$12 Cooking Challenge: Chef Kala Serves Korean Parsley And Pink Radish Kimchi With Quinoa

On LittleThings' Facebook Live show Slice we challenge food experts to create delicious and easy to make dinners for less than $12. This week, Manhattan based chef, Kala Sung, is in the hot seat.

Chef Kala Sung now works as a private chef, but she used to share her talents as a chef at the legendary Four Seasons restaurant in New York City, a pioneer for its usage of seasonal ingredients.

To say that Chef Kala's Korean background influences her cuisine as private chef would be an understatement. In fact, one of the things that she is best known for are her demonstrations and Kimchi 101 classes, where she shares the art of the classic Korean side dish.

Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine. It is a side dish (it's also sometimes used as a condiment) and is made from salted and fermented vegetables, usually cabbage or radishes, and is packed with healthy digestive bacteria. Bonus: It's low in calories.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy this powerful and delicious superfood. Chef Kala even told LittleThings that she likes to think of it as a, "new ketchup because it goes well with dishes from every country."

Chef Kala has an extremely cheap way to do so with her instant parsley kimchi with quinoa and pink radish kimchi, otherwise known as, Kala's temple food revival:

Shopping list:

  • Bunch flat leaf parsley – $1.99
  • Green pepper – $1
  • Lemon – .50
  • Black sesame seeds – .25
  • Cashew nuts – $1
  • Quinoa – $2
  • French breakfast radish – $2.99
  • Green grapes – $1.99
  • Total = $11.72

With the help of some items already in your pantry, instructions for this yummy meal are below!

__Kala's Temple Food Revival – Instant parsley kimchi with quinoa and pink radish kimchi __

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • French breakfast radish
  • Kosher salt
  • Red chilli pepper flakes
  • Green grapes, halved
  • Flat leaf parsley
  • Green pepper, seeded cut into bite sized pieces
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Ground cumin
  • Black sesame seeds
  • Cashew nuts
  • Soy sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Quinoa
  • Water
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, thoroughly wash the radishes drain, trim ends and tops, and cut the radishes in half. In another large bowl, toss the radishes with salt. Let sit for 15 mins.
  2. Drain the radishes, in a large bowl, combine the radishes with chili pepper, and grapes. Toss well.
  3. Pack the radishes into a jar, cover with a lid, and let sit at room temperature for 1 or 2 days. Refrigerated and eat within 2 weeks
  4. Place the rinsed quinoa, salt and water in a small pot, bring mixture to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
  5. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest.
  6. Rinse the parsley, chop it roughly and place in a bowl with green pepper, lemon juice, nuts, cumin, sesame seeds, soy sauce, olive oil, chilli pepper, and the cooked quinoa. Mix together and season to taste.