Tofu Bibimbap

If you have a hectic lifestyle but still want to prepare nutritious and delectable meals in a short time, it’s not “Mission Impossible”. For this recipe, only 1/5 of the ingredients used needs simple cooking and the rest of them require no cooking at all. The carrot, zucchini and lily bulbs can be eaten raw. As for the tofu, I bought this instant Seaweed Tofu from the supermarket and skip the streaming. If you have the time, just pan-fried some slices of firm tofu.

What left is the soybean sprout that needs to be blanched in boiling water and mixed well with some seasoning. If you like to have a bowl of soup to go with this dish, keep the boiling water for blanching soybeans sprout, add a slice of ginger, red dates (optional) , wakame and bring to a boil. Then, season to taste with salt, pepper and sesame oil.

The ingredients used for Bimbibap is very versatile- feel free to use your imagination! Soybean Sprout is very nutritious and now you can easily get them from the supermarket. However, I prefer those sold in tub of water and that tastes better.

Don’t forget to add some sesame oil to the Bibimbap, to give it a wonderful aroma.

Preparation: 15 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 bowls cooked rice
° 50g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 50g zucchini, peeled and shredded
° 100g instant seaweed tofu, sliced
° 25g fresh lily bulbs, peel off petals piece by piece
° some toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste), to serve

Seasoned Soybean Sprout
° 100g soybean sprout, trimmed and blanched
° ½ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
Seasoning
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
° Korean chilli powder or dried red chilli flake, or coarse chilli, to taste
° salt to taste
° sugar to taste (optional)

Method
1. Seasoned Soybean Sprout: Transfer the soybean sprout to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, vinegar, salt, sugar, Korean chilli powder or dried red chilli flake and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.
2. To serve: Divide rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange seasoned shredded carrot, shredded zucchini, seasoned soybean sprout, seaweed tofu and lily bulb on top or on another serving big bowl or plate. Serves with a plate of Gochujang.

Persimmon Punch (Sujeonggwa)

This Persimmon Punch Using known as Sujoenggwa in Korean is often served as a dessert. It calls for dried Persimmon, but I used frozen Persimmon. Lately, there is lots of Korean Persimmon in the supermarket selling as a very reasonable price – 5 for S$1.55. I bought some of them and frozen them for soymilk shake. So, I just use one of them to make this dessert. I added something extra lily bulb instead of pine nuts!

If you like it chilled, do refrigerate this dessert for few hours.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 1-2 frozen persimmon, cut into chunks
° 25g ginger
° 1-2 cinnamon stick
° 25g fresh lily bulb, peel off petals piece by piece
° 75g rock sugar, or to taste
° 1 litre water

Method
1. Combine the ginger, cinnamon, and water and rock sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Throw in the lily bulb and bring to a boil.
2. Add persimmon and serve hot or chilled.

Seaweeds Bibimbap

Well, I just don’t know how to name this Ocean Themed Bibimbap. Again, this is another no-cook dish. The funori and kelps required no cooking too, just soak and drained. This is to say, anyone can make this and the plus point is there is not much washing need to be done.

If you find that cutting carrot into shreds is troublesome, just replace with enoki mushroom. Anymore Bibimbap recipe, there is still one more in my mind – Singapore Variant Bibimbap - using cucumber, onion, satay rice and Stir-fried tempeh with Gochujang chilli paste.

Preparation: 30 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 bowls hot steam rice
° 50g shredded carrot
° few local lettuce leaves
° some shredded nori
° sesame oil (optional), to serve.
° gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste), to serve

Seasoned Kelps
° 5g dried kelp shreds, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes and drained
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° salt to taste
° ¼ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Seasoned Funori
° 10g dried coralline algae or funori (jelly seaweed), washed, rinsed, soaked overnight and cut
° ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° salt to taste

Method
1. To make Seasoned Kelp: Place all seasoned kelps ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. To make Seasoned Funori: Place all seasoned funori ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3. Divide rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange shredded carrot, lettuce, shredded nori, seasoned funori, and seasoned kelp in another serving bowls.
4. Serves with a plate of gochujang and sesame oil.

Stir-Fried Tempeh with Gochujang Chilli Paste

Lately, I have been doing quite a lot of recipes related to Korean Cuisine. I am not affected by the Korean wave, its just that I find that some of the Korean dishes can be easily veganized and it is simple to cook. Only by experimenting and veganizing other cusines, that veg*n dishes portfolio will grow …

This recipe is inspired by the Korean dish – Stir-fried Gochujang chilli paste - also known as Yangnyum Gochujang which calls for beef and is used for traditional bibimbap. Instead of using beef, I used gochujang to stir-fry tempeh. Serves with plain cooked rice or cold noodle.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g fresh tempeh, cubes or diced
° 100g onion (optional), peeled and diced
° 1½ tablespoon olive oil
° 2 tablespoons gochujang chilli paste
° 60ml water
° ½ -1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° some toasted sesame seeds or spring onion, for garnish

Method
1. Place the gochujang, water and sugar in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok. Fry the tempeh and onion until fragrant.
3. Add in gochujang, toss well and stir fry for 1 minute. Sprinkle with sesame oil.
4. Garnish with sesame seeds or spring onion and serve immediately.

Vegetarian Kimchi Stew with Tofu and Enoki

A tangy quick and easy-to-prepare soup. For a robust flavour, add more kimchi juice, dried chilli flakes. Enoki mushroom can be added prior to serving, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g vegetarian kimchi,
° 100g silken tofu, diced
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° 500ml water or vegetable stock
° 1 slice ginger
° 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian kimchi juice
° l tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar
° salt to taste
° 1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish
° dried chilli flake (optional), to taste

Method
1. Place ginger and water in a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add in the vegetarian kimchi, tofu, enoki mushroom, kimchi juice and bring to a boil. Season to taste with light soy sauce, sugar and salt.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Bibimbap (Kids Version)

Mushroom Bibimbap (Kids Version) served with Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste), Shredded Nori and Crispy Wonton Strips

No wastage - Soup make from water blanching mushrooms with simple ingredients added!

This recipe is actually derived from Mushroom Bibimbap! As some kids do not like spicy food, I have replaced the Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste) with Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste).

Kids love Deep-fried food which are crispy and produce a lovely sound when they munch on it. So, I added a little plate of Crispy Wonton Strips together with some Korean Seaweed. It can be eaten on its own or added to the rice.

Keep the water for blanching mushrooms, and by adding a little bit of salt, light soy sauce, before garnishing with chopped spring onions , coriander or enoki mushroom, you can enjoy a bowl of clear soup too!

Oh yeah, don’t forget to let the kids have some fun – use a BIGGER bowl, so that the kids can mix and toss all the ingredients without messing up the dinning table – learning how to “stir-fry” rice like a chef! Get the kid to wash the rice and cook it too, if they want to help out.

Preparation: 20 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
Millet Rice
° 150g rice, washed and drained
° 50g millet, washed and drained
° 400ml water

Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom
° 150g fresh eryngii mushroom, diced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Other
° 50g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 25g pea shoots (dow miao)
° some local lettuce
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° some toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° Doenjang (Korean Soybean Paste), to serve

Method
1. Millet Rice: Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

4. To serve: Divide millet rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange seasoned shiitake mushroom, seasoned eryngii mushroom, carrot, pea shoots, local lettuce and enoki mushroom on top or on another serving big bowl or plate. Serves with a plate of Doenjang.

Mushroom Bibimbap

No wastage - Soup make from water blanching mushrooms with simple ingredients added!

Crazy about Bibimbap!

For this Bibimbap dish, the main ingredients are mushrooms. And I added millet to cook the rice. Millet is nutritious. Just mix all the ingredients and toss well prior to eating. Ever wonder why Korean ladies are so slim, part of the answer is found in Korean Cuisine – Kimchi and the Korean Side Dishes.

Keep the water for blanching mushrooms, and by adding a little bit of salt, light soy sauce, before garnishing with chopped spring onions , coriander or enoki mushroom, you can enjoy a bowl of clear soup too!

Preparation: 20 mins, Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
Millet Rice
° 150g rice, washed and drained
° 50g millet, washed and drained
° 400ml water

Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom
° 150g fresh eryngii mushroom, diced, blanched and drain well
Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° ½ teaspoon sugar or to taste
° some roasted sesame seeds

Other
° 50g carrot, peeled and shredded
° 25g pea shoots (dow miao)
° some local lettuce
° 50g enoki mushroom, base trimmed
° some toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste), to serve

Method
1. Millet Rice: Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Set aside.

2. Seasoned Shiitake Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

3. Seasoned Eryngii Mushroom: Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and set aside.

4. To serve: Divide millet rice into individual serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds. Arrange seasoned shiitake mushroom, seasoned eryngii mushroom, carrot, pea shoots, local lettuce and enoki mushroom on top or on another serving big bowl or plate. Serves with a plate of Gochujang.

Seasoned Korean Zucchini (Hobak Namool)

This is a Korean side dish. Simple and yet delicious. You can mix green and yellow zucchini for a more interesting presentation.

Wonder about the history of Namool or Namul? At the end of 7th century, Korea entered a long stable period based on Buddhist culture for few hundreds years. Diet changed with dramatic reduction in meat consumption and vegetables took a more significant role. Temple meals consisted of soup, rice and vegetables dishes and this influence omitting the strong-smelling ingredients is still apparent in Korean Side dishes. Marinating Vegetables in soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds have barely changed.

Source: The Complete Book of Korean Cooking, Young Jin Song

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g zucchini, sliced or thin strips

Seasoning
° ¾ tablespoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° ½ -1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the zucchini in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the zucchini to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, salt, sugar and mix well.
3. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve.

Seasoned Mushroom (Buhsut Namool)

Another Korean side dish. Simple and yet delicious. It can be added to Bibimbap too.

Preparation: 12 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g fresh shiitake mushroom, sliced

Seasoning
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° l½ tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sugar or to taste
° ½ teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the mushroom in a pot of boiling water until cooked. Drain well and squeeze out any excess liquid. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the mushroom to a big bowl or plate. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce, sugar and mix well.
3. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve.

Raw Veggies Bibimbap

Bibimbap mixed!

If you know nothing about cooking, or never whip up any dish before. With a given task to whip up a Korean Dish, do you think it is mission impossible? Well, nothing is impossible.

Here is the simple dish – Raw Veggie Bibimbap that you can churn out to impress anyone! Have a electric rice cooker at home to cook plain white rice? If not, just pack some steaming hot white rice from any rice stalls.

Next, get few veggies like carrot, Japanese cucumber, radish, lettuce, dow miao (pea shoots), sprouts, rocket leaves and the list goes on. For carrots, Japanese cucumber, radish and lettuce you just need to cut them into shreds.

And don’t forget you need to have the Gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste) where you can easily get them from any Korean Supermarkets in Singapore.

Now, you have rice, raw veggies and gochujang. Just scoop the cooked rice into individual big serving bowls and top with a portion of the raw veggies. Serve with a plate of gochujang on the side. Your guest could just mix them all well prior to eating.

You are going to impress them and it is sooo simple!

For my Raw Veggies Bibimbap, I have

* shredded Japanese cucumber

* shredded carrot

* shredded lettuce

* dow miao (pea shoots)

* enoki mushroom

* shredded nori

* cooked plain rice sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds

* tomato, for garnish

Mix all the ingredients well with gochujang and drizzle ½ teaspoon of sesame oil (optional). I also added some crispy wonton skin (which is not in the photograph), it is so lovely!

In fact, any Vegetarian Eateries can serve this Raw Veggies Bibimbap or Raw Veggies Bibimmyeon (noodles) at any time, as there isn’t much preparation required at all.

Hmm... A good dish for picnic, charity fair or lunch box. Just keep the cooked rice in a food warmer! And most importantly a perfect and fuss free lunch or dinner for a lazy me on some lazy days …

Simple Vegetarian Kimchi Fried Rice

Is Vegetarian Food boring and limited? The answer is of course a big NO! In fact, lots of other cuisine, with some modifications, can be turned into vegetarian version easily. Simple Kimchi Fried Rice which usually calls for beef, but here I cook a meatless version and added king oyster mushroom just for fun! Light soy sauce can be used if desired. Sprinkle some toasted black sesame seeds and spring onion to garnish. With 2 to 3 Korean Side dishes added, it can be a simple meal by itself.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g rice, cooked
° 50g green capsicum, seeded and diced
° 75g king oyster mushroom, diced
° 150g vegetarian kimchi, chopped or diced
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° salt to taste
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° few fresh coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a wok. Add the ginger or garlic and fry till fragrant.
2. Throw in the green capsicum, mushroom and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the cooked rice, kimchi and season with salt. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until rice is heated through. Sprinkle with some water if it is too dry.
4. Add in the sesame oil and serve hot.

Tip
1. Rice for frying must be cooked at least 2 hours in advance or the night before.

Kimchi Udon

A quick and simple recipe - Kimchi Udon ! In this recipe, I am using vegetarian kimchi (without fish sauce and garlic) and you can add in some kimchi juice if desired. As I am not using vegetable stock, I added some kelp for making the soup base and retained the kelp for making a side dish – seasoned kelp (Seaweed Salad).

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 packs (400g) udon noodle
° 150g vegetarian kimchi
° 5g dried shredded kelps
° 1 slice ginger
° 800ml water
° salt to taste
° sugar to taste (optional)
° 1½ tablespoons dried chilli flake (optional), to serve

Method
1. Place the dried kelps with water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Discard or retain the shredded kelps for other dishes.
2. Throw in the udon and kimchi. Bring to a boil and season to taste with salt and sugar.
3. To serve, ladle into a serving bowl. Sprinkle some dried chilli flakes and serve immediately

Vegetarian Kimchi Instant Noodle

Vegetarian Kimchi

If you have Vegetarian Kimchi, whipping up a bowl of Kimchi Instant Noodle is not a problem at all. I used Tung-1 Instant Vegetarian Noodle, half the sachet of the seasoning and added 25g of chopped kimchi to it. Add more dried chilli flakes if desired.

Rice Cake with Gochujang (Ddeokbokki)

This is Ddeokbokki (炒年糕), a popular Korean street food. I did not use the Korean rice cake but used the white rice cake which is a product of China. Both the Korean rice cake and gochujang (hot pepper paste) can be purchased from Korean shop at Novena Square 2. Some recipes used small fish to make the stock and sugar too. For a vegan and healthier version, I omitted both ingredients and at the same time make this real simple.

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 100g white rice cake, soaked overnight
° 1 clove garlic or 1 slice ginger, finely chopped
° ¾ tablespoon olive oil
° 1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste), or to taste
° 250ml water or vegetable stock
° small handful of chopped spring onion or coriander (optional), for garnish

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic or ginger and fry till fragrant.
2. Throw in the white rice cake, water and gochujang. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the rice cake is soften.
3. Garnish with spring onion or coriander and serve immediately.

Mixed Rice (Simplified Vegan Bibimbap)

This recipe is inspired from the Korean dish - Bibimbap @ Wikipedia, which is a healthy and nourishing one-pot meal. Meat and egg are omitted for a vegan version. Usually, the vegetables are either seasoned or sautéed. However, I have left the carrot and cucumber raw, to save work, lazy me! Blanched or sautéed the carrot and add some seasoning, if desired. If you can’t get the vegetarian mushrooms, just sautéed some fresh shiitake mushroom. What’s next? Just mixed the rice and vegetables well, sprinkle with some chilli flakes! Enjoy the mixed rice.

Preparation: 30 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 4)
° 75g shredded carrot
° 75g shredded Japanese cucumber
° 100g vegetarian mushroom, steamed and shredded or chopped
° 1 nori sheet, shredded
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
° 4 bowl cooked brown rice

Soybean Sprout
° 150g-200g soybean sprout, trimmed and blanched
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
° ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
° Korean chilli powder or dried red chilli flake, or coarse chilli, to taste
° salt to taste

Spinach
° 250g spinach, trimmed, blanched, drained well and cut into sections
° ¾ tablespoon sesame oil
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Place soybean sprout in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar, chill powder or dried chilli flake or coarse chilli, salt and sugar. Mixed well and set aside.
2. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce and sesame seeds. Mixed well and set aside.
3. Divide brown rice into individual serving bowls or plate. Arrange soybean, sprout, spinach, carrot, cucumber, and vegetarian mushrooms on top.
4. Garnish with shredded nori and sesame seeds and serve.

Millet Rice

Mixing millet with rice! After trying the eight treasure porridge, I got another new product – Yellow Millet . It can be used to cook millet porridge or millet rice. I used a 25% millet and 75% rice combination. Check this out: Millet

Preparation: 5 mins, Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g rice, washed and drained
° 50g millet, washed and drained
° 400ml water

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.
2. When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Seaweed Salad (Seasoned Kelp)

This is a simple seaweed salad dish or side dish/cold dish. I bought a pack of dried kelp (shredded), 20g for S$1.78, by AOK at the FairPrice Supermarket. There might be a need to rinse the kelp shreds well to remove the slime with several changes of water.

Soak the kelps in warm water instead of blanching, if desired. Usually, I like to use dried kelps in knot for boiling soup to lend some flavour to the dish. As some recipes call for clear soup, these kelps would need to be discarded. So, instead of wasting food, it can be used to make a small cold dish using this recipe.

Preparation: 3 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 10g dried kelp shreds
° 500ml water
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
° ½ teaspoon sugar, or to taste
° 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the shredded kelps in a pot of boiling water for ½ - 1 minute. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place kelps in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and sugar.
3. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Soybean Sprout Soup (Kongnamul-Guk)

Soybean Sprout Soup is a popular Korean side dish soup – Kongnamul-Guk. It is not at all difficult to cook. With few simple ingredients, you can enjoy a bowl of fresh and light soup. For this vegetarian/vegan version, I used kelps instead of anchovies. If it is too plain, just sprinkle some sesame oil, sesame seeds, Korean red pepper or dried chilli flake. Do not overcook the soybean sprout, it should have a crunchy texture.
Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 100g soybean sprout, trimmed
° 50g silken tofu, cut into cubes
° 5 dried kelps in knot
° 1-2 thin slices ginger
° 500ml water
° ½-1 teaspoon light soy sauce
° salt and pepper to taste
° 1 stalk fresh spring onion, cut into 4cm length

Method
1. Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Remove the ingredients with a slotted spoon and discard, if desired.
2. Add in the tofu, soybean sprout and bring to a boil. Off the fire and season to taste with light soy sauce, salt and pepper.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

Spinach Salad

This is another Korean salad dish – spinach salad or Shigmchi Namul. Simple and Easy!

Preparation: 8 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 250g spinach, trimmed
° 500ml-750ml water
° ¾ tablespoon sesame oil
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method
1. Blanch the spinach in a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach and cut into 5cm section.
3. Place spinach in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, light soy sauce and sesame seeds.
4. Use your hand to mix well and serve.

Crunchy and Spicy Soybean Sprout Salad

This is a Korean salad dish – soybean sprout salad or Kongnamool Moochim. Just remember not to blanch the soybean sprout for too long to retain its crunchiness. Usually, the normal practice is to rinse the blanched vegetable with cold water to avoid been overcooked. To conserve resource, just reduce the cooking time and omit rinsing with cold water. As to how to mix the salad with hand, just watch any Korean Drama Series, quite often you can see a scene or two how it is been done.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 150g-200g soybean sprout, trimmed
° 500ml water
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° 1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds
° ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
° Korean chilli powder or dried red chilli flake, or coarse chilli, to taste
° salt to taste
° sugar to taste (optional)

Method
1. Blanch the soybean sprout in a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Drain well and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Place soybean sprout in a salad bowl. Stir in the sesame oil, sesame seeds, vinegar, chill powder or dried chilli flake or coarse chilli, salt and sugar.
3. Use your hand to mix well and serve.