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.
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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
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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:
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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
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It looks like we're going to be conducting our first gluten-free experiment in a while, here are some targets.
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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.
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