Best when fried and served with rice or in a bun or on a stick, this kid-favorite meat is also great with a variety of dishes—something tried and tested like spaghetti sauce, or something new and experimental like the following recipes by Chef Dino Datu.
Korean Army Stew
Ingredients:
4 pcs. Mekeni Picnic Hotdog, sliced into segments
2 packs Spicy Korean instant noodles
1 pack Mekeni luncheon meat, sliced
1 pack enoki mushrooms
1 pack shimeji mushrooms
2 tbsp. Korean chili paste (gochujang)
1 cup kimchi
1 stalk leeks, sliced
Procedure:
1. In a saucepot, boil four cups of water.
2. Open the Korean noodles. Take out the seasoning packets and add them to the boiling water. Place the sliced hotdog and luncheon meat into the boiling water. Add the noodles, enoki mushrooms, and shimeji mushrooms.
3. Once the noodles are tender, remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl.
4. Arrange the hotdog and luncheon meat on top of the noodles. Pour some soup over the noodles, hotdog, and luncheon meat.
5. Top it with kimchi and leeks. Serve.
Chili Con Carne
Ingredients:
6 pcs. Mekeni Picnic Hotdogs, sliced into cubes
500g ground beef
2 cups crushed tomato
2 pcs. onions, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 can cooked red beans
1 can cooked black beans
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
3 tbsp. oil
salt and pepper to taste
grated cheddar cheese to serve (optional)
Procedure:
1. Sauté the hotdog pieces in oil for two minutes and set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté onions, garlic, and ground beef until beef is brown. Make sure to break chunks of ground beef while cooking.
3. Add beans, crushed tomato, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add half of the hotdog pieces to the mixture.
4. Add about one cup of water to the mixture and stir well, then simmer on low heat for about one hour.
5. Stir the ground beef mixture once in a while to ensure the bottom doesn’t stick to the pot and burn.
6. To serve, ladle some chili in a bowl and top with grated cheese and reserved hotdog pieces. Serve with nachos or rice.