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Thursday, December 5, 2024
Newcomer Kitchen- Give the Gift of Joy this Holiday and For Lifting the January Blues
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
Warm Up to Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk)...
Jeonbok-juk or abalone rice porridge or congee is a variety of juk, or Korean porridge made with shellfish abalone and white short-grain rice. Abalone is regarded as a high-quality ingredient in Asian cuisines, and was often prized as a gift to the King of Korea. It's texture is plump, rubbery and dense, and like many seafood, has a briny and sweet flavour.
I came across frozen abalone on sale ($6.99 for 5 nice pieces), and with the winter chill upon us, the first food that came to mind was comfort congee, or as the Koreans call it jeonbokjuk! An ultimate cozy soothing comfort in a bowl!
Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk) (adapted by Maangchi.com)
Serves 4
4 to 5 frozen medium sized abalones, thawed (or canned with brine drained well)
1-1/2 cups short-grain rice, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed
Note: prepare to your taste: add more or less fish sauce, kosher salt, toasted sesame oil, or water.
Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon for 10 to 20 seconds. Add the abalone intestines if you have it, and keep stirring until well combined. Add the rice and stir with the wooden spoon for one minute until the rice turns a little translucent. Add the chopped abalone and 8 cups of water. Stir and cover. Let cook over medium high heat for ten minutes.
Optional: If you want a poached egg or two, crack the eggs into the porridge. Gently stir the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon so it doesn’t get burnt. Cover, turn up the heat a bit, and cook for another minute or two or until the egg is set.
To Serve, ladle servings of porridge into bowls and sprinkle a bit of gimgaru over each one just before eating. Serve with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and kimchi as a side dish.
Full Recipe:
Korean Abalone Porridge (Jeonbokjuk)
Serves 4
4 to 5 frozen medium sized abalones, thawed (or canned with brine drained well)
1-1/2 cups short-grain rice, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 1 hour
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
8-9 cups of water
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs (optional)
2 sheets of gim (seaweed paper), toasted, and crushed
Great Substitute: Replace abalone with mussels, clams, shrimp, or even ground beef.
Note: prepare to your taste: add more or less fish sauce, kosher salt, toasted sesame oil, or water.
If they are still in the shells, gently and firmly pry them out with a spoon. Gently rinse and pat dry. Remove the intestines by cutting them out; set aside. Score the abalone flesh on an angle, then thinly slice on the opposite bias.
In a colander, strain the rice.
Heat a thick-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and garlic and stir with a wooden spoon for 10 to 20 seconds. Add the abalone intestines if you have it, and keep stirring until well combined. Add the rice and stir with the wooden spoon for one minute until the rice turns a little translucent. Add the chopped abalone and 8 cups of water. Stir and cover. Let cook over medium high heat for ten minutes. Add carrot and green onions. Lower the heat and cook for another ten minutes.
If you like your porridge a bit more liquidy, add one more cup of water and let it cook for a few more minutes over low heat. Add fish sauce and salt and stir it well.
Optional: If you want a poached egg or two, crack the eggs into the porridge. Gently stir the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon so it doesn’t get burnt. Cover, turn up the heat a bit, and cook for another minute or two or until the egg is set.
Take a roasted or freshly toasted sheet of seaweed (gim) and put it in a plastic bag. Rub the sides of the bag together to crush the gim and create gimgaru (crushed seaweed flakes). To Serve, ladle servings of porridge into bowls and sprinkle a bit of gimgaru over each one just before eating. Serve with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and kimchi as a side dish.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Eritrean and Injera Workshop at Newcomer Kitchen...
Have you ever tried injera, a spongy, sour flatbread made with teff the tiniest grain in the world that is a nutrition powerhouse and has no gluten- a main staple in Ethiopian and Eritrean meals as an eating utensil to scoop food? 🥘 #superfood
Asmait Merhatsion who is in our business incubator program has recently arrived from living for 12 years in Israel worked for an NGO for women's health, extensively with refugees and has hosted lots of cooking workshops. She had fascinating stories to tell about the turbulent journey from Eritrea to living in multiple countries in the Middle East before coming to Canada. Woven between demonstrations and hands-on learning, we made Injera, the teff flatbread that is the foundation of all Eritrean meals.
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| Perfect with a cuppa' for weekend brunch |
Taking Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine and flavours further at home... But first let's feast our eyes on this restaurant carousel of vibrant healthful veggies 🌈!
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Ethiopian cuisine has been top of my list for trying my hands on at home. With the workshop fresh on my mind, a bag each of shiro (chickpea powder) and berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) given to me by Asmait, and picking up fresh prepared injera from Iqbal supermarket, the time has happily come...
Their staple injera-- a thick, spongy pancake-like sourdough bread is made from the smallest super grain in the world-- teff (Ethiopia's principle grain) is not only a food but it serves as a utensil and plate. Accompanying dishes are placed on it-- a bit of bread is torn off and used to wrap the food to eat. Widely used flavours of spicy and complexity include hot chilies, fenugreek, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, mint, garlic and onions.
Although meat is prevalent on the menu, I always opt for vegetarian. Tonight, I prepared three veggie-licious dishes. Shiro (chickpea powder) Wat stew made with onions, tomatoes, berbere, ginger and garlic cooked until silky. Although it should be smooth, mine turned out chunky but flavourful. Misir Wat is a fiery red lentil stew cooked down with onions, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger and garlic in a broth. This was our favourite tonight. And the third, Atakilt Wat, a simple cumin and turmeric spiced cabbage, carrot and potato stir fry. A lovely textural filling in a swoop with a piece of injera. By the time dinner was served the stews cooled- should have a thinner texture for easy mopping 🤗
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| Berbere (a fiery medley of spices and chilies) |
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Gaga for Steak Tartare...
Who goes gaga for steak tartare 🥩🥖?
We all have a dish or two that are standouts, ones we crave and seek out and determines where we choose to dine out. That for me my friends is hands down steak tartare! It is pricey at a restaurant and with a small portion there is never enough to go around. I discovered that making it at home is not as daunting as it appears. I've made it thrice now and I think I got the flavourings down. Getting the right fresh cut from a trusted source and the optimum mix ins and you are on your way to savouring this French delicacy at home at your whim chez vous. Bon Appétit!
The luscious French meaty fare tastes beefy but light tossed with a melange of complimentary bits- tangy gherkins, salty capers, savoury Worcestershire, piquant Dijon and Tabasco, and hits of shallots dotted with minced chives and parsley throughout. Let's not forget the creamy raw egg yolk and the extra shine of olive oil to tie it all in topped on crunchy baguette slices or kettle chips for the best mouthfeel and mouthful. #heavencanwait My family and I love French food and being the restaurant planner, it is the #1 dish the location has to master for me to make a reservation. So far in Toronto, the best steak tartares I've had was at Parquet on Harbord Street, Maison Selby and Jules Bistro. However, my experience with tartare started with horse at La Palette when it was helmed in Kensington Market. It was probably what piqued my love for this dish from way back including my restaurant romps when I frequently travelled to Quebec city for work. Don't know why I haven't returned since they moved to Queen West but maybe in general, I won't have to. Don't worry, the rest I am about to share doesn't involve horse 😊.
We always order a main portion to share with my three boys and husband, and it goes fast. We are lucky if we each get three bites and there's never enough toasted baguette slices to slather. And for 200 g the cost is easily $25 plus. I had to make this at home, and for a fraction of the price and enough to serve my army to be satisfied. Not everyone will attempt making raw steak at home, but fear not if you go to a reputable butcher, and tell them you are preparing the steak raw they will give you their best fresh option. Also for steak tartare you want it as lean as possible to get the best mince without tendon and fat. I visited Nortown on Bayview/York Mills and was offered their DiMarco cut for $16.99/lb. Lean indeed but had some fat to trim away. For that price it was a deal, considering that beef tenderloin is considered the optimum cut for this but was standing at $54.99/lb.
Steak Tartare
Makes 4 servings (as an appetizer)
300 g lean beef filet (minced with a knife or a food grinder)
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
Prepare baguette slices in the oven on one layer at 360F until golden and crunchy. Let cool.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and mustard together in a small bowl. Still whisking, gradually add the olive oil.
300 g lean beef filet (minced with a knife or a food grinder)
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
Baguette, sliced on an angle
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| As you can see, there is some trimming that needs to be had. |
With a clean cutting board and sharp knife, trim fat and tendon, then finely mincing the beef. Refrigerate in a medium bowl.
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| Note: I got extra eggs here cause I made a double recipe batch and used medium eggs 😊 |
Add all the other ingredients and whisk them in. Then add the seasoning and mix in.
Mix the dressing well into the beef; taste to readjust seasoning.
Eat as it is. Especially delicious with toasted bread slices, crunchy kettle chips or with a simple salad.
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| To do what the restaurants do, unmold tartare from a ramekin |
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| The tartare paired especially well with these truffle oil chips |
Bon Appétit!
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| Enjoy your very own steak tartare from home! |
Full Recipe:
Steak Tartare
Makes 4 servings (as an appetizer)
300 g lean beef filet (minced with a knife or a food grinder)
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 large egg yolk from a fresh egg
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. capers (roughly chopped)
2 tsp. tomato ketchup (yup, you read right)
1 Tbsp. chopped gherkins
1 to 2 tsp. tabasco (if you like it spicy)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
With a clean cutting board and sharp knife, trim fat and tendon, then finely mincing the beef. Refrigerate in a medium bowl.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and mustard together in a small bowl. Still whisking, gradually add the olive oil.
Add all the other ingredients and whisk them in. Then add the seasoning and mix in.
Mix the dressing well into the beef; taste to readjust seasoning.
Eat as it is. Especially delicious with toasted bread slices, crunchy kettle chips or with a simple salad.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
What's New at Newcomer Kitchen: The Fall Line-Up of Foodie Events...
So much exciting announcements 📢 and stories to share from Newcomer Kitchen.
If you are new to my blog, I'd love to introduce myself:
I have been a food professional with 25 years of culinary experience with a passion in food education and multiculturalism. I have worked in catering, culinary consulting, product development, recipe development in a test kitchen and for several magazines, and authored a cookbook on Asian hot pots. I ran cooking programs and workshops with primarily newcomers in schools and for diverse communities including kids, youths, families and seniors with an emphasis on healthy cooking, multiculturalism and curbing food waste. I blog about my community collaborations and love for food and travel here on Susan’s Savour-It!
I have been with Newcomer Kitchen, a non-profit organization for nearly three years, and as a Program Trainer, have led and completed the day program with seven groups of women. Our ‘Willing To Work’ Food Entrepreneurship Training program helps newcomer women in food preparation and entrepreneurship to start their own food business funded by the Immigration Refugee Citizenship of Canada (IRCC). This free "earn as you learn" hybrid (online and in-kitchen) program helps prepare their food ideas to market in three real life food events with all revenue generated going back in their hands. The money earned is divided amongst the team (6 to 7 women) and a certificate is provided upon completion of the 14 week program.
Currently, as their Program Manager, I oversee the 'Willing to Work' day and evening programs that introduces newcomer women the many avenues to food business ownership, and support the next level XP food incubator program to get women started. My passion for culinary excellence and inclusivity is highlighted through my commitment to empowering others through food and celebrating diversity.
Here's What's New at Newcomer Kitchen: The Fall Line-Up of Foodie Events...
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Looking into winter, the "Willing To Work" Program is calling for newcomer participants for 2025. If you or you know a woman who would benefit from food training, please have them contact me Susan Ng at susan@newcomerkitchen.ca or call at 647-228-5990.
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