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. [......]

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. [......]

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. [......]