Delicious Korean Steamed White Rice Food

STEAMED WHITE RICE

Steps:

• Wash rice: Place rice in a large bowl. Fill bowl with cold water to cover rice. Massage the rice a bit, then carefully pour out most of the water, reserving the rice with your hand. Repeat this process 7-10 times. At first the water will be cloudy with starch, but gradually the water will become less cloudy. You'll know the rice is sufficiently rinsed when the water is translucent (not completely clear). Strain the rice in a colander and let it air-dry, 15 minutes. The rice will absorb some of the water and the grains will be about 20% larger than their original size; the rice will also look whiter and more opaque. After the resting period, the rice should be almost dry.
• Cook rice (with electric rice cooker): Put rice and water in the rice cooker. Close the lid and let rest, 5 minutes. Then switch the rice cooker to "Cook." (If your rice cooker has a "Quick Cook" setting, use it; the regular setting incorporates a soaking period that is not necessary here.) The cooking should take 15-20 minutes. After the "On" button clicks off, it's done cooking, but leave the rice to steam in the cooker for another 15 minutes before lifting the lid.
• Cook rice (with pot): If you don't have a rice cooker, put the rice and water in a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and place a heavy weight (such as a stone pestle) on top of the lid. Bring the water to a boil over high heat; then immediately reduce the heat to low. Let the rice cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest and continue steaming for 10 minutes before lifting the lid.
• Serve rice: Once the rice is ready, use a flat wooden spatula or plastic rice scoop to gently fold and fluff the rice up from the bottom of the pot, avoiding any grains that may have stuck to the bottom. (This should not be a problem if you're using a rice cooker, since most are nonstick.) Gently continue fluffing so that the rice from the bottom of the cooker or pot is well mixed with the upper layers. You are releasing some of the excess moisture and cooling off the rice as you do this. The rice should be slightly sticky and each grain should be intact, cooked all the way through with a consistent texture. Serve right away, or put the lid back on to keep warm for up to one day.
• How to store rice: While the rice is still warm, place 1½ cup portions into separate zip-top bags and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to use, microwave for 1 minute to have steaming hot rice again.

BIBIMBAP (KOREAN RICE WITH MIXED VEGETABLES)

Steps:

• Stir cucumber pieces with 1/4 cup gochujang paste in a bowl; set aside.
• Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a large nonstick skillet and stir in spinach; cook until spinach is bright green and wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain spinach and squeeze out as much moisture as possible; set spinach aside in a bowl and stir soy sauce into spinach.
• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet and cook and stir carrots until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Stir in cucumber pieces with gochujang paste; sprinkle with red pepper flakes, and set the mixture aside in a bowl.
• Brown beef in a clean nonstick skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side, and set aside. In a separate nonstick skillet, heat 1 more teaspoon olive oil over medium-low heat and fry the eggs just on one side until yolks are runny but whites are firm, 2 to 4 minutes each.
• To assemble the dish, divide cooked rice into 4 large serving bowls; top with spinach mixture, a few pieces of beef, and cucumber mixture. Place 1 egg atop each serving. Drizzle each bowl with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a small amount of gochujang paste if desired.

KOREAN BEEF STEAK RICE BOWL

Steps:

• Place sliced beef into a zip-loc bag. Add soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and cornstarch. (The cornstarch makes the beef more tender). Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the beef to coat.
• Place in the fridge to marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Bring a pot of hot water to a boil. Turn off the heat, and add the broccoli, carrots, chives, and bean sprouts. Blanch cook for one minute. Drain the vegetables in a colander and run under cold water to cool down. Drain excessive water from the vegetables and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add vegetables in the bowl and let them sit for 10- 15 minutes to absorb the sauce.
• Prepare the potatoes only if stir-frying the beef.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed potatoes and cook for 6-7 minutes. Do not overcook potatoes because you do not want them to be mashed or too soft since they will be added to the stir fry together with the beef steak strips. Drain in a colander and set side for stir-fry.
• You can either stir fry the beef and potatoes together or cook them in the air fryer.
• Add the marinated beef and pre-cooked potatoes into a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until the beef turns brown, about 7 minutes. Stir well to cook evenly. Then, turn heat down to low, cover and let it simmer for 1 minute to allow the flavours to infuse into the potatoes.
• Cook the beef and uncooked potatoes together in the air fryer at 350 F for 13 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through.
• Transfer the beef and potatoes to a plate.
• In each bowl, add a cup of steamed rice. Top the rice with 1/2 cup stir-fried beef and potatoes mixture, prepared vegetable sides and kimchi. Garnish with green onions and white sesame seeds.

GARAETTEOK (RICE CAKE RECIPE)

Steps:

• Rinse 2.5 cups of rice (short grain rice or medium grain rice, e.g. sushi rice, 535 grams / 1.17 pounds) until the water drains clear. Put the rice in a medium sized bowl and fill the bowl with some water. Soak it overnight or for 12 hours.
• Strain the water away and air dry the rice for 1 hour. (The weight of the rice will increase to roughly 697 grams / 1.53 pounds.)
• Grind the rice finely in a powerful food processor until the rice turns into fine powder. (You will have to stop and move around the rice flour with a scraper as it grinds. Otherwise, some rice flour and particles will stick to the wall of the processor and won't get ground. The whole grinding process will take about 6 mins.
• Sift the rice flour into a clean bowl in two or three lots. (It sifts better when you do it in smaller quantities.) Remove any clumps or unground rice grains. When the rice flour is sifted once, sift it one more time. If you ended up with too much unground rice grains, put them back into the food processor and grind them again until you get the fine rice flour. This should result in about 4.5 cups of rice flour.
• Combine rice flour, cornstarch, fine salt and 1/4 cups of boiling water in a microwave safe bowl. Mix them well. Add another 1/4 cups of boiling water and mix them again. (The rice cake mixture should be smooth and easy to stir, not hard like cookie dough.)
• Cover the bowl with cling wrap, leaving a little gap for steam to escape. Put the bowl into a microwave and heat it up for about 2 minutes (based on 1250W microwave).
• Take the bowl out and add 1/4 cups of the remaining boiling water. Cover the bowl again and return the bowl to the microwave and heat it up for a further 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the microwave.
• Cover the cutting board with a silicone baking mat or a few layers of cling wrap to prevent rice cake sticking onto it while shaping the rice cake. Carefully remove the rice cake dough from the bowl and place it on the mat.
• Put a pair of thick cotton gloves (layer 1) and food safe gloves (layer 2) on top on your hands. (This is because rice cake dough will be very hot to touch.). Knead the rice cake dough. Pound it with a pestle for about 5 mins to give the rice cake a nice elastic texture.
• Combine rice flour, cornstarch, fine salt and 2/3 cups of boiling water in a bowl. Mix them well.
• Cover the steamer with baking paper or a clean tea towel and place the rice flour mixture on top. Close the lid and steam it for 20 minutes over high heat.
• Cover the cutting board with a silicone baking mat or a few layers of cling wrap to prevent rice cake sticking onto it while shaping the rice cake. Carefully place the steamed rice cake dough on the mat.
• Put a pair of thick cotton gloves (layer 1) and food safe gloves (layer 2) on top on your hands. (This is because rice cake dough will be very hot to touch.). Knead the rice cake dough. Pound it with a pestle for about 5 mins to give the rice cake a nice elastic texture.
• Divide the rice cake dough evenly into 5 pieces.
• Drop the 1/2 tsp of sesame oil on to your palm and gently rub onto the rice cakes.
• Roll the rice cake into 1 - 1.5 cm /0.4 - 0.6 inch diameter cylinder shaped rice cake and cut both ends.
• Cut the main part of the rice cake into 6 cm/4 inch long pieces (about little finger size). Now you have the rice cake ready to use in tteokbokki or other stir fry dishes.
• Divide the rice cake dough evenly into 2 pieces.
• Drop the 1/2 tsp of sesame oil on to your palm and gently rub onto the rice cakes.
• Roll the rice cake into 2 - 3 cm/0.8 - 1.2 inch diameter cylinder shaped rice cakes.
• Place the rice cakes on a large plate and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate it for about 1 hour to harden it for easier slicing. However, if you are in a rush, you can still slice the rice cake soon after shaping it.
• Slice thinly (about 0.5 cm / 0.2 inch thickness) and diagonally like oval shapes. Now you have the rice cake ready to use in your rice cake soup.

STEAMED ASIAN WHITE RICE

Steps:

• Rinse rice in a fine-mesh sieve until water is almost clear. Drain well and transfer to a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover tightly with lid, then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Gently fold rice from top to bottom with a rubber spatula before serving.

STEAMED WHITE RICE

Steps:

• Put the rice in a 3 quart pot or saucepan with a tight fitting lid (don't put the lid on yet!) and pour in the water.
• Bring to a boil, and cook until the surface looks "cratery" (like the surface of hot lava or something).
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about ten minutes, till the water is gone.
• Let rice stand for a minute or two, then remove the lid, fluff the rice, and serve!

SPICY KOREAN PORK BELLY (JEYUK BOKKEUM)

Steps:

• Marinade: The day before cooking, slice pork belly into bite-size pieces: 2-inch squares, ¼-inch thin. (Note: Cut the pieces thinner than shown in the video.) Set aside. Smash and peel the garlic, then finely chop. Use the flat part of your knife to press down on the garlic to further break it down, then continue to mince. Place in a mixing bowl along with the pork, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and gochujang. Mix the ingredients together and set aside.
• Peel and trim the onion, then slice in half. Cut each half into thin half-moon slices. Place the sliced onions on top of the pork mixture, but do not mix. Cover the bowl with plastic and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Garnish: Prior to cooking, trim and discard scallion roots. Fill a bowl with water. Line up scallions in a flat, even layer and use a sharp knife to cut them thinly, employing a slicing motion, not a chopping motion. (Slicing with minimal pressure will keep the scallions bright and vibrant.) Place sliced scallions in water and move around to remove impurities. Drain in a colander, then wrap in a clean towel and squeeze out remaining liquid. Spread scallions on a paper towel-lined plate to further dry while cooking the pork.
• Pork: Remove marinated pork from refrigerator and mix in the onions. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, 1 minute. Add ½ tablespoon oil and continue heating, 30 seconds. Add some of the pork and onion mixture in an even layer, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Lower heat to medium and let the pork cook undisturbed until caramelized on one side, shaking the pan occasionally, 4-5 minutes. Flip meat over and cook the other side, 3-4 more minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining pork in batches. Garnish with scallions and serve with white rice.