Korean Fish Cake Side Dish...

In case you didn't guess, Korean food is my new (okay, it's been awhile) craze... Korean dramas and Korean food make my day! :) :) Next to Malaysian food, and chocolate, this comes to a close second place! :P

So much so that I almost always make it a point to stop by the Korean restaurant whenever I'm in the city to get my much needed Bibimbap (stone pot rice with veggies, egg and beef). But the best thing about Korean food has definitely got to be their side dishes! When I used to go to the restaurants in Houston, we'd have at least 5 to 6 different side dishes, refillable! Yummm!

And a favourite is always the fish cakes... spicy or sweet. Delicious!

So I found a recipe and tweaked it to my advantage and it came out exactly how I wanted it to be! :D

Korean Fish Cake

"I'm not a fish lover, but Definitely a Fish Cake lover!"

1 Package fish cakes (Frozen, 14oz)

1 Onion, sliced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1 clove shallot, chopped

2 tbs olive oil/cooking oil

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tbs Gojuchang

2 tbs Cooking wine

2 tbs Soy sauce

1 tsp Sesame oil

2 tbs Brown sugar

3 tbs water

Green onion & Sesame seed (garnish)

1. Slice fish cakes into small strips lengthwise and cut in half

2. Slice onions, roughly chop garlic and shallots

3. Heat olive oil in pan, toss in onions, garlic and shallots, stir

4. Toss fish cakes in and stir for 2 mins or so..

5. At the same time, mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and stir it into the pan

6. Toss the fish cakes, and make sure every one is coated with sauce, add some water and stir for 3 more minutes.

7. Turn off heat, garnish with green onions and sesame seed and serve.

8. VOILA! :D Dig in!

Note: Eat it when its hot, or cold - it's delicious either way! haha.. I can just eat this as a meal, it's soo good! Try it! :)

Galatians 5:22

I'm not a big painter or artist - especially on big canvases, but I had bought some after being inspired by a craft/painting get-together that I attended about 2 years ago;however I just never had the time to really sit down and paint.

Then 3 months ago, when my parents were away on their trip, I decided to get creative! I ended up with a sketch and tree painting but then got caught up with school and writing papers to really finish it... But the other day after coming back from my Bali trip, I got a sudden itch to bust out my paints and finished it!

For a first time canvas paint project, I'd say it's not too bad, but the slanting words are still haunting me :P But I love love this verse, and I'm so proud to hang this piece in my room :) Wohoo! Art Work! :D

"But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control" -Galatians 5:22

It's a good day for SUSHI!

Might I add, delicious home-made sushi?! :)

Yumm! The first time I decided to make sushi, was after I had just spent another $7 or $8 on a set of 6 measely pieces of California roll - I scoffed and said to myself, "Gah! I bet I could make it myself!!" haha..

So for some who may me a little, I can be pretty snobbish when it comes to some food (usually overpriced and average tasting), or even handbags and accessories for that matter. It probably came from my mother's influence who, growing would tell me "Ahh..that looks so simple, I can just make it for you" in order to deter me from buying random junk... and most of the time, she DID make it! And it would be just the same, or even better :P *grinn*

So yes, whenever I see a handbag that's made out of cloth, or a card that looks all fancy but the price tag is ridiculous, I tell myself, "Ahh, I could SO make that!" and I walk away feeling a tad bit satisfied :P muahahaha ..

Moving back to tonight's adventure, I had promised my parents a sushi night to "show off" my sushi-making talent.. (Yes, they had just came back from Japan btw, and you'd think they would have been sick of sushi, but they didn't even eat any!...umm, say what??!!)

Homemade Sushi
Suzy homemaker's seal of approvement!

Ingredients:
Sushi rice
Rice Wine Vinegar
Salt & Sugar to taste
Seaweed seasoning (the ones that come in packets)
Carrots, Cucumbers, Celery, Fried omelette (all thinly sliced)
Pickled raddish (the yellow color ones that Koreans use!) <--*Optional Seaweed Soy Sauce & Wasabi (for dipping)

Spicy Mayo sauce

Sri Racha chilli sauce (They almost always have these in Vietnamese and Dim Sum places!)

Mayonaise

-->Add in a ratio of 2:1 Mayo & Sri Racha .. stir!

1. Cook rice according to instructions as indicated at the back of the packet

2. At the same time, thinly slice your carrots, cucumber, celery and fry & slice omelette

(Note: As a college student I would usually just rummage through the fridge to look for stuff.. which usually included pieces of leftover chicken (pulled), or lunchmeat :P yummm!

Make it your own and come up with your own random combinations! I encourage it! :P)

3. When your rice is done, let it sit for about 20 mins or so, or till it cools down to room temperature. Add in about 3 to 4 tsp of rice wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and sugar.. stir and combine. Taste to make sure it's not overly sour, or bland. (Add seasoning or you can always opt to not put in any!)

4. Have everything ready and set up to go.. don't forget your rolling mat! If not, just be careful that nothing falls out while rolling :P

5. In order of placement: Rice, Spicy mayo sauce, (a dash of toasted sesame seeds optional!), and the rest of the ingredients..

6. Place about a scoop of rice onto the seaweed and slowly press down to cover half of the area. Don't press it too flat!

7. Adding a dollop of spicy mayo, then the rest of the ingredients..

8. Now, the tricky part!! As carefully as possible, slowly wrap up the seaweed over the ingredients and press down to hold it in (Don't worry, with enough practice you'll be a pro at it! :D)
9. Ta daa!!! Admire how you've just accomplished your first (or second) sushi roll!! :)

10. I made my mom pose, but she kept on talking and complaining about how I'm making her pose every single time :P Oh please.... *grinn*

11. Don't forget the wasabi and soy sauce for dipping!!
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Freebie Picture:
And because my parents are inviting people over, my mom decided to test out a "cereal prawn recipe" that she was wanting to make on Sunday.. so I convinced her to do a test trial.. muahaha! Yeshh! :D Deliciousness!! My mom is an amazing cook, baker, etc. etc. :)

mmmmmmmm prawns are so delicious! :)

Ps: My dad really likes to pose :P

Ps: I must have it in my genes too ;)

Hearts..

And other mushy things.. tee hee.. Seriously, skip this if you can't bear it :P *Grinn*

Or read it and think about it. I saw this on a Philosphy brand perfume when I was in a makeup store (yeah, you heard me :P) and I kept a mental note of it, and searched for this quote.. :)

Falling in Love by Philosophy:

When it comes to love,

You need not fall but rather surrender,

surrender to the idea that you must love yourself

before you can love another,

you must absolutely trust yourself

before you trust another and most importantly,

you must accept your flaws

before you can accept the flaws of another.

Loves it :)

Just my cup of Hot Chocolate...and Cappucino :)

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM............
My mouth is watering :)

If you haven't heard of Max Brenner's Chocolate Shop, check it out!! :)
The first time I heard about it was in Gold Coast after a tiring morning of surfing lessons .. thats right, I caught some waves! Wohooo! (and paid the price with sore arms and bruises :P)

Dan brought me to Max Brenner and I immediately fell in love with the whole atmosphere.. The store has a Willy Wonka-ness to it, and everything from the decor, to chocolate display, to the artfully crafted mugs/cups, I love it!

The Hug Mug! Cleverly crafted to fit into your palms, you cradle it and drink it through the tiny spout.. best for hot cocoa, a cold day, wrapped up in a blanket with a good book!

Dark Chocolate Hot Chocolate :)

And the Kangaroo Cup! :) Best for capuccinos and coffee.. it has a tiny groove on the side that holds cubes of chocolate, and as you sip your delicious coffee, the warmth melts the chocolate, and you use the lick part of the spoon to scrape the melted chocolate into your cup, and the mix end of the spoon to stir it all together! :) Buyers beware: There will be alot of licking :P

I think there's something going on with wearing green to Max Brenner's :P

Ps: Guess who's got herself a Hug Mug??! That's righttttt.. yours truly! :) Thank you dear, you spoil me!

Short update

Hullo there!

It's been awhile, and I have to admit -I have not been having as many cooking adventures lately.. with the parental gone (yes, I live at home now :P) , I have been quite lazy and have had one too many ramen noodle days.. ahhhh

I promise, I shall get back on my feet with new and exciting cooking posts!! :) :)

muahhhss!

All You Need Is...

LOVE.

...However, that is just not acceptable in todays standards.. so I have revised my plan of action:

"All you need is Love + Faith + Trust + Sufficient Funds.."

Oh wait, I forgot. And CHOCOLATE.

Yes, the world needs more chocolate. :) I rest my case.