I haven't enjoyed many of The Korean Vegan's recipes to date, but maybe my expectations were too high, you know how that can go. Yesterday I made an adapted version of her doenjang jjigae and it's great.
+++
doenjang jjigae.
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp gochugaru
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, greens and whites separate
5 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 substantial sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 tbsp doenjang
2 tbsp soy sauce
500ml vegetable stock, I used mushroom
400-500g firm tofu, Nguyen-d and cubed
+++
I've owned two or three copies of this cookbook over the years, and today I decided that it just might have aged better than almost any other multiple-cuisine cookbook I own.
Hear me out: I'm not comparing it against bibles like Marcella or Madhur Jaffrey; I'm saying that for a 1990s "Asian fusion" cookbook, most of the recipes are still pretty viable. Here's one:
+++
mushroom risotto with snow peas, shiitakes, and cispy ginger.
7 dried shitake mushrooms
½ cup cold sake
¼ cup light olive oil (do not use virgin or extra-virgin)
1 cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons best-quality curry powder
1½ cups Arborio rice
6 cups mushroom stock
Peanut oil, for deep frying the ginger
2 heaping tablespoons julienned fresh ginger
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
NOTE: this recipe originally called for 250g shrimp, am rewriting.
1. Soak the dried shiitakes in the cold sake for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid. Remove and discard the stems and cut the caps into thin slices.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, shitakes, shallots, and minced ginger and cook, stir-ring, for 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for another 3 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom-soaking liquid, then raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously, until the liquid evaporates, about 4 minutes.
3. Slowly stir ½ cup of the simmering stock into the rice. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a simmer. Cook the rice, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan, until the stock is absorbed. Continue adding more stock, ½ cup at a time and stirring frequently until it is absorbed and there is 1 cup of stock remaining, 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While the risotto is cooking, prepare the fried ginger. Pour peanut oil to a depth of 1 inch into a small skillet and heat to 375° F.
Add the ginger and cook until crisp, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain.
5. Stir the shrimp into the risotto, and continue adding the remaining 1 cup stock, ¼ cup at a time, for 10 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and salt to taste. Cook until the shrimp is cooked through and the rice is creamy, but still slightly al dente, about 5 minutes more. Divide among 6 serving bowls and garnish with the fried ginger.
SERVES 6
+++
It looks like we're going to be conducting our first gluten-free experiment in a while, here are some targets.
+++
OTTOLENGHI
Baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa.
Ginger egg-fried rice.
Pasta with yogurt, peas, and chile.
Pasta with feta, tomato, and fennel seed.
Allspice rice with caramelized onions, dill and yoghurt.
Baked rice with garlic confit, tomatoes and cinnamon.
Baked rice with garlic, curry leaf, and saffron.
MEERA
Workers' curry.
ANNA JONES
Corn risotto.
Brown butter new potatoes.
+++
This worked pretty well as something to put on a witte puntje so as not to slit ones wrists due to boredom.
+++
sloppy go.
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp gochujang
2 tsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp honey
200g plant-based ground meat, unflavored
+++
Since the royal we is having a sober summer, here's a NYT recipe that just crossed my path, this makes a lot.
+++
phony negroni.
1 medium navel orange
10 hibiscus tea bags, such as Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole cloves
½ cup sugar
2 (12-ounce) cans tonic
1 cup unsweetened grapefruit juice
Ice, for serving
Orange wedges, for serving
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the orange, avoiding as much white pith as possible. In a small saucepan, combine the orange peel with the tea bags, peppercorns, cloves and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Add the sugar and cook, stirring, until dissolved, about 1 minute. Cover, remove from the heat and let cool completely, about 2 hours. Strain the tea and discard the solids. The cooled, brewed tea can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
To serve, in a large pitcher, stir together the tea, tonic water, grapefruit juice and about 1 cup ice. Divide among rocks glasses filled with ice and garnish with orange wedges.
Tip: To make one serving, fill a rocks glass with ice. Pour in 1 ounce of grapefruit juice, 2 ounces of the tea and 3 ounces of tonic water; stir to mix. Garnish with an orange wedge.
Recipe in progress.
+++
risotto with daikon or sweet potato and miso butter.
3 tbsp sesame oil, separated, possibly less, or actually use this amount
6 scallions, whites and greens separated
1 tbsp microplaned ginger, possibly twice this? version 1.0 did not taste remotely of ginger
1 cup shortgrain rice
3/4 cup sake or white wine
2 cups porcini or dashi stock (1 cube)
1 tbsp miso
2 tbsp butter
300g daikon or sweet potato, obviously two very different choices
250g chestnut mushrooms, halved or quartered
Heat oven to 200°C.
Toss daikon and mushrooms in 1 tbsp sesame oil. Roast daikon and mushrooms for 35 minutes, turning halfway through.
In a medium ovenproof saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add rice, and stir until grains are shiny and well coated with oil, about 2 minutes more. Add wine, and continue cooking and stirring until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add stock, stir to combine. Cover saucepan; transfer to oven. Bake until almost all of the stock is absorbed, about 25 minutes. While it's baking combine miso and butter to make, you guessed it, miso butter. Take the rice out, check for doneness, it should still be barely inedible. Add roasted vegetables, return to oven. After 6-8 minutes, remove from oven, add miso butter. Serve immediately, topped with the scallion greens or your choice of garnish. Furikake? Togarashi-spiced Rice Krispies? Crispy onions is the easy answer.
Serves 4, sometimes less.
+++
