What I Cooked for My Korean In-Laws This Christmas

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: low-sodium soy sauce

💰Cheaper: tamari

Low-sodium soy sauce reduces sodium intake.

sesame oil

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Olive oil offers healthier fats.

tofu

🥗Healthier: tempeh

💰Cheaper: cottage cheese

Tempeh is higher in protein and fiber.

chili flakes

🥗Healthier: paprika

💰Cheaper: cayenne pepper

Paprika adds color without heat.

Prepare for the Christmas party and introduce the dish being made: bourbon Christmas crack.

Gather ingredients: Saltines, bourbon, unsalted butter (using salted butter instead), alulose, sugar, molasses, vanilla, and pecans.

Melt 2 tbsp of butter with 1 cup of alulose in a saucepan.

If using white sugar, add a little black strap molasses; if using brown sugar, skip the molasses.

Once the sugar melts, add in 1/8 cup of bourbon before it boils, and then after removing from heat, add another 1/8 cup of bourbon.

Pour the caramel over the Saltines evenly and place in the freezer to harden.

Melt chocolate with some butter and crush pecans in a bag.

After about 30 minutes, spread melted chocolate over the hardened caramel and sprinkle crushed pecans and bourbon salt on top.

Return to the freezer to set, then break into pieces after hardening.

For the miso mushroom crispy rice, roast mushrooms (pangy P) on a sheet pan with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt at 200°F for 10 minutes.

Cook bacon (fancy French bacon) and 3/4 onion in ghee until onions are caramelized (about 8 minutes).

Add 5 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tsp of red pepper (using crushed red pepper instead of Korean red pepper).

Add 1 1/2 cups short grain rice and coat it in the bacon fat.

Pour in 3/4 cup white cooking wine and cook for a few minutes.

Add 3 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup white miso paste, and 2 tbsp soy sauce; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Prepare a dressing for the mushrooms with 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp soy sauce.

After 10 minutes, stir the rice and transfer it to an oven dish, then bake for 15 minutes.

Broil until the top is crispy, then cover with the crispy mushrooms.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens