Re-creation of Seoul Sausage Kimchi Balls

This week on pandagrub we are going to try to recreate Seoul Sausage's kimchi fried rice balls.

 The panda in the picture above is named Owo. Owo is sitting with the ingredients needed to make the kimchi balls. He is sitting with 2 cups of cooked white rice, 8 ounces kimchi, panko bread crumbs, 2 cups cheddar cheese, and 2 cups mozzarella cheese.(We used the mozzarella cheese in the Italian rice balls.)

 Owo is about to mix the kimchi, rice, and cheddar cheese together.  

 After mixing the kimchi/rice mixture the roll them into balls. Make sure to squeeze them very tightly while rolling. Now that we have rolled them into balls, Owo is going to dip them in egg wash (beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons of water) and the roll them in panko bread crumbs.

 First roll the kimchi balls in eggwash. 

Then roll them in breadcrumbs and get ready to fry them.

 This is what the kimchi balls should look like after you take them out of your fryer. Owo used a deep saucepan filled with 3-4 inches of oil.

These were the best things Owo and I have ever tasted on pandagrub. The kimchi balls were perfectly seasoned, very crispy, and spicy. 

We also made a dipping sauce out of 1 cup of mayo,1 tablespoon of Japanese miso dressing, the juice of one lemon, and red pepper flakes. For more information click here.  We thought that these rice balls tasted just as good as the ones we ate at Seoul Sausage!  We also made another version of rice balls called arancini!  They are Italian rice balls. 

 For the arancini, Owo and I used 2 cups of cooked rice, 1 egg, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Then we did the same steps as the kimchi balls rolled them in egg wash and breadcrumbs and then we fried them.

Owo and I also enjoyed these rice balls because of the melted cheese and perfect seasoning. Make sure to dip the balls in marinara sauce. For full information about these balls click here. 

Restaurant Review: Busboys and Poets

Sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I've been out of town on the east coast. This week on pandagrub we are going to be doing a restaurant review of Busboys and Poets.The address of Busboys and Poets is 1025 5th Street NW, Washington, D.C.

The twin pandas in the picture above are named Plum and Blossom. Plum is on the left, and belongs to my Aunt Tina, and Blossom, who belongs to me, is on the right. They are sitting with my dish, the grilled chicken panini. I thought that this was one of the best paninis that I've ever had because the chicken was cooked perfectly and the bread was crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside.

 Now Plum and Blossom are sitting with my Aunt Tina's dish. She ordered the homemade meatloaf. She especially enjoyed the garlic- herb mashed potatoes due to their perfect seasoning.

Plum and Blossom are now sitting with my dad's dish, the shrimp and grits. My dad enjoyed the shrimp as it was cooked perfectly and because it was engulfed in a creamy cajun sauce. 

 Plum and Blossom are sitting with my brother's dish. He ordered the blackened salmon. My brother enjoyed the perfect seasoning on the salmon and the delicious wild rice.

Now Plum and Blossom are sitting with the final dish of the day, my Aunt Doris's dish. My Aunt ordered the fried chicken with mashed potatoes. She thought that the chicken was very moist and tender. She also thought that the mashed potatoes were superb.
Busboys and Poets is a special restaurant because it's a haven for progressive political and social movements. In addition to serving great food they also have great community events. I enjoyed this restaurant and my trip to Washington, D.C. and I hope that I can go there again. Just by reading the menu I learned about a poet named Langston Hughes, here is one of his poems.

I, Too

BY LANGSTON HUGHES

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

I, too, am America

Restaurant Review: Seoul Sausage

This week on pandagrub we are going to do a restaurant review on Seoul Sausage. Seoul Sausage won the Great Food Truck Race on Food Network. You may remember Seoul Sausage from my 626 Night Market post.

 Seoul Sausage's address is 11313 Mississippi Ave. Los Angeles,CA 90025.

 The panda in the picture above is named Boba. Boba is sitting with my meal. I ordered one flaming fried ball and one Lil 'Osaka fried ball. The Lil 'Osaka fried balls consist of curry and rice. The flaming fried balls contain kimchi fried rice and cheese. 

 This is the inside of the Lil 'Osaka ball. I enjoyed fried ball this very much because of its bold flavors and perfect seasoning. My favorite part of this ball was the curry.

Although both fried balls were good, Boba and I enjoyed the Kimchi ball more because it was spicy. The cheese was a very nice touch. My favorite part of this fried ball was the kimchi.

 Now Boba is sitting with what my dad and brother ordered. They both ordered the same thing: galbi sausage sandwiches. They thought that the sausage was juicy,moist,and very flavorful.

Boba,my dad,my brother,and I all shared this dish. We got one of the specials called Da KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). It was kimchi cornbread and spicy chicken. We all enjoyed the kimchi cornbread more than the chicken because the chicken was a little bit hard.(I think my mom's recipe of this dish is much better.) However,seasoning of both components of the dish was impeccable.

That kimchi cornbread and fried chicken were the perfect way to end lunch. We will definitely come back to Seoul Sausage. Next time Boba and I will try the Spicy Pork sandwich with apple cabbage slaw. For the full information about Seoul Sausage click here.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

This week on pandagrub we are going to be making ice cream. My brother is studying thermodynamics in science. This was his lab experiment for the week. This was a really fun and delicious experiment!

 The panda in the picture above is named Bao Bao. Bao Bao is sitting with the ingredients that we are going to use in the ice cream. He is sitting with salt, two trays worth of ice cubes,vanilla extract,and half and half.

 First Bao Bao doubled bagged two sandwich bags. In the sandwich bags, he put in 1/2 of a cup of half and half,1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then - he sealed the sandwich bags tightly.  Then in a larger sized freezer bag, Bao Bao added 6 tablespoons of salt to the ice. Bao Bao put the sandwich bag into the freezer bag and then he shook the bag for nine minutes.(Remember to close both bags before shaking!) Make sure to shake the bag in three minute intervals. After the first interval the mixture in the sandwich bag should be the consistency of milk. After the second interval the mixture should be the consistency of melted marshmallows. After the third and final interval the mixture should be ICE CREAM!!!!  It was an amazing transformation.

 Bao Bao thought that this was the best ice cream that he ever has had. He said it was perfectly creamy and smooth.

See you next time!!!!!

Pandagrub:Halloween Edition

This week on pandagrub we are going to be celebrating Halloween! The panda that we are using is a new panda. He is from China. We are going to show him how to celebrate Halloween.

 The panda in the picture above is named Professor Zhang. We named him this because of his professorial clothing. Professor Zhang is sitting with the ingredients that we are using to make caramel candies. The ingredients are vanilla, light corn syrup, heavy cream, and unsalted butter.

 Professor Zhang is melting the butter in a saucepan.  After the butter melts, just add the remaining ingredients while stirring continuously on medium heat.  (Sorry -- I forgot to take pictures of this step!)

 Now that we have finished making the caramel we are going to let it cool. Professor Zhang is pouring the caramel into a nine-inch pan.  And that's basically it!  It's so easy!  (And sooooo gooooood!)

 Now that the caramel has cooled,we are going to cut it into pieces. Make sure not to cool the caramel for too long or it will become too hard and impossible to cut. If you cool the caramel too long, you can melt it a little by putting in the oven. Don't put the caramel in the oven for too long or the caramel will melt.

We wrapped the caramel in wax paper squares. It took us a while to wrap them all but it was worth it because now they look like "real" candies. 

All of Professor Zhang's hard work has paid off! Now he gets to eat all of the caramels!  For Halloween, we are going to teach him how to trick or treat.  His costume will be...... you guessed it... a professorial panda!!!  For the full recipe for the caramels, click here.

I brought my candies to school and gymnastics and shared them with my friends and coaches.  Everyone said that they were delicious!

This year for Halloween, my best friend Maya and I are going to be peanut butter and jelly. Maya  is going to be peanut butter, and I am going to be jelly. We made our costumes together with things we found around the house.  We used cardboard, felt, aluminum foil, and lots and lots of glue.  What are you going to be for Halloween?  Are you making your costume?  Send us your photos!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Pandagrub: Pumpkin Painting Edition

This week on pandagrub we are going to be painting pumpkins!

I am going to show some ways to decorate your pumpkin without taking the guts out and making a mess.

Can you guess what I am going to do with my pumpkin? I am going to make a panda pumpkin!

 Can you tell Flatty and the pumpkin apart?

 Professor Shang painted pi on her pumpkin. So now it's pumpkin "pi"!

Here are some other ways to decorate your pumpkins. I made a Hello Kitty pumpkin,two glitter pumpkins,and I drew a design on the last one. I made all of these pumpkins without making a mess! For last year's Halloween edition I made twix bars and dressed up all the pandas. For the full information about last year's Halloween edition click here.Last year I dressed up as Cup of Noodles. Stay tuned for this year's Halloween edition! 

Restaurant Review:Umami Burger

This week on pandagrub we are going to be doing a restaurant review of Umami Burger. Umami Burger has locations in Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Los Angeles,Thousand Oaks,Costa Mesa, Hermosa Beach,Studio City, Santa Monica, Hollywood,La Brea,and Cahuenga.

I went to the Umami Burger in Hermosa Beach.

The panda in the picture above is named Oreo. Oreo is sitting with the burger that my dad ordered. My dad ordered the Ahi Tuna burger.He thought that the burger tasted like a healthy fish and chips. He especially enjoyed the sauce that was on the tuna. Inside his burger was ahi tuna,avocado,daikon sprouts,pickled ginger, and wasabi flakes.

 Oreo is now sitting with my brother's burger. My brother ordered the Umami Burger. He said that it was the best burger he ever had! He thought this because the meat was super juicy and tender and he also liked that the parmesan cheese was crispy. His burger contained shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions,roasted tomatoes,parmesan crisp, and umami ketchup.

Now Oreo is sitting with my burger, the Cali Burger. I also thought that this was the best burger that I  ever have eaten. I loved this burger because it was juicy and the bun was toasted to perfection. My burger consisted of butter lettuce,roasted tomatoes, house spread,american cheese,and caramelized onions.

Umami Burger even brands their burgers! I  will definitely go to Umami Burger again, next time I will try the Umami Burger. For the full information about Umami Burger click here.