Gochugaru is Korean red chili pepper powder. Gochu means chili pepper and garu means powder. It’s a very common ingredient used in many Korean dishes such as kimchi, bulgogi, or tteokbokki. With a proper amount, it will make dishes savory and arouse more appetite.

The quality of gochugaru depends on how well gochu (chili peppers) are ripe and how well they get dry in the sunlight. There are two ways to dry gochu; in the sunlight or with heat. Drying gochu in the sunlight is better - this gochu is called taeyangcho - because it generates spicy taste and red color better while naturally drying than while drying with heat.

- Gochu

While drying gochu in the sunlight, it’s important to keep chili pepper clean and dirt-free. Any dirt or germs ground into gochugaru eventually affect the taste of dishes - yes, it can change the color and taste of kimchi.

I remember helping my mom wiping each pepper with a clean cloth after drying was done. It’s not a pleasant task because it took a long time, there were so many of them, and sometimes I ended up crying because of the spicy flavor from chili peppers.

Most Koreans, including me and my mom(!) these days, buy packaged gochugaru instead of making their own. It’s important to find a good brand when you buy gochugaru from your grocery stores. Well, this is true for shopping grocery in general, but it’s much more important with shopping for basic ingredients such as gochugaru, gochujang, ganjang, or doenjang.

- Packaged Gochugaru

It’s recommended to store gochugaru in the fridge after opening it.

Dubu Kimchi (Tofu with Kimchi Bokkeum) is one of the most popular anju (snacks for alcoholic beverages) for soju lovers. But it can be a great side dish for regular meals, or it can replace a regular meal for those who want to shed extra pounds.

It is indeed an excellent “healthy” diet food for those who like kimchi. Dubu (Tofu, soy bean curd), high in protein, low in saturated fat, has low calories and can reduce the risk of heart diseases by lowering the bad cholesterol level. It’s a good source of vitamin E, B-vitamins and calcium. Kimchi is also full of vitamins and minerals. Depending on how you cook and what to add, you can minimize the fat from this dish.

I often make this dish for dinner especially when I am not that hungry - usually after a huge lunch or lots of snacks before dinner - and I don’t feel like spending much time for preparing. This is so simple to make, as well as tasty and nutritious.

Here is a recipe for dubu kimchi.

Ingredients for 2 servings
1 package of tofu
1 cup of kimchi (preferably more aged (sour) kimchi)
1/2 cup of samgyupsal (pork belly) or bacon
1/2 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 green onion
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
soy sauce (optional)
sugar (optional)

* The amount of each ingredient is subject to personal taste. If your kimchi is already salty or you use bacon, you can probably skip soy sauce.
** You can easily skip pork belly, onions, spring onions or sesame seeds if you don’t have.

Directions
1. Tofu: there are three options to prepare the tofu.
(a) Steam or boil the tofu for about three minutes. (b) You can slice the tofu into pieces, and pan-fry them with olive oil for more flavor. It usually takes about four to five minutes to cook each side over medium-high heat. (c) Use raw tofu.
I usually boil it because I like it cooked and boiling is the simplest!
When it’s cooled down from boiling or pan-frying, cut the tofu in half lengthwise. Then, cut each into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. Kimchi Bokkeum
Slice the samgyupsal 1 1/2 inches long.
Chop the kimchi into smaller pieces.
Mince the garlic.
Chop the onion and spring onion.
Over a pan, add the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is ready, add the minced garlic, onions and samgyupsal. Stir-fry until they’re almost cooked.
Add the kimchi. Add soy sauce and /or sugar if you’d like. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
Add sesame oil and spring onions and cook for one more minute.
Turn off the heat and place the kimchi bokkeum in the center of a big dish.
Place the tofu slices around the kimchi.
Garnish the kimchi bokkeum with the sesame seeds.

How to eat
Place some kimchi bokkeum on top of a slice of tofu, and eat them together.

Tteok Manduguk - Korean dumpling soup with rice cake has become one of my favorite dishes these days because it’s one of the easiest guk(soup) that I can make and still delicious. Of course, it will will be a very different story if I dare to make mandu(dumpling) from the scratch. (I do have a strong ambition to make mandu myself one of these days, though!)

But not any time soon. I buy pre-cooked frozen mandu from local Korean grocery stores. There are many different kinds such as kimchi mandu, pork mandu, vegatable mandu, seafood mandu, etc. It usually costs $3 to $6, and one package contains 20 to 40 dumplings.

- Frozen pre-made mandu (dumplings)

Here is a simple recipe for simple manduguk!

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Jajangmyeon (jajangmyun or jjajangmyeon) is a popular Korean noodle dish. It’s originated from the Chinese dish Zha jiang mian, and has developed its own unique taste over the years. The dish consists of thick wheat noodles and thick black bean sauce with lots of vegetables.

Instead of jajangmyeon, I made jajang bap one day. It’s the same black bean sauce, but you just add the sauce on top of rice, not noodles.

Ingredients for 2 ~ 3 servings
4~5 tablespoons chungjang (black bean sauce)
1 medium size onion
1 medium size potato
1/4 zucchini
1/2 carrot
1/4 head green cabbage
3~4 cloves of garlic
100g~150g pork
1 tablespoon sugar
1.5 tablespoons corn starchy
cooked rice (cooked noodles of your choice)
water
1 spring onion (if you have)
1/4 cucumber (if you have)

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Is losing weight your top new year’s resolution? Specifically, getting rid of your belly fat and furthermore, having dreamy six-pack abs? Obviously, it’s not an easy task at all to love love handles – so many people tried and failed so many times, but at least it’s a good time to start. There are at least five to seven months until the beach season starts, and it will work better when your goal is losing them within six months than within two or three months.

It’s important to remember that there is no magic formula to lose your excess belly fat. It won’t be easy and it won’t be instantaneous either. But there is still good news. When you lose overall weight, the belly fat is generally what you lose first.

Another thing to remember in losing your love handles is that a life-style change is a must. You don’t want them to return back and haunt you again only in several months. Change your body’s set-point where your metabolism will adjust itself and maintain an appropriate weight that you feel comfortable with.

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