I find home cooking here to be sometimes a bit on the difficult side, especially if you dont want to hunt around for hard to find ingredients. I am not a great cook, but I do love to do it. So, what are some things that you make at home, that use the relatively easy to find ingredients - things to be found at any Korean grocery store?

On my list is chicken soup (whole chicken, veggies), mashed potatoes, quesadillas (granted tortillas arent EVERYWHERE, but they are easy to find and cheap), and omelettes. Share your recipes for easy Korean-based homestyle cooking!

I'm no great cook either, but it is my therapy. I home-cook every day. With the rather limited supply of products here, just be creative. Tortillas are so versatile. I make quesadillas all the time with different fillings. But they're also great for wraps (tuna, chicken, veggie, hummus, whatever) while on the go. Line them with lettuce and they won't get soggy all day. The onion bagels in the basement of Lotte in Seomyeon are also a good alternative to simple "bread" sandwiches. Greekfreak mentioned croissants at Paris Baguette for sammies as well.

You can do decent Mexican, too, as sour cream, salsa, jalapenos, cilantro, and cumin are readily available. Parboil some spuds and keep them in the fridge when you want some quick homefries to accompany your breakfast burritos..

I indulged in a countertop deep fryer for about 30 bucks, and it's been the best investment I've made in awhile. I deep fry the sh!t out of everything - breaded/battered pickles, shrooms, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, calamari, fish and chips

Use your imagination, and happy cooking..

Potato salad and chili are two that I find relatively easy to fix here. The chili is perhaps easier for me since I live in the neighborhood of the Asian markets which have the seasoning needed for it. Usually I have the chili over rice. I have also make stir-fired rice which I did back home sometime anyway. Shrimp Creole I have made once or twice, mostly because it was one of my mother's favorite things to cook and then everything for it is available; it is also served over rice. I do have a micro-wave so am trying to do more with it. It can be especially good with chili or soups made in advance and then frozen to be used at later times.

I make spaghetti with Italian pasta (Barilla spaghetti or fettucini) from E-Mart, American sauce (Ragu or Prego) and ground pork from Home Plus, and sauteed white mushrooms and garlic from the Ajumma Market. I love Korean food, and have lost a lot of weight here; but spaghetti once a week or so helps keep me regular and healthy.

Now, Turlbo, how about those recipes for shrimp creole and chili? My grandmother (who lived in The South, and vacationed every year in New Orleans in a kinder, gentler age) made shrimp creole, which I remember fondly; and I miss Mexican cooking to the point of tears. Smoky and Acorn, where exactly are you finding tortillas?

Maybe Smoky you should host a champion at your restaurant and invite all these grat cooks to make food for us...

CW, I don't own a restaurant (too much stress), but I do love cooking and hosting the occasional dinner party..

WB, flour tortillas are available at Costco (of course) in Daegu, Homever in Haeundae, and the Asian Marts..and probably several other places that I haven't yet discovered.

tortillas at sajik homeplus too.

once i got a bundle of spinach on the discount shelf at homeplus and i was going to try to make some saag paneer which was actually a really stupid idea because i didnt have any of the ingredients besides spinach, but while the spinach was in the pan with some oil i put in some yellow mustard (like the mustard plug put on a hot dog kind), and then i added some toasted sesame oil. it turned out to be very good, as the mustard and sesame kind of do a combo on your tongue. i find that the discount shelf is a good way to compel me to eat a variety of foods, save time at the store, prevent shopping fatigue, all while saving money (sometimes things are marked down like 75%, even meats and cheeses).

sometimes i buy the kimchi thats like a quarter of a head of cabbage uncut in a bag, and once you cut off all the leaves theres some of the really tough stem-ish stuff left. if you chop it up and put it in a pot for about five minutes with some other veggies, like greens or carrots or bell peppers, you can make a pretty good sauce for some thin wheat or sweet potato starch noodles.

ive also made some lazy pickles by letting some sliced carrots and cucumbers swim in some apple cider vinegar and some salt for a few days (covered in the fridge). i find this is a good way to extend the life of vegetables that i maybe bought a little ambitously. they also help cure my occasional case of kimchi fatigue. you could probably do this with other vegetables, but i havent tried. usually there's vinegar left over and i use it to dress a salad.

i'd really like to try pureeing kimchi with some fresh fruit like mango or kiwi and using it as a sauce for something, maybe even a dessert.

Tortillas can be found at Homever in Haeundae / Dongbaek in the frozen foods section, they are 2,000 for small ones, 2,500 for large ones, 12 per pack. I buy 10 packs at a time and freeze them.

I've been making French toast these past few days. I try to stay away from white bread, but its hard to find whole wheat, so I use multi-grain breads. Where can whole wheat bread be found? I got the maple syrup from the health food store in Jangsan. It's not grade A, so its a little watery, but it tastes great.

I've also been thinking of getting a bread machine. Has anyone seen them?

I don't like kimchi, mainly for the rotten fish aspect of it, since I can't stand seafood (which is hard in Korea), so I think I'm going to be making sauerkraut, which I used to do back in the states.

I've been trying to eat healthy, but it seems hard to get good food here. Whole foods. I stopped worrying (mostly) about price, because, well, food is the most important thing, so if you're going to spend money, why not do it on something actually useful and good for you. You are what you eat. I don't really consider a lot of Korean foods healthy, especially with the amount of sugars, salts, and white rice they serve. I dont worry about mercury in the fish cause i don't eat it. I read a great book recently by one of my favorite authors, its called In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. I suggest anyone interested in food read this book (and the Omnivore's Dillema).

Has anyone held or thought of a PusanWeb potluck? Seems like a great way to share food, and meet friends. What do you think?

Heathen Cubanos

1 badly made french bread (Cuban bread has a harder outer shell.)
1 White cheese.
Pickles
Mustard
slices of ham
slices of Pork
light oil
Salami if you can find it easily for it to be a true Cubano (Tampa style not Miami /Cuba de Norte)
Add all the ingredients together and put it in a warm pan. If you have a pot or something heavy that can be heated and placed on top of the Cubano to meld the meat, bread and the cheese together.

I wish the International Food store in Seoul would do mail order. I do have a nice stash of Pita bread for my gyros, but I am missing dill to make it authentic. And yes I do have lamb.

My sauerkraut was a success! So now, I'll be making a small batch every few weeks. Plus I found kielbasa at E-Mart to eat them with. If you want to make sauerkraut, its really easy, and there are many recipes online. All you need is cabbage, salt, and a container. I used a mason-like jar from a chon won store, and used a zip lock bag filled with water as a weight (placed inside another zip lock bag so no leaks get into the kraut). If you need help, PM me!

Most major supermarkets carry wholewheat bread. Usually not in the bakery section, but on the shelves sliced and packed. However for the best selection of bread, cakes and pastries anywhere in town go to OPS. Simply outstanding in any country! For your nearest store check out http://ops.co.kr/m_jumpo/jumpo.htm

Did you say Kielbasa at Emart? Yeah. I have gyros too. I have whole wheat pita bead. I think I am going to open up my oen underground foreigner restaurant n JInju.

I recently found Portuguese chorizo at Namcheon Mega Mart (there was a kind of country sausage thing as well). Any one got ideas for chorizo? A stew perhaps?

Also, any leafy green experts out there? I'm looking for a substitute for arugula, which I'm pretty sure you can't get here, but since I'm not exactly sure what arugula is I'm having trouble substituting. All I know is it's a bitter leafy green...

Someone mentioned saurkraut before - a German canned variety can be found at Mega Mart though undoubtedly not as satisfying as the homemade stuff.

Acornrevolution - I'm curious about your complaint about lack of good food here. Are you talking about restaurant foods or food you prepare yourself? IMHO with a decent street market there's no reason to ever lack for fresh whole fruits and veggies. Incidentally I'm a recent Michael Pollan convert - two of his books sit on my bookshelf waiting to be read.

Guess I'd better post some kind a recipe huh. This can be a dressing or a sauce and depending on your taste buds may be highly addictive.

2 parts miso
2 parts vinegar
1 part lemon juice (less if not using fresh)
3 parts olive oil (do yourself a favour and go for Spanish or at the very least Italian extra virgin)
1/2 sesame oil
1/4 soy sauce
1 grated ginger
1 water
1/4 sugar

So very yummy on a wide range of veggies and pretty good on some fishes and meats.

Your question regarding chorizo is a good one. Quesadillas with chorizo are good! So are stews where you want to punch up the flavor and spice a bit. Personally, I like grilled chorizo sliced up into scrambled eggs with some pico de gallo and monty jack cheese! yum!

No, whole fruits and veggies are easy enough to get, though some veggies are harder to find (green beans, whole ears of corn, cauliflower, snow peas, snap peas). I like the selection of greens, especially adding a little super-healthy dandelion to my salads. Some restaurant food is healthy, some isn't. I guess my main problem is turning these whole foods...into meals. I can follow a recipe, but wouldnt say I'm the most creative.

Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Tofu
Mushroom
Onion
Tomato
Jalapeno pepper
Bell pepper

Seasoning to taste (I use fajita seasoning and garlic, because I have plenty of it.)

Stir the first 5 ingredients in a pan. Then stuff it into a hollowed out stuffed bell pepper and bake.
I am driving my newbie neighbors crazy with the wonderful smells. They have only been in Korea for two days.

Yes, I found Kielbasa at Emart in the packaged pork section hidden behind hotdogs. I've already eaten one back. I havent decided how much I like them yet. They taste more like hot dogs than kielbasa, but they still have a kielbasa hint.

I know I can get lamb in sassang, is there a place closer to Haeundae or a website for lamb, or for that matter, mail-order meats? I ordered pitas and want to start gyros now too!

Their is an Asia mart here that sells it. Also some galbi and specalty galbi restaurants have it. It is called yeong. Can't type it. I just need dill weed I have to use mint as a substitute. Where did you get mail order pita bread?

I just found pita at shop.tacohouse.co.kr.

LIME CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE FOR GRILLED POTATOES
8 long white or sweet potatoes
1/4 cup Lime Juice
1 tablespoon sea or kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
Parboil the potatoes in cold salted water till 95° cooked or till a sharp knife meets resistance on at the center. Stop cooking by immersing in water with ice. Drain, peel when cool and cut into quarters, lengthwise. Place potatoes on well-oiled, hot grill until completely cooked and the grill marks appear, 7-8 minutes.
Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together, add to potatoes and toss

I really hate cooking, but I am sick of Korean food. My Korean co-teacher says my hobby is cooking. I tell her no my hobby is eating.

Anybody know anyplace where I can get BillyBings(star apples)?

Red Bean Tasso Soup
2 cups red beans
2 cups ham, 1/2 inch cubed (Optional)
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow pepper
3/4 cup diced red onion
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. whole butter 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 3 bay leaves 1/4 cup sherry 3 1/2 quarts water 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup red vinegar 1/8 cup lime juice

Combine the black beans with 1 1/2 quarts of water, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice and Worcestershire in a ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Soak mixture overnight. Place the butter, tasso, onions, garlic and rosemary in a stockpot and cook over medium?low heat for five minutes. Add drained beans to stockpot. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water and simmer for one hour