Hello dear Herald readers,
I have something funny to tell you: Nobody at the train station would ever guess that I was carrying a whole butternut squash, carrots and several turnips in my suitcase. I obtained that unlikely cargo from my first Brown Market Shares haul, which I brought home during the long weekend to share with my family. Thanks to BMS, I spent my February experimenting with Korean recipes and keeping my friends well-fed and happy. Here are a few meals I tried:
Vegetarian Kimbap
Before the semester started, I thought about which recipes might help me survive the semester — ideally quick ones that I could mass-produce for busy days. Kimbap was first on my mind (major credit to Maangchi on YouTube for this recipe). I invested in a sushi mat, but Maangchi said she can roll kimbap without one, so I believe you can too.
You will need:
- Leafy greens. Taiwan spinach is the traditional go-to, but regular spinach, or organic pea shoots (from BMS!) work well
- Carrots
- Tofu or your protein of choice
- Pickled daikon
- Rice
- Nori sheets
- Sesame oil
- Optional: Sesame seeds
I’ve heard that people dip old kimbap pieces in egg and fry them to revive leftovers — I’m excited to try!
Sundubu-jjigae
This month I also tried a sundubu-jjigae soup kit. Cheap and easy to use, it came with silken tofu and packaged soup broth. I followed the instructions on the packaging, added mushrooms and zucchini, whisked some eggs together and swirled them into the soup. The soup flavor is light, mild and savory, and I loved the soft textures of the tofu and egg together.
Tomato, feta pasta
On brand for me, I used up some cherry tomatoes and broccoli from the Ratty in this easy pasta meal with delicious, local feta cheese and shallots from BMS! I chopped up shallots and onions, frying them together with the veggies and tofu. After these were thoroughly cooked, I added some Trader Joe’s tomato sauce as well as a bit of feta cheese, which melted into the sauce. It was delicious! Pro-tip: Add some sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes.
While this February was gloomy — full of snow, rain and coldness — trying out new recipes and sharing them with loved ones helped keep me warm. That being said, I’m excited for spring to arrive — I wonder what produce BMS will offer with the warmer weather!
Jen Chen is the illustration co-chief and a junior studying Computer Science. She's especially interested in medicine, art history and environmentalism. Jesus is her passion and studying is her game.
