The Hungry Bunny

Dukkam will forever be remembered for where we first fell in love with gamja-tang. The thin, spicy soup is our number one Korean must-eatl, and the consummate soul food. Laden with potatoes and the spine of pork, and distinct with crushed perilla seeds and perilla leaves; there's an anise-like, somewhat minty herbaceous aftertaste to the robust heat of the stew, resulting in a hearty, fiery yet refreshing broth. Surprisingly though, it's delicate and light, and not at all oily. You know how it is with bak kut teh, you feel weighted down with that heavy oily feeling after drinking the soup? It's not ever like that with gamjatang. For rustic fare rooted in peasant provenance, it's incredibly exquisite. Duckkam is a short stroll from the Four Seasons Seoul , and because it's open 24/7, our supper go-to de rigueur during our annual sojourn to Seoul. The Gamjatang (6,500KRW) at Duck Kam, generously stocked with a massive hunk of pork spine, was potent and lively.

Han Wa Dam is one of our two favourite (together with Two Plus) Korean barbecue restaurants in Seoul. Serving only Korean Hanwoo beef known for its rich marbling and full-bodied flavour (think Australian wagyu), Han Wa Dam is also distinguished for having the best kimchi I've ever eaten in my life. Really, if you were looking to introduce kimchi to someone with a pre-disposed aversion to kimchi, just bring them to Han Wa Dam . I promise you, the kimchi here will make a lover out of even the most hardened of kimchi-haters. The beef at Han Wa Dam weren't marinated, and it need not be. It was delicious on its own. Recommended specialties were the Sirloin (42,000KRW for 150gm) and Tenderloin (43,000KRW for 150gm), juicy and sumptuous and insanely good simply burnished with a heap of beef fat.  The Pollack Roe Steamed Egg (5,000KRW) fluffy like a souffle, and dotted with sweet diced carrots and spring onions, was scrumptious. Another must-try, the Sirloin Kimchi Ste

So I picked up a jar of mushroom pesto during our recent visit to Melbourne at the farmers' market. I thought I'd do a vegetarian-friendly warm mushroom salad to pair with that pesto for #meatlessmondays. Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 box arugula leaves, about 125gm 5 eggs 2 cups rotini pasta 6 large portobello mushrooms, diced roughly 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp herbed cooking olive oil 3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) 3 tbsp mushroom pesto (regular pesto works in a pinch) Salt to taste a handful of pine nuts (get those best possible quality organic ones, avoiding those from China, I once ended up with 'pine nut syndrome', resulting in my palate having a bitter aftertaste that lasted a week, after eating some at Hai Di Lao. It was a convenient tool for inadvertently being on a diet, but I was completely miserable.) Directions: 1) Fry garlic on low heat with 1 tbsp herbed cooking olive oil, about 1 minute. 2) Turn the heat up to medium-high, a

This is a spicy seafood variant from the japchae I made sometime ago. It's just as much work, but note this can be pre-cooked the day before and re-heats beautifully.If you're strapped for time on the weekdays, this is an excellent dish to prep over the weekend and for eating on the weekdays. Ingredients (feeds 4): 1 head garlic, about 10 cloves, minced 4 cups julienned carrots 300gm baby kailan, stalks trimmed (makes about 8 cups) 400gm sliced white button mushrooms (makes about 5 cups) 1 large onion, sliced thinly seafood (I used about 15 medium-sized Tiger prawns, and 10 whole fresh sea scallops, quartered) canola oil sesame oil guk-kanjang (or light soy, or salt will do) 4 spaghetti-ring measures of dangmyeon (Korean sweet potato noodles) sesame seeds to serve Sauce for noodles: 2 tbsp guk kanjang (regular light soy sauce will do in a cinch) 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp gochugaru (Korean ground red pepper powder) Optional: dashi stock to coo

Pajeon is a Korean pancake, or as the Hubs calls it, "Korean chai tow kway". Typically eaten during birthdays and festive periods, I thought I'd make Seafood Pajeon (or ' Haemul Pajeon ') for the Hubs over the weekend. It wasn't his birthday, but I needed to make "restitution"; I'd accidentally whacked him with an iron at the range and felt awful about it. You'll need a small frying pan, like those cute little tiny ones you use to fry up a single egg, together with a larger one, to cook this. This makes flipping the pancake over a tonne easier. Those of the domestic goddess sort may want to make their own pancake batter, but because I'm far from ever being one, I took the shortcut and bought the ready-mix batter "bisquick" from koryo mart. Ingredients (makes one of a 3.5"-wide pancake, and we ate about 2-3 pancakes each, so multiply accordingly): 2 tbsp pancake batter 2 large fresh Tiger prawns, diced into half