a trio of summer salads at Mint

i'm delighted to share with you a guest post i did for Mint Design Blog this week. mint is a lovely journal of all things design - from food and fashion to home and travel, mint serves up inspiration daily. the blog's creator and editor, ellie snow, is also a mama-to-be so mint is the home of some sweet finds for baby. check it out yourself and be sure to bring one of green tea and kimchi's summer salads to the first BBQs of the season! enjoy!

sunday brunch at SPACE

last month kicked off the first sunday brunch, the newest gathering around our communal table at SPACE. guest chefs, jo anne and jeffrey served up a beautiful strawberry beet salad alongside their savory buckwheat crepes. mmmm....

looking forward to many a sunday brunch to come. if you are in or around seoul and are interested in being a guest chef at SPACE, we'd love to hear from you! 

mama's table... dal and rice

this monday was the first Mama’s Table, a weekly sharing of food around the communal table at SPACE.

thanks to my resourceful friend and freegan, josh, we were able to save a giant bag of lemon rinds - discarded from a popular local lemonade stand - from becoming trash and used them to make indian lemon pickles after our dinner of dal and rice. i can’t wait for those sour, spicy pickles to be ready to eat with my dal next time.

kitchiri (dal and rice)… and a beetroot salad

kitchiri is an ayurvedic dish known to detoxify and balance the body. because it is easy to digest, it is traditionally eaten when recovering from illness or by those undertaking panchakarma, an ayurvedic cleanse. there are countless versions of the recipe but no matter which kind of rice you choose or how many or few spices you use, kitchiri is always a simply delicious, belly-warming bowl of goodness. ghee (clarified butter) is usually the foundation of kitchiri but we found a light flavored oil works just as well and tastes just as good.

for the kitchiri…

a splash of light flavored oil (we like grapeseed)
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
6 cups or water
1 1/2 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice, picked over and rinsed
sea salt to taste
a bundle of cilantro, finely chopped

in a big soup pot, combine the oil and onion over medium heat, cooking the onions until they soften. add the spices and salt, stirring to release their flavor. stir in the rice and lentils and stir fry for just a few minutes. add water and bring to a boil, then simmer for about thirty minutes or until the rice is very tender. add more water as you cook if you prefer a soupier dish.

check for salt and adjust as necessary. stir in the cilantro and serve warm, with a spoonful of your favorite indian pickle. you can make your own south indian lemon pickles or, if you're not feeling that ambitious, pick up a jar from your local indian grocer. my favorites are mango and lemon – delish!


for the salad…

2 or 3 medium sized beets
a handful of cilantro, finely chopped
a squeeze of lime juice
a sprinkle of cumin powder
a pinch of salt, to taste

combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl and let stand for an hour before serving.

seoul vegan potluck

in only the second month of the seoul vegan potluck , a community was born. it was a lovely sunday afternoon, surrounded by new friends and beautiful food at SPACE, an urban oasis in the center of seoul, where wellness is on the menu daily.

we feasted on moroccan zaalouk, fig and walnut salad, roasted red pepper hummus, ratatouille and a late summer quinoa medley. bellies were full, friendships were made and SPACE was warmed by the coming together of our community in our humble oasis.

thanks seoul vegan potluck for a wonderfully tasty and heart-warming event last weekend and thanks chincha magazine for including my fig salad! can’t wait for next month at casablanca!

an unexpected salad

at our slow food retreat, we learned about the process and sampled many of the fermented sauces and extracts. we learned a traditional salad dressing recipe of the region that was fantastic. if you can find korean doenjang, i highly recommend giving it a try! mix the following together and serve over your favorite fresh greens...

6 tbs doenjang (soybean paste)
3 tbs strawberry extract (made by fermenting equal parts strawberry and sugar)
1 cup of soymilk
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar
1-2 tbs honey