Korea Republic: Street Food Bite and Booze of the World Cup

Another stop along the FIFA World Cup 2014 takes us to the Korea Republic! Asian cultures are known for their exotic and plentiful street foods. You can find bowls, skewers and mouths full of some of the most delicious food you've ever seen on every street corner. We're going to take a look at pan-fried fish cake and a delicious cocktail recipe for an Apple Soju!

Photo Credit: crazykoreancooking.com

Pan-fried fish cake may not sound appetizing to the average American, but like tofu, it's a great way to add a semi-flavorless protein component to take on the tastes of any great sauce. I found and chose this recipe because it reminds me of a good stir-fry dish and sounds perfect for enjoying a good match! The onions, green and red peppers, and garlic come together with other traditional Asian flavors to make a stir-fry sauce with some pop!

Photo Credit: zenkimchi.com

Apple Soju is a drink made with potato vodka, which has become quite popular in Korea. Combine the potato vodka with some bubbly tonic, apple juice and sake and you've got the Apple Soju. These flavors are tart, sweet, and smooth...sounds like a great drink to me! Try it out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or on the Facebook Page!

Emeril's Stir-Fried Squid with Chili Sauce

My final recipe from Emeril Lagasse's new cookbook Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders is probably the quickest recipe to make from the entire book.  That's not why I chose it though.  While I've eaten calamari and squid salads at many restaurants before, I hadn't ever actually worked with raw squid.  That needed to change.  Emeril's recipe for stir-fried squid with chili sauce seemed intriguing so I decided to see what I could do.  I found everything I needed, including the frozen squid bodies with tentacles, at Calandro's Supermarket.  Once I got home, the time was right to cook something spicy!

The recipe had three main components.  First, the squid itself had to be sliced into rings, dusted with crushed red pepper and then stir-fried.  Second, the chili sauce had to be made with the vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, salt, Sriracha chili sauce and ginger.  The final component included the cabbage, green onion, garlic, jalapenos and chilies.

After all of the prep had been taken care I got the squid in my pan (a wok would have been preferable) to give it a quick fry.  It didn't take long in the canola oil to cook it off, then I set it aside to focus on the rest.  I quickly put the cabbage and accompaniments into the same pan to stir-fry them until soft.  Once the cabbage started to wilt I added the chili sauce and then returned the squid to the wok as well.

The stir fry had a great flavor and I was impressed at what I had been able to accomplish in just about 15 minutes of total time.  The spice ended up being rather intense but not too much for my palate.  The squid had an excellent texture.  I knew the most important part would be to cook it just right to where it wasn't overly chewy.

I really enjoyed my blogging party time with Emeril's new cookbook.  Having made nine of the recipes from the book, I'd definitely recommend it to anybody who is looking for some creative ideas for dishes to make in your own kitchen.  I certainly got to step out of my comfort zone with a few of these dishes and I encourage any chef, foodie, or fan to do the same!