What was your most memorable meal?” This is a question I sometimes hear discussed around the dinner table, and often a fascinating mosaic of memories emerges. Whether the diners are recalling the spicy aromas from Grandma’s homemade chicken enchiladas, a northwest sea-gift of Dungeness crab and clams, or a simmering soup abundant with fresh garden vegetables, their stories of how these meals helped foster deep conversations and friendships seem central to what makes such memories last forever.
For my husband, Jim, and me, one night will always shimmer in our memory: a feast in the ancient city of Kyongju, Korea. We had traveled to Korea to trace the background of our newly adopted five-year-old son, Jefferson, and a professor’s family from Jefferson’s hometown, Taegu, hosted us. Mrs. Yea wanted us to visit the famous city of the Schilla Dynasty, where bejeweled royalty lay buried within imposing mounds of earth. However, upon our arrival, a torrential storm that spun from the edges of a typhoon off the Sea of Japan kept us inside a small inn.
Since it was impossible to be outdoors, we settled in to wait out the storm. Mrs. Yae disappeared to instruct the kitchen staff on the Korean specialties she wanted us to taste. For hours, as winds howled outside, we sat cross-legged on the floormats, sampling their country’s treasures: fiddlehead ferns, beef bulgogi, kim chi, and jasmine tea. As we relaxed together, we began sharing family stories. Since the Yeas lived in the United States for part of each year and in Korea the rest of the time, their two sons grew up very Americanized. To this moment, although I have forgotten most of the exotic foods that were served, I vividly remember Mrs. Yae’s conversation as she expressed her desires to keep their Korean Christian heritage alive in their sons. We felt privileged to hear a mother’s deepest longings and to gain a glimpse of the distinctive challenges of cross-cultural family life.Each year we celebrated Jefferson’s July arrival in America with a special Mrs. Yae-inspired Korean meal. During junior high, his sister Krista entered a national cooking contest co-sponsored by Seventeen magazine. Contestants designed an entire meal to win a free trip to New York City, a weekend of cooking at the Culinary Institute of America, and scholarships. Krista, the youngest fi nalist at 14, prepared a dinner honoring her brother’s heritage, with the help of recipes from Mrs. Yae. She won the first-prize $2500.00 scholarship, and even the judge from the Waldorf Astoria wanted the bulgogi (Korean barbecue) recipe! At 16, Krista used her prize funds to become an exchange student in Guatemala, where her abiding interest in Latin America began. Enjoy these two prize-winning recipes she included for Celebrate Jefferson Kim Hunt Day.
Mrs. Yae’s Bulgogi
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1 lb. beef (London broil, flank, sirloin or other cut). Chicken or pork can also be used.
2 1/2 T. sugar
2 t. minced garlic
4-5 T. soy sauce
1 bunch green onions, sliced at a slant
1 t. minced ginger root
1 T. sesame seeds
2 T. sesame oil
1 T. rice cooking wine (optional)
Cut beef (frozen, then slightly thawed works well) into thin slices with a sharp knife. Toss beef with sugar.
Add all other ingredients except sesame oil. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to several hours.
Add sesame oil.
Barbecue or stir-fry beef in sesame oil on the stove by searing both sides for about one minute each in a lightly oiled pan. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6.
Krista’s Snow Pudding (Jefferson’s favorite dessert)
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1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ c. water
1 c. whipping cream
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ t. almond
Serve with fresh fruits, such as strawberries, peaches, or blueberries.
In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand one minute. Stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine remaining ingredients in blender, and gradually add gelatin. Blend for 30 seconds. Chill for 30 minutes and serve with fresh fruits. Quick, delicious, and very rich….so enjoy small amounts! Serves 6 small rich desserts.
African Memories
In our inaugural issue we talked about The Hearth, the guest center at our home where Krista Colleagues gather for debriefi ng retreats and meals around the old Irish pine table. Another Krista Colleague hearth place where memorable meals are served is Val and Tom Norwood’s home in Shoreline, north of Seattle. As a married couple, they joined our charter class of Krista Colleagues in 1999 and served with the Presbyterian mission in Kenya, along with Jack Brace. One of the highlights of their year involved a friendship with the owner and family of a Swahili woodcarving shop on the island of Lamu, just off the coast of Kenya. Ali Scanda and his family invited Tom and Jack to spend two weeks as “apprentice woodcarvers.” During their time together they enjoyed warm hospitality from this Muslim family whose members welcomed them into their home for a delicious meal of Swahili fi sh, rice and cardamom-spiced mandozis. Often, after a long day of learning the art of woodcarving, they walked to a coffee shop, or “duka,” nestled along the seawall overlooking the Indian Ocean. The proprietor served distinctive spiced coffee from a large traditional brass pot which sat on an open fl ame – the perfect end to a joyful night of wandering under the beautiful night sky in Lamu. Tom and Val often make this aromatic Swahili fi sh dinner for their friends at home and serve the same Lamu coffee treat for Krista Colleagues after meetings in their home. Enjoy!
Sea Fish with Red Coconut Sauce
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2 lbs. white fish fillets such as red snapper – lightly salted
1 onion, chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 T. vegetable or olive oil
½ t. garam masala (available in most spice sections)
¼ t. ground cumin
1/8 t. ground coriander
¼ t. salt
1 small red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or, for extra spice, include the seeds)
Juice of one small orange or lime
2 c. coconut milk
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Lightly salt fish and grill. If a grill is not available, ease fish into a shallow pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes or until fi sh is cooked gently through. Remove the fi sh from the stock and set aside;
cover, and keep warm. Reserve the stock.
Fry the onions, tomatoes and chili in the oil until thick, about 3-5 minutes. Add the spices and the orange or lime juice. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water or reserved fi sh stock and the coconut milk. Simmer for 10 minutes. Sample and adjust spices as needed. Add enough of the remaining fi sh stock (or water) to make a sauce of creamy consistency; simmer for a few more minutes.
Transfer fish to a serving platter or shallow casserole and pour the sauce over it. Pluck a handful of cilantro leaves to sprinkle over the top and reserve whole sprigs for decoration. The fish is best served with coconut rice and steamed green beans. Serves 5-6.
Coconut Rice
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2 c. white rice
¼ t. salt
1 c. coconut milk (light coconut milk may be substituted)
2 c. water
Put the rice, salt, water and coconut milk in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer very gently until done – around 20 minutes. Remove cover and stir thoroughly.
Lamu Coffee
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3 cardamom pods, un-husked
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
2 cups water
5 t. fresh ground coffee, using a Turkish (or as fine as possible) grind
Sugar to taste
Boil the spices in the water for 10 minutes. Add the coffee and boil 5 minutes longer. Pour into a serving pot, but do not strain spices. Add sugar to taste. This should be a strong, sweet and spicy coffee drink. Allow to stand until the grounds settle, then pour into espresso-sized cups.
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Linda Lawrence Hunt, Ph. D. is is the Director of The Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship and former English professor at Whitworth College. During the past year, she has been sampling many treasured dinners around the tables of friends across the nation while on tours for her award-winning book Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America. Besides writing, she loves developing global gardens around The Hearth, the Hunt’s guest house in Spokane.
