I hope everyone had a wonderful jolly Christmas time. So, I took a few days off of blogging to relax and take care of my family, as well as to collect my thoughts about my goals for the next year regarding my site.

Well, I consider blogging my job, so maintaining it at least once a month behind the scenes, of course, is necessary. It is not easy, but I like to take everything into my own hands so organizing and maintaining as well as coding is done by yours truly.

When I decide to do maintenance or any changes on my blog which takes around 6-8 hrs a day, well I make a large amount of food one day before or early in the morning so I don’t have to get up and make something new. That is how this incredibly simple slow cooked beef made it last week on our table.

I know it takes more than an hour to cook, but I always said many times that I love the most when food is simmering and the aroma just wrapping my whole house especially in the winter time. Most of the time I rely on quick and easy recipes, ones that I can make in less than 30 minutes.

Click here for more Korean inspired recipes.

I cook 7 days a week, 3-4 meals a day, 365 days a year; even when I know that I will go out to eat, there is a meal in the pot on my stove.

Just tonight I made a dinner from scratch and you won’t believe that I made corn muffins, boneless ribs, red roasted baked potatoes, flatbread, and few side dishes under 1 hour. Yup! I have outdone myself, HA! Pat on the back… I have ha ouse full of growing kids, so multitasking in my kitchen is a “MUST”.

Koreanized Slow Cooked beef is absolutely amazing. The meat is tender, almost melts in your mouth and the sauce is a balance between savory and spicy, with a hint of sweetness. I mean you will not get any better than this especially if you happen to love Korean food, slow-cooked food and spicy.

I served it over stove cooked rice that is more like steamed because it cooked for less than 15 minutes that I take it off and leave the lid on for 10 minutes.

Wonderful lunch or dinner that I know that you will love as much as we do. I made kimchi used in this recipe but you are more than welcome to get jar one from the store.

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Slow Cooked Beef with Kimchi

Course Main Course

Keyword asian food, beef, dinner

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. Grapeseed Oil or any on hand
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast or beef tenderloin cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 Carrot sliced or shredded
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp. Fresh ginger minced
• 1 cup beef broth reduced sodium
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce  low-sodium
• 2 tsp. Mirin or any Rice wine
• 1 Tbs. Gochujang use 1/2 Tbsp. for less spicy
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups chopped Kimchi
• 1 Tbs. Sesame oil
• 1 Tbs. sesame seeds toasted, for garnish
• 2 Scallions for garnish chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oil in the saute or frying pan then add beef cubes in and in the single layer let them cook for 4-5 minutes or until all the pieces are browned on all sides. Take it out of the pan and onto the plate.
2. Turn the heat on low and add onion and carrot, stir fry for few minutes then add garlic, ginger, stir fry to infuse oil with all the ingredients, then scrape the bottom while adding beef broth and bay leaf.
3. Add soy sauce and mirin (rice wine). Add gochujang and mix it in while the broth is bubbling, then return the meat add water and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat on low and simmer for 1 hour to an hour and a half. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily, stir occasionally, until the meat is tender, depending on the cut you used. If the liquid goes down, you can always add a little bit more.
4. After 1 hour (or hour and a half)of simmering take out bay leaf, add the chopped kimchi, and cook for the next 20 minutes. Uncover, then taste and adjust seasoning. You may add more salt if necessary. Stir in sesame oil if desired.
5. Serve immediately over cooked rice with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions.

Recipe Notes

Yes, you can transfer everything in the slow cooker and cook for more than an hour and 20 minutes. Once the beef is tender it’s done; depending on the cut that you are using it may take less or more than the time in the recipe. Tenderloin cooks faster! Mirin is a cooking sweet rice wine, it is not vinegar and shouldn’t be confused with one another. You can omit it and use sugar, Sake or any other Rice wines if you desire. For less spicy, use less Korean Chili Pepper paste and of course look at the number on the gochujang package…I used #3 which is medium spicy, really mild taste, but you can go higher for spicier.

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I have always loved dumplings! They are comfort food for me. Some might not like the slightly chewy taste, but me, I can’t get enough of it!

My kids are not huge fans; they would eat it, but they don’t prefer it. More for me, right?!

Anyhow, my hubby and I enjoyed them very much. I had leftovers and he even ate it for breakfast. Some foods are actually so ugly when you look at your plate. Then the taste surprises you big time, and I think that is the case with these kinds of European dumplings.

They don’t look appealing, but the taste is just phenomenal. Of course, you got to mix with some kind of sauce or just use herbs, garlic, and butter with perhaps freshly shaved Parmesan.

It does require a bit of hard work, and patience until they come together. With that being said, why not make something from scratch. Have fun in the kitchen and experiment with the new flavors.

Now, these could be turned into gnocchi with a just slightly push of the table fork tins onto the dumplings pieces, and I did that and they were great.

However, prior to freezing, I did not layer them nicely in the box. So, once I started to boil they turn into large dumplings, and I was fine as long as I have some hot dough to munch on!

In this post, I am including a few of the pics how I made them, and I hope that helps you in order to make these for yourself.

Click here for tasty dinner ideas

As for sauteing the dumplings after they are boiled, I used my favorite flavors, but you are more than welcome to add whatever spice you would like or sauce that you and your household prefer.

I am not very good at making step by step instructions because most of the times my hands are full, so this time I have asked my girl Anna to take them as I was making the dough. 

Yield: 4 Servings

Sweet Potato Dumplings

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Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes (about 1 lb.)
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, or 1 Large (about 1/2 Lb.)
• 1-2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg (dry herbs if desired; rosemary, oregano, basil, etc.)
• 1/4 tsp. Salt + for seasoning the water
• Optional ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, corn... Etc.)
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 3 Scallions, chopped + more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp. Gochugaru, or more (substitute w/ Cayenne pepper)
• 3 tablespoons broth or stock, low sodium
• Soy sauce or salt to taste, and if necessary

Instructions

1. Boil russet potatoes in their skin and in lightly salted water until tender without allowing them to fall apart. Drain and peel while they are still slightly hot. 
2. Preheat the oven on 400F and bake sweet potato/s, until cooked. (Punch through with the fork, they should be tender.) Allow them to cool down for 10 minutes, then scoop out the orange potato flesh. 
3. Spread layer of flour on the working area of your countertop. Put both kinds peeled potatoes with a pinch or two of salt in a food processor or you can mash them with a fork or electric mixer and then put them on a flour. Sprinkle with half of the flour, mixing very lightly and then mix in the egg/s. 
4. Finally, add nutmeg to the dough and knead very lightly using remaining flour *if the dough is too loose/soft. When the dough is no longer moist, it's ready for rolling.
5. Divide the dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface and from each piece roll about 3/4 inch in diameters. Cut the rolled dough into about 3/4-inch-long pieces/dumplings. 
6. Shape each slightly round, and at this point, you might make them as gnocchi. (Read in the notes) 
7. Bring the water to boil with salt (2 tbsp. Salt per gallon of water), and drop maybe half dumplings into the large pot of boiling water... Or enough not to overcrowd the pot. 
8. When the dumplings rise to the surface they are done, about 2-3 minutes. Lift them with the slotted spoon, drain, and place into a bowl. Cover until all of them are done.
9. Preheat the oil in the frying pan with garlic, scallions and drop cooked dumplings in. Turn a few times until they look slightly golden brown. 
10. Meanwhile, mix 1 teaspoon of gochugaru (Korean red-hot chili pepper flakes) with 3 tablespoons of low sodium broth or stock. Season if necessary, with a splash of soy sauce or salt. Then pour over the dumplings. Let it cook for a few minutes just until it started to bubble. 
11. Serve it hot and garnish it with chopped green onions.

Notes

• If you are going to freeze them after you cut the dough, make sure to flour each as you layer dumplings in the box and on the wax paper or parchment paper one by one so it will be easy to separate. The best way to pack them is in portion sizes! 
• It can be in the freezer for up a month, make sure to label the box. For every 1 pound of the potatoes, you need to add 1 cup of flour and 1 egg. 
• You can make them without the sweet potatoes just increase regular potatoes. 
• Gnocchi: Hold an ordinary table fork with tines sideways, leaning on the board. Then one by one press and roll the gnocchi lightly with the tines of the fork toward the points, making a ridge on one side and pressure from your thumb on the other. 

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