When I say adventure, I really mean it

You wouldn't expect couple of college students to do this, but I'm all into trying something new. You'll never know you hate it unless you try. Kalbi and Kimchi are classic examples of that. When I first met them, the only vegetables they can stomach is potatoes. I refuse recognize that as a vegetable no matter how hard Kalbi tries to convince me. Kalbi: It is a vegetable, no doubt about it! HMPH
I started with something familiar and simple like Cabbage, and look at how far we've come. When I first picked out a lotus and told them I wanted to try this, imagine the reception (Kalbi and Kimchi: NO NO NO NO NO! No way we're trying this. What is this? How do you even eat it? Eww No!). Through much convincing and reassuring, we finally tried out first lotus. Now, it is one of their favorite dishes. So try something new! You never know unless you try it!

Lotus Meatball Stir-fry 

Ingredients 

(heads up, I never measure, I just estimate and dump... lol so don't rely on the measurement, I don't really have an idea how much 1 tablespoon really is... -_- I'm really estimating. lol)

about 1/2 cup of ground pork

1 medium sized lotus root

1 medium sized carrot

5-7 leaves of chinese napa cabbage (depending on the size)

5 cloves of garlic

3 green onions

1/2 table spoon of sesame oil

1 table spoon of soy sauce

2 table spoons of oyster sauce

1 table spoon of starch

water

salt

pepper

Now this is what I mean by adventure, get out of your comfort zones!

Lotus is known to have stringy texture after you chop it. It's completely normal. Chop up 1/3 of the lotus root into small pieces and mix with the ground pork. Add in pinches of salt, and pepper. Then soy sauce and sesame oil. Mince 2 garlic cloves and 1 green onion and add to the mixture. Then mix well.

For small meat ball patties with the meat mixtures. In a nonstick pan, turn the heat to medium high and wipe the pan with a paper towel dipped in olive oil. Then "fry" the meatballs until cooked, and set aside. 

In a heated pan, stir fry the rest of chopped up garlic and spring onions. Put in sliced carrots and chopped lotus root until soft and tender.

Then add in sliced cabbage and cook until tender. Then put back the meatballs previously fried. Make a sauce using starch, water, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Then pour the sauce on top. When the sauce thickens, adjust salt to taste and drop a few drops of sesame oil on top. 

ALL DONE!

Usually we have 1-2 dishes and 1 stew or soup. Tonight's soup is spinach soup with soybean paste (시금치국) the two goes great together, yummmmmm~

Until next time :)

Kalbi: It wasn't as good as I remembered it.

Dumpring: You're just getting old. Your tastebuds gets duller you know?

Kalbi: sure....

Story of Midnight Snacks

Now, I met Kimchi and Kalbi both during orientation week when we first moved into the dorms as Freshmen. You know they say, people you meet during orientation week are just fleeting friends and you'll never see them again when school starts... Yeah there were a lot of people like that in my contact list, but somehow, magically, Kimchi and Kalbi have stuck with me through all my tantrums and mood swings, and unbelievably, still living with me. Thank you Kimchi and Kalbi, this is such a miracle! horray... (says Kimchi). 

One of the major glues to our friendship is definitely our infamous mid night snacks, or should I say meals. Studies have shown that eating together brings people closer together. In my theory, guilty pleasures, such as after dinner MEALS, bind people together FOREVER. We have been doing that since freshmen year, and look at where it has taken us (other than being 20 pounds heavier). I believe we will continue down this road forever... Habits are hard to break you know? lol

Tonight's midnight snack is one of the most typical, but since last semester, I have gotten slightly lactose intolerant, so cheese and cream have pretty much been banned by Kalbi for her sanity.

English Egg Muffins with Cheese and Mushroom Cream Soup

I think this is pretty self explanatory... 

Toast the English muffin in the convection oven for 4-6 minutes under the toast option. Kimchi is the master of toasts, although she's not the best at separating the two pieces... Fry an egg sunny side up (Dumpring loves her runny eggs), slightly salt the eggs. Kalbi is the best "egg-fryer", so she's in charge of that.

When the english muffins are done toasting in the convection oven, place sunny side up eggs on top of the english muffin and a slice of fat free cheese on top of that. Put it back into the oven for 1 minuet, and viola~ perfect english egg muffins you've ever tasted :) 

I'm usually in charge of the Mushroom Cream Soup. We love Ottogi brand cream soups, they are much tastier than all other cream soup options. Just follow the instructions on the back of the package. 

I know this is not for my lactose intolerant stomach nor the digestion, but it's just a delicious combination I just can't resist. Oh btw, I should be on diet... Maybe tomorrow :)





Kimchi: maybe next time we should make our egg muffins like the ones from Martha's cafe. I like the egg muffins in the eggs at Martha's. *big bite*
Dumpring: do you hear yourself? What did you say?
Kimchi: what? did I say eggs too many times?
Dumpring: only I would understand what you say... I think I'm amazing.
Kimchi: what what?

Dumpring's Intro

Hi there, Dumpring here!

I'm a Senior in Farmland University (at least it smells like it). I'm such a food fanatic so it's not shocking that I chose nutrition as my major. I've been living with Kimchi and Kalbi for the past 4 years, and I'm the main chef, chef Dumpring. My inspiration is nutritional, delicious, and affordable meals for busy college students. I'm no culinary student (I'm pre-med, M.D. class of 2017 woot woot), but Kimchi and Kalbi can testify, I'm puuuurrrttyy good :)