I mainly know Chinese food (sorry marygrether1_gmail_c I can’t immediately think about something really healthy). I don’t know how to make them myself though.
Zhajiangmian 炸醬麵: I guess it’s comfort food and it was a taste I was really not used to the first time. But due to curiosity I tried it a few times, and it’s such a great food. I only had it in Taiwan though, and I heard that they make it different in different regions, so I don’t know how it tastes in e.g. China or Korea (where it’s called jajangmyeon I think)
Guobaorou 锅包肉: It’s a dish from North-East China. It’s pork slices that are deep-fried (with potato starch on the outside) until crispy. And with some thick sweet-sour sauce over it. I hear that in some other places (not-in-the-Norht-East-places that the sauce is more liquid, never tried that before, only the with the thick sweet-and sour sauce)
Hongshaorou 红烧肉 (Red braised pork) Very good, it’s so soft it almost melts in your mouth.It’s also know (I have been told) as Mao Zedong’s favorite dish.
Beijing Kaoya/Beiping Kaoya (北京烤鸭/北平烤鸭) (Beijing Duck/Beiping Duck): surprisingly I had it in Beijing and I was a bit disappointed (because I was so looking forward to being amazed). Then a few years later I had Beijing Duck in Taipei (so far away from actual Beijing) and it was delicious. I don’t know why, if it’s a regional taste difference or if it was just a different taste because it was a different restaurant. But if I can have it again like I had in Taipei, I definitely want to eat it again!
A bit a classic I guess: I like Baozi 包子 and Jiaozi 饺子(steemed filled buns and dumplings). Again in North-East China I had a shop where they sold such good baozi. So juicy that I ruined one of my bedsheets when sitting on my bed eating it (but all worth it). I never had such good baozi as there. In Taiwan I tried to buy ones in convenience stores, but they always semed to have something hard/chewy inside of it, and even buns in a few other (more specialized) places could top the ones I ate at that one shop in N-E China. I feel like jiaozi are pretty much delicious anywhere I go.
they all sound good! I will look they up and see how they are made. Maybe I will try mone. l,et me ask this is the pork/beef/chicken different somehooe there than here, godh that sounds stupid! what I mean different food stuff they eat taken care of differently? stuff like that?
that would be bone broth, the vinegar helps breaking down the bone to extract the minerals and whatever is good there
I recommend apple cider vinegar best if organic like Braggs brand, the commercial ones like the white one are made of grain or corn likely gmo… I know some folks who do several batches of broth after several hours replace new water and simmer again…
I ordered the spicy rice cakes and sauce from Amazon… The first attempt I didn’t cook the noodles long enough so they were chewy so then I cooked them longer and they were perfect… The sauce is too hot for me and I added milk to make it milder but my teenage son is afraid to try it again since it was too spicy but he can eat wasabi and horseradish with no problem…I also ordered black bean noodles both instant (like ramen) and the sauce and noodles separate… The instant has a good flavor since they add the chicken stock and other ingredients to it but the sauce alone is too bitter since it doesn’t have the broth. Sugar or other flavors added… I will try to make the sauce by adding the ingredients to the jar paste to see if it tastes better or not
From the time I wrote that post (almost 2 years ago) I cooked and prepared at least 30 different Korean dishes for myself and for my friends. I now have 3 Korean cookbooks and am considering a new one, written by Maangchi.
From experience, spices in most tteokbokki recipes need to be halved for an average Westerner to be able to eat the food. Boiling some eggs makes it a less “traumatic” experience for newbies As well as adding plenty of sugar and/or honey. NB! The rice cakes must be chewy! At least inside That’s the charm of the dish.
When I have mostly guys coming over, I usually make Korean beef (bulgogi) or spicy chicken (dalkgalbi), for obvious reasons (boys and their meats).
My personal favorite is the soy bean paste stew with chicken and tofu. Delish! And veggie version is easy peasy.
How about a mild homemade Miso? You can put just about anything in Miso.
Boil about 20 OZ water with Dashi (You can get dashi packets)
and Dried Shitake for about 10 minutes
Add
Dried wakame seaweed
Tofu
Maybe some pieces of squid too or whatever else you want to toss in.
Cook just until the new stuff is cooked
Turn off the heat
ADD about 2 TBL Miso (soybean paste)
I like how you add squid to the soup. I would not think of that. I usually just add some thinly dried mushrooms at the bottom of the plate and pour the hot soup over them. So, in essence, they cook only half way.
Funny you mention miso soup. On Sunday I had another round of guests. This was the menu:
Deonjang jjigae (vegetarian, no chili, doenjang being similar to miso)
Beef bulgogi Spicy cabbage muchim
Mixed rice (white, brown and soy beans)
My guests were:
a vegetarian
a chili-intolerant person
a person who doesn’t like onions, peppers and zucchini
Omg jajangmyeon always look good, there’s a vegan alternative too since I’m vegan. Also tteokbokki is really good, my favorite instant flavor is black soybean
I tried to buy kimchi from the store and it tasted different from how people describe it. I was told that homemade anything always tastes better. I’m interested in trying any kind of udon noodle bowl, I’m a big noodle person and I don’t like thin noodles. Only regular size and big.
The Paldo jjajangmyeon is, as far as I can tell, vegan and really good! I like to stir fry some veg to mix with the sauce, but if you have a small amount of beyond beef to fry into crumbles that’s even tastier.
Maangchi has a good vegan kim chi recipe that’s not too hard to make.
luosifen (螺蛳粉）I’m not sure if anyone has seen this in cdramas, but it’s there. it’s known for its pungent smell, and some people hate it, but i absolutely love it. the flavor is hard to describe, it’s very savory, and slightly spicy. if anyone wants to buy packaged luosifen online, let me know, and i’ll recommend some good brands (some taste terrible, and will ruin your taste buds).
I am watching oceans likes me, and theres a dish they are talking about, udon, now I understand its noodles, but how different are they from say Ramon, or the other varieties? and is it easy to fix?
that the sauce is more liquid, never tried that before, only the with the thick sweet-and sour sauce)
I know some folks who do several batches of broth after several hours replace new water and simmer again…
As well as adding plenty of sugar and/or honey. NB! The rice cakes must be chewy! At least inside 
