Say Kimchi!: April 2015

Pumpkins were on sale at my local grocery store, so I decided to try a new recipe. The recipe was based on the one you can find here, but I made some alterations. If you want to make your own ravioli, making your own pasta dough is quite fun. Susan Wing and I did it one time. It came out very thick and was a little difficult. This time, I used wonton wrappers instead. You cannot (well, I cannot) taste the difference and it works really well.

In Korea, I have not yet found canned pumpkin puree. I have not looked too hard, but I harbor a suspicion it doesn't really exist here. Anyway, making your own pumpkin is puree is a little time consuming but quite easy. First, get your pumpkin. Then, slice it down the middle. Scrape out the seeds and stringy stuff in the middle.

Turn it face down on a cooking sheet. Then, put it into an oven for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Poke it with a fork to check. Now, you need to remove the skin. I usually just grab a spoon and scoop the now tender pumpkin meat into a bowl or food processor. Then, BLEND! I waited for some time so the pumpkin would cool before I scooped it out. Because of that, it was also really dry and my food processor wasn't strong enough to puree it for me. Simple solution: just add water! And there you have it, homemade uncanned pumpkin puree.

Now that you have your puree, combine it with a little bit of butter and garlic. I had no chili pepper and I wanted to add a little kick, so I put in about 1/4-1/3 of spicy Korean Ramyeon seasoning. Also, add a little salt. Stir fry it until some of the water evaporates and the tastes infuse. Then remove it and let it cool.

While it is cooling, prepare some toppings. I had sunflower seeds so I lightly toasted them. Walnuts or pine nuts would be a good substitue.

To form the ravioli, first scramble an egg. Take some of the prepared filling and put it in the center of the wonton wrapper. Then, use your finger to put some egg on the edge of the wonton wrapper. Then, gently fold the wrapper around the filling. Pinch the edges together. Good job. Now move onto the next one.

While the ravioli is boiling, you should make the dressing. The dressing is super simple. Just melt some butter until the foam starts to bubble and turn golden brown.

Boil the ravioli about 3 at a time. Boil them for about 2 minutes.

I served the ravioli with garlic bread and roasted eggplant. A dry white wine would also be a good compliment. I hope you enjoy :)

Recipe

Ingredients (Makes about 10 Ravioli)

Pumpkin Puree

1 Pumpkin (I used a Japanese pumpkin) It will make the equivalent of about 1 can pumpkin puree or 2 cups

Ravioli Filling

1 cup Pumpkin Puree (this is about 1/2 a cup)
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 cloves butter minced
1/4-1/2 packet Korean spicy ramyeon powder
Pinch of salt
Pink of pepper

Topping

1/2 a stick butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Nutmeg/Cumin for seasoning
Parmesan Cheese

Wrapping

10 circle shaped wonton wrappers
1 egg (beaten

1. Stir fry the butter and garlic over medium heat until it smells like...cooking garlic (a few minutes). Then add the pumpkin puree, salt, pepper, and ramyeon powder. Stir constantly for a few minutes. Take it off the heat.

2. Toast the sunflower seeds for a few minutes on medium heat until golden. Also remove from heat.

3. Melt the butter and then let it cook and bubble. When the bubbles turn a golden brown, remove and set aside.

4. Fill the wonton wrappers. Put about a tablespoon worth of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper (depending on how big your wonton wrappers are). Use your finger to coat the edges of the wonton wrapper with beaten egg. Then seal the wonton wrapper tightly by pinching it shut.

5. Boil 3 ravioli at a time for about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes remove. Do not stack these or they will stick.

6. Prepare your plates: raviolis with nutmeg, cumin, pine nuts and parmesan cheese sprinkled on top with the browned butter dripped over the top. Enjoy

Don't forget to play with your food!

Continuing up towards Hanoi, I made my next stop in Hue. Hue is the old capital of Vietnam and it has the old palace and fortress. I had less than 24 hours for sightseeing in between train and bus rides. Luckily, that was all I really needed. Inside Hue is the old fortress walls, and inside the old fortress is the old palace. Here is the wall to the old fortress.

Unfortunately, most of the old palace was destroyed in the Vietnam war. There were many craters and ruins. Now, they are currently be restored. Here are some of the remains.

Turtle!

Restorations in Progress

The Imperial Tennis Court!!

My next stop was Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to stay in the park. Instead, I stayed in the small city outside of the town. To get to the park and spend only a day, I signed onto a one day tour. It was a little expensive for Vietnam, but we saw a lot. If I were to do it again, I'd definitely stay inside the park. The city outside has nothing and I'd rather have spent my time in the park. What is special about the National Park? Well, it has the largest cave in the world (which I did not see) and many other huge and expansive caves. Here are some snapshots of my day in the park.