What a busy week! I’m finally taking some time off to enjoy the beautiful weather, riding my bicycle around town and cooking at home. This morning, Taurin and I drank some hot apple cider and stopped by the university to check on the gingko trees. The leaves are brilliant gold!
Hot homemade apple cider and children’s books.
Cheesy bean + salsa dip with olives and tortilla chips.
Artichoke pesto pasta topped with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan.
A Japanese children’s book for learning body parts and emotions!
Gingko trees at Yunnan University
I’m loving my gold sparkle tipped nails, though I wish my nails were a bit longer. I don’t know why I can’t stand growing out my nails. It makes me feel fidgety, so I always keep them trimmed.
I really like seeing outdoor potted plants in public places.
Two winters ago, Taurin got me David Chang’s notoriously adventurous cook book: Momofuku. I frequent David Chang’s restaurants whenever I’m in New York. It’s good to support a fellow pork-loving northern Virginia Korean American. And the food is really good.
I shouldn’t have been surprised the recipes turned out to be quite challenging. Taurin and I have spent hours tracking down supplies and slaving away in the kitchen to prepare Momofuku dishes. It definitely helped take our cooking skills up a notch, and inspired me to experiment with traditional flavors.
Here’s a ddukboki recipe with a twist. I secretly think my dragon sauce tastes better than David Chang’s!
Roasted Rice Cakes in Korean Red Dragon Sauce
adapted from David Chang’s Momofuku Cookbook
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 long rice cake sticks, chopped
3 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 cup onion slivers
1 cup of Sewon’s red dragon sauce
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup of chopped spring onions
Sewon’s red dragon sauce:
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon usukuchi (light soy sauce)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon gochujang (korean red pepper paste)
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
Directions
1. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan. Lightly coat chopped rice cake in corn starch. Cook the coated rice cakes until light golden brown. Remove and let them cool.
2. Add onions into the pan and cook until caramelized. In a small bowl, mix sauce ingredients together and make a paste. Add the paste to the caramelized onions. Reduce the heat to low and bring the sauce to a boil.
3. Pour the sauce on top of the rice cakes and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Toss before serving.
*Make sure the rice cake is at room temperature. If it’s frozen, thaw before roasting.
The roasted rice cakes add such a nice crisp. I had to restrain myself from eating them all before I finished making the sauce.
42 Comments
Thuraya Lynn
November 12, 2011 at 5:45 pmI wished we had four seasons in Kuwait. We’ve only got two.
The golden leaves are magical to look at.
Lovely post.
Sewon
November 13, 2011 at 3:30 amI like warm weather, though! Yunnan doesn’t quite have four seasons, either, because it never gets very hot or cold. xx
Krys
November 12, 2011 at 6:45 pmOh man, homemade apple cider…I think whenever I look at pics on your blog, I start to get food cravings…alas I am stuck with my blueberry bagel I picked up from the bagel shoppe this morning, haha. The gingko trees look so different from the last pics you posted of them, autumn is definitely in full swing. Might try the recipe for your red dragon sauce when I go home next month ^^ Hope you continue to have a good weekend!
Sewon
November 13, 2011 at 3:37 amAh, the blueberry bagel sounds good. :] Ohh let me know how the recipe turns out!
ZEOLITE
November 12, 2011 at 6:56 pmoooohhh loving the nails girl! That sauce looks delicious.. that dish kind of reminds me of those bread bowls we had in Xi’an.
Sewon
November 13, 2011 at 3:58 amThanks! I feel like I’m channeling Michael Jackson and holiday festivities at the same time. Haha whenever I think of Xi’an I have this image of you gnawing on a meat stick. Let’s cook something from my Momofuku book together when I get home!
Eileen
November 12, 2011 at 7:31 pmYou know, Yunnan is THE place I want to visit. You only inspire me even more. 😀
Thank you for the recipe. Genius. 🙂
Sewon
November 13, 2011 at 4:00 amYou should visit! I think it’s one of the loveliest parts of China. 🙂
Amelia
November 12, 2011 at 9:44 pmThose trees are so lovely. Are you learning Japanese?
Sewon
November 13, 2011 at 4:02 amI picked up the book thinking it was Chinese (I’m learning Mandarin), but it turned out to be a Japanese children’s book! I just looked at the illustrations and read parts of the Kanji. 😛
Michelle of The Feather Den
November 12, 2011 at 11:22 pmAhhhh, it looks so beautiful there. I love the children’s books! Though, I wouldn’t be able to understand the writing, haha, I wish I could speak/read Japanese! Also – those rice cakes look deliiiiiish.
x Michelle | thefeatherden.net
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm🙂 The pictures were entertaining enough! xx
Omar
November 13, 2011 at 4:01 amYou have such an eye for detail, I really like the photo of the potted plants. That food looks super delish-iss!
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 3:54 pmThanks, Omar. I hope your writing this month is coming along! I can’t wait to read more of it.
Annie
November 13, 2011 at 4:50 amThe recipe looks amazing, you have done a brilliant job and perhaps one day (when my skills are better) I might try it myself as it looks soo delicious!
WEMAKEPLANS
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 3:58 pmThanks, Annie. 🙂
Claudia
November 13, 2011 at 9:33 amThe trees, beautiful!!!
I also can’t stand to have long nails, always cut them short. 🙂
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:01 pmShort nails are so much more practical! 😛
coco
November 13, 2011 at 12:08 pmthey all look so delicious.
glad to hear that you can go home on holidays this year. where is your home?
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:02 pmThank you. Home is Virginia!
Crystal
November 13, 2011 at 8:17 pmWith the holidays coming up I had to purchase a bottle of gold sparkly nail polish! I love what you did with your nails! All the food in this post looks delicious, especially the dip and the rice cakes dish!
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:08 pmI got mine done at a nail salon, especially because they’re quite ubiquitous here. Just keep layering on the sparkly polish, concentrating on the tips. 🙂
Musings by Di
November 13, 2011 at 9:10 pmReally love your blog. once again, awesome photos!
very cool sparkly nails~
momofuku….loooove. His cooking style is such a great representation of fusion cuisine.
roasted dduhk, I never thought it could make such a difference! gotta try that sometime.
how is it that your sauce came out such a bold red? do you use a particular brand or is it the soy sauce that helps it make it deep red? Mine tends to come out more orange-y…hmm.
your’s looks delicious! I admire your culinary prowess ;p It can be frustrating yet adventurous when searching for hard-to-attain ingredients that seem to be such easy-finds in other parts of the world.
xoxo Diana
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:13 pmThank you! The soy sauce is crucial in this sauce. 🙂
Rachael
November 13, 2011 at 11:45 pmi had NO idea you could eat rice cakes roasted– yummy! they look so good!
those pictures of the yellow leaves against the blue sky are amazing. such a beautiful colour combination x
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:19 pmYeah! I love the texture of roasted rice cakes. 🙂
ashley
November 13, 2011 at 11:56 pmI remember someone online tried to make some cookies from his cookbook and an ingredient that was listed was glucose. What!! Where do you find stuff like that? In any case, those roasted rice cakes look so tasty. I’d definitely sample some 😉
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:23 pmI know! When I cooked from his book directly, I went to at least three different international and specialty grocery stores for the ingredients, including the very specific cuts of meat. I got totally hooked on grape seed oil afterwards, though I’m sure canola oil doesn’t make a huge difference. 🙂
Kelly Zarb
November 14, 2011 at 8:03 amThe leaves on the trees are so pretty it reminds me of one of my fave songs “Autumn Leaves,” sung by Eva Cassidy divine singer!! The food looks so yummy to Sewon.
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:24 pm🙂 Thanks, Kelly.
anastasia
November 14, 2011 at 5:16 pmmomofuku!!! i never got a chance to eat there, only at the milk bar. it’s awesome what a small town new york somehow is. this looks AMAZING AND DELICIOUS and I’m bookmarking it.
anastasia
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:25 pmOhh I love the soft serve at the milk bar! 🙂
Pinksugarichigo
November 15, 2011 at 7:43 amNew reader here! Oh how I love your blog! I just devoured a lot of your archives in one sitting! Your photos and write-ups on the adventures you have are so addicting, and make me so envious! Your posts are so relaxing and fun like a Hayao Miyazaki movie! 🙂 I’ve linked you to my domain, you’re one of my daily reads!
btw that hot apple cider looks so good! 😀
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:28 pmThanks, Ms. Pinksugarichigo. 🙂
Rina
November 15, 2011 at 8:39 amThe tea is the same color as the leaves. Beautiful!!!
mmm mmmm mmm! I can always find yummy food on your blog! WOW!
Those roasted rice cakes look scrumptious. I want to make it now! (of course with Ms. Sewon’s sauce!)
p.s. I keep my finger nails trimmed short as well, for the same reasons…
o:
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:29 pm🙂 Let me know if you ever make the roasted rice cakes! <3
Pink Ronnie
November 16, 2011 at 9:58 amSo nice to be back here! Those ginko trees are gorgeous, every single photo is stunning as always…
Ronnie xo
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:31 pmThank you, Ronnie! I’m so envious looking at photos of beaches on your blog. 🙂
Jenny
November 16, 2011 at 3:30 pmApple cider, salsa dip, artichoke!? These are at the top of my “favorite foods” list!
I love your nails, simple sometimes is best. I think I might do this with some new copper glitter polish I purchased 🙂
Sewon
November 16, 2011 at 4:33 pmThe girls at the nail salon really wanted me to go for fake nails with pearls and ribbons. When it comes to nails, I’m a simple girl!
cynthia
November 19, 2011 at 4:57 amWoah, the rice cakes look like little marshmallows!
Happy Thanksgiving Day! | Maps and Fragments
November 26, 2011 at 2:02 pm[…] All the fruit vendors are selling strawberries this week! I’m still rocking my gold nails. […]