Hi, I’m Daniel Gray. I’m a Korean-American storyteller, tour guide, and food expert who’s passionate about sharing Korea’s rich culture with the world. Over the years, I’ve hosted travelers, curated immersive tours, and appeared on shows like Netflix’s Street Food: Asia – Seoul. My goal is simple: to help you connect deeply with Korea through meaningful experiences, delicious food, and unforgettable stories.
When I'm coming up with something totally new, I try to write down the approximate proportions later so I don't forget, especially if it was really, really good.
These days I have been cooking quite a bit more. Now before I start, I set a budget of the amount of money I can spend and a time limit. Doing this really helps me to focus. About a week ago, I invited my friend Hoya to my house and I decided to make a roasted pork loin dish. Pork loin in Korea is quite cheap. You can get about 2 pounds for around 6,000 won ($5.50). Strangely, this lean cut of pork is cheaper than the fatty cuts of pork belly. My time limit for this dish was 30 minutes and 10,000 won. My cost for ingredients was 9,500 won.
Here is my beautiful friend Hoya. You can catch her food adventures at www.hoyacooks.com
To make the dish, I first made a cut down each pork loin. I made my slice a little more than half deep. I then seasoned the inside with some salt, some herbs de provence, lots of garlic, and butter. Then I sealed it up but bringing together the edges of the pork and running toothpicks through the ends of pork. (BE SURE TO REMOVE TOOTHPICKS BEFORE EATING)
I then seared the top of it--shaking the pan occasionally so the meat didn't stick. Once the top was seared, I flipped over the meat and threw it into a 200C oven for 25 minutes. Then I cleaned and peeled some potatoes and through in 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt into a pressure cooker. Oh, I added a 1/4 cup of extra water in the pressure cooker and then cooked the potatoes for 20 minutes. Once they come out, they can be easily smashed with a wooden spoon. The potatoes are silky smooth.
For dessert, I made mango rice pudding.
When I'm coming up with something totally new, I try to write down the approximate proportions later so I don't forget, especially if it was really, really good.
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