Adventures in Korean Cooking plus more language learning.

So I wanted to post my pictures of my wonderful adventures in cooking ddeokbokki (떡볶이). This was an adventure indeed, but it still came out pretty good - in my opinion. Let's start with the set-up:

So I had the ddeokbokki, gochujang paste and powder, fish cakes (that had onion and carrots in it), green onions, carrots, mushrooms (just because I love mushrooms), salt, pepper, soy sauce, and some sugar. It was all cooked in a shallow pot/pan using instructions from Simon and Martina's cooking demonstration of the same meal. And the final result was:

Overall it was a success though there are some changes I might make next time. First, I think I cooked the sauce down too much, so as you see it wasn't very saucy. I also think it could have cooked a little longer because some of the ddeokbokki wasn't quite done. I would also most likely make less of the fish cakes or slice them up smaller. The taste was pretty good. I haven't ever had it by actual Korean cooks though, so I could have been way off without even knowing it. It wasn't too spicy but I put a heaping spoonful and a half of the paste, so I don't think I would put any more than that. I did learn that substituting almond milk instead of regular milk (to reduce the spicy burn) is a TERRIBLE idea, not to mention completely pointless since apparently it's the lactic acid in milk that gets rid of the burn.... almond milk is lactose-free. >.> Yeah, you live and you learn.

Up next on the cooking schedule is either going to be kimchi stew or kimchi fried rice. Either way, I have to cook that when everyone else is asleep so they won't complain about the smell of the kimchi. As it is, I can't eat it in a small portion when people are around. I can only imagine how it'll be when making a meal where it is a huge portion of the meal itself.

Ah yes, and to the second part of this post - Korean Language Learning!

Below is a white board I have that I put a different word, verb, and phrase up in Korean every day - or every other day if I don't feel I have mastered those completely. 

This idea is thanks to MrJaeGun on youtube, who has been so kind to post up various videos of his lessons as he teaches in S. Korea (among other interesting and informational videos). I don't want to stick the board to the wall, so it is precariously standing with the aid of a full coke can and a bottle of powerade - flanked by a squad of Hello Kitty stuffed dolls and my XBOX 360, but it's in good view of my desk and seems to be helping me a great deal. Along with my other study aids and class videos, it brings be one step closer to my goal each day. 

Yep, that's it. Later!