★shades of black & white.

With the remaining Kimchi left in the fridge from the weekend's Korean feast, I decided to make use of it to prepare a simple lunch for myself (and enough for dinner for the folks) - Bokkumbap (Korean Fried Rice/Kimchi Fried Rice).

Here's what you'll need to prepare this really fast and simple dish especially when you're out of ideas on what to cook for lunch or even dinner.

200g minced pork

4 tsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp Korean chili powder (gochugaru)

400g Kimchi, chopped (but i used 650g)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into cubes

400g (4 cups) cold cooked rice (leftover rice is better)

1) Combine the pork, light soy sauce, sesame oil and chili powder in a bowl and mix well. (I left in the chill room for an hour for the mixture to penetrate the pork)

2) Heat the oil in a wok over low heat until hot, then add onion and carrots and stir-fry till golden and soft.

3) Add garlic and pork, and stir-fry till almost done, then add kimchi.

4) Add salt for taste (optional)

5) Add cooked rice to the pan and continue to stir-fry until heated through and well blended before serving.

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation time: 15mins

Cooking time: About 20 - 25mins

Complement this dish with Korean Seaweed Soup, think it would go really well together! (:

What You'll Need:

1litre (4 cups) water

1 tsp salt

300g (10oz) bean spouts

1 spring onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp Korean Chili Powder (gochu-garu) (optional)

1) Bring water to boil in a pot over high heat.

2) Add bean sprouts and salt.

3) Cover and boil for about 7mins until tender.

4) Remove from heat and drain.

5) Add all the other ingredients to the bean sprouts and toss until well combined.

6) Allow to cool before serving

Serves 4 -6

Preparation time: 20mins

Cooking time: 10mins

The first main dish on the menu was Baked Fish with Sweet Chili Sauce. Never thought I would find this in the Korean recipe book and having never tried this dish before, it was quite difficult to determine what the taste should be like. In fact turned out pretty good(:

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What You'll Need:

4 tablespoons Korean hot bean paste (gochujang)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp of water

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 spring onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 finger-length chilies (baby ones are fine as well), deseeded and chopped

1 tsp minced fresh ginger root

2 tsp sesame seeds

500g white fish fillets

1) Combine all the ingredients, except the fish in a bowl and mix well.

2) Place the fish fillets in a baking tray and spread equal amounts of the mixture over each fillet (you can spread mixture longer on the fillet).

3) Set aside for 15mins for the sauce to penetrate the fillet.

4) Preheat the oven to 180degree C.

5) Oil baking tray and bake the fillet for about 10 - 15mins until cooked.

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation time: 20mins + 15mins to sit

Cooking time: 10 - 15 mins

The second main dish on the menu: Japchae (Mixed Veg. with Beef & Vermicelli).

What You'll Need:

For Beef Marinade (mixed together)

1 - 2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp spring onion, chopped

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

2 - 3 tsp rice wine

1 1/2 tsp sugar

340g Beef, cut into thin strips

340g Sweet Potato Starch Vermicelli

3 - 4 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into strips

Salt and pepper to taste (optional) - I did not add this though.

8 Shitake mushrooms (you can add more if you want)

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into strips

1 green capsicum, seeded and cut into strips

1) Marinate beef for 20 - 30mins (or longer if you like)

2) Meanwhile, cook vermicelli in a pot of boiling water till soft, about 3 - 5mins.

3) Remove noodles from the pot and rinse well in cool water.

4) Drain noodles and cut into 10cm lengths

5) Toss noodles in light soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.

6) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over high fire and add beef, and stir-fry for 5mins.

7) Remove from pan and set aside.

8) Heat remaining oil in the same pan over medium-high fire. Stir-fry onion till it turns golden and soft.

9) Add mushrooms and carrots till soft.

10) Add green capsicum and stir-fry till it begins to soften, about 2mins.

11) Add stir-fried beef and cooked noodle, and mix well.

12) Serve garnished with omelette strips, toasted ground sesame seeds and shredded nori sheets (optional)

Serves 6 - 8

Preparation time: 40mins

Cooking time: 25mins

The third dish on the menu: Daeji Bulgogi (stir-fried pork).

What You'll Need:

500g Pork fillet

2 tbsp Hot Chili Paste

1 tbsp Light soy sauce

1/2 tbsp sugar

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp Garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp Ginger Juice

1 tsbp Chili Powder

60ml Pineapple Syrup (Juice)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tsp sesame seed, roasted (you can get this at Koreana Supermarket)

1) Combine all ingredients except onion, sesame seeds and chili powder in a bowl, and mix well.

2) Cover and leave pork to marinate in a cool place for 6hours (or longer).

3) Heat some cooking oil, add onion and stir-fry till half cooked.

4) Add marinated pork and chili powder, and pan-fry until well done.

5) Dish out and sprinkle sesame seeds over before serving.

Serves 6 - 8

The final dish for the night: Samgyetang (Chicken Stew with Rice & Ginseng).

What You'll Need:

1kg Sakura Chicken

100g Glutinous Rice

4 Ginseng Roots (25g), cut

7 Garlic (whole)

6 - 7 Red Dates

14 pieces Chestnuts

2 1/4litres water (about 9bowls)

3 spring onion, chopped

2 1/2inch Ginger, sliced thinly

2 tsp salt and pepper to taste

1) Clean chicken, removing as much fats as possible (smaller chicken, the better), then drain and pat dry with paper towels.

2) In a bowl, combine the glutinous rice, ginseng roots, garlic, red dates and chestnuts, and mix well.

3) Stuff the mixture into the chicken's body cavity and then sew up the opening with a needle & thread (satay sticks can be an alternative).

4) Place chicken into a large pot (I used the 5litres Tanyu Pot) with water; it should be completely submerged.

5) Add spring onion and ginger (as well as ginseng roots).

6) Cover and bring to boil over high heat.

7) Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about an hour until tender, taking care not to remove the lid.

8) Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.

9) Skim off any fat that floats to the surface of the soup and transfer to a large soup tureen.

10) To serve, remove the thread (or satay sticks), and garnish with spring onion.

Serves 6 - 8

Preparation time: 30mins

Cooking time: About 1hr 5mins

Ohhhh, ma-si-sseo-sseo-yo! Am growing a belly from all the good food I'm having. This food journey has just begun, with more Korean delicacies coming up in my next post(:

If you enjoy a free-flow sumptuous spread but baulk at self-service buffets? Here's another ala-carte option for you to ponder - Irodori Japanese Restaurant.

This 2 year-old restuarant located at Riverview Hotel, Level 3, is a bustling, family-friendly outlet with three private rooms that sit eight to twelve people. Its impressive 108-item menu features appetisers, sashimi, various types of sushi, teppanyaki, tempura, soups, noodles and rice will just make you salivate even by looking at the photos.

Green Tea Tofu (melts in the mouth!) and cucumber pickles