Korean Gumbo

Who: Chef Kay Kyungmin Hyun, owner and chef at Mokyo

Instagram: @chefkayhyun

Chef Hyun’s Guest-Worthy Recipe: Korean gumbo

Why? Korean gumbo is the perfect comfort food that can be eaten all year round, and a delicious and simple dish to make at home.

Ingredients:

3/4 c butter

1 c flour

2 celery stalks

1 red bell pepper

1 red onion

Spices: Cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, chili flakes, salt

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 bay leaves

5 c chicken stock

Plantains

Andouille sausage

Deshelled shrimp

Deshelled crawfish

Directions:

Step 1: Roux

Melt 150g of butter, then add 100g of flour and cook until brown

Step 2: Soup Base — Add the following to Roux:

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1/2 red onion, roughly chopped

Cook until vegetables sweat (about 3 minutes of cooking).

Add the seasoning (below):

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1.5 tsp black pepper

3 Tbsp Korean chili flakes

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1.5 Tbsp salt

2 bay leaves

Cook for about 30 seconds after adding. Add 5 cups chicken stock. Simmer until vegetables becomes soft. Stir and simmer until soup base thickens.

Step 3: Blend Soup Base

Transfer thickened soup base into blender. Blend until smooth consistency. Soup is ready.

Step 4: In a separate pan:

Cover bottom with oil. (Sweat following vegetables.) Add 3 Tbsp bell peppers, diced

Add 3 Tbsp red onions, diced

Add 1 Tbsp celery, diced

Add 1/5 sliced plantains

Then, add diced andouille sausages, deshelled shrimp, and deshelled crawfish (preferred amount).

Cook until seafood is fully cooked (roughly about 1-2 minutes).

Add 1 cup of already made soup base.

Once it boils, it is ready!