Mul Naengmyeon - North Korean cold noodles

Mul Naengmyeon is the National dish of North Korea; it is the dish they offer to the few foreign leaders who visit the country. Since 2022 it has been included on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

It is made with buckwheat noodles and served in a brass bowl with pieces of meat, vegetables, fruits, kimchi, and radish.

This is a traditional dish deeply rooted in the life of the people of Pyongyang. It is associated with long life, happiness, hospitality, togetherness, and kindness, and it is believed to foster respect, intimacy, and unity.

On the day before Jongwoldaeborum (a Korean winter folk festival), relatives and neighbours gather to enjoy these noodles, hoping their lives will be as long as the strands of the noodles. During celebrations such as birthdays and weddings, the people of Pyongyang serve this dish while offering blessings to family members, neighbours, and friends.

Ingredients:

- 300 g beef brisket.
- 1/2 white onion.
- 6 cloves of garlic.
- 4 slices of ginger.
- 3 Chinese scallions (green onions).
- 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce.
- 1 teaspoon sugar.
- Salt.
- 200 g buckwheat SOBA noodles.
- 1 boiled egg, cut in half.
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced.
- Radish slices.
- 2 slices of Korean pear.
- Chinese cabbage.
- Vinegar, mustard, or soy sauce.

Method:

1- First, we prepare a broth with ginger, garlic, onion, Chinese scallions, black peppercorns, beef, and radish.

Add the ingredients to a pot with one tablespoon of salt and put it over high heat until it comes to a boil.

Chinese scallions are this type of onion that has a milder flavour than regular onions, and the whole plant can be used, including the leaves. They can be eaten raw or cooked.

2- When it starts to boil, reduce to medium-low heat, place a lid on the pot with a small gap so the steam can escape, and let it cook for 40 minutes.

During that time, we remove the foam that forms on the surface.

Until the broth is clarified.

3- Set the meat aside. The vegetables can be used for other recipes. Then take the broth and strain it to remove all impurities.

4- Refrigerate the broth because it is served cold. You can even place part of it in the freezer so it chills faster while we prepare the rest of the dish.

5 - Now we prepare the ingredients that accompany the broth: slice the soft-skinned zucchini (Chinese or Dutch zucchini) and place it in a container with salt.

6 - Cut the meat into strips.

7 - Cut the radish, which was cooked for the broth, into strips.

8 - Also, cut the Korean pear into strips and place them in water with sugar to prevent browning.

The Korean pear is the apple-shaped pear commonly sold in Asian grocery stores.

9 - Boil the Chinese cabbage and the egg.

10 - Prepare the buckwheat SOBA noodles by bringing salted water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the noodles and cook for 4 minutes.

To stop the cooking, transfer them to cold water with ice.

11 - Now plate the dish by placing the noodles in the center of the bowl, then arranging the meat, radish, pear, chopped Chinese cabbage, cucumber, and half a boiled egg on top of the noodles (I forgot the egg myself!).

Pour the broth over everything—it should be very cold. To enhance the flavour, mustard, soy sauce, or vinegar is usually added.

I wasn’t in the mood for cold noodles, but I really liked this combination served cold. I added mustard and soy sauce, and it goes really well.

Recipe in Spanish

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

North Korea

Chicken Cubes with Pears from China

 Chicken in cubes with Pears is a typical dish from Yunnan, a province in southwest China.

Legend has it that in 1657, Li Dingguo, who was named Prince of Jin for his services to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, fled to the city of Kunming (in Yunnan) to escape the attack of Qing troops. There, a peasant woman learned of Li Dingguo's arrival and wanted to make him a delicious dish. She killed her best chicken, diced the meat, and to enhance the flavour, she also diced some pears. The prince liked the dish so much that it became a traditional dish of the region since then.

It is a fairly simple dish to prepare, and the combination with pears and hamprovides the typical umami flavor of Asian cuisine, easily ending up in a spectacular dish.

Yunan

Ingredients:

- 250 gr. chicken breast.

- 1 beaten egg.

- 30 gr. cornstarch.

- 150 gr. pears.

- 50 gr. ham.

- Chives.

- Ginger.

- A dash of sesame oil.

- Lemon.

Method:

1- Beat the egg, add cornstarch and mix well.

2- Cut the breast chicken into 1 and a half cm thick cubes, add the chicken to the bowl where you have the egg, mix well and let stand for 15 minutes.

3- Meanwhile peel and cut the pears into cubes the same size as the chicken breast, add a dash of lemon to prevent it from oxidating.

4- Put the chicken breast in a strainer, let the excess of egg pour in a dish under the strainer.

5- Take a Wok, pour some oil, fry the chicken for some minutes until you see the color begins to change, add the pear and cook for half a minute, take everything out and put it in a striner to get rid of the excess of oil.

6- Fry half of the chives and the ginger for 1 minute, add the ham and cook for 1 more minute, add the chicken and pear, mix well and cook for 1 more minute.

7- Now put on a dish, sprinkle the rest of the chives over the chicken and a dash of sesame oil.

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Receta en Español

China

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Kau Kau - baked sweet potato

 Kau Kau is how sweet potato is called in Papua New Guinea. 

The sweet potato is native to America and arrived in Papua the XVIII century , it was brought by the European settlers. It quickly became one of the most consumed foods in Papua to this day.

Kau kau is a very typical dish in the islands, in addition, it is very delicious and super healthy.

Ingredients:

- 2 Sweet potatoes

- 2 tablespoons of orange juice

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1/2 cup of coconut milk

- 1/2 onion

- Salt

- Ginger

- Pepper

Preparation:

1- Wash and poke the sweet potatoes with a knife in several places.

2- Wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and cook at 200ºC in the oven. After 30 minutes, flip them over to cook on the other side as well.

Poke with a knife to check if they are cooked before removing them from the oven.

3- Remove the flesh of the sweet potato and place it in a bowl, do it carefully so that you can later use the skin as a plate container.

4- Add salt, pepper and mix while mashing with a fork.

5- Add coconut milk, onion, garlic, ginger and Orange juice, mix well.

6-Place the mixture on the sweet potato skin and bake for an additional 10 minutes in the oven, at the same temperature as before.

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Receta en Español

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Pumpkin,coconut and lime Soup (Solomon islands)

                                                                              Receta en Español

There is not a lot of information about the gastronomy at Solomon islands, I found this recipe in this site dedicated to the soups of the world:
http://soupsofourplanet.com/2014/11/10/solomon-islands-curried-coconut-and-lime-gourd-soup/
They use the typical ingredients of these islands; pumpkin,coconut and lime.

Ingredients:

•   2 tablespoons oil.
•   4 chalotes.
•   2 tablespoons ground ginger.
•   2 cloves of garlic.
•   800 grams of pumpkin.
•   4 cups of broth. (1 liter aprox).
•   2 cups of water. (480 ml).
•   3 tablespoons of ground curry.
•   1 cup of coconut milk (240 ml).
•    lime juice.
•    Salt.

For Broth:

•  Some leaves of spring onions.
•  Some leek leaves.
•  1 clove of garlic.
•  1 chunk of onion.
•  1 chunk of pepper.
•   Salt.
•   Parsley.

   

Method:

1-  We prepare a broth putting the ingredients in a casserole with water.  Put fire on a high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches boiling point, turn fire on a low heat ,then cook for 30 minutes.

2-  Cut the chalotes in little pieces, sauté them in a casserole with oil for 3 minutes until they are golden.

3-  Add garlic cut into slices together with ginger, sauté 1 more minute.

4-  Peel and cut pumpkin into little pieces, Add it to the casserole. Add the cup of broth and cup of water.

Put on a high heat until it reaches boiling point, then turn to a low heat and cook covered for 30 minutes until pumpkin is soft.

Don't forget to add salt.

5-  Make a purée with the help of a blender.

6-  Add curry, coconut milk and lime juice.

7-  Stir well and serve with some basil on the top:



Solomon islands