Heugimja-juk (Black sesame and rice porridge)

Heugimjajuk is a kind of porridge made of finely ground black sesame and non-glutinous rice. It is sweet in taste and easily digested, so it is a good nourishing meal. According to Oriental medicine, heugimja (black sesame) promotes health, makes hair healthy, and keeps weight off. Ingredients● 1 cup non-glutinous rice,  1 cup water ● 1 cup black sesame seeds,  2 cups water ● 4 1/2 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt 1. Preheat the frying pan and stir-fry sesame seeds for 40 min. on low heat.2. Grind ses

Feb. 17, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Jack Hammer Pinot Noir

This is the first vintage for Jack Hammer Wine Co., and they’ve come out with a terrific Pinot Noir for the price. The grapes come from all three Central Coast counties ― Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara ― and the juice sees some aging in old French oak barriques.The result is a delightful Pinot Noir with bright fruit flavors, gentle spice and round, smooth tannins. It goes down very easy and marries with all sorts of dishes.Drink it with hors d’oeuvres and vegetable dishes, with gril

Feb. 17, 2012

Dotorimuk muchim (Seasoned acorn starch jelly)

Dotorimuk muchim is a dish made of jellied acorn starch, vegetables and seasoning. Dotorimuk muchim was considered a dish for the relief of famine victims in olden days when provisions were scarce. Recently, it has become a popular diet food because it is low in calories. Ingredients● 300 g acorn starch jelly, 70 g cucumber, 30 g carrot, 30 g crown daisy, 15 g green pepper, 10 g red pepper ● seasoning sauce: 1 1/3 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp ground red pepper, 1 tsp minced green onion

Feb. 10, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Abbazia di Novacella ‘Stiftskellerei Neustift’

Celestino Lucin, winemaker for Abbazia di Novacella, an abbey in Italy’s Alto Adige region that dates to 1142, is renowned for his white wines. This Sylvaner from the 2010 vintage is no exception.The grapes are grown on steep hillsides surrounding the abbey. Yields are low. And the result is this complex Sylvaner with a flowery bouquet and mineral undertow. It tastes of honey and pear, and its crisp acidity makes it an ideal food wine.Drink it with steamed mussels or clams, vegetable soups and g

Feb. 10, 2012

Makin’whoopie: Treat-lovers’ latest passion

It’s the right time of year for baking whoopie.If I have made you blush, rest assured what follows is a strictly G-rated affair.Whoopie pies are an all-American baked good that looks like a puffed-up sandwich cookie but tastes more like a cupcake. Think cake with frosting that doesn’t get all over everything. Just exactly where the titillating name came from is unclear, but anyone who grew up in the Northeast knows whoopie pies have long been lunchbox, bake sale and convenience store staples.Who

Feb. 10, 2012

Eat chocolate in the morning to lose weight: study

Grilled pumpkin- chocolate tart is served at Mas La Grillade in New York, U.S.(Bloomberg) Eating chocolate cake for breakfast may actually help you lose weight It sounds too good t

Feb. 9, 2012

Arctic wave saves Czech ice wine production

 STOSIKOVICE NA LOUCE, Czech Republic (AP) ― In a vineyard in Moravia, the Arctic chill striking Europe at least has some people jumping with joy.Winemakers in southeast Czech Republic, waiting for a dip in temperatures during an unusually warm winter, finally got the deep chill they needed to harvest grapes for the most prestigious part of their business ― ice wine.The sense of relief was palpable after temperatures finally dropped to minus 7 Celsius allowing grapes to be picked for the sweet,

Feb. 8, 2012

Deodeok-saengchae (Deodeok salad)

Deodeok-saengchae is thinly ripped deodeok roots mixed with spicy and sour seasonings. Deodeok is referred to as sasam (ginseng from sand). It is high in saponin like ginseng and bellflower roots. In Oriental medicine, it is considered a health food that is good for the stomach and strengthens the lungs, intestines and kidney. Ingredients ● 300g deodeok roots, 2 cups water, 1/2 tbsp salt● Seasoning sauce: 1 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tsp red pepper paste, 2 tsp ground red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp min

Feb. 3, 2012

Diners can’t do without smartphones, so restaurants tapping into the spirit

Ding. Bzzzt. Bap. Beep. That’s the sound of conversation in restaurants these days. Where cellphones once posed a nuisance as people chatted loudly into them during meals, smartphones now present a whole new set of etiquette issues as entire tables disappear into the Internet via small glowing screens.Like an analog world-munching Pac-Man, the modern smartphone has morphed into instant messenger, mailbox, camera, flashlight, computer, map, dictionary, newspaper, personal assistant and social med

Feb. 3, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2006 J&J Eger Eged-Hegy Dulo Kekfrankos

Hungarian wines encompass much more than sweet Tokajis. Consider this lovely dry red from J&J Eger Wine Co. in the hills 60 miles west of Tokaj. The grape is the indigenous Kekfrankos, and it’s made by the winegrower Janos Stumpf in partnership with Canadian master sommelier John Szabo (who’s of Hungarian ancestry).Similar to Blaufrankish in Austria, Kekfrankos gives a minerally nuanced red with a generous perfume. The Eged-Hegy Dulo (Eged Hill Vineyard) is dry-farmed, and the vines are 40 years

Feb. 3, 2012

Heaven on a half shell

WALNUT CREEK, California ― It’s no accident that oysters are identified by the specific tidal region in which they are grown. Think of the sweet Miyagi oyster lifted from Tomales Bay, that narrow, cool Pacific Ocean-fed inlet north of San Francisco.Like that sense of place that defines a wine ― terroir ― the flavor of these beautiful bivalves is influenced by the nutrients, temperature and salinity of the water in which they are raised. In the industry, they call it merroir.While oysters’ chewy

Feb. 3, 2012

Diet soda linked to stroke, heart attack

Drinking diet soft drinks on a daily basis might increase the risk stroke, heart attack and vascular death, U.S. researchers said. Customer Wendy Rosen pushes a shopping cart past a display of soft drinks at a Dollar General Corp. store in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, U.S. (Bloomberg)Hannah Garden

Feb. 3, 2012

Maesilcha (Plum tea)

Maesilcha is Asian plum tea made by marinating maesil (Asian plum) with sugar or honey, and then diluting that liquid with cold or boiling water. Maesilcha is served chilled in the summer. It is high in organic acids, which are good for relieving physical fatigue, quenching thirst and stimulating appetite. Ingredients ● 500g plum, 500 g sugar, 2 tsp pine nuts, 2.16 kg water 1. Wash the plums in water, remove stems, wash again, and then drain water with a strainer for 2 hours.2. Put the plums and

Jan. 27, 2012

Amp up dull dishes with easy tricks that add flavor, balance

You can follow a recipe to the letter, but you don’t really begin to cook until you learn to play with your food. To be precise, learn to play with a few key ingredients and cooking techniques to boost the flavor of a dish, moving it from boring to beautiful.Consider a simmering pot of split pea soup we made the other day. Followed the recipe to the letter. Didn’t need salt. Didn’t need pepper. But it was downright dull. Try apple cider vinegar, suggested a friend. We stirred in a good splash. B

Jan. 27, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Niepoort Docil Vinho Verde Loureiro

Here’s an exceptional white wine made by genius Port producer Dirk Niepoort _ and it’s priced well under $20. Instead of a blend, Niepoort makes this entirely with the native Loureiro grape fermented and aged in stainless steel. And he gives it the same attention to detail as his more expensive whites.The 2010 Niepoort Docil is crisp and fresh yet nuanced and more complex than many a Vinho Verde. Tasting of lime and juicy green apple, it has a bright acidity and finespun texture that makes it a

Jan. 27, 2012

Single malt whisky, what is all the fuss about?

In South Korea, whiskey has long held onto a steadfast position as a popular libation for business and social gatherings. Mixed with beer as a “poktan” drink or served up on the rocks or straight, the spirit maintained a secure position in the alcohol market that appeared unshakable. Then the makgeolli boom took off several years ago and the shift from whiskey-formulated “poktan” drinks to soju-based concoctions took a chunk out of the industry pie. Rather than proclaim the imminent death of the

Jan. 27, 2012