We love to see what’s ours favorite food done when they want “Wow” their guestsYou know what’s more interesting? Find out what food they cook when they’re at home on an average night of the week. Our series, My go-to meal, ask our favorite chefs and foodies to provide the recipes they have constantly. Next, Hetty McKinnon share a great recipe for a whole gochujang grilled cauliflower.
Only one gallery wall in my kitchen where the revolving place is full new and old cookbooks I am working through. Most of the books last for several weeks before I exchange them for a new addition to my collection. But Hetty McKinnon’s To Asia, with love remained a solid fixture on my wall for months.
If you follow Hetty on Instagram, you are already familiar with her stunning recipes and dreamy descriptions. Her food is a beautiful representation of the joyful connection that comes from cooking and sharing food with the people in our lives. And luckily for myself as a vegetarian, Hetty’s plant-based recipes are “really egalitarian, for everyone who likes a dish with lots of veggies and lots of flavor. No need for labels. ”
Diving deeper into the stories that accompany the recipes in her books is a delightful dose of good storytelling. The stories she weaves truly embody what it means to celebrate the food we grew up with and the joy of rediscovering the foods that fill our hearts. Without spoiling too much, Hetty’s essay on ‘adopting a third culture’ has brought me so much joy as the stories are being shared now and all the voices will continue to be shared. share in the future. So I was excited to chat with Hetty about one of her standout recipes from her latest book and find out what’s going on in her kitchen.
First things first: What’s your go-to meal?
Whole roasted gochujang cauliflower with melted butter roasted beans (recipe below.)
Yum! What flavor did you get when you made it?
I like a whole roasted cauliflower. It’s a great way to show off the grandeur of an everyday vegetable. And I love the ritual of bringing it to the table.
I’ve developed several recipes for whole-grain roasted cauliflower over the years, but for this recipe, I wanted to create something that’s pretty crunchy, both in appearance and flavor. Gochujang lends a pleasant sweetness to cauliflower, and it pairs well with yogurt. Milk increases the spiciness while also adding to the creaminess. It was a beautiful but surprising dish. Plus, it demonstrates the versatility of vegetables.
What makes this recipe your goal?
I love that this dish is so simple yet aesthetically impressive. It is also very flexible. Easy enough to cook for weeknight dinners but visually appealing enough to present at dinner parties.
For this recipe, you only need two pans (one also works, if that’s what you have on hand) and a hot oven. This is what I call a practice recipe. You need to do very little work and the oven does all the heavy lifting.
What ingredients make this recipe so special?
Gochujang adds a little drama to this recipe! The color and flavor are intensely fermented, sweet, and at the same time add an element of surprise. I don’t think many people think that adding gochujang to cauliflower! Gochujang is both sweet and fiery, and while yogurt will cool this heat a bit, I encourage you to add as little or as much as you like to the yogurt marinade, to suit your preferred spice level. Friend.
This recipe is already gluten-free! Is there any swap that can make it dairy free?
To make it vegan, you can certainly use dairy-free yogurt. I recommend coconut yogurt.
What’s the secret to making this meal so delicious all the time?
Don’t be afraid to roast your cauliflower until really golden. Light white cauliflower will have less flavor than dark brown cauliflower. The caramelized outside means your cauliflower has a smoky flavor, creating a beautiful combination for the sweet, tender interior.
What are the must-have kitchen tools in your kitchen?
A pan! I love bed pans — I have about four or five stowed away in my oven. I use them for everything. In addition to roasting, they’re great to use to mix ingredients or to layer dumplings or wonton (whatever you’ll be making in bulk).
My other favorites? A great utility knife (mine is from Tokyo), a good kitchen scissors (my favorite comes from Kitchen ingredients), a 10-inch all-purpose pan (I love my cast iron pan since Staub) and chopsticks for cooking, mixing and whisking. Or really, everything.
What are some other recipes? To Asia, with love that our readers must try?
I have so many favorites! The Sheet Pan Chow Mein, Life-changing Udon, Bread Salad, Eggplant Salt & Pepper, Vegan Tantanmen, Fried Egg Soy Noodles. The list goes on…
Thank you Hetty for sharing this recipe with us! For more exclusive recipes from Hetty’s kitchen, subscribe to Hetty’s Free monthly newsletterexplore her journal, Peddler magazineand watch her accompanying podcast, The House Specials.
Recipe from To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon (Prestel, 2021)
