This is part of an ongoing ceramics-collaboration project. I interview the ceramicist about them and their work, before creating a recipe that reflects them and shooting it in a still life.
The LHS Johansson concept
Lisa adopts a holistic approach in her ceramics, producing pieces which are aesthetically stunning and have a unique feel, but are still well suited to everyday use. This combination of beauty and practicality is evident in her series of platters, which are designed to work both as ornaments and as functional household items. Perfect for serving food, using as a trivet or even a chopping board, these are truly utilitarian items.
Her ceramics are designed to encourage a more mindful attitude to life - something inspired in part by the minimalist traditions of her combined Korean and Swedish heritages. This rich mix results in gorgeous and unique pieces which are at home in ash household.
My response
I decided to approach this recipe much as Lisa approaches her ceramics: by exploring Korean traditions through a modern Swedish approach. I used the Surasang setting, a traditional Korean place setting for royals and court officials, as my starting point. Comprised of over 30 small dishes spread across 3 different tables, I refined this down to 3 main elements to reflect the tables: a main dish, a side sauce/broth and a selection of fresh and pickled vegetables.
The ingredients used in the meal were inspired by the Swedish ethos of slow considered food: taking time to find local, seasonal and foraged produce to include in my meal. The beansprouts are homegrown, the rosehips are foraged, and the rest of the ingredients are seasonally available in the UK in late autumn (when the recipe was designed and shot).
The colours of the food, the platters and the surrounding decorations are all influenced by the Korean belief that harmony and balance come from a diet that contains 5 tastes (salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter) and 5 colours (red, green, yellow, white and black) which, together, help achieve a healthy life. The layout of the dishes reflects the Surasang setting, and the image is shot from a birds-eye view so that the platters can be appreciated as they would be if they were hung ornamentally.
The recipe
Homegrown Beansprout & Swede Kimchi with Rice, Rosehip Sauce, Home-Pickled Ginger
& Fresh Radish
Serves one
Takes 9 days
Homegrown Beansprouts
Makes 120g homegrown beansprouts
Takes 9 days
100g dried soy beans
250ml of water
Soak the soybeans for 12-24 hours, until they double in size.
Drain the soy beans and lay them out in a sprouter so they are only one deep.
Rinse them thoroughly 2-3 times a day for nine days. Check regularly for ones that have not sprouted after 5 days and remove them.
When they have fully sprouted, and the stalks are trying to root, harvest them. Remove the beans and discard them, keeping only the stalk. When they have all been harvested, rinse them well, ready for use.
Homegrown Beansprout & Swede Kimchi
Makes 1 jar
Takes 80 minutes (20 prep, 60 weight) + 5 days minimum fermentation period
120g of swede
120g of homegrown beansprouts - harvested and rinsed
5g non-iodised salt (2% bakers percentage)
1 bulb of ginger (about 3x3cm)
4 cloves of garlic
4 spring onions
1 tbsp of crushed chillies
1 tbsp of raw cane sugar
Cut up the swede into matchsticks of about 2-4cm, making sure none are too thick.
Mix the swede matchsticks and the beansprouts together and rub them well with the salt. Cover them in water, weight them with a plate or another bowl, and leave them for an hour. As the swede and beansprouts soak, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Using the end of a spoon, peel the skin off the ginger and chop it finely and put it in a mixing bowl.
Crush and chop the garlic finely, slice the spring onion and add them both to the bowl with the ginger.
Using a spice blender, blend the crushed chillies into a course powder and add it to the mixing bowl with the raw cane sugar.
Combine all the ingredients well and leave them to meld for the remainder of the time the beansprouts and swede are soaking.
When the beansprouts and swede have soaked for an hour, drain them well, retaining the liquid for use later.
Mix the soaked vegetable with the chilli mix until it is well combined.
Pack the kimchi into a kilner jar, pressing it down to remove any air. When it is well packed in, pour over some of the soaking water, until everything is under the water line. Use a circular weight to weight down the kimchi to keep it all below the water line. Make sure there is at least 3cm of air at the top of the jar.
Seal the jar and leave it in the fridge for 5 days, checking it daily, before consuming.
Home-Pickled Ginger
Makes 1 small jar
Takes 45 minutes (15 prep, 30 weight) + 4 days minimum fermentation period
100g of ginger (weigh after peeling)
6g non-iodised salt (6% bakers percentage)
70ml of water
100ml of rice vinegar
Using the end of a spoon, peel the skin off the ginger and - making sure to slice with the grain of the root and not against it - finely slice it all. Slicing it with the grain will ensure a nicer bite in the finished pickle.
Rub the ginger well with the salt, weight it with a plate or another bowl, and leave it for half an hour.
Mix the water and rice vinegar together in a separate container.
When the half hour us up, pack the salted ginger into a kilner jar. When it is well packed in, pour over the vinegar mix until all the ginger is under the water line. Use a circular weight to weight down the ginger to keep it all below the water line. Make sure there is at least 3cm of air at the top of the jar.
Seal the jar and leave it in the fridge for 4 days, checking it daily, before consuming.
Homegrown Beansprout & Swede Kimchi with Rice, Rosehip Sauce, Home-Pickled Ginger & Fresh Radish
Serves one
Takes 67 minutes (15 prep, 47 cook)
100g (1/2 cup) of Japanese short grain rice
75g (1/2 cup) of fresh rosehips
230ml (1 cup) of water - for cooking the rosehips (1:2 - rosehips:water)
175ml (3/4 cup) of water - for cooking the rice (1:1.25 - rice:water)
1 radish
1 spring onion, sliced
2 tbsp of Homegrown Beansprout & Swede Kimchi
4 sliced of Home Pickled Ginger
1/2 tsp of large salt crystals
Rinse the rice well 3 times, each time removing the water and replacing it with fresh water.
Cover the rice in water and leave it to soak for 30 minutes.
Combine the roships and the 230ml of water to boil them in a saucepan and simmer on a medium heat for 30 minutes.
When the rice has soaked, drain it and leave it to rest for 5 minutes to remove excess water.
In a cast iron pan with a well fitted lid, heat the rice and the water until it begins to boil, then switch it to minimum heat and leave it for 12 minutes, without removing the lid. When the timer goes off, remove the rice from the heat straight away and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, still without removing the lid.
While the rice cooks, remove the rosehips from heat when they have cooked for half an hour and allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
Blend the the rosehips in a small food processor until smooth, being careful not to get burnt by the hot liquid.
Decant the blended rosehips into a sieve over a bowl and strain the sauce with a spatula, until only the hard seeds remain, then discard the seeds. Allow the rosehip sauce to cool before putting it into a small serving dish and garnishing with the sliced spring onion. Set aside ready to serve.
Finely slice the radish and arrange the slices of radish with the slices of ginger on a small dish. Set this aside ready to serve.
Plate the rice on a larger dish and top it with the homemade kimchi. Serve this together with the pickled ginger and fresh radish and the rosehip sauce.