Korean Rice Porridge | The Vegetarian

By the time the twelve magnificent courses were over, my wife had eaten nothing but salad and kimchi, and a little bit of squash porridge. She hadn’t even touched the sticky-rice porridge, as they had used a special recipe involving beef stock to give it a rich, luxurious taste.
The Vegetarian
Han King

It’s getting closer to spring and the days are still freezing. Most of my week has been spent in an office, hearing the rain outside and eagerly looking forward to the walk back to the station with headphones in and a good podcast playing.

I’ve been doing a slow reread of The Vegetarian this last week, snatching brief moments of time in my day before and after work to get through a few pages. The Vegetarian is a novel that is always horrifying to me every time I read it - I’m not exactly sure why. Han Kang manages to create such amazing visuals with her writing style, a style that left me shuddering a little at some descriptions. My cook for this week was the

While my parents were both great cooks when I was growing up - we never really ventured into any Asian style cooking at home. And I was never that adventurous later in my life, I feel like most of my culinary choices were somewhat basic, with any Asian influences limited to Pad Thai or fried rice. There are numerous amazing sounding dishes mentioned throughout The Vegetarian, and I chose to go with one that is (surprisingly) no vegetarian. This recipe was created to be plant based and is but can easily be adapted to one that is not.

Note: I used some leftover faux beef chunks I had. Because they aren’t really raw meat, I just shredded them into pieces before I marinated them. If you’re using real meat, I would slice into shreds and ensure you cook them well. This recipe can also be made with already cooked meat.

Korean Beef Rice Porridge
Serves 3
Ingredients
1 cup rice
8 cups of beef stock + 2 cups extra if needed
200g beef *see note
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
Spring onion, thinly sliced for garnish

1. Slice up whatever type of beef you’re using and cover with 1 tbsp the soy sauce and minced garlic. Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.

2. Leave the rice to soak in water for at least an hour and then rinse off until the water comes clear.

3. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the marinated beef in once the oil is hot. Cook briefly until the meat is cooked through, add in the rice and the beef stock.

4. Leave on high until boiling, and then lower the heat so it is just simmering. Add in the remaining soy sauce.

5. Leave to simmer for around 30 minutes, adding in the extra stock if necessary. You want to keep quite a bit of liquid in the final product. Once the rice has reached the right consistency, quite creamy, serve straight away with the spring onions for garnish. Enjoy!

Katsudon | Kitchen

I peered through into the darkened windows of souvenir shops and I spotted the light coming from a small eatery that was still open. Through the frosted glass door I saw it had only one customer, who was sitting at the counter. I opened the door with a sense of relief and went in. I craved something heavy and filling, so I ordered deep-fried pork in broth over rice. ‘Katsudon, please,’ I said.
Kitchen
Banana Yoshimoto

An incredibly amount of influence into the books I read come from recommendations. Whether it be a book that a friend mentions casually, one that has a glowing review in a local paper or the multiple of recommendations that flood through the wonder that is instagram.

This month, I’ve been drawn quite heavily into Babbling Books' Women in Translation Month. When perusing both her and others suggestions for the month I came to the realisation that I already had a number of translated books in my shelf already - I just had no idea that they were. I picked a couple off the shelves and dedicated the week to a reread for inspiration of a dish to make and my attention rarely was drawn away from Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto. There are so many mouth watering dishes that are described in detail throughout the story - much of what ties into the beautifully written tale. I think for the month of August, most of my literary inspired meals will be done within the realm of Babbling Books' Women in Translation challenge.

Katsudon was the main item that wouldn’t disappear from my mind, however. The above quote from the book just installs a sense of comfort and warmth with the dish - of a hearty and filling meal that is bound to bring a sense of satisfaction to anyone, eaten late at night in a tiny, empty store. When I first moved to Melbourne, I would eat the same dish, in a particular tiny storefront buried somewhere within China Town late at night after a long shift at the restaurant I worked at. After giving up meat I hadn’t thought of it in years until my reread of Kitchen when the urge to recreate the dish would not leave my mind.

It was everything I remembered about the dish from years ago, and myself and my housemate greedily devoured it while the rain poured outside and we clustered around the tiny heater in the lounge.

*Note: So, I used soy steaks that I sourced from a local Asian grocer. Pressed tofu would also work wonderfully for this I believe. Otherwise, it can be made with pork chops of course - I would recommend using a mallet or rolling pin to gently pound the meat thin if you do choose to use this.

Katsudon
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 x meat of choice *see note
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp corn flour
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp plain flour
1 small brown onion, finely sliced
1 cup sushi rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
3 tsp mirin
2 tsp white sugar
2 tbsp finely chopped nori
1 3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 spring onion, finely sliced

1. Mix together the corn flour and water well, so no lumps are remaining. Set into a wide bowl, and do the same for the plain flour and panic breadcrumbs. You essentially want three seperate bowls for prepping the katsu.

2. Heat your oil in a shallow frying pan on a medium head until it reaches approx. 170C. You can test by dropping a few breadcrumbs in it - if they bubble and spin the oil is ready.

3. Dip each fillet (whatever you are using) into the flour first, followed by the corn flour mix and then the breadcrumbs, ensuring that it is well covered.

4. Drop each breadcrumb covered fillet into the oil, cooking each side for approx. 2 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Remove and sit on a piece of paper town to drain the excess oil.

5. Once they’re a little cooler, slice each piece into slices that are around 1 inch wide.

6. Now is a good time to get the rice ready. Since the sushi rice off to remove the excess starch and place into a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken stock. Cook on a medium heat until ready and place to the side. It should be ready around the time as everything else to be brought together.

7. Time to prepare the sauce. Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken stock, nori, sugar, mirin and soy sauce in a pan and cook until lightly simmering. It should thicken slightly.

8. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cooked the finely sliced brown onion until soft.

9. Place the slices of katsu on top of the onion in the pan - drizzling the sauce over the top, cooking it all in the pan for around 2 minutes.

10. Split the rice between two bowls and carefully divide the katsu between the two, along with the remaining sauce and onions from the pan. Scatter with the sliced spring onion and enjoy!

Chicken Sandwich | Franny and Zooey

‘This is going to be a real little doll of a weekend," Lane interjects, "a chicken sandwich, for God's sake.’
Franny and Zooey
J. D Salinger

Franny and Zooey is a fascinating read - alike to most of J.D Salinger’s work it could be argued. It took me the better part of a month to finish the book. Which does seem a little ridiculous considering the size of it. I think I probably started that book at least fourteen times within a few weeks - trying to read snippets on the train to work in the mornings or over a coffee. Every time it failed to catch my interest and I found myself drifting to another book tucked into my bag.

I finally took a Saturday, situated myself in a cafe with a coffee and sat down with determination to finally, at least, start the book properly. I sat there for abut three hours and four coffees and finished the entire book in that one day. I believe it was about 30 pages in where I realised I wouldn’t be leaving until I’d finish this tale that had somehow become fascinating to me in that time.

Franny in the story orders a simple chicken sandwich - probably not what I’ve created below - but I couldn't quite bring myself to eat a plain chicken sandwich. My version is far more flavoursome, with a homemade vegan mayonnaise - which I made for the first time. It was so easy and I can’t believe I’ve been paying $6 a jar at the supermarket for the stuff when it took me less than five minutes to whip up at home.

In sticking with the Franny and Zooey, I actually did pair my sandwich with (multiple) martinis - a lack of any proper martini glasses left me sipping chilled gin from a coffee mug. But honestly, you’ve got gin, you’ve got vermouth - does the glass really matter?

Note: I used a faux chicken I found in a local asian grocer which required baking. If you’re going to use real chicken - I would recommend chicken breasts that have been poached.

Chicken Sandwich
Serves approx. 5
Sandwich
500g faux chicken, cooked to your liking *see note
3 tbsp chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
10 slices soft white bread
Salt
Fresh pepper
Mayonnaise (any leftover mayonnaise will keep for about a week in the fridge in a sealed container)
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Salt

1. Pop the soy milk and vinegar in a blender and pulse for a few seconds to mix.

2. With the blender on low, slowly pour in the oil - gradually increasing the speed of the blender as you do so. The mayonnaise should begin to emulsify and thicken.

3. Have a taste and add in the salt to your liking.

4. Dice your cooked chicken up and place into a medium bowl with the chives, parsley, big pinch of salt and pepper and about 3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise and mix together until everything is nicely coated.

5. Lay out your slices of bread (buttering them is optional depending on how much mayonnaise is in the mix) and place a large spoonful of the chicken mix onto each one until its all used up - basically make a sandwich is the rest of the instructions.

6. These are great for lunchboxes or snacks and are super filling. Enjoy!

Mulled Wine | Brambly Hedge

Mr Apple and Dusty Dogwood headed the procession, lanterns held high.
‘Roast the chestnuts, heat the wine,
‘Pass the cups along the line,
‘Gather round, the log burns bright,
‘It’s warm as toast inside tonight,’
‘Sang the mice as the log came into view.’
The Secret Staircase (Brambly Hedge)
Jill Barklem

My childhood was spent mainly in middle of the bush in country Victoria. The house I grew up in was surrounded by towering gum trees, with paths throughout them clotted with ferns, wattle trees and numerous rabbit, potoroo and bush mice holes that were waiting to trip someone up.

A childhood pastime was to construct tiny houses outside, beneath the overhanging moss on a garden path or within the hollow of a tree that I’d stumbled over. I still enjoy seeing such houses tucked away throughout Melbourne, where I now live. Neighbours whose children have created little faerie or gnome doors built into the sides of trees or bottle tops hanging from branches (so faeries can swing on them - as a young girl solemnly told me when she saw me admiring them).

Brambly Hedge was a children’s book that let my childhood imagine run wild with theories of how all the animals I saw were living when I wasn’t looking. And how apparently they were all incredible cooks. Rose jam? Oat cakes with rowanberry jam? Syllabub and three tiered wedding cakes? Yes please.

I was gifted a copy of The Complete Brambly Hedge for Christmas this year and with my recent page flick through it - my eyes landed very solidly on song above. More specifically - heat the wine. It’s winter in Melbourne, and it seems to just be rapidly getting colder with icy and biting mornings and nights abound. One speciality that Melbourne seems to do particularly well is mulled wine. Every bar appears cosy and inviting with the scent of cinnamon, oranges and various spices drifting out of the doorway. Promising warmth, comfort and a drink that, honestly, feels like a hug.

On the days when my wallet is low and it’s far too hard to put clothes on that aren’t pyjamas I’ve taken to perfecting my own mulled wine recipe. A lot of the stuff in it is quite interchangeable and it’s super fun to play around with the recipe and get a flavour that you really enjoy.

*Note: A fruity wine is best - but honestly, anything is going to taste pretty great when you cook ti with fruit and spices for ages. 

Mulled Wine
Serves approx. 12 cups
Ingredients
2 x bottle of red wine *see note
2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
2 cinnamon sticks
10 star anise
2 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1 apple, chopped into largish chunks
1 orange
1/2 cup brandy *optional

1. Using a sharp knife, very carefully cut away the zest of the orange until you have around 4-5 strips. The remainder of the orange can be sliced up thinly to be used in the wine later.

2. Place all the spices, the strips of orange zest and the apple juice into a large saucepan and heat on medium until lightly simmering.

3. Add in the chunks of apple, orange slices and both bottles of wine.

4. Leave it to remain on a medium heat - you don’t want it to burn. When the wine begins to simmer and the scent of the spices being to drift from the saucepan you’ll know its ready.

5. If you decide to pop some brandy in - do it around this point, and leave it to heat in the wine for another few minutes.

6. You can either strain all the wine into a new saucepan if you’re planning to have it all at once - or simply strain it off glass by glass (it doesn’t do it any harm with the spices remaining in it). Enjoy hot!

Apple Pie | On the Road

I went to sit in the bus station and think this over. I ate another apple pie and ice cream; that’s practically all I ate all the way across the country, I knew it was nutritious and it was delicious, of course.
On the Road,
Jack Kerouac

On the Road was one of those books that I picked up, as I’m sure many do, because I felt as though it had to be read. I would hear or see it referenced in conversation regarding something pretentious and inwardly curl in on myself in shame that I claimed to be an avid reader - but yet I had not read an apparent great American novel. So I read it. And, honestly, meh. I don’t dislike it - I understand the appeal, I understand the draw of Kerouac’s words and the story he tells. But I never thought it would be one that I would talk up in conversations years to come.

One thing that did stick with me however, is the love of apple pie within On the Road. It is a nutritious staple that screams all-American - and I desperately wanted to capture that in this recipe.

Was it delicious? Yes. Did it capture On the Road? Probably not. I think I would have to be eating slices while hitching my way through the various states of America and chain smoking to really bring about the ideals and emotions that are held within the slices of apple pie in On the Road.

*Note: They don’t have to be Granny Smith - I just always find a tart-y type of apple tastes better in pie.

Apple Pie
Pastry
550g plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
220g butter
185ml ice water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp milk - for wash
1 tsp melted butter - for wash
Filling
6 large Granny Smith apples *see note
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

Pastry

1. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

2. Break the butter into small pieces and sub into the flour mix until it is all combined with no lumps throughout.

3. Make a well in the centre and add in the ice water.

4. Mix well until the pastry comes together with no lumps.

5. Wrap in cling wrap and chill for around thirty minutes before using.

Filling

1. Peel and core apples. Dice the remaining into small cubes around 5cm wide and thick and place into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until the apple pieces are all well covered.

Assembling

1. Use oil or butter to grease a 9” pie pan and preheat your oven to 200C.

2. Break your pie pastry into two parts, one slightly bigger portion than the other.

3. Take the bigger portion and on a lightly floured surface, roll out into a circle around 5cm thick and big enough so it will fit into a 9” pie pan (You want it to be thin - but not so thin that it breaks apart when you try to move it).

4. Layer the rolled out pastry onto the bottom of the pie pan, pressing it into the corners so it’s flat against the pan. Leave the excess pastry hanging over the side for the moment.

5. Grab your apple mix and fill the pastry crust - enough so that it reaches the top but doesn’t overflow.

6. Roll out the remaining portion of pastry - this part if up to you. You can either create a lattice top or cover the whole of the pie.

7. Once you’ve done whatever pie top you like, press the edges together, using either your fingers or a fork to firm seal around the edge of the pan. You don’t want this part to seperate as it cooks.

8. Trim the excess pastry from around the edge of the pie pan.

9. Combine the melted butter and milk and brush over the top of the crust liberally.

10. Pop it in the oven and cook for 25 - 35 minutes. Or 50 minutes if your oven is as terrible as mine.

11. Remove then the top is a nice golden brown - enjoy piping hot with ice-cream or cream.

Victoria Sandwich | The Flatshare

'Hi Leon, I don't know - I've not really thought about it like that, actually. My knee-jerk reaction is yeah, he's good for me. But then, I don't know. We were very up and down, one of those couples everyone's always talking about (we've broken up and got back together a few times before). It's easy to remember the happy times - and there were tons of them, and they were awesome - But  guess since we broke up I've only remembered those. So I know that being with him was fun. But was it good for me? Ugh, I don't know.
Hence the Victoria sandwich with homemade jam.
Tiffy xx'
The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary

I think that everybody can appreciate what it’s like to have housemates. Coming home to a house that may already be full of people, the smell of dinner beginning to waft from the kitchen and the scattering of shoes that have to be kicked away from the front door. It’s always a delight when you manage to find housemates that you get along with, whether that be mutual ignorance of each other or a tentative friendship that can grow.

In Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare, main characters, Leon and Tiffy, have a seemingly ideal arrangement. Tiffy works days and has the flat and bed at nights. Leon works nights and has the flat and bed during the days. A somewhat ideal arrangement for a city as expensive as London. The Flatshare is a quirky and charming look into the lives of Leon and Tiffy, through the narration of both their personal lives and the multitude of notes they leave scattered about for each other.

One aspect of The Flatshare that I instantly connected with was Tiffy’s coping mechanisms of baking. Who doesn’t deal with any life issues that way? Had a bad day, bake a cake. It is possibly the best way to deal with any stressful situation. While Leon and Tiffy do tend to favour tiffin (a dessert I had never heard of until this read) I immediately jumped at the chance to try my hand at a Victoria sandwich.

Most of my memories associated with Victoria sandwiches are from my grandma. It was her go to cake - the lightest and fluffiest sponge you could ever imagine, layered with thick cream and fresh berries. Delicious. I may not have created something as good as my memories of my grandma’s version - but this one is pretty damn good.

*Notes: I always use Nuttelex as my butter replacement, but you can use whatever you have handy. Best to make the jam the day before or leave enough time to allow it to cool.

Victoria Sandwich
Ingredients
Cake
550g self-raising flour
350g butter *see note
350g golden caster sugar
400ml milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
70g vegetable shortening, softened
150g butter *see note
3 cups icing sugar
2 vanilla pods, scraped out
Homemade Strawberry Jam
400g frozen or fresh strawberries
2 cups white sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Decorations
Fresh strawberries (or any other berries you want, really)
1 tbsp icing sugar

Jam

1. If using fresh strawberries, mash up before placing them in a saucepan. If using frozen, just add straight into a medium saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.

2. Keep the saucepan on a low heat, continuously stirring until the sugar is dissolved completely. If you’re using frozen strawberries, begin to mash them down with a fork during this time as they start to defrost.

3. Increase the heat until bubbling lightly. The jam will start to thick and become quite syrupy. Once it reaches the consistency you want, transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to put the cake together.

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, and prepare two 8” cakes tins by greasing them well and placing a a square of baking paper on the bottom.

2. Stir together the apple cider vinegar and milk - leave to sit and curdle for a few moments.

3. In a large bowl cream together the butter and golden caster sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Sift in the flour, baking power and add in the vanilla extract and milk mixture. Mix until the batter is smooth with no lumps - but be careful not to over-mix. I did mine in my stand mixer and only mixed it for approx. 2 minutes.

5. Split the batter between the cake tins and place into the oven for 30 minutes. If a skewer inserted into the middle comes out wet, or the middle still looks a little wobbly, leave in for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.

6. After they’ve come out of the oven, leave them in the tins for at least 15 minutes before turning them out onto a cooling rack. Leave the cakes to cool completely before attempting to put them together, otherwise the heat will melt the jam and buttercream.

Buttercream

1. While the cake is cooling it’s a great time to make the buttercream. Beat together the shortening and butter until it’s lightly and fluffy, and well mixed.

2. Gradually add in the icing sugar, mixing as you go and the vanilla seeds scraped from the pod.

3. The end result should be a buttercream that’s firm enough to hold the two cakes in place but not so firm it’s hard to spread.

4. If your cakes are properly cooled, it’s time to put it all together. Spread a layer of jam on one cake, and a layer of buttercream before sandwiching them together. You can also put fresh berries between the layers if you like as well.

5. Finish the cake off with a sifting of icing sugar and some berries on top. Absolutely delightful with a cup of tea!