14.185 Gamja Project (6) Stir-Fried Potatoes & Fishcakes with Thai Basil

Cycle 14 – Item 185

9 (Sun) July 2023

Stir-Fried Potatoes & Fishcakes with Thai Basil

2.5

by me

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with the Family

The Gamja Project (6)

This afternoon, I was very happy to discover that E-Mart has begun to diversify its range of non-Korean items, including potted herbs and rice.

First time that I’ve ever encountered Thai basil in Korea.

What I miss most about the food scene in the Philippines was daily access to a wide variety of ingredients – even if, frankly, freshness was always an issue.  My local supermarket in Manila had 8 types of rice (see for example 5.014 Kangkong & Shrimp with Fried Rice).

First time that I’ve ever encountered jasmin(e) rice in a mainstream Korean supermarket. 

To commemorate the occasion, I improvised a Thai potato dish.  Similar to pad (stir-fried) kaprao (holy basil) – which I’d started to learn back in the Philippines (see most recently 10.364 Pad Ka Prow with Pork & Asparagus), but gave up when I got to Korea (no kaprao) – but with Thai basil.  At the last minute, I tossed in (Korean) fish cakes for a bit of protein.  Served with jasmine rice.

Also on the table: pad si ew + pak boong fai daeng.

6.8 kg of potatoes remaining.

(See also THE GAMJA PROJECT)

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

2 thoughts on “14.185 Gamja Project (6) Stir-Fried Potatoes & Fishcakes with Thai Basil

  1. Interesting project (in terms of the contents and title)! Good to know that you now got some varieties in the food scene in Korea. Looking forward to seeing more posts 🙂

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