Issue #188: Korean Mushroom Jeon
A New Year, A Houseful of Friends, Watch Out for Porcupines, Korean Mushroom Fritters
It’s the first day of the new year and I didn’t realize it was also a Wednesday. That means today at 11 am you should have received a fresh copy of Kitchen Sense, but I forgot to write it. I wish I had a good excuse. We’ve had many guests staying with us over the last couple of weeks, and I simply lost track of the days.
Needless to say, there’s been a lot of cooking and eating (also some drinking).
Among the highlights, my second attempt at a basic pâté en croute was a success, due in part to the purchase of an actual pâté en croute mold that fit in my toaster oven—the larger oven on our range is still not working—and to my patience this time for letting it chill fully before unmolding.
To continue a New Year’s Eve tradition we started during COVID—when our “pod” was confined to 21st St. in Manhattan—Laurent and his wife Jennifer were among our house guests in New Hampshire to help ring in the new year. And when Laurent is the kitchen, you don’t have to worry about going hungry. The main course for New Year’s Eve was pinwheels of beef shortribs he cooked sous vide and finished with a deep, rich sauce. Today he boned and stuffed a rabbit for a simple dinner.
Karen, chef/owner of the now closed Dano’s Heuriguer on Seneca Lake—where Nate and I got married—was also here. She arrived with a pumpkin cranberry bread pudding, a Viennese poppyseed cake, and a Sacher torte in tow. As I type, she’s busy making a tarte tatin. Izabela and Howie brought Phil, their puppy, to whom Milo took an instant liking. When Milo is happy everyone is happy, especially Nate.
Which reminds me, there was one afternoon of drama this week when Milo was certainly unhappy. She met her first porcupine on a walk in the neighborhood and got quilled when she tried to make friends. Not sure whether it was more traumatic for her or for Nate and me. But she was fortunate it wasn’t more serious, only 50 or so quills stuck in her snout and mouth rather than thousands the vet said she has seen. By the time we were able to get to the car and drive through the muddy roads to the emergency veterinary hospital, Jennifer had carefully removed some of the quills, Howie had calmed her down, and Milo began to relax. She’s fine. Nate and I are still getting over it.
Back to New Year’s. We are trying to store up all of this good food and good cheer to gird ourselves for 2025, which is bound to be a rollercoaster of one sort or another—politically, socially, economically. The year has already started with terrible news of a domestic terrorist attack in New Orleans, a random subway shoving in New York City, and resignation (if disbelief) to the fact that Trump will very soon be President again. (In my mind this is linked to the grim news.) It’s hard to say 2025 without conjuring his scary “project.” Ugh.
So, now, like always, it’s a good time to cook something. Amid so much uncertainty, I’d suggest something simple.
One of my favorite simple cooking takeaways from my trip to Korea last year was a basic jeon, which loosely translates to pancake or fritter—a slice of vegetable or a piece of meat simply dipped in egg and fried. It makes a perfect hors d’oeuvre or side dish, especially, if like me with this newsletter, you forgot to prepare something. Jeon are good hot, warm, and even at room temperature. When my sister Leslie and her girlfriend Judi were here on Christmas, I used some beautiful king mushrooms imported from Korea to emulate a wild mushroom preparation I first encountered during a fabulous lunch prepared by Soon Do Ki, at the famed Kisoondo, producer of finest Korean jangs (ferements).
RECIPE: Korean Mushroom Jeon
Makes about 4 servings
3 or 4 king oyster mushrooms
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon naturally fermented soy sauce
Pinch salt
Peanut or other vegetable oil for frying
Trim way any dirt on the ends of the mushroom stems and slice the mushrooms lengthwise through the caps less than ¼-inch thick. In a small, flat bowl, beat the egg and egg yolk with the soy sauce and salt.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Dip mushroom slices into the egg, drain, and place in the hot pan. Fill but don’t crowd the pan. Fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until golden brown, flip, and fry the second side. Remove to brown paper or paper towel to drain. Repeat until all of the mushrooms are fried. Sprinkle lightly with additional salt and serve.
Happy New Year, Mitchell, Nate, and Milo!
As for the Korean mushroom thing, I was surprised that the egg wash would actually stick to the slices. So you don't have to flour them beforehand (as you would with, e.g., a fish fillet)? Or did I miss something?