Discover Korean Food #24: Dr. Sook-Ja Yoon's "Juksoonchae Hongsi Sauce Muchim"

Juksoonchae Hongsi Sauce Muchim is a seasoned dish mixed with Bamboo Sprout, vegetable and meat in ripe Persimmon sauce.
Persimmon has a bitter taste.
According to traditional Korean Medicine Persimmon helps stop coughing and reduces body temperature.
Therefore, it prevents chronic bronchitis and influenza between seasons.
It also oxidizes alcohol quickly and is good for relieving hangovers.

Ingredients
* 1 can of Bamboo Sprouts 30g, Dropwort 20g, Bean Sprouts 40g, 3 Eggs, 3 Dates
* Beef 40g, Shiitake 10g, Soy Sauce ½ tbsp, Sugar ¼ tbsp, Chopped Spring Onion ½ tsp, minced Garlic ¼ tsp, Ground Sesame Mixed with Salt ¼ tsp, Black Pepper 1/8 tsp, Sesame Oil ½ tsp
* Ripe Persimmon Sauce: Drained Ripe Persimmon 40g, Persimmon Vinegar 2 tbsp (12g), Sugar ½ tbsp, Honey ½ tbsp, Salt ¼ tsp, Lemon Juice 1tbsp

Recipe
1. Wash Bean sprouts after removing the heads and the tails. Put into boiling salted water and blanche them.
2. Remove the leaves of the Dropworts and trim the stalks. Wash them. Put into the boiled salted water and blanche them. Rinse in the cold water. Cut into 3cm lengths.
3. Wash the beef removing excess blood. Chop into 0.5cm widths and depths and 5cm lengths. Marinate and fry.
4. Soak the Shiitake in medium lukewarm water for an hour. Remove the tops. Chop into 0.5cm widths and depths and 5cm lengths. Marinate and then fry in vegetable oil.
5. Wash the Bamboo Sprouts and chop into 0.5cm widths and depths and 5 cm lengths thereby maintaining its pattern of the sprouts.
6. Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs then fry each in turn. Slice them into 0.3 cm widths and 4cm lengths.
7. Wipe the dates with cotton. Peel them, remove the seeds and cut them into 0.3cm widths.
8. Prepare the Ripe Persimmon sauce
9. Mix the ingredients with the Ripe Persimmon sauce.

Sejong City to become nat'l center for education and science

The new city of Sejong to be constructed in Yeongi-gun (county), South Chungcheong Province, will become the center for national educational and scientific development, according to the government's plan announced early January.

The city was named after King Sejong the Great of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) who created Hangeul (Korean alphabet) and led the dynasty's scientific and technological advances during his reign.

The initial plan for the city development was drafted during the previous administration (2003-2008) and aimed at creating a multifunctional administrative city in the Chungcheong area.

But the new plan revealed in January aims to make it an economic hub for science and education in the region: Sejong City will be reshaped into a center of industries, universities and research institutions that are conducive to creating jobs and wealth.

The future-oriented city, to accommodate around 500,000 people, is known to have benchmarked the science research districts of Dresden (Germany), Research Triangle Park (United States) and CERN (Switzerland).

In Sejong City will be built an ion beam facility, a basic science research center, a fusion technology center and an international science graduate school. All these facilities will be linked to a new scientific complex (provisionally named the Sejong International Science Institute), which will come to match the renown of Japan's Riken Institute and Germany's Max Planck Institutes.

Five major conglomerates -- Samsung, Hanwha, Woongjin, Lotte and Austria's SSF -- have pledged to invest in the new city's development in the fields of renewable energy, solar energy, light-emitting diodes (LED) and many other eco-friendly businesses.

On the academic front, Korea University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have signed on to build campuses in the city.

The government expects the new city project will create about 250,000 new jobs.

Asiana Certified as ‘5 Star Airline’ for 4 Consecutive Years

Asiana Airlines (President: Young-Doo, Yoon) has been certified as a ‘5 Star Airline’ for 4 consecutive years from the world-renowned airline research organization ‘Skytrax.’

Asiana Airlines President & CEO Young-Doo, Yoon received the ‘5 Star Airline’ certificate from Edward Plaisted(Chairman of Skytrax) on the 25th of February, 9am at Gangseo-Gu, Osae-Dong head quarters of Asiana Airlines.

The definition of ‘5 Star Airline’ according to Skytrax, means an airline that is innovative and leading in the area of services that other airlines benchmark. Asiana was first certified in May of 2007 and continuously for 4 years have been chosen as the ‘5 Star Airline’ positioning Asiana both nominally and virtually the world’s best service providing airliner.

The World Airline Star Ranking, reaching it’s 11th year, is conducted every year. Assessments are measured from a lowest score of 1-star to a highest score of 5-star. This ranking system is considered to be the most authoritative quality-ranking system in the airline industry.

The World Airline Star Ranking ranks 800 categories of airlines for its quality in airport and cabin services. In order to keep a fair service assessment, the judging committee members secretly boards airlines and make evaluation of the services. The ‘5- Star Airline’ group is only composed of 6 members worldwide: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Kingfisher and Asiana Airlines.

Skytrax, renowned for its World Airline Star Rating Programme, established in 1989 in England, has conducted product and service quality analysis for the world airlines with a unique format for assessing and quantifying quality standards for over 18 years.

Meanwhile, Asiana Airlines and Amadeus, world leading airline IT(Information Technology) servicing corporation, signed a MOU to commence the evaluation and scoping of the potential implementation of the Amadeus Altea Customer Management System(CMS).

Both companies agreed upon to implement the newly adopted system from 2011 and to provide services starting in 2014 for domestic market.

The ‘Altea’ solution that Asiana is adopting, manages all reservation, inventory and departure control processes for Asiana, delivering a fully integrated Customer Management System. As an existing member airline of the Star Alliance, which has selected Altéa as its Common Information Technology Platform (CITP), Asiana will also be able to more seamlessly codeshare and partner with other 155 alliance member airlines.

Asiana Airlines have been self-managing the ARTIS-Ⅱ, adopted from British Airways in 1995. But by adopting the Altéa Reservation system, Asiana will be assured of a seamless reservation service across all sales channels through the unique sharing of reservation services between Asiana and travel agencies. Altéa Inventory streamlines Asiana’s flight schedule management and allows for the timely introduction of new products. Altéa Departure Control has been designed to automate all airport processes, from check-in to disruption.

Kwang Hee Ryu, Executive Vice President, Asiana Airlines Commercial Passenger said, “Asiana prides itself in providing the highest levels of customer service during the travel experience, from booking and check-in, through to our in-flight and post-flight services. As a Star Alliance member, adopting the complete Altéa solution is a logical decision to guarantee we maintain our competitive edge while also having a positive impact on our bottom line. The automation of inventory control, check-in and departure will allow us to deploy our resources in more value-added areas.”

The Amadeus IT Group’s HQ is located in Madrid, Spain and has a strong history of providing the finest IT services in the global airline sector. Last year’s sales were 24 hundred million Euros. Amadeus covers over 30% of the global passengers and have been transporting 6.7 hundred million passengers globally. 12 Star Alliance member carriers including Lufthansa and Singapore and other 155 airliners are currently supplied with the Altea system.

Discover Japanese Food #12: Sanshoku Soboro Bento (THE EAST Campaign in Association with Atsuko’s Kitchen)

Bento boxes are served everywhere in Japan - work places, schools, department stores, and even on the trains. These tasty Japanese lunch boxes have been enjoyed for over 800 years!There are many styles of bento boxes. For example, “shokado bento” is a large lacquered bento box which normally has 4 compartments. Each space contains rice, sashimi, tempura, nimono (stewed dish), and pickled vegetables. The most common style of home made bento contains rice with umeboshi (salted plum), tamago yaki (egg roll), kara age (fried chicken), and potato salad (Japanese style), amongst others. The dishes used should be very well balanced, such as rice, as a main dish, then protein from meat, fish, or egg, minerals from seaweeds, and vitamins from vegetables. Anyone can make their own bento. It is very common for people to make or pack their own bento in the morning for school, office, or picnics! This recipe is called “Sanshoku soboro bento”, which means three colours ingredients. Very ordinary ingredients are placed in top of the rice, but there is a unique method to make fine flakes of meat and egg, which can also be used as a topping for salads, tofu and rice.

Ingredients (for 2 bento boxes)

2 cups of Japanese rice (cooked)

8 mange tout

4 sliced carrot (for garnish)

2 sliced takenoko (bamboo shoot)

1 tsp sunflower oil

A pinch of salt

For pork soboro:

200g minced pork

3 cm ginger (finely chopped)

2 tbsp sake

2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp red miso2 tbsp shoyu

For egg soboro:

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp mirin

Method

1. To make the pork soboro, heat a medium size sauce pan, fry the minced pork without oil, stir using 4 chopsticks to make fine flakes until it browns.

2. Add ginger, sake, and sugar to the sauce pan then stir constantly.

3. Add red miso and shoyu, and keep on stirring until the liquid has evaporated. It will burn quickly when you stop stirring so don’t stop it until it becomes dry and forms fine flakes! You can keep the pork soboro in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

4. To make the egg soboro, mix the eggs, salt and mirin in a small sauce pan.

5. Heat the sauce pan to medium, stir constantly using 4 chopsticks until it becomes finely scrambled.

6. Bring the water to the boil, cook mange tout and sliced carrot for few mins then wash in cold water to preserve the colour.

7. Slice the mange tout diagonally.

8. Fry the sliced takenoko to brown both sides, sprinkle with a little salt.

For the final stage, you will choose the right size of your bento box which will be suitable for soboro bento.

You put the cooked rice at the bottom of your bento box to make a bed of rice which will be at 80% of the height of the box. Then cover the rice with 3 colourful toppings. For soboro bento, the best type of box is low in height and has a sealed lid.

* A tip for eating - mix the toppings with the rice underneath, then eat with a spoon, to make it easier.

** The next “Bento workshop” will be held on the 21st March.

Nissan Reveals For The First Time Its All-New Small Crossover Juke

Nissan revealed for the first time its all-new small Crossover, Juke.
Designed to offer a refreshing alternative for customers who are shopping in the small car segment of the market, but uninspired by the traditional offerings, Juke is a distinctive combination of SUV toughness and sporting style. Juke will inject some much needed masculinity and dynamism into the small car market.
The decision to introduce the industry's fisrst small crossover into the small car market reflects Nissan's philosophy of challenging conventions in Europe.
"In the last five years we have enjoyed significant growth in a crowded European market. This has been achieved by challenging traditional patterns and moving away from the C and D segments. Instead, we have pioneered the introduction of crossovers. We started with Murano and then, in higher volumes, with Qashqai - a car which has far exceeded our expectations. Sales have exceeded half-a-million in Europe in less than 3 years," said Colin Dodge, Executive Vice President.
Juke will be manufactured in Europe at Nissan's factory in Sunderland, England, and in Oppama, Japan. In Europe, its production alongside the Note compact family car and Qashqai crossover is the result of an investment in excess of 60m Euros, which safeguards over 1000 Nissan jobs, and more than 2000 in the supply chain.
Sales of Juke will begin in Japan in the summer, with the European and North American launch beginning in the autumn.
DesignFrom a design standpoint, the lower portion of Juke is pure SUV. It combines chunky wheels, wide tyres, extended ground clearance and a robust stance with a top portion that is unadulterated sports car, with a high waistline, slim visor-like side glass graphics and a coupé-style falling roofline. The coupé effect is further underlined by the rear doors which have their handles hidden in the frame of the door.
Inside, the sports car theme continues with a driver-focused cabin dominated by a centre console design inspired by a motorcycle fuel tank. Finished in a distinctive high gloss colour, the 'bike' console adds a sense of fun to the car. Practicality is assured by the rear-opening hatch and versatile luggage area with hidden storage opportunities.
Speaking at the launch, Nissan's Senior Vice President for Design and Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, said: "It was our intention to challenge the conventions. I really think Juke will bring something different for customers - something more emotional, energetic, more masculine".

Juke is based on the Renault Nissan Alliance B platform and has a 2530mm wheelbase, is 4135mm long, 1765mm wide and 1570mm tall. On front-wheel drive versions, suspension is by MacPherson struts at the front with a torsion beam at the rear while four-wheel drive models have a multi-link rear suspension modelled on the system found on Qashqai.
The ALL-MODE 4x4-i, is a new development of Nissan's respected electronic all-wheel drive system and now features torque-vectoring technology to enhance agility and reduce understeer when cornering. As well splitting torque front to rear - up to a maximum of 50:50 - it can now be split from side-to-side across the rear axle, too.
Cornering ability is enhanced by sending increased torque to the outside rear wheel, reducing understeer. In total, up to 50% of the total available engine torque can be sent to either rear wheel. The inclusion of this innovation is a first in the small car segment - a technology that has, until now, only been found on top-of-the-range, premium vehicles.
Engines & transmissionsIn Europe, three different engines will be available when sales start later in the year: one diesel and two 1.6-litre petrol units, all fully Euro 5 compliant. At the top of the range is a new turbocharged petrol engine (MR16DDT) with direct injection. The engine is one of the most powerful in its class, developing 140kW (190PS) and 240 Nm. The combination of direct injection with a turbocharger provides the power and responses expected from a 2.5-litre engine with the economy of a smaller engine.

Olympus E-PL1: Great pictures for everyone

In today’s world you’ve got to give the people what they want. And they’re going to want the new Olympus E-PL1. Not only does it deliver extraordinary digital images, it’s the perfect tool for anyone who hesitated to buy SLRs because they find them too complicated. The possibilities are virtually endless with this easy to use retro-cool model. With great features like HD movie shooting and impressive Art Filters, you too can take exceptional pictures. Its 100% stabilised body even lets you shoot blur-free with all lenses. Combining SLR performance and a lightweight design, PEN lets you create exciting, innovative shots, preserving those moments in life you want captured forever. The ultimate democratising force in quality photography, the E-PL1 is available from March 2010 at a retail price of just €599.
A hybrid of SLR performance embodying the latest technologies and compact comfort, PEN constitutes a new class of camera. The E-PL1 with integrated flash houses a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, producing beautiful, razor-sharp photos and HD movies, and the TruePic V engine guarantees superior image quality at up to ISO 3200. Mechanical in-camera image stabilisation provides shake protection of up to 3 EV, effective regardless which lens you decide to use. The high definition AVI format movie option is available at 30fps and 1280x720p resolution – recording up to 7 minutes of film in a single shot. And all this top drawer technology comes in a neat pocket-sized camera.
Helping you take your best photos the new Live Guide speaks plain language, making it easier than ever to change difficult SLR camera effects like depth of field. These can then be monitored on the 2.7” HyperCrystal LCD. i-Enhance, for example, makes sure all colours in your picture spectrum are vivid and rich. It is automatically applied in conjunction with i-Auto mode, which recognises what kind of scene or subject you’re taking and adjusts settings accordingly, or can be used alone. And e-Portrait gives your subjects a quick facelift by glossing over impurities. With the abundance of supportive features and excellent technology, feeling like a pro is a given.

Mobile World Congress: “2010 is the Year of the Flexible Browser” Movial Unleashes IXS Browser on QtWebKit for All 4 Screens

Movial, the company that inspires rich and intuitive Internet experiences today announced the immediate availability of its new cross platform Movial IXS Browser running on QtWebKit.

An intuitive, versatile and flexible solution that leverages the performance excellence of QtWebKit, Movial IXS Browser enables developers to easily deploy and port the same touchscreen optimized UI (User Interface) code across virtually any device.

A Qt Certified Partner, Movial will demonstrate its newest solution on LG-Nortel's 4th screen home multimedia tablet demo device at the Qt Development Frameworks Stand 1E44 at Mobile World Congress.

At the Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) Stand (8A84), Movial will demo an innovative contextual version of the Movial IXS Browser using TI’s OMAP4430 processor. The demo showcases an innovative dual-screen UI that enables users to view one screen as a regular browser window while another screen independently locates and delivers information, news, blogs, Tweets and other media that is directly related to content on the first screen.

“As part of our strong ecosystem, Movial helps bring intuitive and innovative mobile Internet experiences to our customers and, in turn, to consumers around the globe,” said Fred Cohen, Director, wireless OMAP ecosystem, TI.

“Our OMAP™ 4 platform ensures high performance at low power levels, while Movial’s IXS Browser ensures consistent, robust Web browsing across multiple displays. The combination of these capabilities gives consumers new ways access content and experience the mobile Internet.”

“Until now, deploying intuitive desktop-like Internet browsers easily and quickly across various form factors has been a challenge,” said Tomi Rauste, president of Movial Creative Technologies. “2010 is the year of the flexible browser focused on fulfilling the key user needs. Movial provides a clear alternative to confusing UI feature overload. With this latest version of Movial IXS Browser that utilizes the high performance of QtWebKit, Movial provides the development community with the ability to quickly and easily deploy an intuitive browser that improves usability, and provides a streamlined consistent look and feel across all connected devices.”

The new release of Movial IXS Browser utilizing QtWebKit features a flexible user interface for different form factors and input methods such as finger touch, remote - and free space control, Other key features include multiple tabs with live thumbnails, smooth panning of web pages for touch screen devices, an integrated RSS feed reader for quick follow-up of website updates, an integrated web search, as well as social bookmarking and favorite bookmarks.