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Pumpkin Quinoa Salad (with Kale Hummus)

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Pumpkin Quinoa Salad with Kale Hummus

Last October, I was suffering from a bad stomach condition that lasted more than a month. I needed to eat clean, with lots of fiber, and without spices or chilies. Talk about constraints here.

Constraints breed creativity, though ; that’s what I discovered in no time. I made choices that I wouldn’t have made any other way, such as going to boring Cojean for lunch, and eating a boring vegan superfood salad.

There I sat with my salad, feeling sorry for myself ; expecting absolutely no pleasure, and eating because I had to.

I took a bite. I mentally gasped, my eyes probably bulged as I sat there, dumbfounded.

What the hell ? How can it be this good ? The sugary elements like raisins and pumpkin popped into my mouth, offsetting the pleasant bite from the vinaigrette ; the creamy kale hummus, aromatic and boosted by some chervil, paired perfectly with the pumpkin and quinoa, and it was a textures’ festival between the crunchy, the soft and the creamy.

I ate the whole thing up as if it was a Christmas’ feast. No joke ; I had never eaten a meal without any spices, any meat and any excess fat with such wonderful flavour.

I knew I had to reproduce it right away. I’m happy to say I figured it out, and although there’s a bit of work involved, it’s all worth it.

Hear me out ; at some point in winter, after the upteenth cheesy, heavy meal you eat in a row, you’ll feel like having a salad. Make this one. You won’t regret it.

Pumpkin Quinoa Salad (with Kale Hummus) – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

You might need to visit an organic store / a farmer’s market to get some of the items listed here, such as sunflower seeds, raisins or kale.

Ingredients – Advice & key points

Not much to say here ; it’s a straight-forward salad!

  • Don’t skip the Kale Hummus! It’s what gives this salad its pleasant creaminess and freshness :
    • I recommend blanching kale, as it removes its bitterness and softens its texture ;
    • If you cannot find kale, you might replace it with spinach, and only blanch them 1mn.

All set ? Let’s make this Pumpkin Quinoa Salad!

Oven Purée

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Purée - Mashed Potatoes with milk and butter

I know, I know. Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes, right ? You boil, you mash, add some milk and butter, or cream ; there you go !

If it were so simple, how come people marvel at the epic French purée you’re served in our decent national restaurants ? Moist, buttery and flavourful ; that is how we want it. And any amateur cook can tell you that it is not always a given.

No, adding a pint of butter is not the only secret to purée there is ! There are several small tricks to keep in mind, and I’ve listed them all for you :

  • Essential : choose the right potatoes (starchy potatoes such as Bintje) ;
  • Cook your potatoes in the oven instead of boiling them ;
  • Don’t over-mash your potatoes, or the purée will become sticky as the process will release excess starch ;
  • Your butter needs to be cold, and your milk, hot ;
  • Add your butter and milk to your mashed potatoes while they’re still hot.

I didn’t know there was this much to know about a humble purée. Before I stumbled across all these pieces of advice, I made purée simply following my heart a couple of times, so I can tell you : the difference is massive.

You can serve this purée with a good piece of poultry or meat, or use it in a hachis parmentier !

Oven Purée – Recipe

Recipe – Advice & key points

  • The only additional piece of advice I have is to buy decent milk and butter. As always, with recipe that only contain a handful of ingredients, each of them matters !  
  • The other advice are listed above !

All set ? Let’s purée !

Vietnamese Oyakodon

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Vietnamese Oyakodon - Roast chicken with fluffy eggs, Nuoc Cham and cilantro

Oyakodon is part of the donburi family, which are popular Japanese dishes consisting of a filling on a bowl of rice. Oyako, in a somehow disturbing way, means “parent and child” -referring to chicken and eggs.

I was feeling like spicing the dish up and changing its flavour profile, and I thought of the biting Nuoc Cham sauce to give a tangy depth to this otherwise quite soft and mild dish.

This Vietnamese-Japanese fusion attempt might be, if I can humbly say so, my best creation to date. The pairing between roast chicken and Nuoc Cham is an obvious one, but the creamy eggs, perfumed with a touch of ginger and shallots, add a fluffy mellowness to this dish that makes you always crave for more.

I don’t have much credit to take though, since the whole dish almost only relies on the wonderful Vietnamese Nuoc Cham. Making the sauce is almost the only effort you need to make ; the rest is basically an omelet flavoured with a few aromatics, that you assemble with roast chicken on top of rice.

Vietnamese Oyakodon – Ingredients & advice

  • You will find my Nuoc Cham recipe here.
  • For my scrambled eggs, this is how I get them fluffy and moist :
    • First, add your unbeaten eggs to a buttered and oiled pan on medium heat ; leave 30 seconds while mixing with a spatula. The eggs will start to form strands.
    • Then, turn the heat to low and let it finish cooking while you keep stirring with a spatula.
    • Do not overcook them ! I remove them while they’re still a tad undercooked, because by the time you add the egg mixture to your plate, you eggs might become overcooked.
  • Want to make the dish vegetarian ?
    • You can simply omit the chicken ; honestly, I’d enjoy the dish with only rice, eggs and the wonderful sauce ;
    • You can also replace the chicken with stir-fried mushrooms (with a bit of smoked salt or liquid smoke if you have some). No other seasonings needed, really, it’s already in our sauce !

Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce)

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Nuoc Cham

See the nem sauce ? Nice, with a bit of sugar and tang, but nothing to go crazy about ?

This nem sauce is the clearest illustration I can think of of how Westernized dishes don’t give justice to the beautiful Vietnamese recipes.

The actual “nem sauce” is called Nuoc Cham. It’s garlickier, spicier, tangier, and turns anything you dip in in sheer gold.

The secret is simple : it’s all about pounding your garlic and chilies, which frees the flavour in a much stronger way than by only chopping. The difference with your usual “nem sauce” is astounding.

Dip anything in it : grilled meats, nems, spring rolls, or use it as a dressing for your Buns (Vietnamese noodle salads), and see for yourself the power of this Nuoc Cham. I fell in love with it the moment I tried it. And it is all done within 10 minutes !

Prik Nam Som – Ingredients & advice

  • Depending on which fish sauce you use, you might need to use a tad less than the amounts indicated. Taste for yourself ! I personnally use the Tiparos fish sauce, which is a bit on the stronger side.
  • I like to use brown sugar for added depth, but feel free to use white sugar.
  • Fair warning : this recipe is quite spicy.
    • If you can take a bit of spice, but not much, only use 1 bird’s eye chili.
    • If you cannot take the heat at all, remove its seeds.
  • You can add cilantro if you feel like it ; it definitely pairs well with the Nuoc Cham flavours.
  • If you don’t own a mortar and pestle, it’s ok ;
    • Simply use a grater for your garlic and thaï chili. After adding the remaining ingredients, let the Nuoc Cham sit 10 to 15 minutes so that the flavours infuse properly.
    • Even if you simply mince your garlic and chili with a knife, this sauce will be much tastier than the restaurant version !

Meatless Ricotta Polpette

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Ricotta polpette in sugo (with tomato sauce), accompanied by Focaccia and green beans

I always thought Polpette to be one of those recipes that were un-veganizable. Sure, you can make awesome veggie Falafels, Arancinis, and all sorts of fried balls ; but this saucy softness you get with tomato meatballs ? No can’t do.

I was binge-reading food questions and answers on Quora, as I usually do, when I fell onto a funny, specific question : what to do with ricotta leftovers ? When I saw an answer on ricotta polpette with a sexy, saucy photo attached, I knew I was going to make it, and sooner rather than later.

So I did. And I was mind-blown ; how could just a few ingredients, and not the boldest, yield such a profound flavour ? As I often say in my dear italian recipes, the secret lies in the quality of your ingredients. And, I confess, a healthy amount of cheeses -yes, plural : we invited ricotta, pecorino and parmigiano to the party here.

True, the end result had nothing to do with meatballs in terms of taste ; but it was the same pleasure, with a real overall softness and sauciness. This recipe feels both light and comforting, and can be done on a weeknight.    

Meatless Ricotta Polpette – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don’t have one near your location, you can find fresh produce like parmigiano, pecorino and ricotta at your local Italian deli.

  • Cheeses :
    • Try to find quality ricotta ! It needs to be quite firm. The one I used was this one : Fromage ricotta au lait de vache BIO 200 g - CA'VERDE OTTO MARZO
    • Don’t forget to drain it properly before using.
    • If you want to use basic ricotta from your supermarket, you can ; simply use more panko breadcrumbs, since this type of ricotta is more liquidy.   
    • Try to use decent Pecorino and Parmigiano that you grate yourself, as those 2 ingredients are central to the end taste. 
  • Feel free to :
    • Remove parsley if you wish, but I would keep basil ;
    • Use only Pecorino or Parmigiano depending on what you have on hand ;
    • Use breadcrumbs instead of panko.

How to serve Meatless Ricotta Polpette

  • I do not recommend serving these Polpette with pasta !
    • Polpette in Italy are not eaten with pasta ; and those polpette in particular are fragile and would break while tossing them in pasta.
    • These polpette would be served with Italian bread such as Focaccia, and greens on the side, or salad.

Now come and cook !

Pasta e Fagioli from Napoli

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Creamy pasta e fagioli in a orangey, creamy broth made with veggies and pancetta

Beans. Great for your health, rich in proteins and very gut-friendly, yes ; but unappealing. No kid has ever rushed to the dinner table when hearing that beans were on the menu, right ?

That’s because most people don’t treat beans the way they should. And what is this way ? Well, the only one there is : the Italian way ! More precisely here, the Neapolitan way, as this recipe has many variations depending on the location and available ingredients.

It always contains two main stars, though : short pasta and white beans, kept cozy in a warm, creamy broth flavoured by veggies and, optionally, a small amount of cured meat. This is really my favourite type of cooking : slow and easy, with delicate flavours ; humble food, but quality ingredients.

In Napoli, it is typical to include a bit of tomato and pancetta. But you could definitely make a white version, or use guanciale instead of pancetta, or even no meat at all !

Whichever option you choose, this soupy pasta is as nourishing and healthy as it is comforting -just like its pasta e piselli cousin. The flavours are delicate, with an umami-feel brought abought by our tomato and Parmiagiano friends.

Pasta e Fagioli from Napoli – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don’t have one near your location, you can find fresh produce like parmigiano at your local Italian deli, maybe even your pasta. For pasta, if not available there, you should be able to order it online quite easily. Funnily enough, I find my Ditalini pasta in African produce stores, because it is also commonly used in Tunisian cooking.

  • Pasta :
    • Try to find ditalini or tubetti or pasta if you can, which are cut in short tubes.
    • Don’t worry if you can’t find it, as any short pasta will do.
  • Beans :
    • I use white beans that I’ve soaked overnight.
    • Ideally, you want to use Borlotti beans, but any type will do.
  • Important : If making a large batch, when you know you won’t eat it all, remove the excess amount from the pot (and store it away) before adding pasta.
    • Why ? Because reheated pasta & fagioli won’t be as good -the pasta won’t be al dente.
    • This way, when you reheat your fagioli base leftovers, simply add a bit water if needed and cook the matching amount of pasta straight into it !
  • Want to make it vegetarian ? Simply remove the pancetta and replace the water with vegetables stock.

Cooking your pasta

  • Pasta :
    • This is one of the very, very few authentic “one pot” pasta dishes ! Yes, everything cooks quickly plus there’s almost no dishes to wash. Dream life.
    • Don’t forget to stir twice or thrice once you add your pasta, else it will stick to the bottom of the pot.
    • You can start tasting 2 minutes before the theoretical end time, so that you get perfect al dente pasta.

Now come and cook !

Easy Bossam

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Easy Bossam, pork belly slices with kimchi, lettuce leaves, rice and ssamjang

Even after spending 4 months in Korea, eating everything I humanly could, there was still some dishes I missed and discovered once back in France.

Bossam is one of those. I love how Koreans wrap their meats, both because of the textures and tastes combination aaand, mostly, because it’s so comfy. I don’t know why. If everything was eaten wrapped in lovely small bites, with one large platter everyone shares, I bet people would be happy all the time. Well, I’d be.

The most traditional Bossam version is quite time-consuming and involves making pickled cabbage leaves as well as a specific kimchi kind. I simplified it here ; if you’ve already made some Kimchi, or if you’ve bought some along with Ssamjang, you just have to boil your pork in a simple broth and make some rice. Easy peasy !

Contrary to what one might think looking at the broth’s color, its flavours are quite delicate : one must be into pork belly’s texture and taste to enjoy this Bossam -if not, you can opt for pork shoulder. The acidic kimchi counteracts the fattiness of the pork, and the salad leaves offer some pleasant texture and freshness.

Easy Bossam – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Fair warning about pork belly :
    • This dish is usually eaten skin-on, but I know some people would be uncomfortable with it. If in doubt, kindly ask your butcher to remove the pork belly’s skin.
    • If you’re not sure you’d like large pork belly bits in terms of taste and texture, choose pork shoulder instead ;
  • To check whether you meat is tender enough after one hour, simply poke a chopstick through it. If it goes through easily, it means it’s cooked.
  • You should easily be able to find Doenjang and Ssamjang at your usual Asian grocery store if it’s large enough ; you will definitely find some in any Korean store, as those pastes are national staples.
  • If you have Bossam leftovers, you can make a great many deal of new meals out of it, using the delicious cooking liquid, too ! I made a pork belly, kimchi and scallions fried rice ; and quick stir-fried noodles with pork belly using rice noodles, that soaked all the beautiful broth.

How to eat your Easy Bossam

  • The traditional way would be to wrap your pork in lettuce leaves, with some rice, Ssamjang and a bit of kimchi !
  • Simply want a quick lunch and not a nice sharing meal ? Make Bossam bowls, using all the aforementioned ingredients !

Let’s dig into it !

Mushroom Donburi (Mushroom rice bowl)

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Mushroom donburi - Rice bowl with mushrooms and a soy cured egg yolk

Trying to faithfully replicate the flavours and emotions from a country’s cuisine is one thing -and a hard enough task, if you ask me- but creating a decent fusion dish is another one entierely.

From working in my kitchen and in finance, and I can tell you : fusions go bad. Merging two entirely different sets of techniques, flavour profiles and ingredients requires a real understanding and knowledge of each party. I’m no genius, so when I give such a project a go, I make sure to follow this mantra : the simpler, the better.

French cuisine and Japanese cuisine can easily be a good match. Both go easy on the spices and focus on making the ingredients shine without transforming them much, though tricks like a liberal use of butter in one case, and umami kicks in the other.

Here, I borrowed two treasures from each culture : delicious buttery mushrooms from my home country, and an umami bomb from Japan I’m so happy I stumbled upon ; the magic soy cured egg yolk.

Let me tell you that this recipe would be worth doing with only one or the other on top of your rice. Combine both, and you get a dish that will make your day -all within 30 minutes.

Do take into account that you need to cure your egg ahead -overnight or throughout the day !

Mushroom Donburi – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

Make sure to pick the best season for this recipe, when mushrooms are tasty and found in abundance – where I live, it’d be during fall.

The other ingredients are basic Asian pantry items (soy sauce, rice vinegar…). You should be able to find those in traditional grocery stores, without needing to visit an Asian one.

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Choose your favourite mushrooms ! It’s all a matter of what you have on hand. I used a mix of Chanterelles, Trompettes de la Mort (Black Trumpet) and Pieds de Mouton (Hedgehog Mushrooms), which was oh so very flavourful.
  • This is a nice recipe for when you work at home. Why so ? Because you can master the curation level of your egg !
    • For best results, the egg needs to be cured in soy sauce for 8 to 10 hours. This way, it’ll be creamy and coating, but neither liquidy nor too hard.
    • Don’t worry, you can still make it work without being as precise ! I’d recommend marinating it between 5 hours and 14 hours.
    • Even 24 hours would be ok, I’ve tried it once -but the yolk will definitely be quite hard and you’ll have trouble putting it on all your rice grains.
  • To make this recipe fully vegan, replace fish sauce with soy sauce and heavy cream with dairy-free heavy cream (coconut cream, oat cream….)
  • I recommend using a cast-iron pan for frying your mushrooms, but other pans are fine, too.

All set ? Let’s make this amazing Mushroom Donburi !

Yukgaejang (Spicy beef soup)

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Yukgaejang, spicy beef stew

I don’t know whether I was Korean or Italian in some other life -maybe both ? I just know that my two favourite things to eat are Italian traditional pasta, and Korean stews.

Yukgaejang (Yuk meaning meat, Gaejang meaning spicy stew) resembles Kimchi Jigae somewhat ; both are spicy, meat-based soupy stews. The resemblance ends there, though. The Kimchi Jigae flavour profile is powerful and pungent, relying on a kick-ass base : rich pork, umami anchovy and kimchi broth. Yukgaejang, on the other hand, is more delicate and soupy. Do not be fooled by the bright red color ; the broth is spicy, yet not crazy spicy. The lean beef meat, combined with fernbrake and dried shiitakes, yields a mild earthy flavour.

Unfamiliar with fernbrake (named Gosari in Korean) ? It is a young, curled-up shoot of the bracken fern plant, which grows wild in forests and mountainous areas. In Korean cuisine, gosari is a popular ingredient in dishes like yukgaejang and bibimbap due to its unique, earthy flavor and slightly chewy texture. It looks like this in its dried form :

건고사리 Gosari Fougère Comestible Séchée 100G [Assi] DDM 31.12.2025

While I tend to prefer fermetend-based soups, which add a nice depth of flavour, I must say that simpler soups like Yukgaejang make for a nice change, with a more direct and cleaner taste. It could also be a good entry point for those who are not familiar with Korean soups and stews !

This soup is also perfect for those who watch their weight and care for their health ; fiber-rich, low in fats with the use of lean meat, Yukgaejang is absolutely perfect to feel like you’re indulging when you’re actually not.

Yukgaejang – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Gosari :
    • Fear not, if you cannot find some dried gosari at your favourite Korean grocery store, you’ll be able to easily order it online !
    • Do account for the fact that you need to soak your gosari at least 6 hours (ideally overnight).
    • You can buy pre-soaked gosari, but careful : you don’t want to buy sweet, seasoned gosari that’s used for Bibimbaps or Gimbaps.
  • The other Korean ingredients are common ; you’ll have no trouble finding them at your usual Asian or Korean grocery store.
  • Meat :
    • I use short ribs here, which are a tad more fatty, but a popular cut for Yukgaejang is brisket.
    • You want your meat to be quite tender, but it won’t be pull-apart tender like pulled pork, for example.
  • If you can take a bit of heat, but not much, just halve the gochugaru amount. I do not recommend skipping it altogether, as you might find the stew a bit lacking in taste. If you don’t want a spicy stew, wait up, I’ll soon post non-spicy stew recipes !

Cooking and eating Yukgaejang

  • You don’t need to use a Dolsot like I do. The cool part about Dolsots is that they retain the heat well, so your Kimchi Jigae will remain piping hot as you eat it. But simply use any pot you have ; I’m sure it won’t turn real cold, because you will devour this dish in no time !
  • It is nice to eat some side dishes (banchans) to go with your Yukgaejang. If you’re brave enough, you could cook 1 or 2 vegetables banchans along with it, such as simple spinach, bean sprouts or cucumber ones. I simply tend to buy them from the Korean mart -because they are delicious !
  • I often eat my Yukgaejang with rice and kimchi only, and it’s absolutely pleasurable.

All set ? Let’s cook a beautiful stew !

Pumpkin Rice Porridge (Korean-Inspired Juk)

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Korean winters are rough. All you can hope for as it starts to get cold is a warm bowl of Juk ; if you’re familiar with Congee, its Chinese cousin, you’ll know what I’m talking about !

I remember discovering Juk at the Seoul National University cafeteria. You don’t order it at the restaurant, not that I have seen ; it is either lovingly made by the ajummas from the school to make up for all this pork belly and fried chicken you keep eating, or by your family, especially when sick. In the spirit of our Western chicken soup, it is usually made with chicken, or small beef pieces.

I remember buying instant porridge cups over there, and one was pumpkin-flavoured. It was my inspiration for this recipe. As I knew the flavours would be rather mild, I decided to go for an umami mushroom topping.

Clearly remaining delicate taste-wise, the thick rice soup mixed with puréed pumpkin is made bolder by the addition of fish sauce and sesame oil, which are strong flavour markers from the original recipe. The thinly diced mushrooms then provide a minced meat feel, especially with the oyster sauce and soy sauce seasoning.

Bon appétit !

Pumpkin Rice Porridge (Korean-Inspired Juk) – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & where to find them

  • All of the condiments and pantry items used are rather basic Asian items (soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, short-grain rice) that you can easily find at your nearest Asian grocer, possibly even your usual grocery store !
  • I used Red Kuri Squash here, but go with what is available nearby. I meant to use Kabocha squash, which is a popular choice in Asia, but I couldn’t find any where I live.
  • If you cannot find fresh shiitake, either pick a different mushroom kind with a rich flavour (black trumpet mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms), or use 15-20 dried ones !
  • If you don’t want to roast your pumpkin, simply boil it, but roasting will bring a deeper taste.
  • You can easily make the dish vegetarian by using vegetarian oyster sauce and fish sauce (or replace fish sauce with soy sauce).

All set ? Let’s dig into it !