Korean Diet Banchan Plate - Idea 2

Korean Diet Banchan Plate 2. Yes, we're back with more diet banchans! For this week, I wanted to pivot from raw greens and focus on savory vegetable dishes. The menu is... Acorn Starch Jelly & Seaweed Salad, Korean Zucchini Pancakes, Steamed Kabocha, Pan-Fried Garlic Chicken Thighs. All topped off with a cherry on top! Sound amazing no? Let's get it!

Few cooking notes: 

• The Kabocha Pumpkin (also known as Dan-hobak in Korean) has a very firm casing. It requires some force to cut - so be aware of where your fingers are when chopping down. To make it easier, you can also place it in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will make it much easier to chop.
• The Acorn Starch Jelly (also known as Dotorimuk) is typically served with a soy sauce marinade topping. I purposely took that out to cut down on the sodium. If the recipe tastes slightly bland, add a few more pinches of salt. (Or you can try other dotorimuk recipes).
• If you're not on a diet and want to make a delicious dipping sauce for the Kabocha: Mix 1 Tablespoon of Honey with 2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce. Drizzle it over the top and muahh - simple but incredible flavor!

(If you're interested in our Banchan Plate, click here | Or for Korean Laver Sheets, click here)

Cheers everybody - the weather is getting beautiful here in Seoul! Another reason to take a nice walk or run after meals! 🙃

Much love from Seoul! Dan-yul Out! 🕺

Korean Diet Banchan Plate 2

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Ingredients

Acorn Starch Jelly & Seaweed Salad

• 1 pack Acorn Starch Jelly (400g)
• 1 pack Gim (Roasted Laver Sheet)
• 1 Tablespoon Diced Spring Onion
• 1-1.5 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• Few pinches of Sesame Seeds
• 2 large pinches of Kosher Salt

Korean Zucchini Pancake

• ½ a whole Zucchini
• Few pinches Salt
• 1 Tablespoon of Flour
• 1 Egg

Steamed Kabocha

• 1 Kabocha (Sweet Pumpkin)
• Few sprinkles of Baking Soda (for cleaning)

Pan-Fried Garlic Chicken Thighs

• 2 Chicken Thighs
• Few shakes Salt
• Few shakes Black Pepper
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tablespoon Butter

Instructions

Acorn Starch Jelly & Seaweed Salad

• Take the acorn starch out of the package. There's no need to cook this - it's ready to eat. Simply cube the block into bite-sized pieces. For this recipe, we're going to use 400 grams (or the entire package). We won't eat everything in one serving but easier to make it all at once.
• Dice piece of spring onion into small pieces. Crumble the seaweed sheets.
• Take out a mixing bowl. Add-in acorn starch jelly, spring onion pieces and crumbled laver. Then add-in 1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil. Then 2 big pinches of Kosher Salt. And a few shakes of Sesame Seeds. Mix it together and give it a taste. Feel free to add slightly more sesame oil or salt if you need.

Korean Zucchini Pancakes

• Cut your zucchini into thin rounds (¼ inch or ½ cm thickness). Sprinkle some salt onto each piece (I forgot to mention this in the video).
• Take out a small bowl and add 1 Tablespoon of flour. Then coat each Zucchini piece in the flour. Tap-off the extra-flour
• Crack an egg into another bowl. Season it with some salt. Then whisk-it-up.
• Dip each of the flour-covered zucchini pieces into the egg mixture and get them evenly coated.
• Place frying pan on medium-heat. Place oil in. Once hot, place zucchini pieces in. Cook them on both sides until you get a light golden crisp. (You can reduce the heat to a low if you see the eggs on side turning brown too quickly)
• Steamed Kabocha
• Rinse your kabocha under running water. While it's wet, sprinkle on some baking soda over the pumpkin. Then rub it around with your hands. This will remove any debris or dirt off the skin. Wash the baking powder off and the skin should be very clean. (If you don't have baking soda, you can also use vinegar).
• Use a knife and carefully dice the kabocha into 4 parts. (Note: The skin is very firm - so watch out for your fingers! You can alternatively place the kabocha in the microwave for 3 minutes to soften it up).
• Take out all of the seeds with a spoon. Bring a pot of water up to boil on high heat. Place one kabocha piece in. Close the lid and reduce the heat to a medium. Then steam for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, use a chopstick or fork to poke it. Check to see if it's soft all the way through. If not, cook for longer. Dice-it-up and serve on your plate.

Pan-Grilled Garlic Chicken Thigh

• Trim-off excess skin or fat from your chicken thigh (if any). Then pat it down dry with a paper towel.
• Season each piece with salt and pepper. Also cut your garlic cloves into thin slices
• Place a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add in some oil. Once its hot, add the chicken piece in (skin-side down). Then add the garlic pieces in. Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes - or until you get a nice brown crisp. Then flip it over. Now add 1 Tablespoon of Butter and place the lid on. It will steam the chicken. Lift up the frying pan and give it a slight stir around so the butter in the pan gets evenly coated. Let it cook for 1 more minute. Take off lid and take out chicken.
• Slice into bite-sized piece and plate!

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