Going nuts for Mom's Kare-Kare (oxtail stew)!

Kare-Kare with bagoong

My Mom's kare-kare dish brings back delicious memories celebrating loved ones' birthdays, holidays and parties. It's a savoury melt-in-your-mouth oxtail stew braised in a smooth and rich orange peanut sauce packed with lots of hearty veggies like eggplant, long green beans and bok choi. Kare-kare's bold flavours are enhanced by pairing it with a heaping spoonful of distinctly Filipino flavouring, bagoong, sauteed fermented shrimp paste.

When my Mom taught me how to cook kare-kare, I soon realized why this dish is saved for special occasions. The cooking process is a labour of love, requiring hours to tenderize the oxtail in boiling water plus oxtail is pricey! Knowing how much time and money Mom would spend on kare-kare, makes me appreciate this dish so much more, thanks Mom;)

Similar to many Filipino dishes, kare-kare is considered comfort food but its origins is a complex meld of various cultural influences.

Depending on your source, there is a debate on where kare-kare originated from.  Some say it was introduced by the Spanish who brought in peanuts and annatto seeds when they brought in trade from China and South America. While there are those who claim kare-kare because of the thick peanut sauce looks like Indian curry or by the Japanese term kare (meaning curry) when they were doing business in the Philippines during the pre-colonial times.  Regardless of kare-kare's origins, the dish is uniquely Filipino with the oxtail and bagoong (fermented shrimp paste).  

Mom's awesome kare-kare

I'm also learning more Tagalog while cooking with Mom. Here are some phrases she recently taught me:

Mag luluto ako ng kare-kare. (I'm going to cook kare-kare.)
Sana ma gustu han ninyo ang akin ni luluto! (Hope you'll enjoy what I cooked!)

She's a strict teacher and said practice makes perfect...I'm guessing my Tagalog needs work, haha. It's actually a lot of fun cooking with Mom while she shares stories of growing up in the Philippines to how she taught herself to cook all the while keeping me in check with my budding culinary skills.

For over 2 hours in the kitchen, I was excitedly learning my Mom's kare-kare recipe because it has been lovingly prepared so many times so it's been tried, tested and true. So now, here it is for you!

Kare-kare ingredients

Ingredients

- 1.5-2lbs fresh oxtail, chopped into 2" pieces and washed

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 medium Asian eggplant (talong), sliced into 2"  long x 1/4" thick sticks

- 20 pieces of long string beans (sitaw), cut into  2" long strips

- 8 pieces of medium bok choy, cut into quarters lengthwise

- 1 large yellow onion, medium diced

- 3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 cup smooth organic peanut butter

- 2 tbsp rice flour

- 1 tbsp annatto powder

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)

- salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

1) Add 3.5 litres of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Submerge chopped oxtail and boil for 2 hours or until tender. If you cook the oxtail a day before, place in the fridge to continue cooking the following day.

Tip: Since tenderizing the oxtail takes time, Mom recommends that you prep the oxtail (2 hours in boiling water or 6-8 hours in a slow cooker), a day in advance. This way, you can also skim off the fat from the broth the next day for a leaner kare-kare sauce!

2) While the oxtail is cooking, to a heated large sauce pan, add the oil and saute the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt until translucent. Cook the eggplant, green beans and bok choy with oxtail broth, saute until tender. Remove veggies from pan and set aside.

3) Add peanut butter to sauce pan where you cooked your veggies. Stir in 8 cups of oxtail broth until peanut butter is runny and dissolved into liquid. Meanwhile, cook rice flour in a small pan until lightly toasted. Add toasted rice flour to peanut sauce and stir until sauce thickens. 

4) Place tenderized oxtail and veggies into peanut stew and stir. Once oxtail and veggies are coated with sauce, serve with Mom's bagoong with steamed white rice. Masarup!

Mom's bagoong

Mom's bagoong

- 1 tsp of vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped

- 1 cup sauteed bagoong (recommended brand: Barrio Bagoong)

- 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon juice

- 1/4 cup of water

- salt & pepper to taste

1) To a heated medium sauce pan, add the oil and saute the onion with a pinch of salt until translucent. 

2) Add the garlic and tomatoes and saute until tender, 5 minutes. 

3) Stir in the bagoong, lemon juice and water to heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Singapore Galore - Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak

Continuing on my Singapore Galore series is another one of my many favourite dishes I grew up loving, the hawker centre's darling, Nasi Lemak.

Did you know: Hawker Centres are open-air food courts in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong with passionate vendors selling local inexpensive street food where patrons can eat al fresco. Hawker Centres are conveniently located near transportation hubs.

An iconic national dish from Malaysian, Nasi Lemak is relatively simple to make but involves a few key ingredients to ensure the presence of its authentic flavours. The main components include creamy rice steeped in coconut milk and knotted pandan leaves, crispy fried anchovies, rich eggs, refreshing cucumber slices, roasted peanuts and spicy chilli sauce.

Pandan Leaves

Pandan leaves are indigenous to Southeast Asian cuisine and embodies a complex flavour profile that I find hard to describe. The tropical plants' long green leaves can be pounded into a paste, steeped in coconut milk or used as a wrapper to transfer its unique floral and nutty aromatic flavours to dishes.

Coconut pandan rice

Did you know: Nasi Lemak means rich or creamy in Malay to represent the cooking process where the rice is steeped in coconut cream and steamed.

Like many national dishes, Nasi Lemak has been adopted and flavours improvised to suit taste buds from the Chinese adding more sweetness to the chilli paste to reduce the heat to Filipinos replacing the fried anchovies with crispy chicken.

There are so many reason why I love this dish, mainly for its tropical flavours that remind me of my childhood in Singapore and how easily I can replicate it at home! For those who haven't tried it, it's so simple and easy to whip up while its presentation is still impressive in all its delicious glory served up in a fragrant banana leaf!

Banana Leaves

Did you know: Use banana leaves, easily found frozen in Asian grocery stores, to serve or even package your Nasi Lemak like how it's traditionally done. The leaves' oils impart a wonderful aromatic fragrance marrying all the yummy flavours while being an eco-friendly serving ware!

Nasi Lemak

Serves 2

Rice:

- 3/4 cup coconut milk

- 1/2 cup water

- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

- salt to taste

- 2 pandan (or screw pine) leaves, knotted

- 1/2 cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained

Toppings:

- 2 eggs, fried

- 2" cucumber, peeled & sliced

- 1/4 cup oil for frying

- 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed

- 1/2 cup raw peanuts

- 2 banana leaves, used as plates

Chilli Sauce:

- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

- 1 small onion, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tablespoon chilli paste

- 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed

- 1 tsp white sugar

- 1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

1) In a saucepan over medium heat stir in coconut milk, water, ginger, salt, pandan leaves and rice. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until rice has absorbed milk and is fluffy. Remove the pandan leaves before serving.

Roasted peanuts

2) In a large wok, heat 1 tbsp of sunflower oil over medium-high heat and stir in peanuts and cook briefly, until lightly browned, season with salt. Remove peanuts with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. 

3) Heat 1/4 cup of oil, add one package anchovies; cook briefly, turning, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Discard oil. Wipe out skillet.

4) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in skillet and fry eggs. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Place lid on top of skillet to cook eggs, 2 min.

Chilli Sauce

5) Heat 2 tbsp oil in the skillet. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes. Mix in the chilli paste, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt, sugar, and lemon; simmer until sauce is thick, about 2 minutes.

6) Serve the warm rice on a banana leaf top with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumbers and eggs with the chilli sauce on the side. So good, la! (Singlish) 

So good la!

Singapore Galore - Curry Puff

Malaysian Curry Puff

It's been over 20 years since we've moved from Singapore so I'm challenging myself to recreate the authentic delicious food I grew up eating. Starting my Singapore Galore food series is the heavenly golden Malaysian curry puff! 

Did you know: The origins of the Malaysian curry puff are said to be influenced by the British Cornish pasty, the Portuguese empanada and the Indian samosa. Wherever it came from, thank goodness because they're delish!!

My memories of growing up in Singapore during the 80's take me back to a time when leaving cash at the nook of our front gate meant it was for the bread man and no one thought twice of taking it. Every week my Mom would leave just enough for bread and the delivery man who would in turn carefully place  a loaf of delicious white bread in our gate. If we were lucky, my Mom left just a little extra for a half dozen freshly handmade curry puffs! 

Oh, how I miss having crispy curry puffs! These half-moon shaped pastries are a meal by itself, little purses carrying golden tender spicy chicken that would stain my fingers yellow because of they were packed full of yummy curry goodness. 

Curry Ingredients

Makes 24 curry puffs

2 cups boneless chicken breast or thighs 

1/2 large onion

1/2 large potato 

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp water

2 curry leaves

2 tbsp sambal oelek 

1tsp sugar

1tsp salt

1tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions

3 hard boiled eggs

1. Dice the large onions.
2. Cut chicken into small pieces/ cubes.
3. Add curry powder into the water and mix into a paste.
4. Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes of about 0.25" squares and bake in 350 oven for 20 min.
5. Heat 2 tbsp of sunflower oil. Saute onions until translucent. Then mix in sambal olek and curry paste.
6. Add curry paste, salt, sugar, chicken & curry leaves. Fry for another 10 minutes. Towards the end, add the potatoes and stir/mix. The filling is done. 
7. Hard boil the eggs and cut into segments.

Curry Puff Butter Crust

Outside pastry

1 cup all purpose flour 

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/2 cups cold water

1. Mix, knead flour. Add the water bit by bit as you knead.
2. Separate into 2 balls 

Inside pastry

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1. Mix, knead flour
2. Separate into 2 balls 

Making the pastries

1. Flatten outside pastry, just wide enough to wrap around one ball of inside pastry ball.
2. Wrap around inside pastry ball.
3. Flatten both then roll up tightly and flatten about 3 - 4 times.
4. Once flattened then roll dough into long tube.
5. Cut roll into 1/2" width pieces.
6. Flatten individual pastry pieces into rounds to place curry and one sliced egg in the middle.
7. Close pastry over ingredients and crimp the sides by folding over to seal puff.
8. Lightly flour cookie sheet and place completed curry puffs until ready for frying.

To Fry

Heat clean frying oil like canola or peanut oil to 375 degrees F in a large pot until gentle bubbling. Then slowly insert curry puffs into oil without overcrowding. 
Frying fresh curry puffs take 2-3 min until light golden brown.
Frying frozen curry puffs take 3-6 min to ensure warmed through all the way.
Let cool for 5 minutes and these little golden curry pockets are ready to eat!

Did you know: These puffs are suitable for freezing. Place puffs freezer ziplocks and place in freezer, to be fried (no need to defrost) just before serving.

Authentic Handcrafted Dishes at Shaolin Noodle House

Shaolin Noodle House is named after the Shaolin Temple in Northern China where manager, Kevin Zheng, immigrated from. Shaolin is known for its kung fu and handcrafted noodles, both requiring hours of training, patience and agility to master the crafts. 

Kevin Zheng & I sharing some special health teas!

As an apprenticing chef, Kevin studied Northern China's distinct flavours and soon began managing 200 chefs when he became head chef. His passion for cooking authentic dishes from home compelled him to open Shaolin Noodle House in Vancouver over 17 years ago.

Shaolin Noodle House welcomes guests with festive red lanterns

Conveniently located on West Broadway, Shaolin is close to public transit with access to free parking at the rear of the restaurant. We took the Canada Line Skytrain and got off the Broadway-City Hall station. The restaurant's decorative white awning and festive red lanterns were easily spotted along a row of retail stores.

Shaolin's patrons enjoying authentic N. Chinese dishes

When we entered Shaolin for dinner, we were immediately ushered to an available table. With a seating capacity of 80 people, the space is bright, clean and tastefully furnished with wooden tables and traditional Chinese decor.

Chef Tony working his culinary magic

As we began to read the extensive menu boasting over 200 dishes, it's reassuring to know Shaolin doesn't use monosodium glutamate (MSG) to boost flavours in their cooking. Famous for their handcrafted noodles, made fresh to order, manager Kevin explains they specialize in 4 types of noodles: dragging, cutting, pushing and rolling.

Dragging are pulled, twisted, stretched from a small ball of dough into long, thin noodles. Cutting are short, thicker noodles shaved off from a ball of dough using a sharp knife then placed directly into boiling water. Pushing are cut noodles using a two-handed cleaver from a ball of dough. Rolling is dough that has been rolled thin then cut into noodle strips.

Voilà, Chef Tony made dragging noodles in less than 15 seconds!

To see how the noodles are made, stop by the kitchen window by the front entrance where you can watch head chef, Tony, expertly stretch, twist and cut dough into white strands of noodles in seconds! Tony's quick performance made it look too easy but Kevin assured me that the chef has been practicing the art of handmade noodles for over 10 years.

Diced chicken with red peppers & peanuts

Knowing it was our first visit, Kevin recommended their 6 most popular, traditional Northern Chinese dishes. We started with the diced chicken with red peppers and peanuts. Kevin proudly claims this traditional Northern Chinese dish tastes authentic because of the specific timing required during the cooking process. This dish packs a spicy punch and I like how the crunch from the peanuts balances out the tender chicken and veggies.

Sliced lamb with cumin

A surprisingly delightful dish was the fried lamb with cumin. Its flavour profile feels influenced by Indian and Middle Eastern spices with the strong notes of cumin coating the strips of lamb. The bed of fresh green onions and cilantro helped to brighten all the seasonings as they danced on our taste buds.  

Fried pork dumplings

Kevin noted they're also known for their fried and steamed handmade dumplings. The fried pork dumplings are enormous and arrived in the shape of the pan they were cooked in. Their crispy crust gives a light crunch and inside is soft, doughy and filled with perfectly seasoned pork. 

Steamed pork dumplings, my fav!!

I personally love the steamed pork dumplings and highly recommend they go on your "must-order" list. They're like soft white purses filled with juicy meaty treasures and a steal at $6.95 for 12 pieces.

Seafood dragging noodles

We ended with the stars of the show, the seafood dragging noodles and the fried cutting noodles made with beef and broccoli. Loaded with fresh al dente dragging noodles, the soup was heaping with plump jumbo prawns, scallops, carrots, bok choy and Shiitake mushrooms, comfort food at its best!  

Fried cutting noodles with beef & broccoli 

The fried cutting noodles was one of my favourite dishes, the beef was tender while the the thick noodles had a meaty texture and full of flavour from absorbing the savoury special house sauce. 

Special health tea

We finished our meals with two special health teas, a refreshing concoction of herbs, dried fruits and spices swimming in delicate Chinaware. 

A sure thing at Shaolin Noodle House!

Shaolin's dedication to tasty traditional dishes, quick and friendly service with affordable prices keep the restaurant crowded with patrons of various ethnicities and age groups, proving authentic Northern Chinese flavours have a wide appeal.

Candice's Recommendations:

Chicken with red peppers & peanuts $8.95; Fried lamb with cumin $8.95; Fried pork dumplings $9.95; Steamed pork dumplings $6.95; Seafood dragging noodles $9.55; Fried cutting noodles made with beef & broccoli $8.95; Special health teas $2.50

West End's Thai Basil Restaurant Impress

As local Westender, I must confess that I've walked by the Thai Basil restaurant hundreds of times and truthfully didn't really notice it was there. This small and quaint eatery is tucked along Thurlow Street, just off the bustling Davie Street. 

If it wasn't for its bright green awning, Thai Basil could be easily overlooked by people passing by but it has garnred a serious local following for their deliciously authentic Thai cuisine! 

My sister, who works at St. Paul's Hospital, has recommended Thai Basil to me several times claiming they offer some of the best Thai dishes in town, at a reasonable price. Now that I reflect back, I've noticed hospital employees dressed in scrubs regularly grabbing a bite at Thai Basil during their breaks. I should have guessed they would know where to get yummy food, quickly.

Opened in 2008, owner Goh and his wife had the ambition to make good, authentic Thai cuisine by using fresh, local ingredients. They've achieved their vision and continue to satisfy regular patrons palates daily. Conveniently located in my neighbourhood, it's too bad that I haven't tried their food sooner! 

It was during my walk home after work did I eventually take my sister's advise and stopped in for dinner.  The interior is modestly decorated with cozy diningroom that seats 10-12 people. So I felt lucky when I scored one of their three sidewalk patio tables! The outdoor seating was a great place to take in the colourful buzz from Davie Street while the cool summer breeze was pleasantly refreshing.

Orders are generally taken at the counter because a majority of their patrons get take-out. After asking for some recommendations from the friendly server working the till, I decided on the chicken satay (grilled skewers), massaman curry (coconut curry) and pad gra pow (minced meat stir-fry).

The chicken satay had a gorgeous golden hue from its turmeric-based marinade with lightly charred grill marks. The juicy and tender chicken breast was savoury, a nice contrast to its accompanying sweet and nutty peanut sauce.

Next came a heaping bowl of chicken massaman curry. Filled with thick slices of potatoes, tomatoes, sweet onion, cashew nuts and strips of chicken breast, my favourite part was the coconut curry sauce. 

Slightly sweet from the palm sugar with a light creaminess from the coconut milk, the curry's bold flavours was rich with complex spicy notes that made my taste buds sing! It's safe to say that this massaman curry has been added to one of my top favourite dishes of all-time.

Finally came the pad gra pow, one of Thai Basil's specialty dishes, served with your choice of minced chicken, pork or beef then served with a fried egg on top of a bed of rice. I learned from the server that pad means stir-fried and gra pow means basil in Thai. 

Homestyle and rustic in its presentation, this is a complete meal in itself. It's best is to mix the egg, minced meat and rice to enjoy the flavours together.  I liked to zing from the sliced red chilies and sweetness from the basil in the minced pork stir fry. The egg acted as a creamy binder and the side fish sauce added more aromatic heat to this tasty medley.

With friendly staff, delicious dishes, and affordable prices, it's a good thing they're opening a second location near Kitsilano Beach this month! Despite their small space, Thai Basil will impress you with their big and authentic Thai flavours.

My Recommendations:

Chicken Satay $5.95, Massaman Curry $7.95 and Pad Gra Prow $9.95.

Thai Basil West End
1215 Thurlow Street
Vancouver, BC
604-685-6754

Thai Basil Kistilano

2184 Cornwall Avenue
Vancouver, BC
www.thaibasilvancouver.ca 

Pinpin Restaurant is a Win-Win with its Filipino-Chinese Cuisine

Along East Vancouver's Fraser Street corridor is a stretch of diverse Asian restaurants competing for hungry patrons. Offering the familiar tastes of Filipino cuisine with a Chinese flair, Pinpin restaurant is conveniently located on Fraser and E 45th Street. With easy access to public transit and ample free parking along the back alley, Pinpin holds its own by attracting a regular Filipino clientele, a telling sign that the food is authentically Filipino and delicious! 

Since opening its doors seven years ago, owners Joe and Virginia Lee's secret to their success is recreating memories for their mostly Filipino customers from their modern decor with iconic photos of scenes from the Philippines to the hospitable service and classic Filipino-Chinese dishes.  

Both Joe and Virginia share a deep history of family restauranteurs who ran thriving businesses back in the Philippines. Virginia's family operated the original Pinpin restaurant, named after the great Filipino printer Tomas Pinpin, for close to half a century before it closed down in 1999. While Joe's family ran both Shining Star Chinese Restaurant and Hong Ning Restaurant in Philippines. 

Joe and Virginia then ventured to the US shores to open the second Hong Ning location in Glendale Height, Illinois before moving to Vancouver to open Pinpin.

With Joe supervising the kitchen to ensure quality fresh food is being served and Virginia operating the front of the restaurant to maintain friendly and prompt service, we were quickly seated upon arrival despite the bustling restaurant during the dinner rush.

Pinpin's menu is extensive featuring many Filipino regional dishes that are prepared to order instead of "turo-turo" or buffet-style. If you're new to the Filipino cuisine and unfamiliar with the Tagalog language, be comforted to know that each menu item has English descriptions and coloured photos of the more popular dishes.

We ordered the pancit miki bihon, pan-fried noodles, and the most impressive dish on the menu, inihaw fiesta, assorted grilled platter.

Pancit is a Tagalog term for noodles, introduced by the Chinese centuries ago. Filipinos have adapted and improvised the Chinese noodle recipes by integrating them to use locally-available ingredients.

The pancit miki bihon came almost immediately after we ordered, piping hot with aromatic steam rising to meet our salivating mouths. A twist on the typical Chinese chow mein, this pancit was a mixture of thick egg noodles and thin vermicelli rice noodles with a good mix of boiled cabbage, carrots, shrimp, chicken and fresh green onions. A squeeze of lemon brightened up the flavours and helped to enhance the sweet and savoury notes from the pancit sauce.

The inihaw fiesta definitely lives up to its name, a grilled platter party! It was more than enough for two people to share and it was beautifully presented with grilled calamari, beef short ribs, mussels, barbecue pork and chicken skewers and banana-leaf wrapped tilapia.  The calamari and mussels were fresh and had a nice smoky essence with perfect tenderness. 

The tilapia's flesh was flaky and delicate but bold in flavours, with the help from the banana leaf steaming in the barbecue flavours. 

My favourites were the beef short ribs and barbecue skewers. They were gently charred but still kept their sweet juiciness in each bite, flooding my mouth with summer time memories! The complementary spicy and vinegary side sauces brought more taste diversity for each grilled item, while the fresh tomatoes, red onions and bagoong, fermented salty shrimp paste, balanced out the smoky flavours. 

With deep family roots in the restaurant business, Joe and Virginia were destined to continue their ancestral tradition of satisfying palates with the familiar tastes from the Philippines. They have a winning formula with Pinpin offering generous portions, attentive service and delicious authentic Filipino cuisine!

Candice's Recommendations:

Pancit Miki Bihon (Egg & Rice Noodles with Vegetables) $9.95, Inihaw Fiesta (Assorted Grilled Platter) $41.95, and Leche Flan (Caramel Custard) $3.95.

Haroo Korean Homestyle Cuisine: Richmond's Hidden Gem

Sofia, me & Richard at Haroo

Tucked in a corner, on the second floor of a restaurant complex in Richmond, is Haroo Korean Homestyle Cuisine. Not the easiest place to find, considering there are several other restaurants surrounding the complex and sharing the parking lots. However, I can assure you it's worth the hunt to secure parking and dine at Haroo.

As you enter, Haroo's warm and inviting atmosphere quickly transports you away from the bustling Richmond streets to grandma's cozy diningroom. The country-style decor is simple and homey with bright daylight streaming through the wooden blinds.

Owned and operated by Korean couple, Sofia and Richard, they are known for not using MSG in their dishes. Sofia the head chef, taught others how to cook Korean and Japanese cuisine two years ago, now satisfies palates with her gift in cooking. While husband, Richard, runs the front of the restaurant with attentive and friendly service. 

Corn tea, fried anchovies & congee

When we sat at our table, Richard immediately brought over a jug of cold water and pot of piping hot decaffeinated corn tea. The aromatic steam from the tea was sweet while the subtle corn flavour was nutty and addictive!

Shortly after we ordered, we were served complimentary traditional Korean appetizers of warm bowls of congee topped with fried anchovies and black sesame seeds. I found the crispy and salty anchovies were a nice contrast to the soft, rice porridge. 

Banchan (Korean side dishes)

Korean cuisine typically comes with a variety of side dishes (banchan) and feel they could be a meal in itself!  We were treated to five delicious mini plates including a green salad with raspberry vinaigrette, sweet potatoes, crunchy bean sprouts, marinated seaweed and kimchi. My favourites were the vinegary seaweed and spicy kimchi because they helped to enhance the main dishes' flavours without being too overpowering.

Bulgogi (marinated beef bbq slices)

The first main dish to arrive was the bulgogi, marinated beef slices served on a sizzling hot plate. The beef was tender and had the perfect balance of sweet and salty seasonings. I especially liked the bulgogi with white steamed rice and the abundance of grilled vegetables added great texture to the dish.

Tteokbokki (rice pasta in chili sauce)

One of my favourite dishes was the tteokbokki, thick rice pasta swimming in spicy chili sauce. The soft bite of each pasta noodle held so much chili sauce that I could have easily wolfed down the whole plate if it wasn't for retraining myself to save room for the other dishes.

Bibimbap (mixed rice)

The bibimbap, was a beautiful arrangement of rice, meat, vegetables and a raw egg, served in a hot stone bowl. The fun part was mixing all the ingredients together with chili paste then enjoying the medley of flavours. The piece de resistance was the irresistible crunchy, brown rice layer that developed from resting against the hot stone bowl.  

Pajeon (Korean fried pancake)

Another highlight was the pajeon, Korean-style fried pancake. The accompanying sweet vinegar sauce helped to brighten up the crispy pancake which was jam-packed with flavourful vegetables and tender bulgogi strips.

In a city known for its vast selection of Asian cuisine, it's easy to find a delicious meal. However, to feel like you're being welcomed into someone's cozy house to enjoy an authentic Korean, home-cooked meal, is rare. So I encourage you to visit Richmond's hidden gem, Haroo Korean Homestyle Cuisine.

My Recommendations:

Bulgogi (marinated beef) $17.95, Bibimbap (mixed rice) $9.95, Tteokbokki (rice noodles) $13.95 and Pajeon (Korean-style pancake) $17.95.