Thursday 6 September 2012

Cucumber Kimchi [오이 소박이]

I don't know how in other countries, but Polish summer has finished.. So as for 'Goodbye Summer' I wanted to make Korean summer dish. I found 'Cucumber Kimchi' by Aeri's Kitchen
Last week I was making kimchi, so at the same time I also wanted to try this new recipe. I've never eaten it before, so actually I wasn't sure, how the taste gonna turn out. But the effect surprised me a lot. Cucumbers were so refreshing and spicy:) Very nice flavour. I gave all of them to my boyfriend, and he seemed to like it very much:) So I think I'll make more soon hehe.

But, kimchi, some people might ask what is kimchi? So, Kimchi is a representative Korean dish. I think Korean people eat it everyday, it can be as a separate side dish or as an ingredient. If You like kimchi, You can sometimes replace traditional dinner's salad with spicy kimchi:)
Usually the main ingredient for kimchi is Chinese cabbage, but like in today's recipe it can be also cucumber or white radish.. There are hundreds types of Kimchi. Maybe even every family has own way to make kimchi:) The other ingredients would be: red hot pepper, green onion, carrot, garlic, fish sauce..

Few photos of kimchi:
Source: kimchimari.com
Source: tradekorea.com
Kimchi Soup - Kimchi Jjigae [김치찌개]Source:
koreansidedish.blogspot.com
My favourite - Kimchi pancake - Kimchi jeon [김치전] Source:
k-popped.com
I made 10 of cucumbers, but below recipe for more:) It's better to do more of them, cause they disappear very quickly:)

Ingredients for Cucumber Kimchi:
- 20 cucumbers, those used for pickling
- 170g salt
- 2,2L water
- 3 green onions

Filling (for 20 cucumbers):
- around 200g red pepper powder
- 6 tbsp fish sauce
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp minced ginger

1. Wash cucumbers.
2. Cut endings from both sides of cucumbers. Then cut cucumber in middle, upright. Leave 1,5cm. And put all of them into a bowl.
2. Pour 1,1L of water and 90g of salt to a pot, mix. Wait until it boils and then pour hot water on cucumbers.
3. Leave cucumbers for 50minutes.
4. Rinse cucumbers in cold water. And then drain them.
5. Chop green onions into small pieces, around 0,5cm.
6. Mix all of the ingredients for sauce in one bowl.
Use spoon for giner.
I use Korean minced garlic "pasta", but You can use fresh garlic as well.
7. Add chopped green onions, and mix well.
8. Fill cucumbers with the sauce - inside, and then also rub by outside. To fill the cucumbers I used plastic gloves, it's much more comfortable.

9. Put ready cucumbers in a box. Leave them in room temperature overnight, and then You can put to refrigerator. Or You can try eating after finishing, really yummy^^

Bon appetit!:)


And another pleasant song. This time by Thomas Cook - 불면. I totally love it:)


Ok, good night:)



Tuesday 28 August 2012

28th August 2012

Today morning I went to market to buy fresh vegetables.
Can You guess the reason? :) I'll reveal it soon in the next post:)

And one more song by Big Bang - EGO:

Monday 13 August 2012

K-Indie

K-Pop is really famous, but I think many people don't know much about other good Korean songs, I would say even better than k-pop ones, at least to me:) I really like Korean ballads, and lately I also often listen to K-Indie.

I want present few of my favourite artists:) 


I. 타루 (Taru), my number one:) 

1. 타루 & 짙은 - Done Here  

2. 타루 - Sad Melody 

3. 타루 - I Hope You Can Be


4. 타루 - 제발  

5. 휘성 & 타루 - Love Seat
 

II. 짙은(Zitten) 

1. 짙은 - 곁에 


2. 짙은 - Moonlight
   

III. 테테 (Tete) 
1. 테테 - Eclipse

Thursday 21 June 2012

hello~~~! ^^

Here I am:) Yesterday I had the last exam, in enzymology... That was really stressful, but when I finished writing and gave paper with my answers to the teacher, suddenly, I felt soo free, I could fly:)

Besides study, in my life appeared Someone, very unexpectedly. And planted so many colourful flowers in my life. 'Thank You' is a word always worth to say:)
We passed by each other few months earlier by choosing and going to see exactly the same movie at Asian Movie Festival, but, not knowing each other and not predicting anything, yet:)

Recently I went with my friends to see a concert of traditional Korean music at Academy of Music in Krakow. The composer, Mrs Ahn Hyun Jung is also a professor of Korean Music at one of universities in Seoul - Ehwa Womans University. The concert was divided into two parts, first with a introduction to Korean music and instruments and then a 'real play'. Firstly Polish musicians played on Western instruments, then Korean musicians on Korean instruments, and in the end a cooperation between Korean and Polish performers:)
Korean musical instruments used during concert were as following:
1. Daegeum
2. Piri
3. Geomungo

So let's have a small look at them:)

1. Daegeum [대금] - a transverse bamboo flute.

source:
daegeum.cafe24.com
source:
rki.kbs.co.kr
And a video to present the sound of Daegeum (from: ironcos2):


2. Piri [피리]- a double reed instrument. During presentation there were two kinds presented: Dae Piri [대피리] (bigger one) and Hyang Piri [향피리] (smaller one).

source:
thrillme.co.kr
source:
koreanculture.org

source:
world.kbs.co.kr
And a video (from: piriqueen):


3. Geomungo [거문고] - a 6-string instrument.

source:
koreatimes.co.kr

source:
flavorboulevard.com
A video (from: cgnmusic):


Korean performers in the concert:
Park Hye Ohn playing on Daegeum
Kin Ji Yoon playing on Piri
Yu Lee playing on Geomungo
All of the ladies were wearing beautiful Hanboks:)


During presentation Mrs Ahn Hyun Jung played also few other songs. I was moved especially by one 'An Old Garden for a Women's Traditional Song' (with Gayageum - 12 string instrument). Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere to share.

As the previous post was about Big Bang, a new Big Bang's song was aired not long ago:) The title is 'Monster'. I like the song very much, how about You?:)

Thursday 1 March 2012

1st March;)

Hello hello:)

Wah, I really didn't realize time passed so fast! Almost a week since the last post hehe.
Today 1st March.. my birthday:) I'm really happy^^ And also a Korean National Holiday - Independence Day
I'll begin with Big Bang as continuation to the previous post. Yesterday Big Bang released the second MV, for a song 'Bad Boy'.
The new, 5th Mini Album was released on 29th February. I heard all of the songs already, and really enjoy their come back^^ My favourite songs are 'Blue', 'Bad Boy' and 'Love Dust', the chorus of 'Ain't No Fun' is also very very nice:) And a song 'Fantastic Baby' is a clubbing one.

Below the MV for 'Bad Boy'. I wish they'd make MVs for all of the songs:)


Today I'd like to present - King Sejong the Great. A creator of Korean alphabet - Hangul [한글]. Hangul was published in 1446 year. During his kingship there were also many other inventions, and pretty big progress in technology and science.
[source: http://www.onlinetefl.com]

In front, not too far from Gyeongbokgung Palace, there is a huge statue of the Great King (for drama fans: the ending of 1st episode of 'City Hunter' was filmed in that place).
King Sejong
really huge monument!
Korean alphabet