露西蘇的廚房日記 Lucy'S Kitchen Diary

我可以在30-40分鐘的車程到逺幾家韓國超市和找到一些韓國餐廳, 但我居住的範圍要卻找不到道地的中國菜, 臺灣菜就更少了.  這事總是令我很失望.  我雖然愛做飯, 但也有我只想坐下來, 好好和所愛的人享受他人的提供食物的服務, 更何況我還可以從不同的好餐廳裏學到新的菜色.  那可是很開心的一件事情, 怎能不愛呢？況且啊當要付錢和小費之餘, 老公和孩子們就更能體會我的做飯的辛勞.   有些時候我也會遇到很冏的情況, 那就是當美國朋友要我介紹他們去中國餐廳時.  我總是不知道該如何介紹哪家餐才好, 所以會開玩笑的說, " 來我家吧! " 

隔壁小鎮上住著很多的韓國移民.  我有點佩服他們總是在餐飲業上保持自己食物的傳統和不錯的品質.  韓國食物的顏色很鮮明, 味道也很有勁道就像韓國人的民族性一樣是很直接的.  我從未閲讀過許多韓國的料理, 也沒問過我的韓國女性友人如何做他們的菜肴, 但我卻能做了一些不錯的韓國菜.  那只是在這美國的20年裡我吃的韓國餐館可比中國餐館多多了, 所以伴隨著這些食物的成長, 我自然熟悉那味道, 而且自己足夠悟出這些菜色的作法. 

我在做韓國料理時總是幻想自己是一位韓國媽媽, 她會用什麼材料來烹調及餵她的家人們.  同樣的方法, 當我在做義大利菜時, 我就會假裝自己是一位義大利女人, 通過採買食材和烹調的過程.  然後, 我很快的查覺, 每個不同的國家的媽媽都有著相同的基礎食材, 類似的烹調手法, 然而唯一較不同的則是醬料和香料上的使用.  不同的環境才是真正的原因造就了不同的文化背景.  其實人類的腦袋沒有那麼難以猜測和理解的.  

當我的腦袋設定好位置之後, 我就可以用不同的靈魂做不同國家的料理.  特別是現在科技那麼發達, 簡單的估狗一下或是上YouTube.  我便可以看得到全世界我有所興趣的事情了.   當我可以充分拿捏這些傳統的食物作法之後, 我便可以開發我自己風格的菜色, 那才更是令人振奮的想完成它呢. 

醃黃瓜是炙熱夏天的最佳菜色.  每個國家都有著不太一樣的醃漬黃瓜作法.  我家大兒子喜愛美式酸黃瓜配上他的漢堡.  老公則徧愛臺式蒜頭, 黑醋和芝麻油涼拌黃瓜.  我呢？特別偏好這帶點辣又甜的韓式辣醬和清新的白醋. 

準備時間 : 5 分鐘. 
醃製時間 : 第一次浸泡於塩約1小時, 然後再加1小時入味. 
提供4-5人份食用.  

材料 : 
1. 2條美國大黃瓜或是4-5條小黃瓜, 切約1公分的厚度. 

2. 一顆中型的紫洋蔥切絲. 
3. 1/4杯的韓國辣醬.  *這韓國辣醬的製作成份早以有了蒜, 䓤, 和些許糖, 所以很適合拿來做快速的拌菜.  你也可以使用韓國辣椒粉配上蒜, 䓤, 和糖也會有相同的效果.  

4. 1/4 杯的白醋. 

5. 炒香過的白芝麻. 
6. 梅子酒或是柳橙白蘭地.  如果你沒有的話用檸檬或柳丁碎皮屑加任何白酒也行.  魚露也可 ! 只要隨你意拿定主意就好了. 

大方的灑上鹽在黃瓜和紫洋蔥絲上, 拌勻, 蓋上保鮮膜, 留在室溫下約一小時.  *這過程裡鹽巴會熟成黃瓜, 而且炎熱的夏天會比寒冷的冬天熟成的速度快些, 所以你必須做一些適當的調整.  你也將會看到在這之後, 黃瓜本身出了許多水份.  確認黃瓜是否外層變得有些柔軟可以彎折, 但內部依舊維持硬脆.  試吃黃瓜在這階段的含塩量應該也是剛好的.  

濾掉黃瓜本身出來的水份, 少了這些含鹽份的水就能避免過度的熟成. 

加入韓國辣椒醬和白醋, 任何的果子酒或是檸檬柳橙碎皮屑對上白酒, 又或是魚露只是你喜歡的話.  這個階段你則需將黃瓜放入冷藏, 減慢它繼續熟成的速度, 但卻有足夠的時間讓味道滲入黃瓜.  * 醃漬的過程中黃瓜的水份會持續釋出.  記得稍為攪拌一下, 讓這些有味道的汁液浸泡到黄瓜.  

*我加入酒的是因為它有消毒的作用.  在炎炎的夏日裏它將可以放的更久保持新鮮.  我還會將保鮮盒用熱水燙過自然乾再拿來貯存日後幾天要食用的. 

在夏日裡, 這是很棒的一道開胃菜, 配上一碗白飯, 麵條, 牛排, 雞肉, 做成三明治 ..... 只要是你想得到的, 它將能簡單的滿足你的口慾.  這些黃瓜來自韓國辣醬的甜又辣, 不經意的咬上白芝麻粒時的那堅果香, 還有那清爽的黃瓜透心涼.  夏季裡 ..... 我依舊可以享受這涼爽的菜肴, 卻少了一次動火爐的機會, 實在是太棒了!!!

I can reach few Korean supermarkets and find many of Korean restaurants around 30 - 40 minutes of driving distant, but I won’t see any authentic neither Chinese nor Taiwanese food around my areas.  This issue is always upset me.  I love to cook, but there's a time, I just want to sit down and enjoy the serving of food with my love one too, plus I could learn some new dishes from other nice restaurant.  That's a great thing to do, why not ?  Beside, my kids and my husband would be appreciated more about my cooking efforts, since they get to wait for the food delivering and pay for the tips too !!!  It also has some awkward situations when my American friends ask me, where to dine for the great Chinese or Taiwanese food.  I have no place to recommend to them.  I often joke around, " come to my house " ! 

The town next me has lots of Korean immigrates,  I kind of admire they always keep their food traditional with great quality on their restaurant business.  Korean food are very vivid in color, flavors are very pung also.  Just like Korean personality are not shy at all.  I never really read a Korean cook books or ask my Korean girlfriends how to cook their food right, but I do make some very decent nice Korean dishes.  It is just I really have more Korean food than Chinese food in my past 20 years of my life in US.  I kind of grow old with that, remember the flavors so well and enough to figure it all out by myself.  

I always picture my myself if I am a Korean mom what I will do to use the ingredients that I have to feed my family when I am making Korean food.  Same idea, if I am making Italian, I would pretend I am a Italian woman and go through the food shopping and all that cooking process.  Then, I soon find out.  Each country's mom all have basic same ingredients, similar cooking techniques, but different sauce or spices in every regions.   The difference between environments are the reason makes all different cultures background.  But, human's mind are not that hard to guess or understand it at all !!! 

When I set my mind there right, I could have any soul to make any dishes form any countries.  Especially, the technology is so convenient now, simple use google or YouTube.  I could see the whole world whatever I am interesting in it .  After I could nail all the traditional dishes right, I would be able to create the new dishes of my own, and that's even more excited for me to accomplish!!! 

Pickled cucumbers is perfect dish  for hot summer time.  Each country has all different picked method.  My big boy lots America sour picked with his burger, my husband loves Taiwanese quick pickling with garlic, black vinegar, and sesame oil.  I personally love these spicy and sweet with Korean chili flavors with refreshing white vinegar.  

Preparations times: 5 minutes 
Marinated time : First 1 hour for pickle cucumbers in the salt, then other 1 hour for the flavoring. 
Serving : 4-5peoples. 

Ingredients: 
1. 2 large American cucumber or 4-5 mini cucumbers sliced at least 1 cm thickness.  

2. 1 medium red onion thin sliced.
3. 1/4 cup of Korean red chili sauce. *This Korean sauce already make by ingredients such as garlic and scallion in it, slightly sweet too.  It's great for quick mixed.  You can use Korean chili powder too, just add the fresh minded garlic and scallions and sugar to enhance the flavors.   It would be the same. 
4. 1/4 cup of white vinegar.
5. Toasted white sesame seeds.  
6. Plum wine or orange cognac.  If you don't have it you can use lemon or orange zest mix with any 1 teaspoon of white wine. Or, you can even add the fish sauce for flavoring too.  Just follow your mood and make up your mind.  
.  
Generally sprinkles salt on top of cucumbers and thin slices of red onions, then mix them well, cover with plastic wrap, leave it in the room temperature about 1 hour.  * ThIs stage salt will cook the cucumbers faster during the hot summer time than cold winter, so you can do a little adjustment by that.  You will see lots of water is coming out from cucumbers itself afterward.  Check the cucumbers if it becomes kind of soft outer layer and you would be able to bend it a little, but still remains hard and crunch inside.  Taste the cucumbers should be at the good among of salty level  at this stages too.  

Drain the extra coming out salty water from cucumbers by itself, without these salty water will prevent the over cooking.  

Add the Korean red chili sauce with white vinegar, any fruity wine or lemon and orange zest with white wine, or fish sauce as you like.  Now, you have to keep this stage in the refrigerator to slow down the cooking process for cucumbers, but the flavors will have enough time to get into cucumbers.   * Water will keep coming out from this marinated process, do remember to give it a toss, so these cucumbers will absorb all the flavors from that juice.  

*The reason I add the wine which will be the same function like alcohol disinfection.  It will keep this dish stay longer and fresh in the hot summer time.  I would also rinsed the container with hot water then let it air dry to storage some of these dishes for using in couple days after too.   
 
Summer time, this is a great side dish to wake up your appetizer, pair with a bowl of rice, noodles, steak, chicken, make a sandwich ...... You name it !!! It just simply satisfy your palate.  These cucumbers are sweet and spicy from that Korean chili paste, nutty when you accidentally bite into that white sesame seeds, and crunch juicy cucumbers are really cool you down.  Hello summer ...... I can enjoy this refreshing dish without turn on the stove.  That's pretty awesome !!! 

孩子們的腦袋瓜裡是很難預料的.  我的三個孩子們從出生就有這不同的個性, 尤其展現在挑食上.  當他們很小的時候, 我的小兒寧願餓到胃痛也不願意嘗試新的食物.  女兒肚子餓時只要吃美食, 如果我們餵她吃垃圾食物, 她是會翻臉的.  我家老大從小則有感官的問題, 舉凡嗅覺和口感都相當的敏感, 而且支配著他的飲食習慣, 也緩慢了影響他幼兒時期的學習成長.  我大兒子就這樣過了七年的素食主義者.  直到有一天他食了在韓國超市中試吃了牛肉.  從那天開始, 他就迷上了那昂貴的和牛, 從此以後就找上我麻煩了! 

上個星期六下午, 他要為我做份歐姆蛋當他的早午餐.  我以為我聽錯了, 因為他今年快滿16歲了, 他從來不吃蛋的.  所以我和老公重覆的和他確認.  是的!!! 他説的是歐姆雷沒錯, 而且他還點了自己想要的內餡.  

想要做好歐姆蛋你首先要能掌握火候.  蛋是很快就熟成的, 所以也很容易煮老了.  然而,不用擔心只要記得你有個開關可以控制火候即可, 就這樣而已 !!! 

*一個不沾鍋來做這道菜將非常合適, 油的需要量也能減少許多. 

材料: 
1. 9吋半的鍋3颗蛋, 6吋半的鍋2顆蛋. 

*內餡的材料可做兩個9吋半或是3個6吋半的歐姆蛋.  
我個人覺得6吋半的歐姆蛋很適合一人份.  鍋子也很可愛 ! 

1. 1 小顆任何你喜歡的洋蔥切小塊.  
2. 1 小顆的蕃茄. 
3. 少許的嫩葉菠菜, 隨意切或是用手稍微撕碎. 
4. 10-15個磨菇( 小顆的波特貝拉磨菇是我的最愛） 一樣切丁. 
5. 銳利口味的巧得起司, 香鹹的普姆隆起司或者是辣椒傑克都是不錯的選擇. 

*自從蛋會很滑嫩, 所有的蔬菜也都是原味.  所以在選擇起司上有個主導的味道來支配是好的.  

使用中高火和一點的油將洋蔥炒至透明.  和那磨菇的顏色變深.  
在一開始就放入少許塩可以幫助這些食材釋放出水分, 而且還能帶出很濃郁的香氣.  灑上塩巴和現磨的黑楜椒, 放置一旁. 

把不沾鍋加熱至中溫.  你可以放手在鍋子上數到四也不會被燙傷的程度.  那就是對的溫度可以塗抹足夠的奶油剛好蓋上整個鍋子.  再次提升至中溫, 但不能焦化.  不然蛋煮熟後會看起來很髒. 

我們家的人喜歡歐姆蛋外面帶點淡淡的金黃色, 裡面柔軟.  所以用中火來烹調最佳了.  但如果你喜歡非常軟嫩帶著淡淡的黃白色, 那麼用小火來煮.  

倒入蛋液入鍋中並且繞一下, 讓所有的蛋液蓋滿鍋子.  你將會注意到這些蛋從鍋子的邊緣開始凝結起來了.  你可以簡單的把這些先熟成的邊緣帶到中間, 但留些鍋中的蛋液足夠成型蓋滿整個鍋子.  或者你也可以一直不停的攪拌, 然後一樣留些蛋液把它煮成像煎餅一樣.  

*這個階段的蛋厚度會增加許多.  
*如果你是初學者, 可以在此把火熄了, 放入剩下的材料.  這樣一來就能避免把蛋煮老了.  假使你須要蛋再上色些, 只要再點上火就行了. 

隨後全面放入剝好絲的起司在所有的蛋上, 放入嫰菠菜葉, 洋蔥, 磨菇, 蕃茄在靠近你自己的半邊鍋子裏.  當蛋凝聚的很好, 在四處邊緣推一下, 並且當你晃動鍋子就能移動蛋時.  把它提至餐盤上, 然後輕輕的滑出並同時間蓋上. 哇啦 ..... 你這就做了最棒的歐姆蛋了. 

我很喜歡這些歐姆蛋有像肉一樣風味的尤其是小顆的波特貝拉磨菇, 蕃茄很不錯的酸度, 些許微辣的嫩菠菜葉和那甜又脆的洋蔥.  這看起來很容易做, 但實質上則需要一些練習才能做好它的.  有些時候越是簡單的事情反而難搞, 因為全都在細節上.

我的小兒醫師曾說, 嘗試新的東西需要八次以上的機會. 感謝老天爺我並未放棄做出新的食品給我的孩子們.  這是很好的轉變, 可以展現出我的孩子開始接受新的事物.  我相當的開心!!! 我常常告訴我的孩子們, " 世界無限大, 把握你可以得每一個機會, 去嘗試, 並且享受它 ...... 我說對了嗎？

我最親愛的孩子們, 不要害怕或是太多的擔憂去嘗試新的事物或是遇見新的人, 讓你們的人生開始充滿樂趣!!! 加油! ~

Kid's minds are very unpredictable.  My three kids all have born with different personalities, especially when it comes to picky on food.  When they were younger, my little guys would suffer himself till stomachache and still won't try new food.  My daughter only takes good tummy food.  If we feed her junks when she is starving, she would get very pissed.  My big boy has sensational issue since he was a baby, smells and textures are all very sensitive to dominate his eating habits, and slow down his learning proces in his early childhood.  My big boy was a vegetarianism for the first seven years in his life.  One Day he started to eat the beef from the Korean supermarket tasting car.  Then, he got hooked with that nice fancy Wagyu beef and I am in trouble since.  

Last Saturday, he came to me and asked me to make him the omelette for his brunch, I thought I missed understanding him, because he will be 16 years old soon, but he never really had eggs in his life.  So, my husband and I all double checked with him.  Yes !!! He really mention about " omelette  " and he required his filling too.  

Making a great omelette you have to be able to control the heat right, first.  Eggs cook very quickly so it's very easy to overcooked.  But, no worries, just remember you can control the heat by turning the switch, That's all !!!

*A nonstick pan will do the good job here and cost less oil.  

Ingredients: 
1. 3 eggs for 91/2 inches pan or 2 eggs for 61/2 inches pan.  Beat eggs well and set aside. 

Fillings for 2 91/2 inch or 3 61/2 inches omelette. 
1. 1 small size any kind of onion that you like, diced. 
2. 1 small tomato diced or roasted  sweet peppers which soaked in the garlic vinegar water, roughly chopped. 
3. Some baby Spinach roughly chopped or just break it with hands.  
4. 10-15 mushrooms ( Baby Portabella mushrooms are my favorite )  diced too.  
5. Sharp cheddar cheese or salty proberlon cheese or spicy pepper Jack are all fine.  

*Since the eggs will be soft and all the vegetables are original in mild flavors, it's good when you choose the cheese which could dominate the taste in this dish.  

Use medium high heat and oil to sauté onion till transparent and mushrooms get some darker color.  By adding fews salt in the beginning will help release the water content and brings out more intensive flavors from these vegetables itself.  Season salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Set aside.  

Heat up the other nonstick pan warm.  You can put your hand on top of pan and at least count to 4, and you won't get burned.  That would be the right temperature to 
apply just enough butter to cover the whole pan.  Bring it to warn again, but not burn, otherwise eggs will look dirty after it is cooked.

My family love our omelette lighty brown outside soft inside, so use medium heat to cook is perfect .  But, if you like it very soft and tender with pale yellow color, cook these eggs with low heat.  

Pour all the eggs mixture in the pan and swift around cover all the pan.  You will notice these eggs started to form from the edges.  You can simply just keep bring in the dry edges to the center, but save some eggs mixture enough to coat all over the pan too. Or, you can just keep stirring the eggs and save some eggs mixed to form pretty like a pancake. 

*Eggs should get more value at this stage.  
*For the beginner, you can turn the heat off at here to place all the rest of ingredients first to avoid overcooked the eggs.  If you need more colors on the omerlate, then turn the heat back. 

Following to place shredded cheese all over the eggs, laid down the spinach, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes diced on half side of pan close to you.  Push all over the edges, and when your eggs form well and it can be move as you shake the pan.  Bring to the serving plate then slightly it out, and fold it at the same time.  Wa la ...... You just make the best omelette ever.  

I adore this omerlate has meaty mushrooms, great acidity from tomatoes, peppery baby spinach and sweet crunchy onions.  This might look easy to make, but do need some practice to do it right.  Sometimes the simplest things are harder to deal, because it's all in the details.  

My pediatrician said, it takes 8 times of trying to get used to new food.  Thanks God, I never give up to make new food for my kids.  This was a good move to show my kids are accepting the new stuff in their life.  I'm so glad !!! I often tell my kids, " The world is infinitely, take any chances that you could get, try it and enjoy it ...... Did I say it, right? 

My dearest kids, please do not be afraid or worry too much to try new things and meet new peoples, that the fun begins in your lives !!! Let's do it !~