Gochujang Chicken Adobo and Chef Hooni Kim

Korean-Filipino Gochujang Chicken Adobo

“The food that you cook has to come from within.”
Chef Hooni Kim to the students of Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, May 5, 2015.

Invited by the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles to demonstrate Korean cooking to the students at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, he flew across the country to share his passion. With such a broad subject to cover in one class, Chef Hooni Kim decided to focus on a few special ingredients, ones that really give Korean cuisine its unique flavors.

One of these special ingredients is gochujang – the red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. It is definitely spicy – but also has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers.

“I like to share Korean flavors and Korean culture through my restaurants. Not only do I feel like I need to cook delicious food, I need to teach a bit about Korea through the flavors.”

The menu at his Michelin-starred New York City restaurant Danji was inspired by his Korean-American heritage and his New York stomping grounds. The second restaurant, Hanjan, features pure Korean cuisine inspired by all his trips to Korea, the place of his birth.

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Pasta with Peas, Bacon, Mint, and Ricotta

Pasta with Peas, Bacon, Mint, and Ricotta

Pasta with Peas, Bacon, Mint, and Ricotta

It’s a sprightly mash-up of two traditional Italian pasta dishes: Paglia e Fieno and Pasta e Fagioli. Paglia e fieno, translates to “straw and hay” named for its two color fettuccine made from both egg and spinach. The yellow and green pastas are typically paired with prosciutto and peas and Parmesan. Pasta e fagioli is a brothy dish combining pasta and beans.

Here, conchigliette (small pasta shells) are paired with peas and bacon in a flavorful chicken and vermouth-based broth, brightened with fresh mint. Scoops of whole milk ricotta are stirred into the broth taking the place of the traditional rich Parmesan cream sauce. A sprightly mash-up indeed.

Pasta with Peas, Bacon, Mint, and Ricotta Recipe

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Kale Sprouts (a hybrid cross between kale and brussels sprouts)

Kale Sprouts (a hybrid cross between kale and brussels sprouts) with Bacon and Onion
Stir Fried Kale Sprouts with Bacon and Onion

The hybrid cross between Russian Red Kale and Brussels Sprouts, KALE SPROUTS have a slightly nutty and sweet peppery flavor with a crisp fresh texture. The florets grow on a stalk, just like Brussels sprouts.

British vegetable seed house, Tozer Seeds, took 15 years to develop this new vegetable in a natural process where the pollen of one species is used to fertilize the flower of the other. The result is a charming vegetable with silvery-green to blue-gray leaves and purple veins.

It cooks much faster than Brussels sprouts, so it is terrific for stir-frying. Its petite leaves are hearty, so they keep their shape to make a pretty floral presentation. Kale Sprouts can also be found marketed as Lollipop Kale, Lollipop Sprouts, BrusselKale, Kalettes, and Flower Sprouts.

Kale Sprouts (a hybrid cross between kale and brussels sprouts) with Bacon and Onion

Stir Fried Kale Sprouts with Bacon and Onion Recipe

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Crispy Thai Tamarind Fish with Brown Rice Noodles

Crispy Thai Tamarind Fish with Brown Rice Noodles

Crispy Thai Tamarind Fish

Panko Crusted Fillet of Fresh Sole
Bell Pepper, Onion, Ginger, Carrot, Chile
Sweet & Sour Tamarind Sauce
Thai Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles

Panko-crusted petrale sole sits atop Thai brown rice vermicelli noodles in a brothy, sweet & sour tamarind sauce loaded with fresh vegetables. Traditionally served with white rice, this fish dish is especially great paired with these noodles which are made in Thailand.

Sweet, delicately flavored, slightly nutty petrale sole is wonderful when sautéed with a panko crust. The fillets are just the right thickness – the exterior gets divinely crisp while the fish is cooked to a fine-textured moist perfection. Crispy crust, tangy broth, slippery noodles, zippy ginger, fiery chiles, licorice-y Thai basil – it’s an irresistible combination of texture and flavor.

Thai Tamarind Fish Recipe

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Savory Matzo Brei with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

Savory Matzo Brei with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon

Savory Matzo Brei
Asparagus, Smoked Salmon, Onion, Fennel
Sour 
Cream and Fresh Dill

We eat matzo (unleavened bread) on Passover to remind us of our ancestors’ Exodus from Egypt. Leaving in such a haste, they could not wait for bread to rise. Additionally, matzo is the “bread of affliction” – the food of slavery, it reminds us to be humble and to appreciate our freedoms.

Jett is 10 years old. The morning after our Seder for the first night of Passover, he had Matzo Brei for breakfast. Matzo, butter, eggs with a pinch of salt…and sugar! My cute nephew proclaimed it to be “awesome.” I simply sautéed the water-softened matzo in butter, then added eggs and scrambled it together. I served him the sugar on the side, so he could sprinkle his Matzo Brei with just the right amount. Turns out he likes it pretty sweet, no surprise.

This had me thinking about an adult version of Matzo Brei, a savory rendition celebrating springtime. No vegetable screams spring more than asparagus, and paired with smoked salmon, onion, fennel, dill, and sour cream – the adult version turned out “awesome” as well!

How to make Sweet Matzo Brei

Matzo Brei Recipe

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