S(e)oul Food from November's Kitchen Nomad

It's food time again! Last month we went to Mexico for some lovely spicy dishes, courtesy of the amazing products from Kitchen Nomad and this month we're going in the opposite direction to the Land of the Morning Calm - Korea. Korean cuisine is very natural and healthy and largely based on rice, vegetables and meat but of course the main ingredients vary between different regions. Traditionally a basic meal is a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup per person, and then there are lots of different side dishes that are shared between everyone. You may have heard the old saying that "you first eat with your eyes", i.e. that the whole eating experience is influenced not only by the taste but also by how good the food looks, and an interesting fact is that in Korean cuisine the balance of colors is considered very important. It's not just to make it look pretty though, it's also linked to the theory of the Yin and Yang and the five elements that represent different materials, emotions, body organs and flavors and the ideal state is a balance between them all. So let's see what was in the box to prepare a well balanced delicious meal.

Ingredients

Sesame oil - lovely golden nutty tasting oil used for cooking or as a dressing

Soy sauce

Ginseng drink

 

Ingredients

Korean chilli powder - smokey, fruity sweet hot chilli

Kimchi - traditional Korean side dish of fermented cabbage and other vegetables with garlic, ginger and other spice

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Sesame seed

Sweet potato noodles - traditional Korean noodles for Japchae (stir fried noodles) 

What are we going to make with all of these fabulous ingredients?

Starter:

Sauteed eggplant -  eggplant with chilli, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds

Mains:

Sweet potato noodles - noodles with garlic, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, beef

Seasoned Tofu - stir fried tofu with sesame oil and sesame seeds, garlic, onions, chilli and soy sauce 

Skewered beef - grilled beef marinated in garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil

Since I don't eat meat I'll swap the meat for either mushrooms or prawns and all we need now is a big bowl of rice, some kimchi and the ginseng drink and we're sorted for a traditional Korean meal.

I'm so excited about this month's ingredients since the only Korean food I have tried previously is Kimchi, and I'll do my very best to cook up an interesting, balanced feast of flavors, scents and the all important colors. What do you think about this month's ingredients and recipes?