Category Archives: Sweet Potato

Korean Food at Home: Pot au Feu

Growing up, I always loved meat and potatoes, but struggled to appreciate how truly sophisticated Korean food can be. That is, until I became a professional chef.

Korean food extends well beyond traditional tabletop BBQ and kimchi tacos. With ancient culinary traditions that can be traced back at least 3,000 years, seasonal and regional foods dominated most if not all diets. Korean short rib stew is a delicacy that flourishes when fancied up. I prepared mine using both Hansik (Korean food) cooking methods and classic French cooking techniques, and let me tell you it made all the difference. Serve it alongside rice and a pickled side or two like kimchi, and enjoy.
Korean Pot au feu (Soe-galbijim)
Yields 2 servings
Adapted from The Beauty of Korean Food : with 100 Best-loved recipes by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food

Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, peeled sliced on a bia
1 ½ cups yama sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 cup Yukon gold potatoes
2 pounds of short ribs with bone attached
½ cup dried jujubes
2 brown oak mushrooms, soaked in water for an hour
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup jin soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

Directions:
In stockpot, place short ribs and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer (160-180 degrees) but do not let the water boil! Skim off impurities and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, strain liquid and rinse short ribs under cold water. Return to a fresh, clean stockpot and cover with fresh cold water.

Add vegetables, mushrooms, jujubees and whole garlic cloves. Continue cooking at a low simmer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove short ribs and place in a mixing bowl. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove vegetables, jujubes, and mushrooms and set aside. Reserve cooking liquid for later use.

Mix marinade in the meantime. In a medium size mixing bowl add sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, salt and honey and ginger. Pour over the short ribs. Allow ribs to soak the marinade for about 10 minutes.

Place short ribs and vegetables in a tagine. Add about ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the tagine and continue cooking in a low simmer for about 20 minutes until the flavors of the marinade are distributed. Adjust seasoning with salt and honey if necessary.

TIP: you can freeze your marmite to make consommé later or use it as beef stock! So do not throw it out if there’s a lot left over! Freezing the stock in pint containers are excellent for flavoring soups later on!

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Filed under Hot on the Blog, Korean Food at Home, November 2011, Rina's Food2 recipes, Short Ribs, Sweet Potato

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potatoes in a Nest

I can’t tell you how nice it is to have sweet and savory snack appropriate for any time of the day. Late morning, early afternoon or night; you’ve got sometimes delicious and easy to munch on. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods. In fact, when I’m back visiting the Korean markets in the colder months, there’s usually a man standing outside smoking sweet potatoes, selling them for a few bucks. It’s not just a vegetable side dish — it’s its own phenomenon to Koreans who like to bake pastries with it.

I thought to bring it up a notch and bake my own mouth-watering version. Boy did it result in a tasty, buttery and satisfying snack. Enjoy it with tea, or indulge in morsel all by itself. Just be warned; you’ll likely find yourself coming back for seconds, and thirds.
Sweet Potatoes in a Nest

Ingredients
1 package of 
Kaitaifi (shredded pastry dough) thawed out
2 sticks butter
2 medium size sweet potatoes, oven roasted
1 cup honey
½ cup sugar
1 cup jujubee, chopped
1 teaspoon cinammon
¼ cup sliced almonds
Butter flavored cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray muffin mold.

Mash peeled sweet potatoes using a potato masher. Add sugar, jujubes, honey, cinnamon, and mix well.

With the Kaitaifi (shredded pastry dough), make a nest by taking strips and swirling around, then place inside greased muffin tray. Drizzle about a teaspoon of honey on top of each nest. Scoop a tablespoon of sweet potato mixture inside. Brush all edges with melted butter, lots of butter.

Top with more honey and almonds. Brush with butter on top.

Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove, and serve!

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Filed under Dessert, Hot on the Blog, Meatless Mondays, November 2011, Rina's Food2 recipes, Sweet Potato