The Last of a Textural Summer of Chew
Tteokbokki with Creamy Sesame and Steamed Greens
Soft, tender, and juicy vegetal flavor.
One of my core food memories during my college years while studying design at ITESO in Guadalajara came in the form of steamed vegetables slathered in crema, queso, lime juice, powdered chile, and salt—all served on a flimsy styrofoam tray.
These were the esquites from el centro en Guadalajara where you had your pick of steamed chayote, potato, broccoli, beet, and corn. It all depends on how early or late you find the roaming esquite vendors to score your favorite veg combo. If you found a street vendor on their way to a funeral, chances are you get a full lineup of veg. Apparently, esquites are super popular outside of funeral homes in Guadalajara.
But the best part? The texture of soft and juicy steamed vegetables.
We’ve crowned seared, grilled, and smoked as superior techniques for cooking vegetables, but I will say that there is no more comforting texture than the softness that only steaming can offer. Like many moms, my mom was the queen of such unglamorous cooking technique. She perfected staming chayote and carrots to mush via hellish steam. I hated the mushy texture so much that I’d sit down and cry at the dinner table for *hours* before I was allowed to leave the table. One time a neighbor came knocking on the door asking my mom if I was injured because they could hear me whaling on the block: “No, she just hates steamed vegetables.”
This recipe won’t make a little girl cry, because it is perfectly timed to steam vegetables to keep a teeny bit of their crunch, while cooking them until a perfect soft-tender to absorb a drizzle of sesame oil, rice vinegar, and salt. As if I wasn’t obsessed enough with the texture that steam creates, I topped it by bringing the ultimate textural chewy heaven: Tteokbokki.
Tteokbokki are Korean rice cakes and hands down the bite I look forward to the most when eating anju, the Korean term for bar food. I love all the anju at Dan Sung Sa, my favorite spot to eat Korean bar food in Koreatown in L.A.
A quick soak in water relaxes the hard-rock rice cakes. Simmer for just a few minutes and you will see the magic of the creaminess and chewiness come to life as the starch bubbles away. In my humble offering to the many variations for Tteokbokki, I make a creamy sesame sauce that tricks you into thinking it is rich and creamy like crema and queso on esquites.
Little Pao would’ve loved this dish.
On this week’s recipe mixtape, pop I was obsessed with while living in Guadalajara in 2005ish featuring Belanova, Miranda!, Miguel Bosé, Mecano and more. Welcome to my college years!
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