Can a pancake be better for you? Draft 1

 I was sleepy on a Saturday morning and threw something together, this is a first idea to be refined.

In my grogginess, I wasn't tracking my measurements accurately (epic fail!).

Intent, make a pancake with higher fiber, healthier fats, more whole grains.

Ingredients

- 1 cup of whole wheat flour
- Nonfat greek yoghurt (as an acid to activate baking powder)
- I used butter to help bind ingredients, want to find a better option, this is what I had available
- Chia Seeds, I used this as a binder, I pre-soaked them to activate the baking powder 
- 1 teaspoon (I hope I did not use a tablepoon) of baking powder
- Flaxseed meal
- Psyllium Husk Fiber
- Walnuts
- Blueberries
- Used a tablespoon of sugar, but could substitute raw honey
- Added some vanilla extract

To consider:
- Use Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer 
- Use a healthier fat like olive or avocado oil
Perhaps these two items would replace the binding properties of egg and butter.



I referenced this recipe's proportions:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21014/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon white sugar
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 ¼ cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg

Garlic Achar (Lahsun Ka Achaar)

 Adapted from Tanvi at Sinfully Spicy (SFW):
https://sinfullyspicy.com/spicy-garlic-achaar/

I started enjoying the Garlic Achaar from Brooklyn Delhi:
https://brooklyndelhi.com/pages/our-story

Ingredients

  

• 200 g garlic cloves peeled, 6-7 whole garlic bulb
• 50 g green chilies
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1.5 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon ajwain seeds
• ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida hing
• ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder see notes
• 1.5 teaspoon kala namak rock salt
• 1.5 teaspoon white salt adjust to taste
• 3 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• ½ cup mustard oil for adding and topping later to pickle , divided

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Take the end off the green chilies. Wash and let completely air dry by laying on a kitchen or paper towel. You can slit the chilies if you wish. 
• Peel the garlic pods. See note below for my suggested methods to easily peel garlic.

  You can use ready to use garlic pods as well. Make sure that the ready to use ones are good quality. Wash and completely air dry the garlic. Layer on a kitchen and paper towel to air dry.
• Chop off the dried ends of garlic. Slice the big pods lengthwise into small. 
• While the garlic and chilies are drying, sterilize storage container and lid by dipping them in boiling water for 6-7 minutes. Completely dry the container & lid. 

Make The Garlic Achar

• In a dry pan, very lightly roast the whole spices. Cool them completely and proceed to next step.
• Add roasted whole spices (except nigella) to a small grinder and grind to a powder. It should not be too coarse or too fine.
• In a small bowl, mix together the ground masala with nigella seeds and the powdered spices and salt. Mix very well using a clean dry spoon. 
• In a large non reactive bowl, add the garlic & chillies. Sprinkle the spice powder and apple cider vinegar. Mix well. Spoon the pickle to sterilized jar.
• Add the mustard oil to a small sauce pan and let heat up till it's a little smoky. Once smoky, switch off the stove and let cool off for 1-2 minutes. 
• Add hot (but not sizzling hot) mustard oil (reserve 1-2 tablespoon for topping the achar). Using a clean dry spoon, mix everything very well for 2 minutes or so until all the garlic and chilies are coated. 
• Close the lid (not too tightly, we want the moisture to escape) and let sit for 2-3 days in a warm & dry spot of your kitchen. I keep it near my kitchen window. Shake once a day.
• The pickle will be ready to use on 4th or 5th day(depends on weather where you live). Serve using a clean spoon. Dont touch the pickle with hands.

Notes

• Make sure that every utensil that you use while making and for storing achar is dry and clean. Sterlize and dry the jars . Water is the number one enemy of oil pickles.
• If you are touching any ingredient, make sure that your hands are dry and clean.
• Make sure that the green chilies and garlic are fresh and dont have any dry, spotted, discolored parts. Remove any dry or powdery parts from the garlic using a knife. Those perpetuate fungal growth.
• Use fresh spices (sitting for not more than 2-3 months in your pantry)
• Since we are not frying the garlic and using it raw for making the achaar, make sure that the garlic pieces are small. I usually half all the garlic cloves. If you are using desi lehsun, its cloves are small and you dont need to slice.
• Make sure that the achaar is not under salted. Under salted achaar tends to go bad.
• You can skip the green chilies and make achar just with garlic. In that case, add extra red chilli powder to the masala (see recipe notes for quantity).
• Add long cut ginger pieces to this recipe to make ginger garlic ka achar.
• Make sure that the oil is hot (but not smoky sizzling hot) when you add to the pickle.
• After the achaar is mixed, with a clean spoon, taste a tiny bit of masala to check the salt. The masala will taste very sharp, bitter and salty right now. But dont worry, once the pickling is over, the pungency will go away and the garlic and chilies will absorb the salt so it won't be over salty.
• It is natural that the green chillies will lose their bright green color and turn pale yellow after pickling.
• Right after you make the achar, it will strongly smell of ACV (cider). However once the pickling is over, the strong cider smell will go away. 

Substitutions :- 

• Mustard Oil Substitute :- If you dont want to use mustard oil, use neutral oil like avocado, sunflower or grapeseed.
• If you do not wish to use green chillies, skip them. Add 1.5 teaspoon hot red chili powder in the recipe. The achar will be slightly reddish in color.
• Add long cut ginger strips to make ginger garlic achaar. 
• You can use half apple cider vinegar and half white vinegar. 

Dak Galbi

Adapted from Sue at My Korean Kitchen:
https://mykoreankitchen.com/dak-galbi/

Serve in the Cast Iron Pan

Adjusted for 2 servings:
Prep Time: 40minutes
Cook Time: 15minutes
Total Time: 55minutes

Ingredients

Main
▢333.33 g chicken thigh fillets (1.1 pounds), you can use a whole chicken or chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

▢0.33 sweet potato (180g / 6.3 ounces), cut into long thick sticks (like English chips)
▢0.33 carrot (60g / 2.1 ounces), diagonally sliced
▢0.17 cabbage (320g / 0.7 pounds), shredded
▢6.67 leaves Korean perilla (35g / 1.2 ounces), thinly sliced
▢12 pieces Korean rice cakes (175g / 6.1 ounces), separated, if you use pre-packaged rice cakes, separate them first then soak in warm water for 10 minutes before you use them
▢Some cooking oil (2 to 3 Tbsp) - I used rice bran oil

Marinade Sauce
▢2 Tbsp gochujang Korean chili paste
▢1.33 Tbsp rice wine
▢0.67 Tbsp gochugaru Korean chili flakes

▢0.67 Tbsp soy sauce
▢0.67 Tbsp raw sugar
▢0.67 Tbsp minced garlic
▢0.67 tsp minced ginger
▢0.67 tsp Korean curry powder
▢0.33 onion (35g / 1.2 ounces), grated or minced
▢Few sprinkles ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. Pour the sauce over the chopped chicken and marinate for at least 30 mins. (Though I strongly recommend marinating it for at least 4 hrs, and if you can afford more time, for overnight for better flavored chicken. However if you are really short of time, 30 mins is OK.)
2. Preheat a large skillet on medium high heat and once heated add some cooking oil. Put all the vegetables and rice cakes into the skillet and add the meat on top. Cook them on medium high heat for 3-4 mins. Then reduce the heat to medium to medium low and cook further until all is cooked (about 10 - 15 mins). During cooking, stir often to avoid food sticking onto the pan. You can cover with a lid to speed up the cooking process.
3. Serve with rice and other Korean side dishes (optional)


Notes:
* 1 Tbsp = 15 ml

** How to Make Dak Galbi, the Restaurant Way, at HomeTypically, dak galbi is cooked and served in a large round cast iron pan at a restaurant. And I personally think it is essential that you eat it this way because it tastes so much better! Trust me! I use this cast iron skillet (12 inch) for my cooking and it's just perfect.

I love cooking dak galbi at the table (over the portable gas burner) so that we can eat it as things get ready. Typically, the cabbage and rice cakes cook the fastest and the sweet potato the last. If you were to wait until everything cooks then somethings could over cook as a result.

Prepare some lettuce, perilla leaves, sliced garlic, ssamjang (spicy dipping sauce) to make a wrap just like you would with other Korean BBQ.

When you are nearly finished the meal (make sure you leave some meat, vegetables and the sauce in the skillet), you can add some (cooked) udon noodles or rice and stir fry them. I typically use 1 cup of steamed rice, some chopped kimchi, a dash of sesame oil and some shredded seasoned seaweed. Some restaurants also crack an egg over the rice but I personally prefer without it. Also, I don't normally add additional sauce to cook the noodles or rice, but if you want you could add some gochujang (about 1 Tbsp) or make extra marinade then add it.



Approximate Nutrition Info (per serving)
Calories: 552kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 591mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 5800IU | Vitamin C: 33.7mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Homemade Bibimbap

Pan-seared Gochujang Tofu

I used a tofu press to remove excess water from extra firm tofu, pressing for about an hour. I placed about a tablespoon of gochujang into a mixing bowl, then added some soy sauce and toasted sesame oil and whisked it together. All my measurements were "grandma-style" – just tossed stuff in.

I added the tofu and the amount of sauce I used lightly coated the tofu, and I thought it was the right amount. I slowly pan-seared the tofu, taking care to brown each side. It took about 10-15 minutes.

Pyogo Beoseot Bokkeum shiitake

I found this recipe, but I created a version not using the egg (see below):
https://www.blondekimchi.com/shiitake-mushroom-banchan-beoseot-bokkeum/

Ingredients:

1 package of sliced shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon of gochujang

1 tablespoon of lower sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil 
1 teaspoon of honey

Preparation Steps

Prepare the Mushrooms: If using dried shiitakes, soak them in warm water for at least 1 hour until completely soft, then squeeze out excess water. Remove the tough, woody stems and slice the caps thinly.
Sautéing: Heat a frying pan or wok over medium heat with oil. Sauté the sliced mushrooms until they sweat and turn a deep golden brown, roughly 5-7 minutes.
Seasoning: Add minced garlic, soy sauce (approx. 1-2 tbsp), and a sweetener like sugar or honey (approx. 1 tsp) to the pan.
Finish: Stir-fry until the sauce creates a shiny, thick glaze over the mushrooms. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.

Key Tips

Cook Separately: Sauté the mushrooms separately from other vegetables to preserve their distinct flavor.
Dry Prep: For the best texture and flavor absorption, ensure the mushrooms are thoroughly squeezed dry after rehydrating.
Pairing: These seasoned mushrooms pair well with typical bibimbap vegetables like sautéed spinach, carrots, and bean.

Mu-Sangchae Daikon Radish

I used this video & recipe for a rustic, country-style preparation by Maangchi.
I didn't have the pepper flakes and subbed gochujang, and I did not have the fish sauce so my version was a bit wetter and had less umami:
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/sigol-mu-saengchae

Ingredients:

1 pound peeled Korean radish or daikon, cut into thin matchsticks

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green onion, chopped

 tablespoons Korean hot pepper flakes (gochu-garu)

2 tablespoons fish sauce (or light colored Korean soup soy sauce)

2 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Kong Jaban Sweet Black Beans

I love this banchan dish at Cincinnati's Riverside Korean, and I found this recipe by Hooni Kim on Epicurious:

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/korean-stewed-sweet-black-beans-kong-jaban

Ingredients

1¼ cups dried black beans, rinsed and picked over

2 quarts dashi or water, plus more if needed

1 cup soy sauce

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Step 1

Soak the beans in enough water to cover them by 3 inches in a covered container in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours.

Step 2

Drain the beans, put them in a pot, and add the dashi or water and soy sauce. Set over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour, stirring the beans on a regular basis. The level of liquid will reduce as the beans cook; once it gets to the point where it does not completely cover the beans, you will need to stir more often to ensure that the beans cook evenly. After an hour, the beans should be tender but still retain a little bite. If they are still hard, add more dashi or water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the beans are tender with a little bite.

Step 3

Add the sugar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds to the pot and mix well. (It’s important to wait to add the sugar until the beans are tender, as adding it in the beginning will cause the beans to harden when refrigerated.) Let the beans cool slightly, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled. (The beans will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.)

Step 4

Serve the beans cold with hot rice.

Alternative:
I might use canned black beans, and I plan to experiment combining them with soy sauce and honey.

Sigeumchi-namul Spinach

I combined some recipes, and on a twist, used some Daikon radish tops.
I recommend Beyond Kimchi and Maangchi for recipes.

Steps to Blanch Spinach for Bibimbap:

Boil & Salt: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt.

Blanch: Place fresh spinach into the boiling water for 30–40 seconds, or until it is just wilted and bright green.

Cool/Shock: Immediately drain and plunge the spinach into a bowl of ice-cold water (or rinse under cold running water for 1–2 minutes) to stop the cooking process.

Squeeze: Take handfuls of the spinach and squeeze firmly to remove as much water as possible.

Prepare for Seasoning: Cut the squeezed spinach into smaller, bite-sized pieces. 

Classic Seasoning for Sigeumchi-namul:

Soy Sauce/Salt: 1–2 tsp Soy sauce or salt.

Garlic: 1-2 Cloves, minced.

Sesame Oil: 1-2 tsp Toasted sesame oil.

Sesame Seeds: 1 tsp Toasted sesame seeds. 

Tip: For the best flavor, use Korean soup soy sauce (gukganjang) instead of regular soy sauce for a more authentic taste

I plan to look for a homemade kimchi and an adventurous homemade tofu recipe. Use the post labels to search for those in the future.

Roasted Pheasant with Citrus-Herb Stuffing & Pan Sauce

 I found these videos on Cooking Club of America's YouTube channel:

Cleaning a Pheasant:
https://youtu.be/YtAA3-9iXo0?si=5D5NfWr7ikOe-dTK

Brining and Cooking a Pheasant:
https://youtu.be/lAhQk2ihbOs?si=fBF2JgYaaMPE4U0I

Other videos for inspiration:
The Sporting Chef: https://youtu.be/c7Se3_u0oqg?si=IRegBnr2yGQGo4ZD
Bon Appetit's Brad: https://youtu.be/i80OccEM1Fo?si=cnRwdZTDse7KL__s

Brine Ingredients

5c Water
1 Cinnamon Stick (broken in half)
2 Bay Leaves
1/2c Brown Sugar
1/4c Kosher Salt
Star Anise
Allspice
Whole Clove Juniper
Crushed Nutmeg
Rosemary
Half an Orange

Brine in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours

Roasting the Pheasant

Ingredients

• 1 whole pheasant
• Carrots (enough to line the pan)
• 1–2 oranges
• 1 apple
• Fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 stick butter (divided)
• 1½ cups chicken stock (divided)
• Splash of apple cider

Instructions

1. Prepare the Roasting Pan

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Cut carrots lengthwise and lay them flat on the bottom of a small roasting pan.
• Arrange them so the pheasant can sit evenly on top.
  • This lifts the bird, improves air circulation, and helps create a flavorful sauce.

---

2. Stuff the Pheasant

• Place the pheasant on a clean surface.
• Stuff the cavity with:
  • Orange slices
  • Apple pieces
  • A generous handful of fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
• Pack the stuffing tightly to “poof” the bird — this helps it cook more evenly.

⚠️ Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw poultry.

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3. Season the Bird

• Rub the outside of the pheasant with extra virgin olive oil.
• Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Place the bird on top of the carrots in the roasting pan.
• Gently shake the pan to ensure it sits securely and evenly.

---

4. Add Moisture to the Pan

• Add:
  • ½ stick of butter
  • ½ cup chicken stock
• This will help keep the bird moist and form the base of the sauce.

---

5. Roast the Pheasant

• Roast in the preheated oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• For a crispy finish, switch the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes.

---

6. Rest the Bird

• Remove the pheasant from the oven.
• Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before carving.
  • This allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat moist.

---

7. Make the Pan Sauce

• Place the roasting pan with drippings on the stovetop over medium to high heat.
• Remove one of the roasted orange pieces from the pheasant, squeeze its juice into the pan, and discard solids.
• Add:
  • ½ stick of butter
  • 1 cup chicken stock mixed with a splash of apple cider
  • A pinch of salt
• Bring to a boil and let it reduce by about half.

---

8. Finish and Serve

• When ready to serve, bring the sauce back to a quick simmer.
• Pour the sauce over the rested pheasant.
• Carve and serve immediately.

Perfect Oven Fries

From America’s Test Kitchen:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Al4LYwOKsxw&t=435s&pp=2AGzA5ACAQ%3D%3D

Instructions:

Spray baking sheet with baking spray

Add 3 Tblspns veg oil to sheet, spread via tipping Cut 2 lbs Yukon Golds into rectangular planks

3 Tblspns cornstarch in 3/4 cup water

Microwave for 2 minutes, stir every 20 seconds

Toss potato planks in the slurry

Spread onto sheet with a bit of space between

Cover with greased alum foil

425˚ oven for twelve minutes, bottom rack

Remove foil, bake for 10-18 minutes

Turn planks, bake for 10-18 minutes  

Season with 1/2 Tblspn salt immediately

Move to paper towels Serve

Homemade Mushroom and Black Bean Burger

• Yellow Onion, Half, Diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Butter/Margerine, couple of knobs
• 1 package of mushrooms
• 1 can of black beans
• ground mustard seed
• onion granules
• cumin
• turmeric
• spicy brown or dijon mustard
• Panko bread crumbs
• celery salt (optional)
• egg (optional)

Part 1:

First I caramelized diced yellow onions in a pan

And then added the garlicI chopped up maitake mushrooms and sautéed them with the onions and garlic

In a ramekin I softened and melted butter and added a dash of better than bouillon — this mixture was then poured over the top of the mushrooms garlic and onions


Part 2:

I drained black beans and place them in a bowl.
I then added the spices: mustard seed, ground as well as onion granules celery salt, cumin, as well as turmeric.
To this mixture I also added a dash of spicy ground mustard.

Part 3:
The sautéed elements were then added to the bowl the black beans and mixed together. The loose mix was then placed into a food processor to create a finer, sticky or ground.

This mix combined with some Panko breadcrumbs and then mixed. I was unsure if the Panko helped create additional texture or if it dried out the recipe and made it break apart in the pan a little

Form into patties and cook both sides in the warm skillet used for the aromatics.

Paired with:

• Halved sweet potatoes, baked at 425˙ for 40 minutes
• Green beans dressed in olive oil, baked on sheet with sweet potatoes for 18-20 minutes

**Need to develop a stronger binding agent if keeping vegan, otherwise an egg would most likely work**