Israeli Comfort Food

Rainy weather makes me want to curl up in bed, watch cheesy romantic comedies, and eat a big bowl of something laden with butter—somewhat good for my overworked brain and underworked heart, but not so great for the hips.

Americans are infamous for this. Our idea of comfort food, depending on what state you’re from, consists of macaroni and cheese, lasagna with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese between every layer of doughy noodle, meats simmered for hours in red wine and butter, and casseroles with so much cream it makes your heart stop just looking at the recipe.

This type of soul-soothing cuisine has made the likes of Ina Garten and Paula Dean household names.

And we wonder why half the country is obese.

Lucky for me, I live in Colombia, where finding all the ingredients for my favorite comfort foods is challenging. However, I recently discovered that Bogotá is experiencing its two-month-long rainy season, and needed something to transport me somewhere warm, dry, and, alas, comforting.

In December, I met an Israeli man named Shahar. We were staying at the same hostel in Patagonia and became instant friends. After a few days together in El Chaltén, we met up again in Buenos Aires. I told him if he was heading to Colombia, I had a couch with his name on it.

A month later, Shahar had taken up residence in my living room. And as payment for my generosity, he paid me in food.

Here’s his recipe for his take on comfort food, Shakshuka (שקשוקה). It’s become my go-to dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And fortunately for me, it doesn’t contain an ounce of butter. 

Shahar’s Shakshuka:

(Serves 3-4 People)

Ingredients:

1 TBSP oil

1 onion

4 tomatoes

1 red pepper

5-6 eggs

2 TBSP tomato paste

½ tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Lots of cumin

Method:

1.     Cut onions, tomatoes and pepper into cubes

2.     Put the pan on medium heat, add oil and put in the onions

3.     Cook onions until caramelized (4-5 min), add salt

4.     Add red pepper and tomatoes

5.     Mix and wait for vegetables to soften

6.     Add tomato paste, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper, then break the eggs on top of the mixture. The eggs should be evenly distributed over the vegetables without the yolk breaking.

7.     Cover the pan and keep it covered until the egg yolks are hard. Check with a fork

8.     Serve with your favorite bread and enjoy!

Laotian Larb

Everyone's eaten at Thai restaurants. There are Vietnamese places popping up all over. My old DC neighborhood even had a Malaysian eatery on the corner.

But what the heck is Laotian food?

I wondered the same thing before I visited Laos, the small country bordered by Thailand and Cambodia. And obviously this was the first question I asked once i got there.

Basically, it's a cuisine influenced by Northern Thailand, Cambodia and the French, with a heavy emphasis on fresh herbs, spices and vegetables. And everything, and I mean everything, is served with a basket of sticky white rice.

The most popular dish in Laos has to be Larb (also spelled Larp or Laap). It's a spicy salad of minced meat or fish, greens, herbs and spices and is absolutely delicious. Locals tend to eat the salad by rolling little balls of sticky rice and using it as their utensil. So this is, of course, how you should eat it too.

Below is the recipe I got from the Tamnak Lao Restaurant Cooking School in Luang Prabang. I made it for my parents today and it was a huge hit. Plus, it's easy, healthy and something new!

Chicken Larb
(Note you can make this recipe with fish, tofu or pork)

This recipe serves one person or three if shared with other dishes.

Ingredients:
• 1 large chicken breast with skin removed, minced into small pieces
• 1 small chicken bouillon cube
• 1 medium lime, juiced
• 2 TBSP hot water
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly
• 1 spring onion, sliced thinly
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly (are we seeing a pattern?)
• 2 garlic cloves (you know the drill)
• 1 bunch of cilantro, cut finely
• 2 stalks of lemongrass thinly sliced, white part only
• 6 mint leaves, thinly sliced
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 TBSP rice powder (I found this at the local Asian market)
• 1 tsp chili powder or fresh chilies to taste if you like it hot (1-2 small Thai chilies)
• ¼ tsp fish sauce
• 1 TBSP fried garlic*
• 1 TBSP fried shallots*

Preparation:
1. Put the chicken stock, chicken, half of the lime juice and water into a wok or pan.
2. Place over medium heat, stirring until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl.
4. Add the kaffir limes, spring onion, shallot, garlic, cilantro, lemongrass and mint. Mix well.
5. Add salt, rice powder, chili powder, fish sauce, fried garlic and fried shallot. Mix thoroughly.
6. Pour the remainder of the lime juice over the salad, give it a quick toss and serve it on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.

*You can either buy deep fried onion and garlic at an Asian market, or make your own by slicing shallots and garlic very finely and deep-frying them in a pan until they turn golden brown. Use vegetable or canola oil and keep an eye on them! They burn quickly.


How to Make Sticky Rice:
Admittedly, I was too lazy to make the sticky rice, so we rolled the salad in lettuce leaves. And while it was great, I definitely missed being able to dip that small piece of rice in the Larb's sauce. So, you can do one of two things: either call in a to-go order from a local Thai restaurant, or invest in a steamer and make it yourself. These are the instructions I got from my Thai cooking school: Soak sticky rice in fresh cold water for a minimum of four hours. Afterwards wash the sticky rice with water at least two times. Put the sticky rice in a steamer and steam for about 30 minutes until the rice is very soft. When done, always keep the rice in a closed container to prevent it from drying out and becoming hard. If the rice cools down you can always steam it again.

A Recipe-filled Reunion

The moment I returned to America I started receiving invites to parties and reunion requests. I responded by sending a mass email: “Let me sleep for five days, then the planning can commence.”

Exactly six days later, I had two of my best girlfriends over for dinner. And even though I wanted nothing to do with rice, noodles, or any other kind of Asian fare, I thought it’d be nice to cook some recipes I learned in Thailand.

In Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), I spent an entire day at Thai Farm Cooking School. It’s located about 17 kilometers from Chiang Mai City, surrounded by mountains and an organic farm.

The day started at a local market where we learned about exotic produce and staple ingredients in Thai cooking.

Then we took a tour of the garden, smelling and tasting fresh herbs.

And the next few hours were spent cooking curries, soups, stir-fried dishes, salads and desserts.



Everyone left the school with full bellies, bags of leftover food and recipe booklets.

I don’t know how, but I managed to hang on to my tiny recipe book during the next two months of travel. And when I fished it out from the bottom of my backpack, I knew I had to recreate those delicious meals for my friends and family.

For my first (of many to come) Asian dinner party, I made Thai vegetable soup and chicken with basil. Both were huge hits, and the dinner was the perfect way to celebrate with old friends.

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Thai Vegetables Soup
(Tom Phak Ruam) {Serves 1-2}

Ingredients
• ½ c sliced tofu (I left this out)
• 1 c coconut milk
• 1 c water
• ¼ c sliced galangal (Similar to ginger root but milder. You should be able to find it at an Asian market. If not, try 1/8 c sliced ginger then add to taste)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced into 3 cm long pieces
• ¼ c sliced tomatoes
• ½ c sliced mushrooms
• 1-5 fresh chilies, minced (Remember a little goes a long way. You can always add more chilies but you can’t take them away!)
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 stem chopped spring onion
• 5 coriander leaves (cilantro)
• ½ c chopped long beans (If you can’t find these at an Asian market, substitute with broccoli or cauliflower. Green beans get too mushy.)
• ½ c chopped pumpkin (I couldn’t find pumpkin so I used butternut squash and it was excellent.)
• ½ c chopped carrot
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp fish sauce or soy sauce (I prefer fish sauce.)
• ½ tsp sugar
• pinch of salt

Preparation

Put water and coconut milk in a pot, heat until boiling. Add galangal, lemongrass, onion, pumpkin, long beans and carrot, cook until fragrant. Add tofu, tomatoes and mushrooms, continue boiling on medium heat until cooked. Season with fish or soy sauce, sugar and salt. Finally add lime juice, coriander and kaffir lime leaves, spring onions and chilies. Serve with rice.


Chicken with Basil
(Phad Kaprao Gai) {Serves 1-2}

Ingredients

• 100 grams sliced chicken (1 thin chicken cutlet. Chicken can be replaced by tofu, pork, beef or squid)
• 2 tbsp oil (soybean or canola)
• 5 cloves minced garlic
• 1/3 c sliced long beans
• 2-3 hot chilies
• 1 c Thai basil (holy basil) leaves
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¼ c sliced onions
• 3 tbsp water

Preparation

Pour the oil in the wok (If you don’t have a wok, use a large pan.) on low heat. When the oil is hot, add garlic, onion and chillies. Stir until fragrant. Add chicken and turn the heat up. Stir until well done. Next add long beans, fish sauce, sugar and oyster sauce. Add a little water. Stir together well. When everything is done, add basil leaves and stir once again. Serve with rice

Jennifer Cooks: Dakdoritang (닭도리탕)

I'm off the crutches and in the mood to cook! I found a really easy Dakdoritang (닭도리탕) recipe on seouleats.com and decided to make it last night. Daktdoritang is basically a really spicy chicken stew, perfect for heating your body on a cold winter night, or for clearing out your sinuses.

Here's the recipe so you can try it yourself:


Ingredients

(Yield: 4 Servings)

* 8 chicken pieces (thighs, breasts or drumsticks are best)
* 4 medium sized potatoes
* 2 onions
* 1 carrot
* 2 jalapenos (optional)
* 2 tbsp minced garlic
* 2 tbsp gochujang (hot pepper paste)
* 2 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper flakes)
* 2 tbsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp sugar
* 2 tsp sesame oil
* 2 green onions
* 1 tbsp ginger
* 2 cups of water
* Salt and pepper


Cooking Directions

1. Peel potatoes and cut them in half. Then cut each half into four quarters (8 pieces)
2. Cut onions the same way as the potatoes
3. Peel carrot and cut it into lengths about the same size as its width. Cut each slice into four quarters
4. Slice jalapenos (optional)
5. In a heavy pot, combine all ingredients except green onions
6. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes over a medium flame
7. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste
8. Chop and add scallions to simmer for 5 additional minutes
9. Serve hot with rice (This is optional. I personally think the potatoes offer enough starch.)

Enjoy!

Hobak Hummus

With only seven weeks left in Korea, I thought I'd want to stuff my face with as much kimchi as possible. And while I'm getting my daily fill of fermented cabbage, all I can think of is American food.

Well, let me clarify. I'm not sitting around daydreaming of Big Macs and french fries. I'm thinking about caesar salads. Enchiladas. Medjool dates. Goat cheese. Greek yogurt drizzled with honey. Hummus with warm pita. I could go on, but I'm writing this at a coffee shop, and I'm drooling. People are starting to stare.

My point: You can't find these things in Korea. There's no lunch cafe serving salads and sandwiches down the street. The variety of cheese consists of processed cheese squares and string cheese. And yogurt is sold as a sugary sweet liquid in milk cartons.

So in order to satisfy at least one of my cravings, I turned to my friend Amanda Mohlenhoff. Since she's been living in Seoul as a vegetarian for two years, I knew she'd have a few tricks up her sleeves for making some killer hummus. And since she's a whiz in the kitchen, I knew she'd offer a recipe that didn't require a hike to the foreign food market for canned chick peas.

She not only delivered, but gave me a recipe that will be a staple for future house parties. Substituting pumpkin (a Korean hobak) for chick peas was not only convenient, but it allowed for a creamier, slightly sweeter version of my beloved Mediterranean spread. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:
1 pumpkin (Korean hobak), peeled and steamed (For those living outside Korea, a small pumpkin or canned pumpkin should work fine)
2 TBSP tahini, or 5-6 TBSP of sesame seeds, crushed
2 TBSP soy sauce
1-2 cloves garlic
3 TBSP olive oil*
2 TBSP cumin powder
Juice of one lemon, or to taste
Salt to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:

Cool the steamed pumpkin and put it in a blender (or you can just mash it up). Puree the pumpkin, garlic, tahini and oil in batches until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and add the soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, cumin and red pepper.

You can also add chopped green gochu peppers (the Korean jalapenos) for extra spice, or a chopped scallion or two for more onion flavor. *The more oil you add, the thinner and creamier it will get.

You can probably guess that this recipe is very flexible. Feel free to play around with seasonings and measurements to fit your taste.


Just because it's in tupperware doesn't mean I can't make it look festive!