Dinner Banchans 6. So, what's for dinner? Tonight's set menu has a focus on root vegetables. We'll start with (1) Mu-jorim - slowly braised Korean Radish, alongside Shiitake Mushrooms (2) Cabbage Japchae - in which we substituted Dangmyeon noodles with thinly-sliced cabbage (3) Mandu - cooked gyoza style! All three banchan are quite easy-to-make, nutritious and suitable for everyday meals. If you've been looking for new veggie banchans, give these a try!
Mu Jorim
Mu means Korean radish. Jorim means braising. Korean radish is perfect for slow-cooking as it's packed with natural juices. To make it even more flavorful, we add in the deep, umami flavors of the Shiitake mushrooms. After 15-20 minutes of boiling together, you're left with an almost fall-apart-soft radish (and mushrooms) that you can spread over rice. The resulting flavor is unbelievable! Trust me, your rice will disappear very quickly 🙂
Cabbage Japchae
This recipe is perfect for our Neighbors who are living overseas, that don't have access to a Korean market. Japchae is traditionally made with Dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles). But it can also be made with thinly shaved cabbage - or at least I think so :). Just as long as the Japchae Sauce is on-point! And I think we've nailed it - salty, savory and hint of sweetness. This stir-fry is simple, nutritious and a good choice for everyday meals.
Mandu (Gyoza Style)
Lately, I've been craving Japanese food - especially gyoza. When I was living in Tokyo, I frequently ordered a small plate of gyoza, alongside my ramen in a small shop in Ikebukuro. I enjoyed watching the chef made the gyoza, especially the part when he poured water (or broth) over the pan. The pan would sizzle (like crazy) and you can see the dumplings steam on top of the violent bubbles. The result was a cripsy bottom and a soft top. I figured I'll show you how to do it with Korean mandoo - why not?
Enjoy nei'bors ... and get some deep rest and relaxation this weekend. We got a lot cooking to do next week!
Dan-yul out! 🕺
Dinner Banchans 6: Mu Jorim, Cabbage Japchae, Mandu
Ingredients
Mu Jorim
- Korean Radish - small piece about the length of your pointer finger
- Shiitake Mushrooms - 7
- Sesame oil - ½ Tablespoon
- Residual water from Mushrooms - About 1~2 cups just enough to submerge the radish pieces
- Soy Sauce - 3 Tablespoons
- Sugar - ½ Tablespoon
- Gochugaru - 1 Tablespoon
- Mirim - 2 Tablespoons
- Dashima - iPhone-sized piece
- Sesame seeds - garnish optional
- Spring onions - garnish optional
Cabbage Japchae
- Chopped Cabbage - a large handful worth
- Red Bell Pepper - ⅓ whole
- Yellow Bell Pepper - ⅓ whole
- Shiitake Mushrooms - 3
- Onion - ½ a whole
- Asparagus - 2 whole
- Pork - 150 grams substitute with beef, chicken or skip all together
- Season with Salt & Pepper
Japchae Stirfry Sauce
- Soy Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Honey - 1 Tablespoon
- Oyster Sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced Garlic - 1 Tablespoon
- Minced Spring Onion - 1 Tablespoon
- Sesame Oil - 1 Tablespoon
- Black pepper - few shakes
Mandu (Gyoza Style)
- Mandu - 5 pieces
- Oil - 2 Tablespoons
- Water - 3 Tablespoons
- Soy Sauce - a drizzle garnish
Instructions
Mu Jorim
- Take out a bowl. Fill with about 3 cups of hot water (not boiling water). Place shiitake mushrooms in and let them soak for 10-15 minutes.
- Cut a section off the Korean radish (measure about the length of your pointer finger). Peel-off the skin. Then cut the section into smaller bite-sized chunks.
- After 15 minutes, pick each mushroom out of the water. Don't throw out the residual water - we'll use it later. Take the stems off the mushrooms and cut into smaller pieces.
- Get a wok or large pot out. Place on medium-high heat. Place in sesame oil (½ T). Once the oil turns hot, place the diced mushroom and radish pieces into the wok. Stir-fry around for 1 minute.
- Next, add in the residual mushroom water - just enough to submerge the radish pieces (should be around 1-2 cups).
- Next, add in Soy Sauce (3T), Sugar (½T), Gochugaru (1T), Mirim (2T) and Dashima (iPhone-size piece).
- Once the mixture comes to boil, take out the Dashima pieces. Place a lid on and turn the heat down to a low.
- Let it gently boil for 15-20 minutes. Give it a stir once in a while.
- After 20 minutes, the broth will have reduced by half and the radish piece will have turned very soft.
- Turn off the heat. Now pick out the radish and mushroom pieces from the broth and place onto a plate. Put a few spoonfuls of the broth over the pieces. Garnish with sesame seeds and spring onion. Bon Appetit!
Cabbage Japchae
- Shave a piece of the Cabbage head into thin pieces (a large-handful worth). Cut Bell Peppers, Onion and Mushrooms into thin strips. Slice the Asparagus at an angle into thin pieces (refer to video).
- Make the Japchae Sauce: Mix everything listed under "Japchae Stirfry Sauce"
- Take out a frying pan and place some oil in. Place on a medium-high heat. Once its hot, place in the pork pieces. Season them with a few shakes of salt and pepper.
- Once the meat loses its pink, add in all of the veggies (except for the chopped cabbage).
- Stir-fry it around until the veggies start to turn soft - especially the asparagus.
- Now, add in the chopped cabbage. Place-in the Japchae sauce as well.
- Mix everything together. Stir-fry until the cabbage pieces turn soft.
- Turn off heat. Plate and garnish the stir-fry with sesame seeds.
Mandu (Gyoza Style)
- Take the mandu out of the freezer and let it dethaw at room temperature (to ensure even cooking).
- Take out a frying pan and place it on medium-heat.
- Once its hot, place it some oil.
- Place mandu pieces in. Let it cook until the bottom develops a nice golden-brown crisp.
- Then add in water (3 Tablespoons) and immediately place a lid on top.
- Let it steam (with lid on) for 2-3 minutes.
- Take out and plate. Drizzle some soy sauce over them and enjoy.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute or skip the pork all together in the cabbage japchae.
- See video below for more details
Korean Bae says
thnx so much
Love you two❤