Dak Gomtang (Korean Chicken Rice Soup)

 

          Dak Gomtang is a very light and an ultimate comfort food - Korean style. It is also a very healthy one-pot meal with the goodness of chicken, rice and few basic veggies. It is a fuss-free recipe that is incredibly simple, easy and quick to prepare. 

          This soothing soup is typically served in individual bowls with some rice and topped with shredded chicken and spring onion. Traditionally it is served with kimchi. You may relish on its own or with some chili-garlic sauce as an accompaniment. So this soul satisfying chicken soup is an ideal winter delicacy.

          This yummy Korean soup is traditionally prepared with a whole chicken. However I used few curry cut pieces along with some onion, ginger, garlic and spring onion for the stock. I also added a chicken stock cube for some extra flavour. But it is purely optional. 

          Dan Gomtang is traditionally done in an open pot. But, I used a short cut method by preparing this soup in a pressure cooker. It came out just perfect. So this is a perfect light meal for dinner. You can make use of noodles instead, for some variation.

• 1 cup cooked rice 
• 4-5 pieces of curry cut chicken with bones
• 1 onion, cut into four pieces
• 1 cup spring onion, roughly chopped
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1" ginger sliced
• 1/2 tsp. whole peppercorns
• 1 chicken stock cube (opt)
• 3 cups water
• salt & pepper to taste 
• 1-2 tbsp. chopped spring onion (green part) to garnish 

          Pressure cook all the ingredients (except rice) for 3-4 whistles. Strain the stock and keep aside. 

          When the chicken is cool enough, then shred the meat off the bones and keep aside.  

          To serve - place some rice in the serving bowl. Then top it up with some shredded chicken pieces and chopped spring onion.

          Ladle some piping hot stock over it. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy with spicy red chili-garlic sauce. 

Seaweed Rice Balls - Korean Style

          These Korean Rice Balls are very easy and quick to dish out. They are called "Jumeokbap", which means fist balls. Very few ingredients, including seaweed goes into making these healthy snacks. Any leftover cooked rice can be turned into these simple and yummy Rice Balls. They can be served with soya sauce, red chili sauce, tomato ketchup or any chutney a la Indian style. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this Korean delicacy. 

          Apart from the Koreans, Seaweed is widely used by the Japanese and the Chinese as well. It contains a lot of minerals, nutrients, iodine, calcium, is low in calories and helps in purifying the blood. So it is highly recommended for a well balanced diet. You can make various dishes with it. 

          

          Cooked rice and seaweeds are the two main ingredients in this recipe. The Koreans, generally make use of sushi rice which is sticky and is perfect for making these balls. however, in the absence of it, I used some cooked and mashed Basmati rice. It is a best way to serve fussy kids with their favorite dips or chutney. They can be packed for a lunch box meal too.

• 2 cups cooked rice, mashed
• 8-10 small roasted seaweed sheets, crumbled
• 1 tsp. soy sauce / salt to taste 
• 1/2 tsp. sugar 
• 1 tsp. sesame oil 
• 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes (opt)
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds 

          In a bowl, mix all the ingredients (except sesame seeds) until everything is well combined. 

          Wet your hands and take a little portion of the rice mix. Shape them into round balls. Make similar balls with the rest of the mix. 

          Sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds over them and serve with soy sauce, red chili sauce, ketchup or any chutney a la Indian style.

                         I have made use of 8-10 of these small roasted seaweed sheets.

                        Mix all ingredients (except sesame seeds) til well combined. 

                       Wet your hands & take a little portion of rice mix. Shape them into 
                       round balls. Make similar balls with rest of the mix. 

                   Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds over them.

                   Serve with soy sauce, red chili sauce, ketchup or chutney a la Indian style.

Seaweed Soup

          This is a real healthy, light and a simple vegetarian version of seaweed soup, a popular cuisine among the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. Seaweeds contain a lot of nutrients, minerals, iodine, calcium, is low in calories and helps in purifying the blood. So it is highly recommended in your diet. 

          Traditionally, seaweed soup, apart from the basic seaweeds, is made using small bite size pieces of stir fried beef, chicken, shrimps or pork. For a veg. version, you may try with tofu, paneer, mushrooms, noodles or any veggie. Made with very few ingredients, it can be dished out in a jiffy for a great comfort meal. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this nutritious one-pot delicacy. 

          My son was able to get these seaweed sheets from South Korea on his recent visit. So I decided to give it a try. 

          At first I was quite skeptical as to how it would taste as this was my first try. But surprisingly it turned out quite yum and I loved it. 

          You may enjoy it for breakfast or for a light dinner. It can be had as it is, with steamed rice, noodles or any grilled stuff as a side dish. Choice is yours. 

          Traditionally a thicker and unprocessed variety of dried seaweeds are used for this kind of a soup. But as I just had these finely pressed nori sheets, I decided to try with them. The only difference was that there was no need to soak it for a longer time. I just soaked for 5-10 minutes and it turned soft. 

          The Koreans call this soup as Miyeok Guk or a Birthday soup and is given to new mothers for a couple of weeks for her recovery from childbirth. On the other hand, the Japanese love to relish Seaweed Soup with Tofu, noodles and Dashi-Miso broth.

• 30 small seaweed sheets
• 1/2 cup small paneer cubes 
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 sliced onion
• 3 cups stock
• 1 tbsp. soya sauce
• 1 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes (opt)

          Soak the seaweed in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes. Wash well and drain. Keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and sauté the paneer cubes till light brown. Drain and keep aside. 

          In the same oil sauté the garlic till golden brown. Add the sliced onion and continue to fry till it turns translucent. 

          Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Now add the drained seaweed and soya sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.

          Add the sesame oil and the fried paneer cubes. Simmer further for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame. Serve in individual bowls, garnished with red chili flakes. 

          

                        I used 30 of these small seaweed sheets.

                        Soak seaweed in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes & drain.

                        Heat oil & sauté paneer cubes till light brown. Drain & keep aside. 

                        Sauté garlic too, till golden brown. Add onion & sauté till it turns                                                        translucent. 

                        Add the stock & bring it to a boil. 

                        Now add the drained seaweed 

                        & soya sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes.

                         Add the sesame oil and 

                        fried paneer cubes. Simmer further for 2 more minutes.

                                  Serve in individual bowls, garnished with red chili flakes. 

Hobak Jeon (Zucchini Fritters - Korean Style)

          This is a yummy Korean style side dish. In this recipe sliced zucchini are first coated with flour, dipped in egg and then deep fried till light golden in colour. It is very easy to prepare and goes well with any Korean main dish. It is also served as an appetizer with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and chili flakes. 

• 1-2 tender zucchini, sliced into quarter inch discs
• salt to taste
• pepper powder to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt 
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• oil to deep fry
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• pinch of  red chili flakes

          Marinate the sliced zucchini with a pinch of salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Coat them well with the flour. 

          In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, soy sauce, chili flakes and garlic. Keep aside. 

          Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai / pan. Dip the flour coated zucchini in the egg and deep fry  till light golden in colour. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve with the soy sauce dip.