Korea in an RV

Today, we had Korean for a late lunch...so delicious! I had some preconcieved notion that Korean food was fiery hot, and while I'm sure some dishes are, these were not but they were oh, so good! Korea was united until 1948 and that's when it divided into 2 completely different states: North Korea and South Korea. I don't really know if there is difference in the cuisines. Both states are located on the Korean Peninsula and they are bordered by China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and they are separated from Japan to the east by the Korean Strait. This is the marinade for Kalbi (Korean BBQ Short Ribs) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kalbi-korean-bbq-short-ribs/detail.aspx?31=3 I marinaded the ribs overnight in the fridge in a gallon freezer bag.
I used really thin short ribs...they cook up really quick and yummy!

In the past, due to lack of medical information, Korea's seasonal temperature differences & many childhood diseases, the death rate for kids was really high. So if a child lived to their first birthday, the parents celebrated Tol, a child's first birthday. After one year of age, the survival rate steeply rose, so it was definately a cause for celebration. A traditional celebration consists of 4 major components: 1. praying and giving thanks 2. making and wearing the tradional birthday clothing 3. preparing the table and performing the Tolijabee and 4. sharing the food with guests and neighbors.

I scored the cucumber for Korean Cucumber Salad http://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/korean-cucumber-salad/detail.aspx?prop31=5 with my vegetable peeler, just to be fancy. I sliced it really thin.

I julienned a peeled carrot...all the while thinking that now would be the time for my mandoline, which is in storage...it only took a couple of minutes, though...no biggie...

I made the dressing & tossed in the cukes and carrots and stuck it in the fridge...I, in my honest opinion, think this would be much better tasting with rice wine vinegar, rather than the white called for in the recipe...but I followed the recipe and it is super good even with the white...I enjoyed it very much....and I will make this again.

Next, I made Cold Korean Bean Sprouts, a recipe from GroupRecipes.com http://http://www.grouprecipes.com/75189/cold-korean-bean-sprouts.html and I think these are really going to become a new favorite in hot weather...they were fantastic. I boiled the sprouts and rinsed them in cold, running water.....

and tossed them in the dressing...I did add pinch of red pepper flakes and a little sesame oil to these...

Grill the ribs over hot coals for around 8-10 minutes total, they were perfectly pink around the bones...

And, yes, they DO taste as good as they look!

another look at Cold Korean Bean Sprouts...

Another look at Korean Cucumber Salad....

Add some simple boiled rice with a touch of sesame oil in the water...

And this was my version of a Korean take-out lunch for two!

My supplies this week ran $13.39, so that left $6.61 out of the $20 to add to my Beach Bag Fund! The total after week 7 is $38.19....and we're well on our way to our next outing to the beach. And for those of you wondering, my husband, Bob, has his biopsy on his throat done on Feb. 26th...I don't know how long it will be before we hear anything, so as soon as I know, I'll post it.

Again, I would like to thank each & every person who voted for next week's country. Bob picked Australia and I chose Russia and in a super tight majority...it was Russia with 21 votes and Australia with 19...so Russia is next week...stay tuned in!!