Side Dish

Parmesan Pumpkin Gratin

Be warned, this recipe may ruin how you enjoy pumpkin after tasting it. This is technically a side dish, but every time we have it I’m always wanting to eat more of it.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Butternut Pumpkin, 1 (~1kg)

  • Butter, 1 cup

  • Garlic, 2 cloves, finely chopped

  • Panko Bread Crumbs, 1/4 cup

  • Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup, grated

  • Fresh Parsley, 1/4 cup, chopped

  • Salt, 1/4 tsp

  • Pepper, 1/8 tsp

METHOD:

  1. Heat oven to 190 degree C (375F). Spray a 30x20 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

  2. Peel, halve lengthwise, and seed the pumpkin. Cut into 1cm thick slices.

  3. Arrange slices overlapping slightly in bottom of baking dish.

  4. In a medium saucepan, melt butter (1 cup) over medium heat.

  5. Reduce heat to low, add Garlic (2 cloves worth); cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until garlic is soft. (Do not let butter brown).

  6. In a small bowl, mix panko bread crumbs (1/4 cup), parmesan cheese (1/3 cup), and 1 tablespoon of the butter-garlic mixture.

  7. Brush the pumpkin with remaining butter-garlic mixture. Sprinkle on salt (1/4 tsp), pepper (1/8 tsp), and the bread crumb mixture.

  8. Bake uncovered for 30-40 min (or until pumpkin is tender when poked with fork). Increase oven to 220 C (425F) for 5-10 more minutes, or until lightly browned.

  9. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Stir-fried Kimchi / Kimchi-bokkeum (김치볶음)

If you are a fan of Kimchi then you must check out and try this super easy recipe. This is a great way to “"glow up” Kimchi into a very tasty side dish and is also a great way to save overripe Kimchi from having to be thrown away.

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Note about kimchi ripeness:

This dish works best if the the kimchi is a little overripe. The sugar syrup is used to counteract the ripeness and if you are using fresh kimchi you'll reduce the measurements down to 1 tbsp. If you are using really overripe kimchi, you'll up the measurements to 3 tbsp.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Kimchi, 2 cups (slightly overripe kimchi)

  • Oligo Syrup, 2 tbsp (올리고당)

  • Sesame Oil, 2 tbsps

  • Olive Oil ~3 tbsp

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METHOD:

  1. Heat up a deep pan with olive oil on high heat

  2. Add Kimchi to pan, flatten to get as much heat as possible

  3. Stir fry on high heat for 5 min, stirring and ensuring as much heat is on kimchi as possible

  4. Add in 2 tbps Oligo syrup and Sesame oil. Note, you can do this using just a normal spoon.

  5. Mix and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes, until well cooked.

Place in a container that won't stain (glass) and use cling wrap to seal top before placing lid to minimise smell in fridge.

Tip: flatten the Kimchi down to maximise cooking area.

Tip: flatten the Kimchi down to maximise cooking area.

Note that I'm just using a normal spoon. No need to be super specific. This is more about having a 1:1 ratio for Oligo to Sesame oil.

Note that I'm just using a normal spoon. No need to be super specific. This is more about having a 1:1 ratio for Oligo to Sesame oil.

Near the end, you'll note the cabbage is shrinking a bit, it's getting some char, and the smell is amazing.

Near the end, you'll note the cabbage is shrinking a bit, it's getting some char, and the smell is amazing.