Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa

I am just crazy for anything smokey or charred, especially paired with fresh and zingy flavours. As soon as I finished making this salsa I had to test it with a few Doritos, nek minnit half the packet is gone (okay, so that happens any time that I open a packet of Doritos but on this particular occasion the salsa was to blame). It’s great as a dip or as a side, next post I’ll show you what I did with it.

Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa

Recipe by Ainsley Badman.

1 ear of corn

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

big pinch of salt

125g cherry tomatoes, finely chopped

large handful of coriander, finely chopped

1 avocado, cubed

Leaving the husk on the corn, microwave it for 5 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly then peel of the husk and silk.

Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat, spray the corn with oil and grill on all sides until black and blistered, set aside to cool.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the red onion, lime juice and salt, allow to sit for 5 mins.

Cut the corn off the cob and add it to the mixing bowl along with the cherry tomatoes, coriander and avocado.

Mix gently and taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lime juice to taste.

Korean Burritos (Koritos!)

In an effort to find different ways to cram Korean food to into my mouth I’ve taken the meat and coleslaw from my Korean Burgers and Slaw recipe, slapped on some Guacamole and wrapped it all in a tortilla. I had a feeling that the spicy pork would go really well with the cool guacamole and not to toot my own horn but I was pretty spot on. What’s the best bit? Apart from the sugar in the pork marinade it’s all pretty darn good for you (just take it easy with the mayo). I cook a lot of Korean food at home because our favourite restaurant (Madtongsan 2) is nestled right in the middle of the CBD and although the food there is cheap the parking is not, meaning we have to decide if we want Korean enough to pay an extra $15.

The Korean pickled radishes are tangy and spicy, you can find them at most Asian supermarkets but if you can’t get them try using pickled jalapenos. If you don’t like pork then just whip it up with chicken instead, just allow more cooking time.

Korean Burritos

Recipe by Ainsley Badman.

one lot of cooked Marinated Pork and Coleslaw from my Korean Burgers with Slaw post

one lot of Guacamole

flour or corn tortillas

Korean pickled radishes

Japanese mayonnaise

Warm up the tortillas then pile on the cooked pork, coleslaw, guacamole, pickled radishes and mayonnaise.

Pesto Vegetable Salad

I wasn’t planning on making this salad when I did, so unfortunately it’s missing roasted pumpkin, one of my favourite ingredients. I’ve put it into the recipe even though it’s not in the pictures but you know what roasted pumpkin looks like, right? If you don’t like chickpeas I have also used lentils in their place before and they work really well.

This is really a kitchen sink recipe, throw in any vegetables you like or need to clear out from your vegetable crisper. For an even quicker salad you can just use vegetables that don’t need cooking. It’s really filling by itself but makes a great side salad as well, I think it would be delicious with chicken schnitzel or something similar with mellow flavours. It would make a great pasta salad if you toss some cooked pasta in there.

I had never made my own pesto before making it as a dressing for this salad and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Pesto from a jar is still tasty and very convenient but the fresh stuff just has a party in your mouth. It takes all of 2 minutes to whip up in a blender or food processor so really, it’s very little work for a massive flavour reward.

Pesto Vegetable Salad

Recipe by Ainsley Badman.

1/2 butternut pumpkin, chopped into bite sized pieces

1/2 red capsicum, chopped finely

1 big handful green beans, chopped finely

1 tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 carrots, grated

1 bunch broccolini, chopped into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup Basil Pesto

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Toss the pumpkin with salt, pepper and a little vegetable oil then spread on an oven tray in one layer, bake for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through and caramelised.

Allow pumpkin to cool to room temperature.

After the pumpkin has come out of the oven, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil, add the broccolini and simmer for 3 minutes.

Drain immediately into a colander, allow to sit until it cools to room temperature.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl including pesto, mix gently until well combined and the pesto coats everything evenly (add more or less pesto depending on personal preference).

Serve as a main or as a side salad.

Korean Burgers with Slaw

These were first inspired by some awesome Korean sliders that we ate at KOMA Sliders at the Eat Street Markets. They serve beef bulgogi, spicy chicken and sweet pork on tiny hamburger buns with coleslaw and I fell in love with the idea. I’ve been making daeji bulgogi for a while now, a sweet and spicy marinated pork traditionally served with rice and eaten wrapped in lettuce leaves and it’s just as tasty snuggled in a roll with some coleslaw. The coleslaw that I use is fresh and zingy, a perfect companion for the sweet and spicy pork.

If you live in Brisbane and you haven’t checked out Eat Street, I can’t recommend it enough. There is a huge range of food so if you go with a group you can go your separate ways to find something that tickles your tastebuds and then meet up to eat dinner together. Whenever we go we co-ordinate our food choices so that everyone gets something different and shares it with everyone else, our main concern is avoiding the dreaded ‘food envy’ that plagues my sister. There is usually live music and sometimes salsa music for anyone who wants to dance. 4-6 pm is generally family time, people bringing their kids in early and it’s a lot quieter and chilled out.The peak times are usually between 6-8 pm, it’s so busy that you can barely walk around, let alone find a table to sit down at. 8-10 is when it gets quiet again so it’s a nice time for a relaxed late dinner, the only problem is that sometimes the stalls run out of their popular food but as far as I’m concerned it’s a small price to pay for avoiding the crowds.

If you can’t get korean chilli powder just use some chilli flakes instead. The gochujang is pretty crucial to the flavour, I always have some in the house because I use it pretty regularly (see Korean Pork stir fry) but you can pick it up at most Asian supermarkets. You may have to go specifically to a Korean supermarket to find pork sliced paper thin but it would also be tasty with chicken. In the Slaw recipe I have specified that the radishes and apples should be julienned, I do this with the julienne option on my mandolin slicer. I wouldn’t bother julienning (I don’t think that’s a word) anything if I didn’t have my mandolin so just chop as finely as possible if you don’t have one.

Korean Burgers with Slaw

Korean Pork adapted from Heather Jeong’s Korean chilli pork (daeji bulgogi) over at SBS Food.   

Slaw adapted from Steve Parle and Emma Grazette’s Coleslaw over at SBS Food.

Korean Pork:

500g pork, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 spring onions, chopped

3 tbsp gochujang (Korean chilli paste)

1/2 tbsp Korean chilli powder

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp cooking sake

1 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl except for the pork, stirring well to combine.

Add the pork and mix well, making sure that all of the pork is covered with the marinade.

Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

Cook in small batches in a wok on high heat, don’t be afraid to let it get a bit charred.

Slaw:

1/4 wombok cabbage, finely sliced

1 bunch radishes, julienned

4 spring onions, finely sliced

2 green apples, julienned

1 handful coriander, chopped

1 handful mint, chopped

juice of 2 limes

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, use immediately.

To serve:

bread rolls

Japanese mayonnaise

Korean pickled radishes

Pile the meat and slaw onto the bread rolls, top with the mayonnaise and pickled radishes.