Even before I open my eyes in the morning, when senses are at their dullest, the first thing I’ve been noticing lately is the pungency of ramps. I’m not sure whether it’s my breath, clothes, or skin pores, but I’m guessing that pouring a boiling red pepper broth over wild leeks is enough to trump Febreze freshness.

Did it sound like I was complaining? I’d pickle a truckload of ramps in this way if I could. The smell isn’t anything that Axe and Listerine can’t fix anyway.

The sweet, sour, and spicy pickling brine retains the crispness of the ramps from leaves to bulb. Most of the heat comes from shichimi togarashi, an aromatic Japanese seasoning comprised of seven ingredients. The particular blend I used, one of many variations, had orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, red peppers, sansho (better known as Sichuan peppercorns), ginger, and seaweed.

As fiery as the Korean crushed red pepper (gochugaru) looks, it’s actually rather sweet. It gives the pickling brine a menacing kimchi-red hue even if it barely adds any heat. Any of the milder ground red peppers, such as unsmoked Spanish paprika, will do in a pinch.

recipe adapted from David Chang
Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Mele Cotte

David Chang’s Pickled Ramps
with Japanese and Korean Seasonings

A 9 x 13-inch baking dish is not the best container to use. I had to double the pickling brine.

Ingredients:

1 pound ramps, trimmed and cleaned

For the Pickling Brine:

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Japanese seven spice (shichimi togarashi)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Korean crushed red pepper (gochugaru)

What’s that smell?

Directions:

1. Place the trimmed and cleaned ramps in a large nonreactive container (such as stainless steel or glass).
2. Combine all the pickling brine ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Immediately pour over the ramps.
3. Let the ramps and pickling brine cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate at least overnight before serving.

Tsukemono or kimchi?

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pickled Ramps, Japanese and Korean Flavors

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6. Japanese Vinegared Cucumber

Realizing that I’ve been using the oven almost exclusively lately, turning to other kitchen appliances seems to be in order. I hear that stove tops get heavy use in other kitchens so I’m dusting off the skillets and cooking with (gasp) fire instead of hot air.

Gamja jeon are savory skillet-crisped pancakes made with grated potatoes. In this version, diced peppers and pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms are added to the potato batter for added flavor and texture. A vinegar soy sauce dip, cho ganjang, is typically served with the lightly seasoned pancakes.

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen
A Worldly Epicurean’s Delight: Korean hosted by PJ

감자전 – Gamja Jeon
Korean Potato Pancakes

makes 4 to 6 servings, about 12 to 16 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 egg
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 hot red Korean pepper OR 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 hot green Korean pepper OR 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
4 pyogo (shiitake) mushrooms, finely diced
2 scallions, white and pale green parts only, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Crack the egg into a large bowl and beat lightly. Add the cornstarch and mix until thick and smooth.
2. Add the red and green peppers, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and mix well.
3. Using a box grater or food processor, grate the peeled potatoes. Add the grated potatoes to the peppers and mushrooms. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold together all of the ingredients only until evenly distributed.
   
4. In a cast iron or nonstick skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat just until a wisp of smoke appears.
5. Use a spoon to drop mounds of batter on the skillet, about four at a time. Gently flatten each mound into rounds about 3 to 4 inches wide. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter and oil.
6. Serve the potato pancakes as a side dish or appetizer with a bowl of cho ganjang (vinegar soy sauce dip, recipe follows) .

초간장 – Cho Ganjang
Vinegar Soy Sauce Dip

makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cheongju (Korean rice wine) OR vermouth
2 tablespoons rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pine nuts OR toasted sesame seeds
a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix together the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, sesame oil, lemon juice, and salt.
2. Add the pine nuts or sesame seeds and ground black pepper just before serving. Store leftover sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Gamja Jeon – Korean Potato Pancakes

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This version of hobakjuk, a Korean porridge made with pumpkins or squashes, is all about texture. Velvety pumpkin puree is mixed with tender azuki beans, chewy sweet rice balls, and crunchy pine nuts. And because everyone knows that pumpkins and spices go hand-in-hand, a light dusting of ground cinnamon ties everything together.

I’m just a bit confused whether hobakjuk should be served as a dessert or as a savory soup. At first glance, it seems like a dessert because it is lightly sweetened. The author then suggests serving the porridge with canisters of salt and pepper, tilting the porridge back to the middle of the sweet-savory scale.

In any case, you don’t have to be Korean to like hobakjuk. Unlike kimchi, this pumpkin porridge will seem instantly familiar even to the most unadventurous of palates. It may necessitate a visit to an Asian grocery store, risking life and limb because the possibility of slipping on errant grains of rice on aisle 7 exists, but try this recipe while pumpkins are in season and you’ll end up saving the pie for later. Much later.

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen
A Worldly Epicurean’s Delight: Korean hosted by PJ

호박죽 (Hobakjuk)
Korean Pumpkin / Winter Squash Porridge

makes 4 to 5 servings

Roasted pumpkin halves.

1/2 cup dried azuki / red beans
1 pumpkin, about 2 to 3 pounds, about the size of a cantaloupe
3/4 cups granulated sugar or honey
2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
16 sweet rice balls
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon pine nuts
salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

Notes:

• Use any winter squash varietal in place of the pumpkin. You can’t go wrong with butternut squash, so watch Maangchi make it with a pink wig.
• The original recipe calls for boiling the pumpkin but I prefer oven-roasting — the dry heat will give the pumpkin a much deeper flavor.
• Sweet rice flour is also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko.
• Not recommended, but substitute 2 to 3 cups of canned pumpkin puree if you’re feeling lazy.

To Cook the Azuki / Red Beans:

Add the azuki beans to a pot filled with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Strain the beans and discard the boiling liquid. Return the beans to the pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cook the azuki beans for about 45 minutes, or until tender. The beans should still be firm but thoroughly cooked.

To Roast the Pumpkin:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Roast the pumpkin halves for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender.

To Cook the Pumpkin Porridge:

Scoop out the roasted pumpkin and mash with a fork. Dissolve the sweet rice flour in about 1/2 cup of water. In a medium saucepan, mix together the roasted pumpkin flesh and sweet rice flour mixture. Stir frequently over low heat for about 15 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Adjust the pumpkin porridge to the desired consistency by adding water or reducing over low heat.

Too thick? Too thin? Just right?

To Serve:

Serve warm in shallow bowls. Top with sweet rice balls, cooked azuki beans, pine nuts, and ground cinnamon. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Hobakjuk – Korean Pumpkin Porridge

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6. Pumpkin Spice Brioche

This light Korean snack highlights the chewiness and natural sweetness of sweet rice flour. Boiled until floating, sweet rice balls are really easy to prepare and has endless variations. Dry coatings such as sesame seeds, roasted soybean powder, and cinnamon sugar cling readily to its surface. Gyung dan can also be stuffed with sweet fillings such as red bean paste, as demonstrated in this excellent video by Maangchi.

Plain uncoated rice balls are also extensively used in several sweet and savory applications from all over Asia. My preference by way of heritage is a warm bowl of Filipino ginataan, rice balls and fruits cooked in sweetened coconut milk.

Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Valentina of Trembom

recipe adapted from Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall’s Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen

Gyung Dan
Korean Sweet Rice Balls

makes 16 hazelnut-sized rice balls

Don’t let your parole officer see this.

1 cup sweet rice flour (approximately 160 grams / 5.65 ounces)
a pinch of salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup boiling water

Coatings:

• Black or white sesame seeds, toasted until fragrant and popping (whole or ground)
• Roasted soybean powder
• Cinnamon sugar

Notes:

• Sweet rice flour is also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko, its Japanese moniker.
• I prefer to use the smaller amount (1/3 cup) of boiling water to make a sandy and crumbly dough. It will be a bit harder to form the balls but the resulting texture is more to my liking — the outside will be soft and gets progressively chewier towards the center.

Instructions:

Mix the sweet rice flour and salt in a bowl. Add the boiling water one tablespoon at time while stirring vigorously. Depending on the texture desired, adjust the amount of water to create either a crumbly or soft dough (see Notes).

Crumbly sweet rice flour dough.

Divide the dough into 16 portions and shape into hazelnut-sized balls.

Bring at least 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Prepare a large bowl filled with iced water. The iced water will be used to instantly chill the cooked rice balls and stop the cooking.

Drop the sweet rice balls into the boiling water one at a time. Boil over high heat until the balls float to the surface. It will take about 6 to 10 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to gather the sweet rice balls as they float to the surface and place in the bowl of iced water.

Place the rice balls on paper towels and let dry briefly for a few minutes. Roll in the toppings of your choice and serve.

Black and blue balls of sweet rice flour.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
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Sweetened azuki bean paste opens the door to East Asia, where it is widely used in a variety of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean sweets. Whether used in bread or pastry fillings, sweet soups, pancakes, or ice cream, the essential azuki bean is usually highlighted as the main flavor. Its assertiveness is best complemented with neutral ingredients, or my personal preference, enjoyed on its own with a splash of milk or cream and a cup of green tea.

Store-bought azuki bean paste, convenient though it is, can be tooth-achingly sweet to the point of inedibility. Making your own unsweetened bean paste gives you the flexibility to adjust the sugar amount depending on the recipe.

Azuki bean paste generally comes in two consistencies: chunky (tsubushi-an) and pureed (koshi-an). The following methods for both types should cover the majority of your red bean paste needs. You’ll be relieved to know that soaking and pressure cookers are optional — azuki beans are a relatively quick-cooking legume.

recipe adapted from Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
My Legume Love Affair hosted by Lucy of Nourish Me

2 Sweet Azuki (Red Bean) Paste Variations – Chunky and Pureed

makes about 2 cups (450 grams)

1 cup (6.35 ounces / 180 grams) azuki beans

To Prepare the Azuki:

Wash the azuki beans and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, drain, and discard the water. Continue with the instructions for either chunky (tsubushi-an) or pureed (koshi-an) azuki bean paste.

For the Chunky Azuki Bean Paste
つぶしあん (Tsubushi-An)

1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt

Instructions:

Add about 3 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled azuki beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and simmer the azuki beans until soft, approximately 45 minutes to 1 1/4 hours. The water should be almost completely absorbed by the time the beans are done. Add water as needed while simmering to prevent the beans from scorching.

Add the sugar, stirring gently until the azuki bean paste is heated through and glossy. Season with a pinch of salt and mix well. The paste should be thick with some whole and half-crushed azuki beans.

For the Pureed Azuki Bean Paste
こしあん (Koshi-An)

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt

Equipment:

sieve or fine mesh strainer
cheesecloth or cotton bag

Instructions:

Add about 5 cups of water to a pot containing the par-boiled azuki beans. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook the azuki beans until soft, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. There will still be a considerable amount of liquid at this point.

Place a sieve over a bowl. Pour the beans and liquid into the strainer, such that the bottom of the strainer is partly immersed in the liquid.

Using a wooden spoon, spatula, or the palm of your hands, mash the beans through the sieve into the simmering liquid so that the bean skins stay on the sieve.

Pour the mashed beans and simmering liquid into a cheesecloth or cotton bag and squeeze out all the water. Put the unsweetened bean paste in a saucepan, add the sugar, and cook over low heat, stirring gently until the azuki bean paste is heated through and glossy. Season with a pinch of salt and mix well. The paste should have the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Related Links:

• Not-so-sweet Tsubu-An by Maki of Just Hungry
• Wikipedia entry for red bean paste

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