Black bean noodles and sweet sour pork

I'm ticking off my cravings one by one.

As you might know, I was on a strict wedding diet and shredded lots of kilos on the way.

Yes it felt good!! Although I do not want to be as strict as prior the wedding, I decided to follow it during the weekdays, and have my cheat days on weekends!

I have wanted this for quite some time and since we are not going to Korea any day soon I asked to make this at home!

This week's cheat food was the Korean Jjajangmyeon (짜장면) and Tangsuyuk  (탕수육).

To get the BEST of the BEST. I googled a lot and took inspiration from here and there.

My hubby helped too and in the end we decided on how to proceed.

For the noodles our biggest inspiration was from Korean chef Baek Jong-won.

He put a lot of green onions in the base and no added potatoes. We added pork loin, onions and the blackbean sauce. and let it all cook together 

Wow it turned out nice.

As for the sweet and sour pork, it seems the key ingredient to get the crunch is to let potato or corn starch sit in water, 1,5-2 h before pouring out the water. Add an egg and mix, that batter wow!!

double frying is the best, the taste and crunch is to die for.

The sauce however, I trusted my usual Youtube inspirations but I was not pleased with the outcome, in the end I had to do my own show to get the perfect taste. I followed what they said but to be it tasted like water and water only. Anyhow it turned out great!!!

If you wonder about the noodles, we picked up noodles from the asian grocery market, specially made for cooking jjajangmyeon. You can use Udon or "kalguksu" noodles.

Kal = knife, "guksu" = noodles. 

I like both but the udon is a bit more chewy  and that's why we chose those noodles this time around.

A new diet?

I have started to think, maybe this can be a new diet for me, I think I have shared mukbangs before but some time ago.
However, thinking about it as a diet...I mean..

1. It's mostly junk so it's bad for me anyway, better him than me ^^
2. I cannot get the foods in Sweden so there is nothing to do about the craving
3. It's entertainment

Do you know what Mukbang is??
It's Korean and Muk means eat and Bang is room, so roughly translate "eating room".
What it is, well.. a person eating a lot in front on the camera, kinda weird I know.
But, as they talk while eating and the sounds kinda makes you want to eat.
And yes somethings I get hungry but a lot of these things I cannot get in Sweden.
So I just have to suck it up..haha

Anyway, it's a way for me to keep "slim" yet "enjoy" the food, it's all about fooling the mind!!

신데렐라와 네 명의 기사

We started watching this last Friday, since I have been hooked, it brings back so many memories.

I have not seen a teenage Korean drama for almost 2 years!! I even got my darling to watch it even though he hates it..haha

I like the acting part and it's very Korean! I'm so happy I decided to watch this drama :)

Title: 신데렐라와 네 명의 기사
English Title: Cinderella and four knights
Broadcast: TvN
Air time: Friday and Saturday 11 pm
Airing: August 12 – October 1, 2016
Episodes: 16


Story
Eun Ha-won is a high school student who dreams to be a teacher, but she needs money for her education. One day, she meets the Chairperson of the Kang enterprise who offers her the chance to live in his house with his three grandsons, under some conditions.

At the Sky House, she meets Kang Ji-woon, a soft hearted but lonely and wild-child rebel, Kang Hyun-min, a playboy plutocrat who does whatever he wants, Kang Seo-woo, a top singer-songwriter who is gentle and kind to Ha-won, and finally Lee Yoon-sung, the Chairman's secretary and their bodyguard.


Cast
Park So-dam as Eun Ha-won
Jung Il-woo as Kang Ji-woon
Ahn Jae-hyun as Kang Hyun-min
Lee Jung-shin as Kang Seo-woo
Choi Min as Lee Yoon-sung
Son Na-eun as Park Hye-ji
Kim Yong-gun as CEO Kang
Seo Hyun-chul as Eun Gi-sang
Choi Eun-kyung as Park Soo-kyung
Ko Bo-gyeol as Choi Yoo-na
Jo Hye-jung as Hong Ja-young

Daytrip to 의정부

I have heard about this..ehm.. city since I came to Korea many years ago.

But as it's quite far North I have never gone there, mostly because I have had no real purpose. And not so sure what to find there compare to Seoul. They are famous for their Army stew but quite far to go to eat, you can get it all over Korea anyhow.

However last time my dear "sister" suggested that we should, as she lives in Northen Seoul, it is not as far. Also she knew I had never been there so instead of going to places I've been she took me for an adventure.

I have to say, it was nice. it reminded me of anywhere in Seoul. But it also had this gigantic market which I fell in love with. Of course there are similar places here and there all over the country, but I preferred this over lets say Namdaemun.

I bought a kimchi box/container there. so convenient to avoid the rest of the fridge to smell like kimchi. As I chose the right box the owner asked why I wanted that one, I must have picked a less popular one. So I said I live abroad so this one will be best. He asked where I lived so I said, Sweden, I'm just visiting. He said the container cost 3USD, and went in to get a plastic bag for it, as he came out he said, you know what, I give it to you for 2 USD! I was like..really? Usually they try to get more out of foreigners but not this time ^^

A snack stand, not as common these days..

Stand with Korean typical side dishes, 3 for 5 USD.

A garlic shop - whole, peeled, chopped

A veggies shop, I'd love one of these back home!

This shop only sold Red hot peppers!! dried, flakes etc!

Dinner for 4 @ 자코비 버거

I have seen pics multiple times but never had the chance to go there.

The one of the final days we had dinner in Itaewon and we went to Jacoby's.

I have to say..the service was beyond bad!

Yes, people still go because of the size of the burger, otherwise they wouldn't have customers. Everybody was treated the same, I looked around and listened! I was surprised about the behaviour.

Anyway, now I have tried it and will not set my foot there again.

I did have a good time though as I had good company!
The taste then, well I donno it wasn't anything special. some of the patty felt weird to chew almost like liver, I did not enjoy the texture. Other than that, like any other burger. The bread was plain and no special taste.

We were 4 people who shared this.

At the table behind us there were two guys, they finished one of this each!

We were amazed and a bit disgust by it. One person should not eat this much!! It cannot be good for the body. Oh well.. it was a fun experience, minus the bad service!

Review score
★

How to get there:
Noksapyeong station (Line 6), Exit 2

Opening Hours: 3pm-1am (15-01)
Address: 38 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone: +82-2-3785-0433

퓨어 샤인 커버 비비 02 차분한 비비

One of the days me and HJ unni went shopping, you know what women do best!

We went to Nature Republic as they had a massive sale going on.

I got a few things. First out is this BB cream.

I have always used Misshas but I decided to try something new. Especially as it was so cheap.

I haven't tried it yet, I'm thinking of having it in my bag when travelling. It's always good to have a small one when I'm on the go ^^

*From their website
[사용 시의 주의사항]
1. 화장품을 사용하여 다음과같은 이상이 있는 경우에는 사용을 중지하여야 하며,계속 사용하면 증상이 악화되므로 피부과 전문의 등에게
상담할 것.
1) 사용 중 붉은 반점, 부어오름, 가려움증, 자극 등의 이상이 있는 경우.
2) 적용 부위가직사광선에 의하여 위와 같은 이상이 있는 경우.
2. 상처가 있는 부위, 습진 및 피부염 등의 이상이 있는부위에는 사용을 하지 말 것.
3. 보관 및 취급 시의주의사항.
1) 사용 후에는 반드시 마개를 닫아둘 것.
2) 유아ㆍ소아의 손이 닿지 않는 곳에 보관할 것.
3)고온 또는 저온의 장소 및 직사광선이 닿는 곳에는보관하지 말 것.
4. 이 제품의 자외선차단지수는「기능성화장품심사에관한규정」자외선차단지수 측정방법에 따라, 자외선A 차단 등급은「기능성화장품심사에관한규정」자외선A차단효과 측정방법에 따라 측정하였음.
5. 본 제품은 화장품이므로 먹지말것.
6. 동일 성분(알부틴 2% 이상)을 함유하는 제품의「인체적용시험자료」에서 구진과 경미한 가려움이 보고된 예가 있음.

"사용 전에 반드시 사용방법 및 사용 시의 주의사항을 숙지 하신 후 사용하십시오.”

Dinner snack @ Holly's Songjeong Busan

Before heading to Busan I looked up a few places with a good night view, this place showed up.

It belongs to coffee chain Holly's and this one is located in SongJeong.

We took a taxi from Haeundae metro station. I wanted to sit outside but the wind was quite heavy so we sat down inside instead.

Anyway, we had a great time despite the chilly weather. This place is open 24/7 ^^

And to the best, this giant bun, filled with deliciousness.

We ate this instead of dinner..hahaha

Waffle craving

One craving I have had for two years is this!!

A giant waffle. Lucky me I was treated to this delicious waffle and coffee.

This came with lots of cream, mango and strawberries. AND no I did not eat this myself, we shared!!

I miss hanging out with my HJ unni. She's really like my real big sister. I wish we'd meet more often.

We had this at Beans bin's coffee.

I think it's not so common cafe these days, compare to other chains, I wish they grow bigger again.

Sunny day at 송악산

I think I could have had spent a month alone on this island, there were so many places to see.

This was one of our first stops, I had seen pics online and told my darling to take me there. And so he did, gladly!

We were lucky with the weather, it was sunny most of the time.

And we walked a lot ^^

I loved this place, we took a lot of beautiful photos!

It sorta felt like a honeymoon vacation but it wasn't. I start to understand why newlyweds in Korea go here. ^^

morning at 월정리해변

Our final morning in Jeju my darling took me here to Weoljeongnihaebyeon.

A beautiful beach! We were not so lucky with the weather but we had each other so it didn't matter.

I really want to go back here on a sunny day ^^

We also stopped for coffee, this place was in our guide book so that's why we chose this place.

In this area there are lots of cafes these days.

To me I just wanted a good view, however most had it so we chose this based on the review in the book.

Halla san Hiking

In Jeju island we went hiking up and down for the national treasure Halla Mountain or Halla San as they refer it to in Korea.

It took around 7h up and down, my feet felt like dying when walking down!

But we made it.

Although I enjoyed doing this with my darling, my legs were dead for the next 5 days! so sore muscles..haha I'm not sure I want to do it again.

The must eat item when climbing up Halla San ^^

The never ending road...

명동교자

I have talked about this place many times but it can always be mentioned.

This place is a MUST visit in Seoul!!

I like this food a lot, I could probably make it at home but I'm too lazy.

So I always visit this place when in Seoul.

This one is the real Myeong Dong Gyoza. It's located in central Myeong dong!

The price has gone up over the years still great!!!

DELICIOUS

#명동교자

How is it possible?

The other week I started an interest for Korean phenom called 먹방(Muk bang). It's basically people who eat A LOT in front of a camera and chat with people. These people also send various stuff which turns into money!
I have known about this for years, it's not like it can be avoided if you know internet sensations from South Korea. But what got me into this was that I read an article about how much these BJs (as they are called) can make in a month!
It's insane, they can make several thousands of dollars for eating on screen.

I started to watch this woman, she's a 100% Korean, looks, style and she can eat!!!
I donno how she can stay this skinny, I get full just by watching her. For me this would be impossible to do. I cannot eat this much!! But I have to admit, it would be fun to try it ONCE.

So to share with all of you who hasn't seen this kind of thing.
Be amazed!!!



She eats 1 portion of spicy seafood noodles, 3 portions of black bean noodles, 2 portions of sweet sour chicken, 3 portions of fried pork in sweet sour sauce. And pickled radish and she drinks milk.

100 Years of Beauty - N and S.Korea

This has become viral since a few days ago, I think it's pretty amazing.

I'm not sure what to say, I actually like the N.Koren looks in many decades a lot more than the S.Korean ones to be completely honest ^^

수상한 그녀

This movie was quite popular last year, my friend told me to watch it so I did. I'd say this is a typical Korean family situation with a happy ending of course. I think many who are not used to the Korean culture will think that this movie is weird in many ways, and I'd say it has to do with the language. If you understand Korean it makes more sense. Also I'd say they have made this into a "and they lived happily ever after" movie, which is very cliche. Still entertaining.
I was happily surprised by the main actress Shim Eun-Kyung, She does very well in this movie and I have watched various dramas and movies but I have to say this left the biggest impression ^^

Title: 수상한 그녀 / Miss Granny
Distributed by: CJ Entertainment
Release dates: January 22, 2014
Running time: 124 minutes
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean


Plot
Oh Mal-soon, a 74-year-old widow, lives with her son and his family. She is foul-mouthed, stubborn, controlling and shameless, and has a difficult relationship with her depressed daughter-in-law Ae-ja. She is proud of her son Hyun-chul, a university professor of gerontology, and the fact that she managed to raise him by herself against all odds. One day, Ae-ja gets hospitalized after suddenly collapsing, and doctors strongly advise her to live apart from Mal-soon. On the day she is told by her son that she is being sent to a nursing home, the dismayed Mal-soon wanders the streets and comes across a mysterious photo studio that claims it captures the moments of one's youth. She takes what she believes will be her last self-portrait for her not-so-far-off funeral, but when she comes out of the studio, Mal-soon is dumbfounded by her own reflection in the mirror: a fresh, young 20-year-old woman. At first not knowing what to do, she hides from her family and soon ends up lodging with a café shop worker. With no one recognizing her, Mal-soon decides to make the most out of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: She renames herself Oh Doo-ri after her all-time favorite actress Audrey Hepburn, gets a haircut similar to Hepburn's in Roman Holiday, and takes advantage of her youth. As the "suspicious girl" of the Korean title, all anyone sees is that Doo-ri speaks with a regional accent and walks like an old lady, and that she acts very strangely and motherly for her age. After wowing a group of pensioners with a stirring karaoke tune one day, she attracts the notice of her unknowing teenage grandson Ji-ha, and Han Seung-woo, a TV music producer. Ji-ha invites her to join his heavy metal band, and after she convinces them to switch to more audience-pleasing melodies, the band becomes famous with her as vocalist. Doo-ri is thrilled to be pursuing a career in music ― something she had to give up when she was young. Meanwhile, she gets caught romantically between three men: Mr. Park, an elderly widower friend who has always secretly loved Mal-soon, Ji-ha who is still unaware that she's his grandmother, and Seung-woo, who's doing his best to track her down again.



Cast
Shim Eun-kyung as Oh Doo-ri
Na Moon-hee as Oh Mal-soon
Park In-hwan as Mr. Park
Sung Dong-il as Ban Hyun-chul
Lee Jin-wook as Han Seung-woo
Hwang Jung-min as Ae-ja
Kim Seul-gie as Ban Ha-na
Jinyoung as Ban Ji-ha
Kim Hyun-sook as Park Na-young
Ha Yeon-joo as Soo-yeon
Park Hye-jin as Ok-ja
Jung In-gi as Hyun-chul's doctor friend
Hong Seok-yeon as chemist
Lee Jang-yu as shoe stall owner
Park Hyung-woo as bassist of Ji-ha's band
Lee Sang-eon as drummer of Ji-ha's band
Park Seung-tae as Oh Bok
Han Ji-eun as Seo Mi-ae
Hwang Young-hee as Chinese restaurant owner
Kim Seon-ha as princess in TV drama
Kim Dong-hee as Dragon
Kim Dong-seok as music show MC
Pyo Ye-jin as music show MC
Kim Soo-hyun as young Mr. Park (cameo)
Jang Gwang as photographer (cameo)
Choi Hwa-jung as radio DJ (cameo)
Yoo Se-yoon as legendary band vocalist (cameo)

info @ wikipedia

펀칭 레이스 후레아 니트

A few years back I-Land group opened a new brand, MIXXO. They have both clothes and a underwear store. I think they are trying to compete with VS but yeah..

Anyway last year I didn't find anything I liked but this time I found a lot, however as I had already bought a lot in Japan, I only bought one item.

Although this brand is supposed to be "cheaper", I found it a bit more pricey than I had imagined, I guess it was because of the weak Swedish krona.

I really like this top, but I was surprised by the large size, normally Koreans like it more slim.

In the end I bought a size S and it still look huge, but very comfortable ^^

I like the bottom part, it looks very cute and a bit extraordinary don't you think!?

I wish I have had more space in my suitcase, I found so many things here this time. But one thing is better than none right ^^

And it seems they are growing in Asia! Hope they come to Europe...!

SIZE S
총장 67
어깨 54
가슴 112
허리 106
소매장 50

소재:겉감-아크릴87% 폴리에스터13%
배색 - 면100%

You can purchase it here 펀칭 레이스 후레아 니트

Details and photo @ 미쏘 코리아

우산

Although I first heard this song years ago, Younha is now back with a new version of Umbrella!
Which version do you prefer?
I like this solo, although the Epik High one is good too ^^

소지섭 - Boy Go (Feat. Soul Dive)

I'm more used to see So Ji-Sub as an actor although he has been releasing a lot of songs.
Now he's is back with a new track!!
I think it's very catchy to be honest!! I think I could listen to this at the gym, to me it's a kinda funny song ^^

Listen and Enjoy!!!

김치찌개

I went passed the Asian supermarket and picked up lots of kimchi!

Two different kinds, one regular and one "old" one. The old one is great for making Kimchi Jjigae/stew... and so, for lunch yesterday I cooked some ^^

I love kimchi, but hate the smell... luckily this turned out very well!!

And I got left-overs ^^

Next time I might use "soft tofu" instead!