Building the a love for fresh herbs.

THE FOOD

Every summer tapas meal needs a salad, and since it's summer in Korea we decided on one that included all the local favorites: watermelon, cucumber and tomatoes.  

THE QUANDARIES 

If you have ever been to both Korea or Spain you know that both places can't get enough watermelon, cucumber or tomato so they are perfect choice for a fusion salad to highlight the similarities.  The biggest issue was how to make it all fusion-y.  We only made a few small changes.  Of course, the taste was just perfection.  You can't go wrong with fresh fruit and herbs.

THE SOLUTION

1/4 large watermelon cubed (or any other melon you have on hand)

1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into quarters

1 medium cucumber or 1/2 one large cucumber cubed

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh basil

3 tablespoons pine nut oil or olive oil

a pinch of salt

a pinch of korean red pepper (optional)

We don't need to make this too complicated.  This salad is very simple.  Cube everything up in smallish cubes and toss together with oil, herbs and salt.

Cooking Note: This recipe is great for kids.  It's easy to make, healthy and they will love to eat it all.  It's also a wonderful recipe to help them develop a passion for the taste of fresh herbs.

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THE FOOD

Korean Soybean Hummus

As it turns out, chickpeas are NOT universal.  Sure Korea has them sometimes, but is it really worth all the effort to find them?  Not always.  Especially when there is a perfectly good substitute for those of us who are trying not to eat a ton of imported items.  So what can you sub for chickpeas? Dried soybeans of course.  I'm actually a big fan of this new hummus because it has kind of a rich buttery flavor.  Give it a try.  You might just love it as well.

THE QUANDARIES

1. Some recipes ask for yogurt and we can't eat cow milk.

2. Chickpeas are hard to find and expensive.

3. We like things with a bit more kick now.

THE SOLUTION

2 cups Soaked and Cooked Soybeans

3/4 cup Tahini

1/4 cup goat yogurt (optional)

1/2 cup lemon juice

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

1 tablespoon Korean red pepper

1/2 cup olive oil over the top

1 teaspoon paprika or red pepper for garnish

water if you want to thin it

FIRST STEP:  Prep you soybeans by letting them soak for a few hours.  Then boil for 45 minutes.  You want them VERY soft. 

Prep Note: For a super smooth hummus you can remove the "skin" from the soybeans after it boils.  We don't always do this because we are lazy, but it does make a smoother texture.  It's your choice.

First they look like this.

Soak until they look like this.

SECOND STEP: Combine in your food processor or bowl - soybeans, tahini, goat yogurt (optional), lemon juice, crushed/minced garlic, sea salt, cumin (optional), Korean red pepper.  Blend until smooth. Add a little of this and a little of that until the taste is perfect for what you want that day.  This is just where we start and then we customize based on our mood.

THIRD STEP:  Add the deliciousness to a bowl and garnish with olive oil and paprika or red pepper.  We usually also add fresh tomatoes and some olives to the mix when we eat it :)

MENU IDEA

Eat it with Korean Falafel wrapped in a flatbread. Here we used a tortilla.  We also recommend mixing in lots of local seasonal greens whenever you can.

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I buy mine at the market.  They are super affordable.

THE FOOD

 Baba Ghanoush

Roasted eggplant is one of those gifts from God.  When you mix it with Tahini is like you've found love for the first time.  Two things we are rolling in here are sesame seeds and eggplant, so making this dream-in-a-dish was a no-brainer.

THE QUANDARIES

1) We don't use Fahrenheit in these here parts.  200 Celsius

2) We only have small Japanese eggplant. 

3) During off season we have to use lemon from a bottle.
4) Not everyone has an oven.

THE SOLUTION

• 4 large Japanese eggplants
• 1 cup tahini (or more or less, it's your choice)
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• salt, to taste
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

FIRST: Preparing the eggplant 

Option 1) Stick eggplant with a fork and put it in an over pre-heated to 205celcius for 50 minutes.  Then remove and keep in a plastic bag for 25 minutes and then remove the skin (the bag makes it easy for the skin to come off.) 

Option 2) Stick eggplant with a fork.  Wrap well in tinfoil and grill over an open flame (can be your gas range) until very soft.  Turn regularly to keep it from over cooking.  Then stick in a plastic for 25 minutes and then remove the skin.

My little babies looking good.  I roasted them a bit too long.

 SECOND: Mix It All Together

Add everything together in a bowl and mash the blazes out of it until it's a constancy that you like.  There is no right way other than the way you like it.  Add more or less of everything mentioned until it's just the way you like it.  This is our version.  Make it your own. (Click For A Tahini recipe here)

The magic.

The result was easy to make perfection.  You don't have to live without and you don't have to have it shipped in.

Everything I used was from the local market. 

You can make healthy, delicious, authentic Mediterranean food with local ingredients.  So stop bitch'n and get in the kitch'n. 

Here is the fantastic Dede showing you how it's done. www.dedemed.com

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THE FOOD

Falafel/Felafel

I say falafel, you say felafel. Either way, this originally Egyptian food is delicious.  It also can't be found around South Korea (2013) which is a problem because it's something that has been a big part of our family since welcoming our Egyptian sister-in-law to nearly two decades ago.  It is one of our comfort foods.

THE QUANDARIES

 1. Chickpeas can be hard to find

 2. Chickpeas are imported.

3. Parsley isn't always in season.

4. We are addicted to spicy foods now.

THE SOLUTION

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried soybeans
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
• 3 tablespoons of fresh local greens (chose something not to bitter and light in flavor)
• 1 teaspoon coriander (we used ground coriander seeds)
• 1 teaspoon cumin or curry powder
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 hot chili (or less depending on your taste)
• Oil for frying

Preparation:

Place dried soybeans in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow them to soak at least two hours.

Drain soybeans, and place in pot with fresh water, and bring to a boil.

Allow to boil for 5 minutes, then let simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl or blender.




Mash soybeans, ensuring to mix ingredients together.  If you don't have a masher use the bottom of a glass jar or a soda bottle that is still full.  You can also combine ingredients in a food processor but it is not required. You want to make a thick past.  We make ours a little "chunky" because we like the heartiness of it.




Using two spoons or your hands make small balls, about the size of a golf ball. Slightly flatten so that they cook more easily.

Fry in oil until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

These are great hot, but they are also excellent cold.

MENU IDEAS

Create Soy Falafel "mini burgers" topping them with baba ganoush, kimchi and Korean Medi Salad.

Or make the traditional appetizer plate with baba ganoush, soybean hummus and a goat yogurt dill dipping sauce.

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THE MISSION

Think locally, eat globally.  We believe that the world is at our doorstep if only we dare to step outside.

The Expat Table has been influenced by many things and many places.  With over 41 countries and counting, we've tasted and explored until our bellies and eyes were full.  Now we are settled down in South Korea and wish to explore and share what we have learned and tasted.

This May, in partnership with Come Together Korea, we will host the first of three meals which present Korean ingredients and traditional foods melded with global cuisine.  The food will be a delightful blend of what we expect and what we've dreamed of.  Sourcing our ingredients from local vendors, we wish to share the joy of discovering the global potential in our own backyard.

Please note: these events are hosted and presented by people who love food.  We do not own restaurants, stores or sell products.  We are simply a group of food lovers who love to explore and share the world and the cuisine around us.

THE TABLE

Hosts: Come Together Korea & The Expat Table

Date: Saturday May 11th @ 6 pm

Where: Seoul (Exact location to be announced)

 
Guest Country: Spain

Location: To be announced  

Featured Guest: Rowan Chadwick
Read his article DIY Beer: Brewing a Fine Ale at Home

We are excited to announce that we will feature home brewed beer especially created for this event.  In addition, the brewer will be joining us to share his knowledge and stories of beer in Korea.  

Reserve Your Seat: 

THE VALUE 

All A Chair At The Table meals are priceless, however, contributions based on the ones experience are appreciated.  During each meal a vessel will be placed at the end of the table.  Guests are encouraged to contribute an amount equal to what the meal was worth to them. 

The more guest value the meals, the more often our volunteers and contributors will host them.  The funds will be used to buy ingredients, secure locations and otherwise present increasingly interesting meals.  The table will exist as long as it adds value the lives of those that participate and attend. 

THE CONVERSATION

We have saved a seat just for you.  It's not just the food that makes the meal, but the company we keep.  So pull up a chair and join in the culinary conversation.
What are your favorite substitusions?
How small is your kitchen?
What do you wish you had?
What have you found you can live without?
What's your favorite new ingredient?
 Share your discoveries with us and the world.   Join us on Facebook and celebrate global dining from a local perspective.

THE INGREDIENTS

We source all possible ingredients locally.  Our buying begins locally with many of our ingredients sourced from surrounding farms, and our menu is limited to only three items which are from the global market place.

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THE FOOD

Korean Egyptian Spring Salad

In the spring and summer we love to eat fresh green salads and in Korea there are all sorts of amazing greens we'd never seen or eaten.  We decided that we needed to introduce these handsome greens to an Egyptian Mediterranean dressing and see how they felt about each other.  It was love at first bite. satisfying.  

THE QUANDARIES

New foods and cultures are scary, but we all moved abroad to learn and have adventures so let's get to it.  One way we get used to our new world is to go to the local market and sample things we've never tried.  Most vendors will give you a bit of leaf, or whatever, so you can understand the flavor.  They get you're new and - often- want to be helpful.  A nice green salad is the perfect excuse to head down to the market and get sampling.

THE SOLUTIONS

The Dressing

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs lemon or lime juice

2 tbs fruit vinegar

2 cloves minced garlic

pinch cumin, sea salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste

The Salad

Cucumber

Tomato

Green onion

Local leafy greens

These are little spring onions.  SUPER yummy.

We've actually seen folks foraging for this but don't know the name.

Either way, it's exceptional in salad.

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Salt Sit

During my search for the perfect fusion tapas 

made with Korean ingredients,

I realized I needed Spanish cured sardines.

Pear Vinegar Bath

I used this recipe from The Spanish Hipster:

http://www.spanishhipster.com/2011/04/cured-sardines-recipe/

but made a few changes.

I let them cure for 6 hours

(because I needed to go to work)

Experimented with lime juice 

(because I was out of lemon)

Used Korean Pear Vinegar

(because I don't like imports)

Oil Bed

The result was just delightful

and perfect for my toasts.

Perfection with fresh cheese.

 

NOTE: You might not want to let them sit in the salt for six hours if you are planning to eat them on their own.  I like the longer salt bed because they last longer and are great with other plane ingredients.

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So begins the big adventure.

Melding together

Spanish Tapas

and

Korean Side Dishes

The first thing I needed to do 

was pick three flavors  that worked together

from each country.

These make the pallet 

for painting the recipes.

This required making lots of little toasts.

The first try.  Tastes great, but not even close to what I'm going for.

 

Total bust.  Too much soy.  Too much olive.  Too Soggy.

FLAVORS

The first toasts, 

although delicious,

were not well balanced flavor wise.

They were too "Korean".

After a few more tires I found the perfect balance.

From Spain I chose:

Lemon

Olive

Paprika

From Korea I chose:

Soy Sauce

Spicy Peppers

Fermentation

This was ugly as heck, but a lot more delicious and sent me down the right path.

TEXTURE

After that I needed to refine my textures.

"What?" you ask "Textures?"

Yes, believe it or not texture

is as a key part of fusion cuisine.

I consider it equally important to taste.

Spanish food has a lovely 

balance of crunch and smoothness 

that's critical for it to "taste" Spanish.

At first my toasts just didn't have it.

 

The perfect crunch was found in:

Toasting the bread

Making goat and soy cheese.

Using lotus root

This was where I started really picking up speed.

INGREDIENTS

Finally, I had to decided what was going in things.

The two cuisines have a great deal in common,

but I still needed to narrow it down.

So this is what 

I'll be making the tapas out of.

CROSSOVER INGREDIENTS

Chicken eggs

Quail eggs

Sardines

Eggplant

Peppers

Potato

Squid

Shrimp

Mushrooms

UNIQUE INGREDIENTS

Lotus Root

Olives

Olive Oil

Kimchi

Korean fruit wines

In the end I knew just what I needed to take it to the next level.

 WHAT'S NEXT?

After this I need to work on 

marinating my own lotus root.  

The stuff from the market is just too strong.  

It needs to be less intense.

It needs to float inside the recipe, 

not stand out on top.

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