THREE DINNER TOASTS
Well, I made 2 out of 3 for lunch today (the third is regular soft-scrambled eggs on toast, which I eat pretty often). I
n the introduction, he describes how some of the recipes in the book are from his years feeding himself as a latchkey kid. Some of that definitely comes through here and elsewhere. where nostalgia takes a back seat to adjusting flavor for an adult, Korean food-loving palate.
ROASTED SEAWEED AVOCADO TOAST
Does avocado toast need a recipe? No. But it’s nice to try new flavor combinations, and adding Gim to the avocado was a new one for me. That said, it really didn’t add much for me.
I often top avocado toast with furikake, which to me is a better way to add crunch and flavor. The gim mixed into the avocado doesn’t stay crisp, and it’s messy to crumble or cut it up. I did cut up some, though, in the interest of following the recipe. But I ate the rest on the side, where it kept its crunch.
The flavor here was very flat. After tasting the avocado mixture, I added more of everything, and a generous sprinkle of gochugaru, and sprinkled toasted sesame seeds after topping the toast. Later I had a bit of a Duh moment when I realized I could have added some kimchi and it would have boosted everything perfectly.
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GOCHUJANG-BUTTERED RADISH TOAST
I didn’t have radishes, but Gochujang butter is fantastic (thank you, Koreatown), so I decided to do this anyway. The flavors go so well over toast – if you are a Bovril or Marmite fan, this is a gimme. So Delicious!
I can see what the crunch and bite of the radishes would bring, or something similar like broccoli slaw (cucumber might wilt too fast) so I’ll have to remember to pick some up.
(NOT in his toast list, oddly, is Kimchi toast, which was my last piece, after the Duh moment of not adding kimchi to the avocado. Recommend, perhaps even over the Gochujang butter.)