As the weather is warming up at full speed, I have come to enjoy cold dishes that don't need to be cooked. Occasional home-made sandwiches fit this bill. No peanut butter, cheese, or BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomatoes) for me, please. With small twists, I came up with a sandwich recipe that does not require much assembly of its ingredients right before serving. Last year, I made this sandwich for my dear friend Keiko and her husband, when they were busy packing in preparation f

As our day is getting longer, refreshing meals often come to my mind on hot afternoons. Buckwheat noodle salad is my favorite summer dish. But you may find it difficult to buy buckwheat noodles in your area. Some people may be allergic to buckwheat like my little brother. So, here comes a recipe for a pasta salad that is more accessible to many people. It is also more portable than buckwheat noodle that tends to lose its flavor quickly due to its continued expansion afte

Forgot to buy something at a grocery store? No problem. You can make this radish salad, using vegetables that can be kept in a fridge for several weeks. This 'quarantine' salad is easy to make and versatile as well. It is an appetizing side dish that is rich in fiber and anti-oxidants. You can keep this salad in a fridge for a week and pair it with buckwheat noodles, which would make a nice brunch! I would season the cooked buckwheat noodles with soy sauce and combine it

Occasionally, we run into something great by accident. I have recently had such a eureka moment when I intended to cook bibimbap on a weekend, using a different combination of vegetables. New ingredients were cauliflower and mini napa cabbages. When I tasted this new version of bibimbap for the first time, I was blown away by a perfect combination of spiciness, sweetness from vegetables (cauliflower, napa cabbages, onions, and carrots), and savory umami flavors from mushroo

If you are adventurous, yet intolerant of spicy food, I have some suggestion for you: Ancho chili. In this recipe, I use Ancho chili powder and avocado to add a small dose of Mexican flavors to the traditional bibimbap. Seemingly small changes can bring fresh excitement to things that are all too familiar to us, helping us discover something new. The Ancho refers to the dried Poblano, a mild chili pepper originating in Mexico. What is unique about the Ancho is its fruity s

Although this is a popular dish in Korea where I grew up, my first encounter with this salad was in Boston, when my friend served it for a crowd. As I was so used to eating brown seaweed in warm soup, brown seaweed and cucumber seemed like an odd combination. But I was intrigued. Just one spoonful of this soup was all I needed to appreciate the beauty of this dish. This cold soup has a depth that is difficult to find in a salad dish: savory flavors from the brown seaweed m

What if you can make a healthy dessert or breakfast ahead of time with only 3 ingredients? When I saw a beautiful kabocha squash at a farmer's market the other day, it gave me inspiration for a dessert menu: porridge made of a kabocha and adzuki beans. The idea of making this dish thrills me every fall as this winter squash starts to show up in grocery stores. This porridge can serve as a healthy dessert, snack, or breakfast. The sweet and nutty flavor of the kabocha is to

I know what you must be thinking. I'm going out on a limb to say this out loud. This granola nearly banished my craving for sweet desserts except for these oatmeal and almond cookies. What I like about it is that just a handful of this granola is deeply satisfying. Not only would it cure the pang of your empty stomach in the late afternoon right away, but it would also become a go-to-dessert during your coffee breaks. This granola is composed of nuts, seeds, whole grains,

When you want to cook something special on a whim, try this dish. It is a popular, savory snack in Korea. Koreans enjoy the chewy texture of rice cake and fiery spiciness of this dish "떡볶이". Having a chewy texture, rice cakes can be regarded as somewhat exotic, cooking materials for non-Koreans. Rice cakes represent a big departure from noodles and I cannot think of anything that can replace rice cakes. Like Korean sweet potato noodle dish "잡채", stir-fried rice cakes first

What is your favorite dish to order at a Korean restaurant? Last month, I visited one in New York and it took me by surprise how crowded the place was on a weekday evening. This restaurant is known for its spicy tofu soup and most customers, who were not Koreans, were ordering this dish. Given this impressive popularity, it occurred to me that many people would be interested in learning how to make this dish at home. This soup (순두부 찌개) is a spicy beef stew that is flavored

This chili always keeps me warm with its spices, yet it is surprisingly light. It is a crowd-pleaser and perfect dish to balance out heavy holiday meals. What makes this chili unique is its star ingredient - squash. I use both zucchinis and yellow squashes for their bright colors. When combined with tomatoes, these squashes give this chili a vibrant and appetizing look. A beef broth builds a base umami flavor while squashes add their sweet and nutty flavors to this chili.

Summer is officially upon us. As we seek more water, it is easy to lose appetite for meals. If you want to cook something light and refreshing for dinner, this recipe is the one. Tom yum soup is my favorite Thai food. I find its flavor profile especially appealing during summer: sweet, sour, and spicy. Tomatoes provide this soup a sweet and sour base. But what makes this soup so interesting is an exotic combination of lemongrass, fish sauce, and cilantro. If you have nev

This is one of a very few dishes that I never get tired of. Unlike Kimchi, a typical staple dish that never leaves the Korean dinner table, this zucchini stir-fry is so simple to make, yet so versatile that it goes with many main dishes irrespective of your culinary heritage. Perhaps the secret of this versatility resides in the fact that this recipe brings out the sweetness of zucchini and complements it with a subtle spicy kick. This zucchini stir-fry is a traditional Kor