Every Wednesday, Yona hosts a vegetable market outside her cafe kitchen where a small number of local farmers take turns in bringing their harvest. This week, Yona welcomed ChanOoMool (찬우물) Farm who focus on different varieties but in small numbers, grow free of pesticides, and all of their vegetables are grown outside with natural sunshine and atmosphere (rather than in a greenhouse).
Heirloom Recipes 03. Brown Rice and Water Celeries with Yona Koh
Sustenance
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We can reinvent the standard, take out the gluten, or switch up ingredients, but the best moments in the kitchen happen when our food truly connects us with others. This series of Sans Sustenance is focused on recipes that have been passed down through generations, perhaps tweaked a little along the way, but always soaked in family history and marinated in love.
Ingredients
Brown Rice with Water Celeries
Water celery, Brown rice, Water, Sesame oil, Sesame seeds, Salt
Egg Roll with Carrot leaves
Carrot leaves, Eggs, Tofu, Oil, Salt, Pepper
Baked Carrot, Radish, Potato + Carrot leaves Tofu cream, Mustard
Carrot leaves Pesto: Carrot leaves, Olive Oil, Roasted Almonds, Lemon Salt, Pepper
Tofu Cream: Tofu, Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt
Lemon Salt: Lemon fermented with salt; 10% of salt to the weight of lemons
Yellow Zucchini & Cilantro Flower Salad with Kumquat Dressing
Kumquat, Vinegar, Yellow Zucchini, Cilantro flowers, Olive oil, Salt, Pepper
Used for its medicinal properties in flushing out any toxins that have accumulated over winter, Water Celery has maintained a firm staple in the Korean diet for centuries. New-generational chef Yona Koh of Cafe Su in Seoul is revisiting the cleansing herb, and challenging herself to bring out its subtle yet nutty flavour by removing the dominant spices usually used in traditional Korean recipes and giving Water Celery its space to shine. It is an act of honouring her roots whilst encouraging her community to experience food and flavours in a new way.
"I like to use a lot of herbs and different parts of plants in the dishes I serve at my restaurant. Ingredients such as carrot leaves or cilantro flowers are often overlooked, and I enjoy introducing them to familiar dishes so they are easily accessible." — Yona Koh
"I always look forward to this time of the week, as we never know exactly what kind of vegetables will be available. The anticipation is fun, and it is exciting to know that we’re getting the most fresh and seasonal produce, harvested that same day. This week, I was able to get my hands on cilantro flowers, a bunch of carrots, radishes, water celeries and yellow zucchinis.” — Yona Koh
Images Seon-geun Ahn
