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Burrito-less veggie salad bowl

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A burrito is a delicious food item that breaks down all social barriers and leads to temporary spiritual enlightenment.

 – Monster High, Lisi Harrison

I love burritos. One of my favourite restaurants at home is this little pokey restaurant called Boojum, near Jervis Street Shopping Centre, where you can build your own burrito. Delicious (please forgive me if I ever overuse the word “delicious”.  It is not intentional, but in Korea that is the main word used to describe anything that is really tasty) aromas assail the senses as you walk in, and, for me at least, it’s hard not to just jump over the counter and devour everything I see. When I came to Korea, my brother and I found a place in Itaewon that was of a similar style. Sadly, it did not compare, and since then I’ve been quietly lamenting the lack of a decent build your own burrito place.  Over time I’ve found several other restaurants in Seoul (and Daejeon) that have tasty burritos. However, memories of that delicious  burrito at Boojum must have been haunting my dreams because when one of my friends recently came for Sunday lunch I decided to make the following recipe.

My friend, on top of being a vegetarian, is allergic to lactose and gluten, so obviously burritos themselves were out of the question as was any cheese. So instead of my delicious burritos, I came up with a salad that everyone really enjoyed. As I’ve been making my own lunches, I’m cooking a lot more these days. This salad was my go-to choice for this week’s dinners and lunches. I made some adjustments and added some extra ingredients until I came up with the below recipe. Filling, healthy and flavourful, this burrito-less salad bowl is perfect for larger groups. You can serve it by itself or with your favourite nutty bread; or indeed, use it in a burrito slathered with cheese.

Burrito-less veggie bowl salad

Serves 6

Ingredients

Main Salad

  • 1 cup Rice*, uncooked
  • 1 tin (437g) Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tin (437g) Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup whole Lentils (marinated around 1 hour in olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, dried red chili, a little salt and pepper)**
  • 2 Bell Peppers (yellow, red or orange), chopped
  • 1 cucumber, quartered and sliced
  • ½ Carrot, quartered and sliced
  • 1 small Onion or 8 scallions/spring onions, sliced finely
  • 1 cup Mixed Cherry and Roma tomatoes, quartered
  • ½ cup Black Olives,  sliced in thirds
  • 2 tbsp Lime juice
  • 1 tbsp Lemon juice

Salad Add-ons

  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 3 cups Spinach, packed
  • 3 tbsp Coriander/cilantro leaf
  • ½ cup toasted almonds

Method

  1. Wash and cook the rice, as per package directions, and allow to cool.
  2. Meanwhile, discard the marinade from the lentils and then transfer the lentils to a large bowl.
  3. Add all the other main salad ingredients to the bowl except for the lime and lemon juice and rice. Mix together thoroughly.
  4. Once the rice is cool, mix it into the salad along with the lemon and lime juice.
  5. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
  6. Upon serving add the coriander leaf, avocado,  almonds and spinach. Serve immediately

Tips

When I’ve made this for friends, I’ve followed the above method. When making this for yourself, I would prepare the hearty ingredients ahead of time: beans, lentils, rice, and carrot but add the other vegetables and add-ons the night before or just before eating. I’d also add just a dash of lemon and lime juice per portion. This will prevent the salad from becoming too “soggy” for lack of a better word.

This salad is really adjustable – add more lemon or lime juice as per your own personal tastes. You can also add or remove any other vegetable. For example, once I can find corn in the market, I will add it as well.

Also, I sometimes like to use a tbsp of homemade salsa as a dressing in the salad. I add it in the final step.

*I used glutinous white rice, but you could always use basmati, jasmine, or brown rice.

**Again, I used dried green lentils but you could use any other whole kind. Once cooked, marinade in the above ingredients – around ½ tbsp each for the liquids. For canned lentils, rinse and then add the marinade.

Stir-fried Lentils And Vegetables

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“Lentils are friendly—the Miss Congeniality of the bean world.” – Laurie Colwin

Lentils are one of my absolute favourite kind of legumes. I love the texture, the taste, the versatility and the heartiness. I had never (knowingly) had lentils until I was in my mid-late 20’s when my sister cooked them for me at one stage, and I was absolutely hooked. From salads to curries, I actively try different ways of incorporating them into my diet frequently.

A couple of weekends ago, I had spent one afternoon wandering around Homeplus (Tesco) in Jochiwon (조치원) with one of my friends. I had come with a list that I was diligently following, however, as my friend and I started talking about how much we love shopping for food, I ended up abandoning my list and choosing random things. Amongst other things, I picked up kale, spinach and red cabbage.

When I got home, I was trying to think of how I could incorporate the above veggies with the lentils I’d already made into a dish with all the other veggie goodness that was in my fridge. Within the hour, I had a delicious meal on my plate, and I was frantically trying to remember what I’d seasoned my lentils with the night before. Doing things right before bed is not always a good thing!

Eventually it came back to me and a few weeks later, I managed to replicate this recipe. I hope you like it and that you find it as delicious as I do. My favourite thing about this recipe is that you can taste that it’s healthy.

Stir-fried Lentils and Vegetables

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

Lentils

  • ½ cup cooked/canned marinated green whole lentils
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp balsamic vinegar*
  • dash of lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • ¼ head of red cabbage, chopped into bite size pieces
  • ½  courgette/ zucchini, diced
  • 1 packed cup fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 packed cup cooked, chopped kale
  • 1 cup button mushrooms, quartered
  • ¼ tsp dried sage/ ¾ tsp fresh sage
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • dash of lemon juice
  • dash of balsamic vinegar

Method:

  1. Put the lentils** in a seal-able plastic container with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, a little salt and pepper. Close the box, shake it and refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. If using tinned (canned) lentils, it’s best to rinse before placing the seasoning on them.
  2. Heat a pan on medium-high heat until piping hot***. Once hot, add oil and heat for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the sage, pepper and courgette . Stir fry for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the cabbage and onion to the pan with a dash of lemon juice and stir fry for around 5-7 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and continue to stir fry until the courgettes and pepper are slightly browned. The cabbage should be soft and wilted (this can take about 10 minutes).
  6. Add the mushrooms, spinach and kale. Cook a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms are barely softened and browned.
  7. Add the lentil mixture with a dash of balsamic vinegar and cook for another 5 minutes until warm throughout.
  8. Serve immediately.

Tips

This can be eaten as a main dish with bread, couscous, rice or a baked potato. It can also be used in place of a salad as a side dish. I got three meals out of this dish, but I accompanied it with a salad and either rice or a baked potato each time.

*If you don’t have balsamic vinegar, you can use any vinegar of your choice.

**I cooked dried green lentils the night before, cooled them and then followed the above directions from step 1.

***To check that the pan is piping hot, flick a little water on to the pan, when it sizzles a lot, add the oil and heat as per step 2.

Roasted Pork Chops and Sweet Potato

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“If you want a subject, look to pork.”  
– Great Expectations, Charles Dickens

I have been trying to prepare my food in advance. On Saturdays, Sundays and/or Mondays, I tend to do a ton of cooking (vegetables, salads, soups and curries) to get me through the week. However, the very first week I tried this I had a huge appetite. I had demolished all my tuna for the week by Monday (I made it Sunday night!) and all my veggies by Wednesday. This was annoying because I ate out on Tuesday and I’d made 5 days worth of food. I wish I could say that I only ate healthy that entire week but unfortunately I also supplemented every little gap with something sweet like cake and chocolate! So, come Thursday, I needed to cook something else. I had some pork in the freezer which I’d defrosted the night before. A glance around the kitchen, and next thing I knew I had created a lovely, simple midweek meal. I liked it so much that I made it again two days later for my friend, Becky (shout out to Becky – she edits all my recipes!). I think it will definitely become a staple going forward!

Roasted Pork chops and Sweet Potato

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 Pork Chops
  • 6 Sweet Potatoes (smallish), chopped into chunks
  • 2 Onions, sliced thickly
  • 2½ tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp Sage,* dried
  • ½ tsp Rosemary,* dried
  • ½ tsp Parsley,* dried
  • ½ tsp Thyme,* dried
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220° C**
  2. Put the potatoes and onions and into a bowl.
  3. Add half the herbs, 2 tablespoons of oil and a dash of salt and pepper to the bowl and mix until everything is coated.***
  4. Transfer to a baking tray and put in the oven.
  5. Meanwhile, rub the remaining oil on the pork chops and then sprinkle the remaining herbs along with some pepper and salt over both sides. Make sure the oily and herb-y goodness is all over those chops.
  6. Once the potatoes and onions have been in the oven for ten minutes, remove from the oven.
  7. Turn the vegetables and place the pork chops on top of the vegetables.
  8. Return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes***. Turn the vegetables and pork chops every ten minutes until they are cooked through. The onions should be nicely browned and the potatoes soft and slightly browned.

Tips

Serve with a salad and/or grilled courgette/zucchini.

*If you have access to fresh herbs, use those instead and just triple the amount.

**When mixing the oil and herbs with the vegetables or potatoes, I always use my hands, as I find it coats everything better than when I use a spoon.

***Depending on the thickness of your chops, and whether or not they are on the bone, you may need a longer or shorter cooking time. Just make sure you don’t try them out.

Say Kimchi: Kimchi Vegetable Fries

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What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.

-A.A. Milne

 

I’m Irish so I love all things potato*: baked, roasted, boiled, mashed, twice baked, cold—in potato salad, and as crisps and chips. Give them to me in soup or curry, as colcannon, or as a main or a side and I’m a happy camper. There are times when all I have in my house are potatoes and nothing else so that’s what I’ll (happily) eat for dinner.

Thankfully, potatoes are in abundance in Korea.  However, I find Korean potoes cook faster, for one thing, and, for another, they just don’t have as many varieties (Rooster’s, Queen’s or Kerr’s anyone?) compared to home. Despite this oversight, I’ve managed to get by quite well with what they do offer and have made many tasty meals based around this hearty vegetable.

Christmas 2013 was no exception.  I made Kimchi fries, inspired by the Kimchi fries my brother made me and the subsequent ones I have had at Vatos (Itaewon) and Julio’s (Cheonggyecheon Stream) in Seoul. The fries I made were quite tasty and were demolished rather quickly, but I didn’t measure the ingredients so I decided to retry! This time, though, I decided to add root vegetables to the potatoes as I had a ton of vegetables that needed to be eaten asap!

 I would suggest serving these fries as a side dish when you are hosting a dinner. They go quite well with roast chicken and a green salad. Additionally, you could serve them with your favourite Mexican food.  Also I recommend for those who are not lactose intolerant or vegetarian to add cheese and cooked rasher/bacon on top of the kimchi. Once the cheese is toasted, your fries are ready.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have enjoyed making it!

*Ok, I do know that not all Irish people love potatoes but at least 95% of us do! Right?

Kimchi Vegetable Fries

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of olive oil
  • 1 tsp each of pepper, sage, parsley, coriander leaf
  • Dash of chili flakes
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 kohlrabi, diced into chunks, washed and dried
  • 1½ cup of cabbage kimchi, chopped*
  • 4 medium white potatoes, diced into chunks, washed and dried
  • 4 small sweet potatoes, diced into chunks, washed and dried
  • 1 carrot, diced into chunks, washed and dried
  • 1 cup of Korean radish, diced into chunks, washed and dried
  • 1 cup of grated real cheddar cheese (optional)
  • ½ cup of cooked rasher/bacon (optional)
  • Salt

Method

  1. Heat a large pot on the stove on medium-high heat for around 1 minute.
  2. Once hot, add 2 cups of oil and heat for around 1 minute**
  3.  Meanwhile, put half the herbs, a dash of  chili flakes and a dash of salt in a plastic lunch bag. Add a little oil and mix together. Add the kohlrabi and coat with the seasoning.
  4. Once the oil is hot, add the kohlrabi to the pot. It usually takes around 2-3 minutes to brown.
  5. While browning, add potatoes and carrot to the plastic bag along with more oil and the remaining seasoning (if needed, use a new plastic lunch bag).
  6. When the kohlrabi is brown, scoop it out and put in a roasting pan.
  7. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and brown.
  8. Meanwhile repeat step 5 with the radish and sweet potatoes.
  9. Once the potatoes and carrots are starting to brown, add the remaining vegetables and let them cook until browned.
  10. When the vegetables are browned scoop them out and add them to the roasting tin.
  11. Mix the vegetables together with the kohlrabi and half the kimchi. Add the rasher, if using, at this point.
  12. Top with remaining kimchi. If using cheese, top the kimchi with cheese now.
  13. Place in an oven (I used a toaster oven) on medium heat, or under a grill/broiler, for around 15-20 minutes. Check every 5- 10 minutes to prevent burning. If using cheese, once the cheese is melted take it out of the oven. Serve immediately.***

Tips

*If you are vegetarian, make sure the Kimchi you use is one without fish, seafood or fish sauce.

**When I add the oil to heat, I usually throw in a piece of onion as well. When the oil starts to “bubble” around it, it’s ready.

***When my brother made kimchi fries, we topped them with guacamole. This is a heavenly option and I highly recommend it!  There weren’t any avocados in Home Plus at the time of writing this post, or that would totally be my included in this offering!

 

Say Kimchi: Tuna and Kimchi Fried Rice

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After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.

– Oscar Wilde

Kimchi. Kimchi. Kimchi. Korea loves kimchi. They even  say “Kimchi” instead of “Cheese” when they smile. It’s eaten at every meal from breakfast to dinner and worms its way into lots of dishes.  There is fishy kimchi, spicy kimchi, mild kimchi, vinegar-y kimchi and even a sweet-ish kimchi (made from cucumber, this is my favourite). In fact, in winter, there are several places that hold kimchi making days where expats and visitors can learn this important aspect of Korean culture. I was supposed to go one weekend in December but unfortunately I was sick. Thankfully, the company I went through let my friends bring me some home!

So here I was with 3 kilos of kimchi and trying to figure out how I would use it all. Luckily, when it comes to food, inspiration is never far away, and one meal that I really like is kimchi fried rice or kimchi bokkeumbap.

If you are ever stuck with a ton of kimchi, perhaps this recipe below, inspired by kimchi bokkeumbap, will whet your appetite to work your way through the volume!

Tuna and Kimchi Fried Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of  rice, cooked*
  • 1 cup of cabbage Kimchi, chopped
  • 1 medium red pepper, diced
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 -3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 150g tuna, drained**
  • Water from chopped kimchi
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce***
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 tbsp fish sauce**
  • salt

Method:

  1.  Heat a frying pan / wok on med-high heat.
  2. Add oil, heat for 20 seconds, then add pepper, celery, onion and a dash of salt.
  3. Stir fry until translucent.
  4. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
  5. Add Kimchi, kimchi water and a dash more salt and stir occasionally for up to 3 minutes until the kimchi is hot. This also gives the other vegetables time to be coated in the kimchi water.
  6. Add tuna and stir fry for up to 3 more minute until everything is hot.
  7. Stir in rice, and then add in the remaining ingredients.
  8. Pat the rice mixture so that it covers the base of the frying pan/wok. Leave for 1 minute.
  9. Stir and then repeat step 7, until the mixture is heated through and a little browned (be careful, you don’t want it to burn, just to brown).
  10. Serve with mandu (dumplings), green vegetables or a side of kimchi!

Tips

*You may cook the rice one day in advance if you desire.

**For a vegetarian option, leave out the tuna and fish sauce. You may also want to check that the kimchi you use is made without fish or fish bi-products.

***Use gluten free soy sauce.