While bread making has been all the rage this year, one staple food that has not received as much love is the fresh homemade noodle. That's right. The fan’s favorite that many just can’t seem to get enough whether it is the smooth and silken wheat noodle or the chewy ramen noodle.

While Korean music is becoming mainstream in the states, appearing in the billboard charts and even on Conan O'Brien's show, Korean food is still slowly making it's way into the melting pot of American food scene. There are famous Bloggers like Maangchi who is introducing Korean staple recipes to the globe. Her collection of recipes is so vast that sometimes I would get confused on where to start.

​What I'm trying to do here is introduce you to 6 simple Banchan recipes that I've either adapted or created based on what I've tasted at various Korean restaurants. Not all Korean food is great, but there are hidden gems that could even help with your Sunday meal prep as these dishes will last for a week! Furthermore, these selected banchans are great to store in the fridge and can be eaten cold or at room temperature. Just need some hot rice or hot soup to accompany these flavorful side dishes. In fact, you can make your own Bibimbap, a popular Korean rice bowl, with all of the banchans here. Enjoy!

Recipes in this post:
1) Garlic Spinach
2) Fresh Baby Bok Choy and Zucchini Kimchi
3) Zucchini and Red Bell Peppers
4) Bean Sprouts and Jalapenos
5) Pickled Cucumber
6) Braised Potatoes with Korean Chili

While Izakaya is the moment of indulgence (usually accompanied by panting busting food and generous amount of drinks), there are some menu that could considered to be on a healthier and yet still be flavorful.

​One of such dish is the Japanese style Rapini Salad. Although the traditional version called for flowering mustard leaves, in the USA that could be hard to come by. A good substitute for this is found in a form of Rapini Broccoli, which has more leaves than flower when compare to broccoli.

This refreshing dish offers a lighter alternative to the usually heavy and oily food typically serve in izakaya restaurant. An who said Izakaya food can’t be healthy, may be?

It goes without saying that a Japanese meal is not complete without a soy-related component. Soy sauce, tofu, and miso paste, all derivatives of soy bean processed ingredients are known to be a healthy source of protein and seasoning (minus the sodium added).

Its is almost Friday again!  Generally that would mean a lot of drink followed by a bad bad  hangover. Today I want to share one of favorite cure for hangover (at least guaranteed to be very yummy), Salmon Ochazuke! Ochazuke is a common dish served at the Japanese style bar or Izakaya. There is no general rule on how make Ochazuke, it really depend on what you like to eat and for me that mean salmon and roasted rice tea (Genmai-cha).