Semiserious Chefs

Sigeumchi-namul 시금치나물, from sigeumchi for spinach and namul because it is a vegetable dish, is one of the most common banchan (Korean side dish), and also one of the easiest! Best of all it isn’t spicy, so everyone can enjoy it! It’s funny to me that even as a family that isn’t particularly fond of […]

“What is the Korean name for this dish?” you ask. Well that depends on what kind of bean sprouts you use. First and foremost this dish is a namul (나물) , referring to a steamed, stir-fried, or marinated vegetable dish. However, sukju-namul is the name for bean sprouts in general. Now soy bean sprouts are […]

Oi-muchim (오이무침): oi for cucumber and muchim for mixed or tossed, this quick Korean side dish is very common as a snack and of-course a banchan for any meal or special bapsang. (Sometimes it is also written as Oi Saengche (오이생채) from the Chinese influenced Korean writing for live vegetable since it is not ‘dead’/cooked.) […]

Ojingeo means squid, and chae means shredded or julienne so Ojingeochae (오징어채) is dried squid strips, and then you add muchim (무침) meaning mixed to title the dish. As the second half of the name implies the sauce and the dried squid strips, (already processed with salt and sometimes sugar,) are simply mixed together and […]

It’s pretty obvious by looking at the recipes around this one that I am on a total Korean kick. It all started when I found out what banchan even were through my discovery of Dubu Jorim. I love these little side dishes! One might be sweet, one might be spicy, this one has a ginger […]

I am absolutely addicted to the banchan of Korean cooking! These fantastic little ‘snacks’ are a staple part of every bapsang meal, usually easy to make, and each unique. So far I have been able to make dubu jorim (braised tofu), kongjang (braised soybeans) and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), but this one, gamja jorim, holds a […]

Over the last couple of years I have really expanded the line of products I purchase from The New Central Market here in Anchorage. Given, they have expanded, too. The one thing I don’t usually go for, and probably because I simply like to cook myself, are their pre-made dishes. The owner, Somya, is always […]

This rice cake recipe was inspired by Chef Kirsten Dixon of Tutka Bay Lodge near Homer. She created a recipe that used kippered salmon and a spicy mayo. I decided to adapt it using my mom’s personally smoked salmon, and a recent addition to my cooking repertoire, garlic sesame soy dressing. I was a little […]

The other day I took the daycare friends to our ‘climbing tree.’ Just naming it that gives this poor, fallen, barkless, excuse of a tree some dignity. In reality it is just an average size, dead tree clinging for dear life unto the crook of another tree. But for 3 and 4 year-olds? It is […]

THAT’S RIGHT. HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO! The great flavors of Sweet and Sour AND Teriyaki all rolled into one wonderful, full bodied, fragrant, and multi-purpose sauce! Around here we don’t waste our money on store bought teriyaki sauce. It isn’t that it’s expensive. There are, of course, plenty of really cheap and […]