Mama Pak's Kitchen

Tonight while putting this together, I had an opportunity to reminisce on my mpk days. Although it is now my past, I met some amazing people and had the most memorable experiences. I really loved it all. Thank you for being apart of my journey ❤

Happy Friday! Family fav for our lunch today 🌱 Here's how I make it:

Pesto Recipe
2 handfuls basil, washed and dried
1/4 heaping cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
1/2 to 3/4 extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

You can add all listed ingredients in a food processor and blend, but I personally like to add them one by one and pulse few times per ingredient. I start with basil, then pine nuts, then garlic, then parm reggiano. When these ingredients are chopped pretty well in the food processor, I then slowly add the olive oil and blend till it becomes a nice consistency. Start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you want to make what I made today, this is what I did:

Pat dry some shrimp and add a tbsp of pesto and toss. Pan sear the shrimp over medium heat for few minutes on each side. Set aside.

Cook any pasta of your choice (farfelle or fettuccine is my fav). After transferring 1-2 tbsp of pasta water to a small bowl, drain well. Transfer cooked pasta back into the pot or mixing bowl and add few tbsp of pesto (I usually use up all for 3-4 servings). Add a tbsp of pasta water and toss well. Transfer to plate and top with shrimp, lemon slice, parm cheese, and freshly grated black pepper. Enjoy!

Boodaejjigae (Army base stew) for lunch today! For those who have tried it are probably thinking, omg i want this now! For those who haven't, you might be thinking, hotdog meat and spam in a stew?

This Korean-American dish was invented after the Korean war where they incorporated Korean ingredients and American can/processed food that were brought in by the American army when they were stationed in Korea (or something like that lol). It became really popular and considered one of Korea's favourite comfort foods.

You may need to make a stop at your local Korean market to make this dish. If you're interested, here's how I do it:

1 cup pork (they have ones for stew or you can use pork belly), cut into small pieces
1/2 can of spam or any ham, sliced
3-4 hotdog meat, sliced
1/2 cup rice cake (any shape)
1/2 package of tofu, sliced
1 cup kimchi
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 instant noodles (just the noodles)
Handful of enoki mushrooms, optional
2 cups seasoned beef bone broth (u can buy these at the market) + 2 cups water OR 4 cups anchovie broth OR 4 cups chicken broth

*You can also add canned bake beans and processed cheese, but I omitted them.

Stew sauce:
2-4 tbsp korean chili pepper powder (gochugaru) Add based on how spicy you want it. I added 2 to accommodate my son
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 tbsp fermented bean paste (dwenjang)
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce (get the one that's made for soup if you can)

Photo 1 - In a small mixing bowl, add all stew sauce ingredients and mix well. In a large pan or stew pan, add all listed ingredients above expect the broth. Add the sauce on top.

Photo 2 - 10 mins before serving, add broth and transfer pan over to the stove or portable burner.

Photo 3 - Bring to boil and cook for 5-7 minutes while you pour the broth over the ingredients with a spoon. At this point, you can take out the noodles to prevent it from overcooking (or you can add the noodles later)

Photo 4 - Lower the heat to medium low and let it simmer for couple more minutes until everything is cooked. If you plan on adding the cheese and beans, you can add it now. Add the noodles back in and serve with rice :)

After the birth of my second (he's 8 weeks now!), all I have been craving are carbs, carbs, carbs! Nursing makes you incredibly hungry and I wanted to make something other than eating loads of toast every morning.

I love hash browns and it's actually quite easy to make. Here's how I do it:
2 large russet potatoes (for 1-2 servings)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Photo 2 - Shred the potatoes using a cheese grater (the largest hole) then tranfer to a large bowl filled with cold water and stir (this is to get rid of the excess starch). Drain the water and repeat.

Photo 3 - Using your hands, squeeze out the water as much as you can, then transfer to towel lined cutting board. Spread it out then add another layer of towel and pat down to get rid of the moisture. This is important if you want crispy hash browns!

Photo 4 - Using your skillet, heat couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once the skillet is well heated, thinly spread the shredded potatoes into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and let it cook until a brown crust is forms on the bottom and edges (4-5 mins).

Photo 5 - Lift the edges. If the edges hold well and the bottom is nicely browned, you're ready to flip! You can use two spatulas to flip it over. Drizzle little oil around the edges. Let it cook for few more minutes. Always check the heat to make sure it doesn't burn. At one point, I had to lower the heat to low. Every stove is different and you know your stove the best :)

Transfer to a plate and serve as is or add toppings like scallions, sour cream, bacon bits, etc.

I plan on sharing more simple and easy recipes with you going forward, so please visit again!

Happy Sunday friends 🤗

Merry belated Christmas! Instead of our traditional turkey dinner, we decided to have surf and turf instead 😋 For brunch today, I made lobster bisque with the leftover shells and leg meat for my family. So delicious!

Hope everyone is well! Trying to adjust to this new norm in the past few months has been challenging.

After finding the best way to bring back my services, I've decided to start with the grazing boxes (weekends only). Contactless pick up or delivery available in the GTA. Today I had couple of clients order some grazing boxes for a small gathering with their loved ones. I was so happy to make them!

Dessert for breakfast too much? Nahhh

Weekend breakfast 🍳

Those fruit loops are mine 😋

Some comfort food to end my day. My boys can easily finish that whole loaf of baguette 😂

I hope everyone is doing well despite everything that is going on. just wanted to post something that makes me happy... full table of food! Stay safe and healthy all 🥰

Till we mingle around this spread again, stay heathy and safe 💕

With the constant new developments regarding COVID-19, Mama Pak's Kitchen is temporarily closed until further notice.

All events for this month and next have been cancelled with a full refund with option to reschedule.

Thank you for your understanding as we believe it is our duty to slow the spread for everyone's health and safety during this time.

We hope that everyone stays safe, healthy, and practices social distancing to flatten the curve ❤

Grazing platter for our glam and graze winner and her bff after their relaxing facial by 🥰

So into coconut bowls these days 🥥

Happy valentine's day to all 🥰😍😘

Another look at this weekend's spread 🥰