charlotteann

For those of you unfamiliar with kimchi, you should stop being in the dark and go eat some. I don’t care if you go a Korean restaurant or buy a jar of it. Just eat it and feel magical. Here’s the wikipedia article: Kimchi. And here is my hero Anthony Bourdain experiencing it firsthand on one of my favorite episodes of No Reservations (in Korea, obviously).

The other night I was at a loss for ideas on what to cook and rather hungry. So I googled what was in my fridge (tofu, pork, and kimchi) remembering the steaming, spicy bowl of orange soup I had in Boston on a very cold night at a Korean BBQ restaurant that contained those very same ingredients. There were surprisingly many tasty-looking recipes for such a dish sans broth. It was delish and absurdly easy. And, considering how cheap tofu ($1.50 for a block of the organic stuff), kimchi (~$3.00 for two servings), and pre-sliced pork ($3.50 for 3 servings) at the local Japanese market is I’ll definitely be eating this more often.

Tofu, pork, and kimchi with rice

1/2 pound of thinly sliced pork
1/2 block of firm or extra firm tofu, sliced
1 cup of kimchi (I prefer the spicy stuff but it’s available mild as well)
2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
chopped green onions (for garnish)
steamed rice

In a wok or deep sautée pan, cook the pork in the oil until it is no longer pink. Add the vinegar and tofu and stir constantly for a couple minutes before adding the kimchi. Continue to stir until the kimchi is heated through. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Hey everyone. Sorry I have been so totally absent. It seems all my latest posts are apologetic on this very subject. The culprit is money - I am (somewhat successfully) cutting costs by not paying for internet access in my new apartment. It’s just me and the cat these days in a small studio and I have enough to do for school, work, and el gato to keep me busy without the ever distracting internet. I miss hulu sometimes but there are enough internet cafés around here to meet any actual demand I may have for the world wide web. Like blogging.

My new kitchen is much bigger than the old one and I am very happy report that it receives glorious light all day, starting (and waking me up) around 9:00 AM. As we approach summer I will no doubt be purchasing a quality eye mask and photographing my daytime meals with increased frequency. Like this sandwich:

My new favorite grocery store is Rainbow Grocery in the Mission/SoMa grey area. Everything is vegetarian (including the instant soup mixes … what dedication!) and retailed with a conscious (organic, local, and sustainable as much as possible). Their bulk section is a wonderland of compartmentalized goods and puts any Whole Foods to shame both in terms of variety and organization. I can NEVER find a pen in Whole Foods. Ever. Plus the guys who work are Rainbow are way cuter.

‘Til next time…