Home made kimchi - easy to make and so delicious! | in my Red Kitchen #kimchi #homemade #korean
by Ellen Bannink -

Home made kimchi

Home made kimchi - easy to make and so delicious! | in my Red Kitchen #kimchi #homemade #korean

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Zelf kimchi maken –

I don’t think I’ve even heard of kimchi while living in the Netherlands. But thankfully LA is a melting pot of cultures so right after moving here I was introduced to kimchi.

Kimchi is a Korean side dish made of fermented vegetables. Many vegetables and spices are used to made into kimchi but the most well known one is kimchi made of napa cabbage fermented in kochukaru. Kimchi is eaten as a side dish, served raw with rice and Korean barbecue. But you can also make some delicious fried rice with it! Next week I’ll share that recipe.

Is the first thing you think ‘yuck’ when you

Noodles and snow peas with goma dare dressing | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Noodles with snow peas and goma dare dressing

Noodles and snow peas with goma dare dressing | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Noodles met peultjes en goma dare dressing –

If I want to do my husband a favor than I have to serve him snow peas. And preferably raw. I try to eat them raw myself sometimes, but alas… I really wish I like them, so I can snack raw snow peas instead of potato chips or chocolate 😉

But however, I like them stir-fried! Fortunately, because there were beautiful purple snow peas in the box I received from Frieda’s this month. I had to be quick because once P would see that there were snow peas in the fridge, I would lose them, and

Onigiri, Japanese rice balls filled with yummieness! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Food Truck Tuesday – Onigiri, Japanese rice balls

Onigiri, Japanese rice balls filled with yummieness! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Onigiri, Japanse rijstballen –

Today is a very special “Food Truck Friday” because I have to admit that the inspiration for this recipe didn’t came from a food truck. But when you think about Food Trucks you also think about street food, right? And a night market is also all about street food! Because a while ago, I discovered something new (to me) in LA: the Night Market!

A Night Market is an Asian market with food stalls, music performances and some vendors selling goodies. But those last two didn’t gain my attention, because all I needed was the food!

Dan dan noodles, you had me a spicy peanut sauce! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Dan dan noodles

Dan dan noodles, you had me at spicy peanut sauce! | in my Red Kitchen

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Dan dan noodles in een pittige pindasaus –

You will probably not believe me but I had my first driving lesson when I was 28 years old; and 6 months and 26 lessons later I got my driver’s license. In the Netherlands this is quite fast, but when I tell this to my American friends they are all surprised. In America (or at least in LA), you need 6 hours of driving lessons to do the driving test. In the Netherlands I “only” had to spent €1.500 on my driving lessons, written test and behind the wheel test. In LA the costs are much lower, we only had to pay $33 for our Californian license. That includes 3 times a written test (if you fail, you can do it 2x on the same day to succeed) and 1 behind the wheel test. If you fail the second behind the wheel test costs… hold on… $6!

If you are over 18 then you basically don’t need driving lessons to complete the tests and from 16 you can drive with a temporary license (then you’re under the supervision of your parents). If that’s the case, you need 30 hours of theory lessons and you have to spent 6 hours of driving lessons behind the wheel.

by Ellen Bannink -

Chinese-style stir-fried rice cakes with napa cabbage

Chinese-style stir-fried rice cakes with napa cabbage | in my Red Kitchen I have no idea why I haven’t posted a recipe with stir-fried rice cakes before since I make it at least once a month.

And for a food bloggers that’s quite often! You see, as a food blogger you are always trying out new recipes and cooking something you haven’t made before so you can post it on your blog. Believe me, that’s really a down side of blogging 🙁

Bulgogi beef bowl, a quick weeknight meal! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Food Truck Tuesday: Bulgogi Beef Bowl

Bulgogi beef bowl, a quick weeknight meal! | in my Red Kitchen – Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Bulgogi beef bowl –

I never really had Korean food until 3 (or so) years ago when friends took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant in London. There aren’t many Korean people in the Netherlands, let alone Korean restaurants. I’m so sorry for all the Dutchies that are missing out on all that delicious food! 😉

Of course, you can easily make it at home but picking up Korean food at the food truck is so much better 😉 Uhm ok I shouldn’t have said that

Chinese Scallion Pancakes incl step-byb-step photo's! | in my Red Kitchen
by Ellen Bannink -

Chinese scallion pancakes

Chinese Scallion Pancakes incl step-byb-step photo's! | in my Red Kitchen

– Click here for this recipe in Dutch -> Chung Yau Ban – Lenteui koeken –

I really really really could eat these everyday, that’s how much I like them.
And I know what I’m talking about because this is what I often ate for breakfast in China. In 2010 I went with my Chinese aunt to her family in China, to a little village at an 8 hour drive south of Shanghai. These Chinese scallion pancakes were our breakfast, as well as some delicious steamed buns.

I really wish I could tell you I learned how to make these pancakes in the village where my aunt grew up,

by Ellen Bannink -

Vietnamese spring rolls with black pepper tofu

I love these fresh Vietnamese spring rolls. Sure, I also love them fried but a fresh one is healthier and quicker to make.

Springrolls p

If you go to a Dutch market you will definitely find a food truck that sells fried Vietnamese spring rolls. It was always a treat if my mom bought these for us on the market on Wednesdays. On Wednesdays you have the afternoon off at elementary school, so when we came home at 12.30pm my mom sometimes bought us fried spring rolls and fresh steamed baozi for lunch.

And still, every time I eat a fried spring roll

by Ellen Bannink -

Chinese Pulled Pork

I had a dream.

Well, not actually a dream, it was more like a day dream. I was day dreaming of a soft steamed Chinese bun filled with tender pulled pork.

I had the dream about this delicious meal after having lunch at Take A Bao in the Century City Mall. I had a bao with hoisin pork and it was good! After my bao lunch I went to see the Jennifer Aniston movie We’re the Millers, the lens of my camera was ‘kaput’ so I decided to take a day off. And I knew P didn’t need to see that movie so if I wanted to see it I had to go alone. And I could do that during the day!

chinese pulled pork

I liked the movie, I was laughing my ass off but all I could think of was baozi and Chinese pulled pork.