Everyone loves Siracha but have you tried to Korean Gochujang? I discovered this sweet/savory/spicy paste while learning some Korean dishes. It’s definitely something you should try out in your kitchen. They go into the details at The Awl.

Punchfork is a new website that follows recipes “trends”. This is based on recipes that are mentioned in social media such as Twitter and Facebook. It’s a fun new way to discover recipes.

My favorite show on TV, Good Eats, is being cancelled. It’s been a staple on the Food Network for quite some time with some spotty broadcasting by Food Network Canada (stop changing the broadcast time!). Still, I got the cookbooks at Christmas and there will always be reruns!

Galleria Supermarket, a Korean grocer in Richmond Hill, has expanded southward. Their new location at Don Mills and York Mills is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. The Don Mills corridor is really expanding since the “Shops” opened up two years ago.

This supermarket focuses on Korean products but worthwhile to visit even if you don’t cook Korean food. Lots of premade delicacies are available. There’s also a very large hot food section where the cooks prepare everything fresh within your view. There’s also a fresh tofu machine, a bakery, a side dish “bar” and butcher.

Galleria Supermarket
865 York Mills Road

The best pulled pork is done in a smoker, however living in a condo leaves a few less options for smoking. I made due with this recipe over the weekend and was happy with the result. The recipe is an amalgamation of a few different recipes online:

1. Take a bone in pork shoulder and brine it overnight in a salt/sugar/water solution in the fridge.

2. Remove the pork shoulder and dry it off. Coat it with a dry rub and rub it into the meat (salt/sugar/onion powder/garlic powder/paprika/salt/pepper/parlsey)

3. Roasted uncovered in the oven at 250F for five hours.

4. Remove the roast, wrap it in foil with some apple juice and roast for another hour.

5. Remove roast and let it rest for an hour.

6. Pull apart with forks and pour over vinegar sauce (cider vinegar/pepper flakes/salt/sugar/tabasco/worschire) and serve with some hamburger buns and topped with coleslaw.

I’m a little amazed at why Toronto’s foodies haven’t raved about the great Korean food that has been growing in the city in the past few years. Toronto Life are acknowledging some of these new small shops with an article about Toronto’s Best Korean Food. If you haven’t been to an authentic Korean restaurant, it’s definitely worth a try.

This is a great article on what to put in your cupboards to eat healthier.

The Globe and Mail has been showing videos of some basic cooking skills. This week is a video on basic knife skills.

I picked up this cookbook, Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking, last week. I’m not normally one to own cookbooks, I find the web so much easier to find what I’m looking for. However when you’re trying to discover a new food culture, the web comes up short. I discovered lots of different dishes and variations on dishes in this book. It’s probably the best cookbook I’ve seen in ages. Luckily T&T has most of the ingredients I need for the recipes.

Harumi is well known in Japan and her first cookbook won “Best Cookbook in the World” after it’s publishing. Quite a feat for a home cook. “Home Cooking” is her second book, with three published so far.

The Internet is allowing home cooks to share their recipes, techniques and their love of food. I’ve been following Maangchi for quite some time. Her simple and authentic Korean recipes are great and the videos provide lots of great instructions. Maangchi, authored by ex-Torontoian Emily Kim, got an article written about her in the Globe and Mail, and now her popularity has exploded, with even interviews about her back in Korea. My pork bone soup in the picture is based on a recipe on Maangchi.