Disclaimer: I’m not Korean or fluent at the language; I can only translate the parts that I understand. There are probably many mistranslations here, but the idea is roughly the same.
These are songpyeons, rice cakes made for Chuseok. Teacher Soomi says, “We make songpyeons pretty nowadays. They were ugly back in the day. My father used to gather everyone to make them.” Chef Choi comments, “Making them was a family event, so there was a saying that if you made pretty songpyeons, you would have pretty daughter(s). I didn’t really believe in it, but my songpyeons are really pretty and my daughters are beautiful as well. Teacher’s father must have made really pretty songpyeons.” Dongmin’s used to pick pine needles for his family back then. Pine needles give a really nice aroma and prevent oxidation when steaming with rice cakes, so they don’t quickly go bad. It’s up to your preference to have fillings of mung bean or sesame seeds. Chef Choi adds, “When our cousins have gathered to eat songpyeons, they’d only chose to eat fillings with sesame seed, and it was annoying. At the end, those left-overs were only bean fillings.” Dongmins agrees, “Prick them and check the fillings inside. Eat the ones with honey flowing out.” Teacher Soomi advices housewives not to worry about Chuseok since she heard stress was the most reason for divorce. Dongmin yells, “Need to get ride of Chuseok then…” Teacher Soomi continues to advice, “Please enjoy your Chuseok, and just make galbi jjim (braised short ribs). Don’t make any jeons (pancakes) even though I’m gonna do it today. You don’t get more stress. Just watch and learn to make pretty jeons. [Chef Yeo wants to have galbi jjim.] I’m gonna make it today.”
Recipe: Galbi JJim (Korean Braised Short Ribs)
Teacher Soomi: I used to make galbi jjim in a big cauldron, but we need to make rice in it today, so we’ll use this small cauldron.
Soak short ribs in water to draw out the blood before cooking.
Teacher Soomi: Please give me the blender… You can also use the grater. Let’s use the grater. We need to marinate short ribs with pear juice.
Grate ginger and garlic.
Dongmin: Should we use a blender? We have a PPL on blenders right?
Teacher Soomi: Just use the blender to make it simple. We should make it with sincerity since Chuseok is a special day of the year.
Make garlic juice. [Teacher Soomi: You need a lot of garlic (~400g).]
Make pear+ginger juice. [Teacher Soomi asks if housewives is having fun like her.]
For 10 short ribs, add 150mL of soy sauce to the juices. (Adjust the taste later.)
Don’t cut the meat too deeply bc they will fall off.
Add ribs to the marinade. (Leave some fat on to have a better taste.)
Teacher Soomi: Turn them around for me. Don’t stand still. Use your head, this guy!
Marinate for about 3 hours. (Pear juice will make the meat tender.)
Chef Choi: Teacher, before scolding me, I confess that my meat is falling off unlike chef Mikael’s and chef Yeo’s.
Teacher Soomi: Hurry to cut them, what are you doing! I can’t really scold them when their familly is coming later. [Orders chef Mikael to pour his soy sauce.]
Chef Choi: That is Teacher’s easy instruction and you can’t even follow?
Chef Mikael: Do we need to add red pepper flakes? [Teacher Soomi: Nah, later.]
Chef Choi: Just do as Teacher says!
Cut radish into thick chunks (~2.5cm), and trim off the rough edges to make it pretty.
Chef Choi: Mikael, don’t cut it like that. Make it pretty like Teacher’s.
Chef Mikael: Ah, got it. I can’t see that far.
Cut carrot into pretty shapes like radish but smaller.
Teacher Soomi: Mikael, do you get it? [Chef Mikael: Yes.] Give me an answer, punk! You have to answer for me to know. I have to scold you before your father is here. I’ll use formal language afterwards.
Cut mushroom in half. Cut off the stem.
Chef Choi shows off his pretty cutting, and Teacher Soomi asks him to do them all for her.
Teacher Soomi: This is 1 cinnamon bark (optional). [Chef Choi suggests to use cinnamon powder.] No, bc it’ll make the food messy.
Must add 2 dry peppers. Put cinnamon and dry peppers into the cauldron.
Pour short ribs and marinade into the cauldron.
Add a bit of water. (Enough so the ribs are slightly submerged in the liquid.)
Teacher Soomi: The color is a bit bland. Give me soy sauce.
Add some soy sauce.
Teacher Soomi: We’re almost done. We’ll add these ingredients later.
Cook ribs in high heat for 30-40 minutes. (Make sure the meat is cooked.)
Add dates first. Check to meat before adding radish, carrot and mushroom.
Add some more water and soy sauce. (Radish chunks need to submerge in liquid.)
Add 1 tbsp of plum juice, then chestnut. Cut and add leek (~3cm).
Add ginkgo nuts. Decorate with strips of egg yolk/white strips and pine nuts.
Evaluation time~
Teacher Soomi *tastes from chef Yeo’s*: Oh, it’s well-cooked~ The flavor is perfect and everything is great. The color is pretty too. [Dongmin likes the taste and meat.]
Teacher Soomi *looks at chef Choi’s*: Look at his decoration. Really good~ Turn off the heat. I learned to make mushroom pretty like this. Chef Yeo can turn off the heat in 5 min.
Teacher Soomi *looks at chef Mikael’s*: [Dongmin: look at Mikael’s decoration.] This is good, all cooked. [Pointing at the eggs,] what are these? Are these for fun? Oh, you wanted to make it pretty. [It’s chef Mikael’s first try to make it.] Do whatever you want!
Teacher Soomi: Turn off the heat and add a bit of sesame oil.
Chef Mikael asks Teacher Soomi to choose the ladle for galbi jjim. Teacher Soomi says they’re having Chuseok early. Chef Mikael asks for more carrots. They praise the tender meat. Chef Yeo likes short ribs with kimchi. Teacher Soomi likes it with white kimchi. Chef Choi likes the taste of chestnut. Dongmin likes how soft radish is, and they agree. Chef Mikael points out, “It’s easy to know when people eat delicious food; they don’t talk.” Teacher Soomi will make japchae later, which is very easy to her. Dongmin is doubtful. Teacher Soomi says, “As long as I have all the ingredients ready, I can make it in a very simple way. What’s so hard about it?”
Recipe: Japchae (Glass Noodle Stir Fry with Vegetables)
Soak dangmyeon (glass noodle) in water in 30 minutes before cooking.
Marinate beef with 1 tbsp of yangjo soy sauce [add more later], 2 tsp of sugar, 1/3 tbsp of garlic and a few sprinkles of black pepper.
Teacher Soomi: Spinach is really expensive right now. For our Chuseok, it’s…. boil some water.
Chop onion finely. Sprinkle a bit of salt to the boiling water.
Chef Mikael still hasn’t boil water yet.
Cut carrot into thin strips since glass noodle is long.
Teacher Soomi: Someone adds pour a lot of water hah? Check on Mikael’s water.
Dongmin: Is your water boiling? [Chef Mikael: A little bit.] Everyone’s water is boiling, except Mikael’s.
Teacher Soomi: You put water in late ha? Cut carrot this size.
Dongmin: Let’s me go around to show them. Mikael, this size ok?
Chef Choi: Mikael, your carrot strips are a bit thick.
Chef Mikael: I already checked with the sample.
Chef Choi: But they seem thicker than the sample.
Teacher Soomi: What? Did he do something wrong again?
Chef Choi: It’s nothing, but Mikael’s carrot strips are a bit thicker than the sample.
Dongmin: That’s not good. I gave you the sample for nothing? Ah, this dude. [Chef Mikael shows off the sample.] That’s a sample?
Chef Choi *points at Dongmin*: This dude made a mistake.
Dongmin: But this is not the sample. This dude is trying to fool me. You can’t cut them thick.
Teacher Soomi: Dongmin ah, Mikael’s father is watching this somewhere.
Dongmin: His father is over there? [Teacher Soomi: Omo, he’s over.] I only do this to make your son famous.
Blanch spinach quickly (10 sec), then soak them in a bowl with cold water.
Cut wood ear mushroom and shiitake thinly. Cut leek a bit thicker.
Squeeze out water from spinach. Tear out each leaf from the bunch.
Chef Choi: Not knife but our bare hands? [Dongmin: It tastes better with bare hands.]
Teacher Soomi laughs at swindler Dongmin.
Add a pinch of salt to the spinach. [Teacher: add salt like you don’t add it. (lol)]
Add 1 tsp of garlic. [Chef Mikael follows chef Choi to add a tiny amount of garlic.]
Add 1 tsp of sesame oil. Then mix slightly everything together.
Turn on low heat. Stir fry the meat first.
[Not in the video: Stir fry the meat without oil. Take them out when cooked; leave the meat juice in the pan. Add carrot and stir fry for awhile. Move carrot to the side and add mushroom. (Don’t mix them together.) Pour a bit of perilla oil into the pan. Make space for onion. Stir fry everything in the same pan. Slightly boil glass noodle in hot water. Before adding glass noodle to the veggies, make a sauce with 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of sugar, half a tbsp of garlic and 1/2 tbsp of sesame oil. Turn the heat to really low, move veggies to the side and add a bit of perilla oil. Put glass noodle in and pour the sauce on top of it. Now, mix noodle and veggies together. Add spinach, leek and continue to mix them. Taste to your preference with soy sauce. Lastly, add the meat, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Turn off the heat and you’re done!]
Recipe: Cod Jeon (Cod Pancake)
Teacher Soomi: These are cod meat. I’ll teach you how to make luxurious pancakes today.
To each piece of cod, add just a bit of salt and some sprinkles of black pepper. [Don’t use too much bc of the white meat.]
Pat them dry with paper towel. Cut these pieces neatly to make it luxurious. [Fry the left-over pieces to eat while your cooking.]
Teacher Soomi: Your parents might wonder how pretty your pancakes turn out this year.
Dongmin: What if mother-in-law asks for the left-over pieces?
Coat both sizes of fish with flour and dunk in egg white mixture.
Teacher Soomi: I only use my hand, no chopsticks (or any tool).
Dongmin: Do chef Yeo cook at home? [His son shakes his head.] [Teacher Soomi: He prob doesn’t cook at home.] So who cooks at home?
Teacher Soomi and chef Yeo’s son: His/My mother does it. [Teacher Soomi asks if Dongmin cooks at home.]
Dongmin: Auntie, I’m doing an interview here!
Before flipping pancakes over, decorate with chives.
Chef Choi: I already flip some over.
Dongmin: Please take a look. Some already flipped the pancake ha!
Add a red pepper next to the chive.
Dongmin: I told you not to flip them over. [Chef Choi: Why did you flip them?] This dude didn’t listen to me. But the thing is, chives and peppers prob won’t stick after flipping them over.
Chef Mikael: I like them making them pretty.
Teacher Soomi: Just flip them once. It’s too pretty to eat right?
Recipe: Shiitake Jeon and Perilla Leaf Jeon
(Shiitake Pancake and Perilla Leaf Pancake)
Before starting, marinate minced beef with 1/2 tbsp of garlic, 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce, a few sprinkles of black pepper.
Put a bit of flour inside mushroom for the meat to stick to it. Stuff them with marinated beef. Dip them in flour and egg (dip the meat only) before frying.
Flip them over. [Teacher Soomi tells Mikael to flip his jeons over.]
Chef Mikael: I haven’t started frying them yet.
Teacher Soomi: What’s so hard that you can’t even follow my speed?
Dongmin *jokes*: Seems like they’re having a quarrel.
Chef Mikael’s father tells him to do this and that.
Teacher Soomi: While waiting, we’re gonna making perilla leaf jeon.
Cut the stems of perilla leafs.
Before making perilla pancakes, marinate minced beef and pork with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of garlic and some sprinkles of black pepper.
Dongmin: Put the meat inside the leaf and roll them… Ah, I need to show them.
Put the meat inside the leaf. Roll and cut them to a nice triangle shape.
Take out the mushroom from the pan.
Do perilla pancakes the same as mushroom pancakes. (Coat with flour and egg.)
Fry them in low heat.
Dongmin: Do you have any complains toward chef Choi?
Chef Choi’s restaurant manager: Of course, I do.
Dongmin: Tell us about your most dissatisfaction.
Chef Yeo: He needs to be careful about what to say.
Dongmin: Don’t worry. Just think he’s not here.
Chef Choi’s restaurant manager: He doesn’t bear grudges, but he’s sensitive.
Dongmin: Those words don’t match.
Teacher Soomi: Nah, chefs are sensitive about food since it requires a lot of thinking.
Dongmin: What about chef Yeo?
Chef Yeo: I need to focus when I cook, so I’m sensitive then.
Dongmin: Do you like cooking next to your father?
Chef Yeo’s son: We really don’t match.
Dongmin: You must feel refreshed while watching Soomi’s Side Dishes?
Chef Yeo’s son: Definitely. It’s gratifying.
Teacher Soomi: I’ll keep scolding your father for you!
After flipping perilla pancake, press on them. Take them out now. (Since perilla leaf is thin, the meat is cooked.)
Chef Yeo: It doesn’t feel like a regular pancake, but expensive and luxurious one.
Dongmin: I understand why these are called fancy pancakes.
Recipe: Shrimp Jeon and Scallop Jeon
(Shrimp Pancake & Scallop Pancake)
Cut shrimps in halves (leave the tails intact). Lightly season them with salt and black pepper. Make shrimps into heart shapes.
Butterfly scallops.
Dongmin: Oh, that’s right. [Chef Choi: I was a cook back then.] Ah, looks like you’ve learned from somewhere.
Coat butterflied scallops and shrimp hearts with flour. Cut some leaves of crown daisy for decoration. Dip them in egg and fry them.
Put a pretty crown daisy’s leaf on top of each butterflied scallop.
Dongmin: I heard your employees gave chef Choi a nickname?
Chef Choi’s restaurant manager: He doesn’t have a nickname, but he’s like an oldie. [Whispers] a good oldie… [Chef Yeo: He said, “good oldie”.]
Dongmin: Ya! That good oldie is here? [Chef Choi: Clean that pan.]
Teacher Soomi: Don’t cook shrimps for long. Take them out after flipping them once.
Chef Yeo: These don’t feel like from a diner, but from a traditional restaurant.
Dongmin: Look at this heart!
Chef Choi: Teacher, are you confessing your love to your students?
Teacher Soomi *scolds Dongmin*: I have to fix after you touching it, this jerk!
Recipe: Skewer Jeon and Chili Pepper Jeon
(Skewer Pancake and Chili Pepper Pancake)
Skewers’ ingredients: scallions, shishito peppers, king mushroom and beef rump.
Cut beef rump into bite size pieces. Marinate the meat with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp of garlic, few sprinkles of black pepper.
Cut everything the same length as beef rump pieces.
Marinate king mushroom with 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of sesame oil and 1/2 tsp of garlic.
Skew in order meat, mushroom, pepper, meat, scallion and mushroom.
Teacher Soomi: You can use anything you like [or your children like] for this. It’s up to you.
Chef Mikael: It’s better to use 3 pieces of meat. Like this, 3 meat and 2 peppers.
Chef Mikael’s father: Skew them all the way like this?
Cut chili peppers in halves. [Teacher Soomi: Seed out! (sounds like a curse)]
Teacher Soomi: I purposely left the chili’s placenta there.
Put a bit of flour inside and stuff chili with meat. Then dip the meat part of chili into the flour and egg. Fry them with the meat side down.
Coat skewers with flour and egg. Then fry them.
Chef Choi: It seems easy at first. But it is completely physical labor. It must be tough on our mothers.
Teacher Soomi: Imagine doing these in the summer by yourself.
Chef Choi: Is it really tough to do by yourself.
Teacher Soomi: Of course. It’s tough. Husbands need to know about this.
Dongmin: Men, don’t lie down and watch TV. Help out and do these together!
Chef Mikael translates to his father, who mentions Bulgaria men usually help out.
Look at Bulgaria’s plating style.
Chef Mikael: It’s my first time making these.
Teacher Soomi: Omo, look how he stacked those peppers. Let’s eat. Your father told us that he was hungry earlier.
Teacher Soomi: They’re too pretty to eat!
Dongmin: It’s my first time seeing these luxurious pancakes.
Chef Mikael’s father: Everything is yummy~
Chef Choi: It’s fun to cook like this together with your friends and family. We cook together, eat together and are happy about it. I think it’s a good message of Soomi’s Side Dishes to give viewers.
Teacher Soomi: In the past, men weren’t allowed to be in the kitchen. However, men, please help your wife out~
Dongmin: Yes, they need to be punished by the law if they don’t help out. You won’t complain about being tired alone if you cook together, and everything is happy.
Sorry, I know it’s pretty late for a Chuseok episode. (I started to do translations in October, and this ep. was already broadcast then.)
I really like stuffed veggies. They are fun to eat, esp. the mushroom ones. I’ve been meaning to make galbi jjim and japchae for the longest time ever. After doing the translation of this episode, my urging increases 10 folds (lol).
I only have ep. 17 to do left. (I’m working on newest one, and I expect to release it by tomorrow or the day after~). Please let me know if there’s any other ep. you’re interested in. I’ll try to see if I can find those videos. Btw, I won’t translate those episodes when they went to Japan.
HanaviMeManga 