168 recipes. Page 6 of 7
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Roasted sweet potato is much sweeter than boiled, which is why 220g of it goes into this latte. It is blended with half the milk first to get rid of the fibers, then warmed in a pot with the rest, and the bottom catches quickly unless the spatula keeps scraping.
Thinned with lemon juice, ssamjang (the soybean and chili dipping paste used for Korean lettuce wraps) becomes a savory dressing sturdy enough for raw kale. The kale's slight bitterness suits that nutty, salty depth, and red cabbage and cucumber add juicy crunch. Golden pan-seared tofu edges and sliced almonds supply the crunch in the name; scatter the almonds at the last minute so they stay crisp.
Honey gives these madeleines a slightly deeper color and keeps them moist for longer after they cool. The little hump on the back forms when well-chilled batter goes straight into a hot oven.
Chestnuts boiled soft and pushed through a fine sieve become a smooth paste seasoned only with honey and cinnamon, so the sweetness stays restrained and the chestnut itself leads. Sieving while the chestnuts are still warm is what removes every grainy bit. Each small round is rolled in ground pine nuts and topped with a slice of jujube.
Goji berries left to boil too long darken the tea but turn it bitter. Jujubes and ginger get fifteen minutes on their own first, and the berries join only for the last five, just long enough to plump up and tint the water red.
Sweet potato roasted until its edges caramelize gives sturdy, bitter kale a sweet counterweight, enough to make this a filling bowl on its own. Almonds add crunch and dried cranberries a sour note, while a Dijon, lemon, and honey dressing keeps it bright. Cool the roasted cubes completely before they meet the kale, since leftover heat softens the leaves too far, and lift gently from underneath when mixing so the cubes stay intact.
Dried gujeolcho, a Korean chrysanthemum that flowers in the ninth lunar month, steeps for just five minutes in water around 90°C, since boiling weakens its scent. Fine shreds of pear go into each cup and soften slightly in the hot tea.
Two jujubes simmer first for five minutes to give sweetness and a reddish tint, then the dried chrysanthemum buds and goji berries steep over low heat for three minutes before the heat goes off. The strained tea comes out pale gold.
Most of this tea's flavor is decided in a dry pan. The cassia seeds are stirred over low heat for about three minutes and taken off the moment they darken a shade and smell toasty; roasting on for more color leaves a burnt taste in the whole pot. Simmered with jujubes and ginger for fifteen minutes, they make a reddish-brown tea.
Whole cinnamon bark simmered slowly on low heat gives a heavier cup than a quick steep, with a peppery warmth that stays behind the sweetness. The jujubes are split in half before they go in, and as they soften they give the tea a little body.
Soaking the dried tangerine peel for two minutes in the very water that will become the tea tames its harshness without throwing any of that water away. Bitter-bright citrus and ginger heat arrive together in the amber cup, and honey and rice syrup sweeten it in two registers, one clean and floral, the other thick and malty.
Raw, the fruit of the oriental raisin tree is small, knobbly, astringent and rather flat. Twenty-five minutes over low heat with jujubes, ginger and a cinnamon stick turns the water deep brown and gives it an earthy, faintly sweet aroma. The pot then rests, covered and off the heat, for five minutes before straining.
Persimmons gone soft as jelly blend into something closer to jam than juice. An astringent variety that is not fully ripe leaves a dry, puckering feel in the mouth, and only completely soft fruit goes in.
All the fruit is cut to 1.5 to 2cm so a single spoonful holds crisp apple, crisp pear and green grapes that pop when bitten. The honey is dissolved completely in cold water first, and the sparkling water goes in just before eating. Other seasonal fruit can stand in.
The brown rice goes into a dry pan unwashed, which lets the bran give off a strong toasty aroma as it roasts. About eight minutes over low heat is enough; stop at pale brown, because dark brown brings bitterness.
The roasted soybean powder that coats injeolmi rice cakes dissolves into milk for a nutty dessert drink. Roasting matters: raw soybean powder has a sharp, grassy smell, while roasted powder tastes like toasted grain.
Thinly sliced fresh ginseng simmers on the lowest heat with jujubes and ginger for close to twenty minutes. The ginger is there to soften the ginseng's aroma and is never left out; if it comes through too strongly, a splash of hot water goes into the finished tea.
Sword beans are three or four times the size of ordinary beans, and roasted ones give this tea a heavy, grainy aroma. Once used, the beans can be brewed a second time.
Grapefruit preserves live or die by the white pith. Even a little of it makes the jar harshly bitter, and the tough membranes come off too until only flesh and juice go into the sugar. After a day or more the sugar melts into a thick syrup, which is stirred into hot water by the cup. Mixed with sparkling water instead, it becomes a cold ade.
Job's tears need two hours of soaking and enough boiling to crush easily between the fingers. Undercooked grains leave grit that no amount of blending removes. Pine nuts, rich in oil, emulsify with the milk as they blend and give the shake its heavy, creamy body.
Jehotang is said to have been made by the Joseon court's medical office to see the king through the summer heat. Cinnamon, ginger and licorice root are simmered, then mixed with plum syrup and honey and served cold, so the sweet-tart taste comes with a quiet herbal note behind it. Plum syrups vary a lot in sweetness, so adjust the water and honey by taste.
Soaked white soybeans, boiled briefly and blended with toasted sesame and pine nuts, turn into a thick, cream-colored drink that tastes of the bean itself. Most of the work is rubbing off the skins after soaking: skins left behind bring both a raw beany taste and a gritty texture. Salt and honey stay in the background. Serve it over ice, or pour it over plain cooked noodles as a chilled broth.
Korean pear is full of water and barely acidic; blended with cold water and strained, it makes a pale, mild juice. Pressing the pulp hard in the strainer clouds it, and the spoon is used only lightly. A little lemon and ginger juice leave a faint ginger bite at the end, and a sweet enough pear needs no honey.
Only dried plum blossoms processed and sold as an edible tea will do; foraged or ornamental flowers are no substitute, rinsed or not. Jujubes simmer first for five minutes, and the blossoms steep in that water once the heat is off. If the package gives its own steeping temperature and time, follow it over this recipe's two minutes.