Some of my favorite desserts in Manila

Two bowls of Rabokki for me & my wife. Tteokbokki simmered with ramyeon noodles, but here I gave it a spin by adding grilled chicken, mushrooms, baby corn, and a richer broth base. The eggs soak up all that spice, and the veggies balance the heat. The broth turned out closer to spicy ramen than classic tteokbokki sauce, but honestly… it works. Definitely not traditional, but mas-issneun.

Doo Top Ddok is what’s on the label. I assume Doo Top is a brand name. The internet tells me that ddok (aka tteok) can refer to a sweet Korean rice cake. It’s a nice soft sweet chewy rice dough like an ice cream moochi. It’s been rolled in a tan powdered topping which I’ve now learned is likely to be roasted soy bean powder. Inside there is a soft sweet pale peach/pink colored creamy filling with something slightly crunchy like maybe nuts? I’ve had red bean filling before but this is more creamy plus there are nuts but no red bean skin. Some of the rolls are tan, some are green and some are reddish brown but the filling is the same for all.

Any idea what is the delicious creamy filling is made of? And what kind of nuts might have been used?

There is no ingredient list on the label. Just the name Doo Top Ddok and a made in date and price.

Is it good? Ginseng is pretty healthy, deep-fried fried not so sure, but maybe it balances out.

Bought this at HMart assuming I could eat as is but someone is telling me I’m supposed to cook it. Anyone know for sure one way or another?

After dealing with massive burnout from my professional career and life in general for the past few years, I've decided to return to my old hobby of cooking, as well as pursuing new interests by documenting my cooking process in video form!

This dish is Gochujang Miso Carbonara with Perilla-Smoked grilled (pan-fried?) shrimp. I actually worked with chatGPT to come up with an original korean-based dish, and this was the first item that really sounded interesting to me, so here it is..!

Unfortunately the recipe... was admittedly not very tasty LOL.

For anyone actually interested in the creative + cooking process, you can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY3sAx9oi2c

RECIPE:

Ingredients (2 servings)

For the Pasta:

• 180g dried spaghetti or linguine
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean red chili paste)
• 1 tsp doenjang (Korean soybean paste)
• 1 tbsp miso (white or yellow)
• 1 tbsp perilla oil (can substitute with sesame oil, but perilla is preferred)
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Salt (for pasta water)
  

For the Shrimp:

• 6 large tiger shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tbsp soju (or dry white wine)
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
• 1 tsp perilla oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of dried perilla leaves or loose-leaf green tea for smoking (optional, but awesome)
  

Garnish:

• Julienned perilla leaves
• Toasted sesame seeds
• Optional: crispy seaweed flakes or furikake
  

Instructions

1. Marinate the Shrimp:

• In a bowl, mix shrimp with soju, gochugaru, perilla oil, salt, and pepper.
• Let marinate for 10–15 minutes while preparing the pasta base.
  

2. Prepare Carbonara Sauce Base:

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together:
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Parmesan
  • Gochujang
  • Doenjang
  • Miso
  • Soy sauce
  • A dash of perilla oil
  • Grated garlic
• Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
  

3. Cook Pasta:

• Boil pasta in salted water until just al dente.
• Before draining, reserve about ¾ cup of pasta water.
• Drain and let sit while you grill the shrimp.
  

4. Smoke and Grill Shrimp:

• Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet until very hot.
• Place a small heat-safe dish with dried perilla leaves or green tea at one side of the pan.
• Use a blowtorch (or lighter) to ignite the leaves slightly and cover briefly with a lid to smoke the shrimp.
• Grill shrimp for ~2 minutes on each side until lightly charred and cooked through. Set aside.
  

5. Combine Pasta and Sauce:

• In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over low heat.
• Add cooked pasta and toss.
• Off the heat, stir in the sauce base.
• Gradually add reserved hot pasta water, stirring vigorously to emulsify and create a glossy, creamy sauce. Adjust consistency as needed.
• Add a generous crack of black pepper.
  

6. Plate and Garnish:

• Plate the pasta in a shallow bowl.
• Top with grilled smoked shrimp.

Garnish with shredded perilla leaves, sesame seeds, and optional crispy seaweed flakes.

Can anyone tell me what the sweet and spicy sauce is at the kpot Korean bbq restaurant chain? It’s so yummy but I can’t figure out what it is!

Korean bulgoki and Sokcho’s local beer were really good.

Tried out a recipe from the Korean Vegan's cookbook. Dubu kimchi with lion's mane and chanterelle mushrooms replacing the pork (the cookbook calls for trumpet mushrooms, but I used what I had).

This is one thing I hadn't tried making before! I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the warm tofu on its own. But man, this was delicious. A+, will make again many, many times. I just threw some multi grain rice with it to round things out.

Also, added a photo of the little Bungeoppang ice cream sandwich for dessert at the end just because I love them.

This sauce contains a lot of garlic and salted caramel

Found this neighborhood restaurant cheap gukbap, 24 hours with free rice refill. What's your favorite cheap Korean meal?

My favorite Korean barbecue spot has a side dish that is cabbage and jalapeños based. Does anyone know what this is called? Or have a recipe for it?

The owner of my local Korean market told me this is her favorite kind, and she basically has a friend and got on the list with the American distributor in New Jersey, and this brand only does gochujang and one or two kinds of doenjang. It wasn’t pricier than the kind I had selected so I genuinely don’t think she was trying to upsell me (not to mention she’s very sweet!). Phone translation tells me the label says Taste of Dong-a but no google results saying that’s a brand name or anything.

I’m excited to try it, and am curious if others have seen it before!

Dear All,

I am an aspiring chef who wants to cook 100 dishes from 100 countries, and I want Korea to be one. Can anyone give me authentic recipes?

Thnxs

I am trying to make home made ssamjang and I'm just wondering if there is a doenjang brand that is recommended? Or is there a pre-made ssamjang that tastes like the ones you get from Korean bbq restaurants?

First time seeing this brand that got stocked at my local market

Do you have a go to brand? I've bought 2 different brands from the Asian store now and both have been absolutely awful in texture and consistency. Is there a reliable brand?

How long will the radish keep in my fridge/what's the right way to store it? Any feedback? I skipped the burdock because nobody in my family really likes it

Excuse the kid’s toys 😂. My MIL cooked a big meal for my daughter’s birthday. MIL is from Jeollado region. (Probably butchered the spelling). She is an amazing cook and her kimchi is so good. She made everything pictured except for the jeotgal. Miyuk gook, mool kimchi, japchae, galbi jjim, pork galbi jjim and kimchi.