathering around the Buddha for his final departure from this world. My version instead replaces Jakuchu's Sakyamuni-daikon with a flaming-red Korean gochu, seemingly confirming that Buddha nature (Bussho) is present even in the fruits of my simple garden.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Leftovers make a great bibimbap. For this meal I used up some lettuce, cucumber, shitake mushrooms, winter lemon, and squid to make an informal bibimbap, dolsot style which is my favorite (i.e. in a heated stone bowl).

Sizzle-sizzle, pop, pop! I love the sounds of dolsot bibimbap just as much as eating it!

Next, the mixture -- together with some bibimbap sauce -- gets mixed up with a spoon, the crusty exterior getting mixed in with the soft interior, with more wonderful sizzling sounds...!

There couldn't be an easier meal to make. First you just need to make a bibimbap sauce by mixing: gochujan (3 tsp), 1-3 tsp cola or water, dash red wine, dash sesame oil, dash sugar, 1/2 tsp minced garlic. (Meat-eaters also like a dash of beef stock.) Mix all ingredients into a paste.

Use up whatever spare ingredients you have on hand. If you have some zuchini or winter melon, fry it in a little oil, garlic, and soy sauce. If you have some mushrooms, add them fresh or fried briefly. If you have cucumber or carrot, shred and use fresh or make a pickled salad with sugar and vinegar before adding. Finely chop lettuce and add that in too. Anything can be added to bibimbap to use up leftovers. I like a mixture of fresh and cooked ingredients with lots of texture and taste variations.

Place bibimbap sauce and toppings atop rice and mix with a spoon. Don't be surprised when you find yourself eating every last grain of rice!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Done growing, time to eat! My Hmong cucumber was clipped from the vine this evening when I noticed it was probably about as orange as it was going to get. Isn't the color outstanding? It was a little difficult deciding it was "time" but then I felt so full of anticipation about what it might taste like...

Although I couldn't find a single Hmong cucumber recipe online, I nice person emailed me back and suggested two recipes for Hmong cucumber: sliced as a fresh salad and sprinkled with a bit of fish sauce, and as a refreshing summer drink in which the seeds are scooped out and mixed with sugar and water. I have to try the latter but the former was quite delish. Following are some additional pictures for your enjoyment.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tonight's din-din was a special favorite of mine which brings back fond memories of my original Korea connection: 녹두빈대떡, otherwise known as Mung Bean Pancakes with Kimchi (or Galettes de lentilles vertes et de riz aux légumes, if you are a stylish Frenchman). These are pancakes made from a puree of mung bean and rice flour, and flavored with some homemade kimchi and served with a dipping sauce of 2/3 soy sauce and 1/3 rice vinegar. Ohlala.

This is not a terribly difficult dish to prepare -- just a little time consuming. If you have access to ready made cabbage kimchi, then great, you are already one step ahead of the game. Now all you will need is to soak some mung beans for a few hours until they plump up. Suggestion: don't bother using Japanese mung beans with the skins still on... this is a real waste of time when you can buy naked mung beans at a Korean grocery with the skins already stripped right off. Raaarrrr.

After you've soaked your mung beans you're ready to begin:

1. Rinse your 1 cup of soaked mung beans in a strainer and then place into a blender with just enough water to blend the mung beans to a coarse mixture.

2. Place the mung bean mixture into a bowl and mix in: 1/3 cup sticky rice powder, 1/2 yellow onion (finely sliced), 1/4 head of cabbage kimchi, 1 tsp salt, 5 green onions in 1-inch pieces, 1 tsp crushed garlic. Mix roughly.

3. Heat peanut oil in a pan and fry the pancakes for about 3 mins on each side.

4. Serve with dipping sauce -- this is prepared by mixing 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp rice vinegar.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 06:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It's been ages since I last posted a garden update, which is overdue now that it's summer and many of my tropicals and desert species are really going gangbusters. So without further ado...

Cucumis sativus 'Hmong Red'

This is my first cucumber crop ever and this whopper measures approximately 9" long at present -- it looks something like a loaf of bread. This variety of cucumber was brought over to the States by Hmong immigrants from northern Thailand. It will be ripe when it turns a rusty-orange color. Anybody have a good Asian cucumber recipes?

Benincasa hispida 'Winter Melon'

I'm also growing fuzzy melon, or winter melon. This one is much larger now and I'm just about ready to harvest the first one. I know that Chinese people make a sweet cake out of this, and a tasty soup, but anybody have any other good winter melon recipes?

Plumeria alba var White Frangipani

Of course one can't eat plumerias but they sure are pretty, aren't they? This marks the first time they've bloomed in my garden, and what a smell. The scent is particularly strong in evening.

Citrus x hystrix (kaffir lime)

My kaffir lime tree, now about 4 feet tall, is recovering well from last winter's big freeze and gaining lots of height. At this point I'm only selectively using leaves so that it has a good chance of becoming a strong, robust tree.

Capsicum annuum (Shishito/ しし唐)

This year I got my first shishito peppers -- so delicious lightly grilled in just a little oil. This plant is not producing a lot of peppers but I'm thankful for what I've gotten so far.

Passiflora edulis (passionfruit)

This passionfruit vine was started from seed about two years ago. It's been thriving in a pot, but this year I planted it against a sunny wall (in the ground) and it's really gone crazy. No flowers or passionfruits yet but... looking every day...

Psidium - Pink Guava

The guava tree which got frozen last year has come back even more vibrantly than before. It's got baby guavas all over now -- hopefully they will not victimized by the insects which burrow into them as in previous years... this year I've tried spraying them as a preventive measure.

Capsicum - Greek Florines

Finally, a new crop of peppers: Greek florines. These are the large, red type which are grilled and preserved in olive oil for use on sandwiches and as appetizers. They're just now starting to blossom... fingers crossed for luck. I would be happy with just one Greek pepper this season!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)