Spice Up Your Side Dish

And by spice, we mean from Korea. Sarah Ahn, who wrote the new cookbook Umma, came by Tonia's Kitchen to talk her recipe for Braised Baby Potatoes, and they give quite the kick. Sarah told Tonia the recipe itself is simple, but really can kick up the flavor of your dinner. These are, just as the name of the recipe sounds, braised potatoes with a variety of Asian flavorings. It's a really nice change from just an ordinary side dish. Instead, it becomes something extraordinary!

   

• 3 small potatoes (375g)
• 1 medium carrot (75g)
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp + ½ Tbsp soy sauce
• ½ Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• Green onions, chopped
• Black Pepper
• ½ Tbsp sesame seeds, roasted
• Sesame Oil (optional)

1. Peel and chop 3 small potatoes (375g) and 1 medium carrot (75g) into small circles, about ½ inch thick. Submerge chopped potatoes in water to prevent browning. Carrots need to be smaller than potatoes because they tend to take longer to cook. Optional: Trim off the edges of potatoes and carrots if you want to maintain its shape and edges.
2. Add 2 cups of water in a pot over medium-high with 1 tsp of salt. Add in potatoes and carrots. Cover pot with lid. Watch carefully the next 5-7 minutes. The water will come to a boil. You only want to cook potatoes and carrots 50% through. A chopstick should struggle to pierce through. The potatoes can easily turn into mashed potatoes if you do not watch carefully!
3. Once potatoes and carrots are cooked 50% through, drain water and save ½ cup of the pot water.
4. Put drained potatoes and carrots back in the empty pot and add in ½ cup of the pot water over medium-high heat. Add in the following ingredients, mixing gently in between: 2 Tbsp + ½ Tbsp soy sauce, ½ Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp minced garlic. It should be boiling at the bottom. Cover with lid and let it cook until the potatoes and carrots become just about fully cooked.
5. Once potatoes and carrots are just fully cooked, the bottom should be thick. Give it a gentle mix and reduce heat to medium. Add in some black pepper, handful of chopped green onions, and ½ Tbsp of roasted sesame seeds, turn off heat and mix. Optionally, you can mix in a drizzle of sesame oil as well. Serve immediately and enjoy!

An Authentic Taste of Korea

And really, there's nothing more authentic in the Korean food vernacular then Kimichi. It is a staple of the Korean diet, loaded with probiotics and something that's seen a surge of interest with American chefs. You may have seen jars of the stuff lining the shelves at your local grocery or Costco, but now you can learn how to make the real thing at home. Sarah Ahn, who wrote the new cookbook Umma, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for this venerable spread that's been passed down from her grandmother and her mother. Sarah told Tonia she uses fresh chili peppers, as is custom. Even her relatives from Korea tell her this is a very special creation!

In a very large bowl, add in all the ingredients and gently mix with hands (wear gloves).

• Chopped cabbage, drained

• Flour mixture

• Green onions, chopped

• Brown onion, textured blend

• ⅔ cup garlic, minced (125g)

• Optional: Asian Pear OR Fuji Apple, textured blend

• 1 Tbsp Salted Fermented Shrimp (Saeujeot) (26g)

• 1½ Tbsp Three Crab Fish Sauce (30g)

• 1½ Tbsp Korean Fish Sauce for Kimchi (30g) (We use CJ brand)

• 1 Tbsp Korean plum extract (We use CJ brand)

• ½ tsp Korean new sugar*

• ½ cup Korean red pepper powder (57g), be sure to use high quality powder*

Store kimchi in an airtight container. We store kimchi in Lock & Lock containers. You can use Mason jars. Any airtight container will do.

Place outer layers on top (this helps cover the air gaps between the chopped kimchi between).

Set aside, at around 60℉ temperature overnight. My Mom just sets it aside in our outdoor patio (during winter season— 50℉ to 60℉, for those living in East cold/colder regions, find coldest area in your home) or dining room (during summer season— room temperature) depending on the season.

The next day: Once the kimchi forms liquid all throughout the container and the kimchi has pruned up a bit, it’s time to refrigerate.

Refrigerate and taste kimchi that’s at the bottom every few days. Toss around kimchi so that the kimchi on top gets rotated to the bottom and the kimchi on bottom gets rotated to the top (then cover with outer layers at the very top).

The taste will change as it slowly ferments. Enjoy it when it tastes perfect for you. We eat fresh kimchi (barely fermented) and very fermented kimchi depending on our moods and the dishes we are having; we eat it at every stage.

Fermentation time varies on how much salt was used and season. It’s key to taste as it ferments. Your kimchi should taste tangy and slightly sour, and even more so when it’s very fermented.

Try a Less Sweet Donut

 

This one comes to us from Southeast Asia, where most people there prefer their dessert on the less sweet side. Sarah Ahn, who wrote the new cookbook Umma, told Tonia's Kitchen about her recipe for Ooyoo Cream Doughnuts (Milk Cream Doughnuts). They're Korean in origin and Sarah says there's not much of a difference here between standard donuts and her creation, as they are still fried after baking. But the difference here is that instead of frosting, Sarah uses whipping cream and strawberries for the topping. And the cream itself is not heavy. Instead, it's airy and with just the right amount of sugar. But just because it's less sweet doesn't mean it's not a hit. Sarah told Tonia she put a platter of them at America's Test Kitchen in their break room. They didn't last long!

French Toast on a Stick

 

And that recipe, if you're trying to impress, is French Toast Sticks. Elise Thomas, who wrote the new cookbook Eat Dessert First, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about what makes these sticks special. Elise told Tonia she flatens the bread you're using and put the cinnamon sugar in the center, Then roll up the bread and dip the sticks in the egg mixture and bake. Super easy and really delicious. It's almost like the sticks are crepes.  Serve with maple syrup and whipped cream to make it even more of a special treat. They look elegant and can really impress party guests!

Brownies...with Beer

 

There's no question that another great Irish tradition consists of adding delicious Guinness Beer to a cake batter, in order to make Chocolate Guinness Cake. That's a favorite enjoyed all over the world. But why limit this to cake? Amy Traverso, who's the senior food editor at Yankee Magazine, stopped by Tonia's Kitchen to talk about her recipe for Chocolate Stout Brownies. Amy told Tonia it took her 8 tries to get this right, but now she's passing along what to do. And interestingly, Amy says the Guinness takes on a gingerbread flavor when added to a batter, which is a delicious surprise!

Yield:

12 to 16 servings

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup Guinness or other stout
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Take a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and cut 2 lengths of parchment paper to fit in the pan but long enough to hang over the sides by a few inches. Lay them in the pan, one in each direction, so they cover the bottom.

In a 3- or 4-quart pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the stout and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth. (Each addition will lower the temperature of the batter.) Whisk in the eggs.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir with a spatula until smooth and evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the brownies are set in the center and beginning to pull away from the sides, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan and then transfer to a rack or plate to cool completely.