I really enjoy cooking here. Every dish I've made so far has been easier than I expected. Today, I wanted to find a new supermarket, E-Mart, I heard has slightly lower prices than the one closest to my apartment. I climbed the hill my building sits on, went down the other side, and came upon so much more to Gwangmyeong than I realized existed! There were shops galore and many side streets with more stores...clothes (I bought a jacket on sale), shoes, pet stores, florists, etc.
 |
| As I got to the area where the supermarket is supposed to be, I stumbled upon a HUGE open market. I walked in and didn't leave until I found everything I needed (I never made it to E-Mart). |
 |
| The market was a maze of more than fresh produce and meats; it had kitchenware, blankets, clothes, etc at discounted prices. Tomorrow, I plan on returning to purchase a low dining table. |
I took a shopping list I translated into Korean in order to make sure I purchased everything I needed to make 'dakjjim' or braised chicken with vegetables (닭찜).
 |
| When I got home the persimmons I bought to eat as a fresh dessert were smooshed! I was a little disappointed because I was so happy to find ripe ones. |
 |
| Another happy mistake - I made a soup out of the mashed persimmons and other random ingredients in my fridge. The combination of the caramelized onion, dates, and ripe persimmon made it sweet like a dessert. I think I added a little too much onion though. Next time, I will add less onion and I won't caramelize them for long. |
I also wanted to make potato pancakes; I recently watched a Korean drama and the main character made them look easy and delicious. I don't have a food processor though, so I tried to think of a creative way to puree the potatoes...
 |
| I used this awesome Korean kitchen tool (hey mom, what's the Korean name for it?) to shred the potatoes down. Then I tried to mash them with a pestle...that didn't work. I think I'm just going to have to go buy a cheap food processor soon. So what to do with all this potato? |
 |
| Happy mistake #3: I made 'gamjajorim' or braised potatoes (감자조림). The first batch I overcooked a little because the recipe is designed for larger pieces of potato, but the second batch I adjusted and it came out tasty. |
Tomorrow, I'm making the braised chicken!
