Premium Beef Korean BBQ~ HAN Modern Korean Grill, Menara Hap Seng 1

Blessed December with abundant of good food and good memories. A week before Christmas coming, I have dinner at Han Modern Korean Grill after work with colleague and a guest. Three of us share the family set which consist of all their signature halal certified beef~ marinated beef ribs, boneless prime short ribs, a whole slab of aged steak and beef belly. Just as good as my first time dine-in here before covid pandemic. This place was named "Han Wa Dam Modern Korean Grill" before they renamed it to Han Modern Korean Grill. After covid pandemic end, the restaurant has undergone some renovation and looks more luxury compare to before. Despite it is a pork free Korean BBQ restaurant (well there are quite a numbers of Korean restaurants around KLCC are pork free), the Korean BBQ beef is equally good as non-pork-free Korean BBQ. One of the prime Korean beef BBQ restaurant in KL City Centre.  

Samy & Min Bak Kut Teh, Pavilion KL

Went for a family vacation overseas before October end. After back to KL and meet a friend who is also back from holiday overseas for lunch at Pavilion; this friend says let's eat Bak Kut Teh because he hasn't taken any pork meal overseas for a week hahaha! I just had Samy BKT at Pavilion's 8th Avenue before I went for vacay lol. So here we are at Samy & Min for BKT lunch~ we shared a ka-wan (pork bend), pork belly, yau mak (baby lettuce), a bowl of scallion rice and pot of Heung Pin / Xiang pian Chinese tea. Our meal is good~ never bored of BKT though I had it quite frequent, the only fly in the ointment is the pork belly has mild odor (boar taint). It's our first time encounter this in BKT. Luckily the ka-wan doesn't have it otherwise we probably will ask for exchange.   

Public Park in Hartamas & Mont Kiara~ Sri Hartamas Park

Introduce this park to bestie when we went to Jie Mee Kopitiam for breakfast last week since it was her first time explore this part of Sri Hartamas. She is happy to found out the park has a roller rink as her little girl recently into roller skating. A week later, we are here again, on a cloudy yet not so hot but with little sun morning. Normally I would walk around the park and workout a little with those fitness equipment. But today I just want to rest at the gazebo (hide from the sun) and watch bestie accompanying her girl skating around (under the sun lol). These nice public park has a modern kid's playground with high and low slides and climbing features, 4 seaters spring rides & 4 swings next to it; a basketball court, tennis court, reflexology path, build in fitness equipment(s) along the hilly walking path, gazebo and benches under the tree for rest. The only one public park in Hartamas and Mont Kiara area.    

Stir fried webfoot octopus + pork belly~ Jjukkumi Samgyeopsal 쭈꾸미삼겹살볶음

Saw these frozen Jjukkumi (webfoot octopus) selling in NH mart. Since I just bought gochugaru last week to cook Saengseon Jjim (I rarely cook Korean food nowadays, was thinking of cook more korean food with the gochugaru to finish it); also thought of the Pan grilled Jjukkumi from Busanzip, Desa Sri Hartamas which I initially keen to try but later when I find out that they are pork free (meaning to say they don't serve Jjuk-sam) so plan is halt. So, I decided to buy the Jjukumi together with pork belly, spring onions and perilla leaves from NH Mart and cook Jjuksam (Jjukkumi Samgyeopsal) at home.

Ingredients (2 servings)

400gram Jjukkumi 

200gram Pork belly 

Half Carrot (cut into half month shape)

Half Yellow onion (thinly slice)

6 stalks of Spring onion (cut into finger length)

6 gloves of Garlic (to mince)

Lettuce & perilla leave for the wrap

To make seasoning sauce:

2 tablespoon Gochujang 

3 tablespoon Gochugaru 

4 tablespoon Soy sauce  

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon Sugar  

1 tablespoon corn syrup (I use honey) 

1 tablespoon of rice wine 

How to Cook:

Step 1

Clean the jjukkumi - cut and open the head of jjukkumi to remove the intestines and squeeze out the beak from the bottom (middle of all legs). The jjukkumi I got from the mart is already clean up so I just need to thaw it and clean them well with flour.

Step 2

Blanch the octopus - when the water start boiling, blanch the octopus for 30 seconds by adding 1-2 tablespoon of cooking wine to the boiling water. Remove it after 30 seconds and rinse with cold water and set aside. Do not overcook it as the octopus meat will turn hard.

Step 3

Prepare the vegetables and pork belly - thinly slice the yellow onions and carrots (half moon shape); cut the spring onions to finger length; chop one stalk of spring onion and one red chili pepper for garnish; minced 4 gloves of garlic for making seasoning sauce use; and cut the pork belly to desire size .**I cut the pork belly to 4cm width (which is about the width of 2 and half fingers when combine together) as I like bigger cuts.**

Step 4

Make seasoning sauce - Gochujang 2 tablespoon, Gochugaru 3 tablespoon, Soy sauce 4 tablespoon, Minced garlic 1 tablespoon (I use more here), Sugar 1 tablespoon, Corn syrup 1 tablespoon (I use honey), Rice wine 1 tablespoon, mix well. 

Step 5

Start cooking by grilled the pork belly on medium fire on pan until both side is cook. It takes about 1 minute for 1 side. No oil needed as the pork belly will release oil from it's fat during the grilling process.

Step 6

When the pork belly is done, add in the yellow onions, carrots and spring onions and stir fry for 1-2 minute until it is soften.

Step 7
Add in half of the seasoning sauce and continue stir fry for 1 minutes until the pork belly and veggies well coated with the seasoning sauce.

Step 8

Add in the parboil jjukkumi and the remaining half of the seasoning sauce, stir fry for another 1 minute until all mix well.

Step 9

Add in the chopped chili peppers and green onions and stir fry for a few seconds then you may off the fire.

Step 10
After off the fire and add in a tablespoon of sesame oil, mix well and it is ready for serve in plate.

I like to have it with wrap as usual, so lettuce and perilla leaves is a must have for me for this dish. The recipe is meant for 2 servings, if eat it with wrap it is just nice for 2 pax. Remember to keep some leftover to make bokkumbap (fried rice) with add in some sesame oil and shredded Korean seaweed at the end of the cooking!