(What’s on the list, you ask? Homemade pho and Taiwanese beef noodle soup, among other things. But those are other recipes for other entries!)

Magic mushrooms have been on the list since before the list existed, however, and I’m glad I was finally able to deliver with a version all my own.

Magic mushrooms are our favorite appetizer from Hapa Sushi, which is a fusion/nouveau-type sushi restaurant in the Metro Denver area. Whenever we visit Denver, we go to Hapa and order this appetizer without fail. However, it’s been well over half a year since the last time we’ve managed to patronize this sushi joint–so I only had my memories as reference. If you’re a Denver native or you’ve eaten at Hapa before, you’ll have to tell me whether I’ve managed to create a worthy copycat recipe, okay?

I would advise you to make sure you have a nice, sharp knife before attempting to make these; a dull knife won’t be able to create the thin slice necessary for the rolling of the salmon around the avocado. Additionally, this recipe requires vigilance: you can’t really walk away from any of it while it’s cooking. There’s not really much I can offer in the way of a shortcut other than buying the sweet soy sauce (or unagi sauce) at the store instead of making it yourself–but the consistency will be thinner.

Even if these mushrooms taste nothing like the ones at Hapa, I still think they’re pretty damn tasty. You’ll be dismayed at how quickly they disappear relative to the amount of work it takes to make them–but hey, you’ll get credit for being an awesome cook, so all’s well that ends well!

1. Kris used to think ________ was icky! What a travesty.
2. (soul-searching paragraph)
3. And now she doesn’t. Yay ________!

Today, we are tackling pickles–which I also disliked for a long time. But since I seem to have disliked everything when I was growing up (ha), I’m going to skip over that fact and talk about how amazing Korean food is instead!

My first and dearest experience with Korean food was at a little joint called San Chang in Colorado Springs when I moved there in 1999. I had tried “Korean” food before at Pan-Asian restaurants around Delaware as a child, but not like San Chang. What were these funny grills doing in the middle of the table? Why were there so many vents? And why were there so many versions of pickled vegetables in tiny plates?

It wasn’t until I befriended Korean-American classmates at college that I learned the magical name of these vegetable dishes–banchan. But I loved banchan from the start, and often stuffed myself on it before the main course arrived at the table. My favorite banchan involved radishes in various forms: julienned, cubed, sliced, and so on, pickled in so many delicious ways. I loved the cool, crisp crunch of the radish and the subsequent explosion of pickling juice that would follow with each bite. They were a sharp, effective palate cleanser to the salty savoriness of galbi or the sweetness of bulgogi. Ever since that first magical visit, I’ve been a fan of Korean food and flavors… and most importantly, pickles!

James linked this pickled radish & jalapeño recipe to me while I was in the Philippines, so I gave it a go when I came back to LA and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. I tweaked the ratio of sugar and jalapeños because we prefer our pickles a little spicier and less sweet, but feel free to play with the ratio according to your preferences. I also chopped the radish rather coarsely because we are radish fiends–but you can make smaller slices if you wish, especially if you’re using the pickling juice as a sauce for meat. Either way, I hope you give this very simple recipe a try–whether you’re a banchan fan like me or looking to spice up the condiments at your dinner table. You won’t be disappointed!

But first, some back story…

I have this awful habit of buying a ton of vegetables all at once with nothing but good intentions… anyone who has opened our fridge to see a vegetable garden staring back at them can attest to that. I rationalize these purchases with ambitious recipes: “I’m going to use this gigantic surplus of green beans and make three separate dishes with them!” “I’ve always wanted to make a recipe involving Chinese eggplant.” And so, I return from the market with armfuls of vegetables and a list of future dishes in my head.

The inherent flaw in all of this, of course, is that James and I are only two people and two people cannot possibly eat a fridge full of vegetables in the time it takes for these vegetables to go past their fresh date. And if that weren’t bad enough, I’ll routinely forget about vegetables I’ve bought if they’re obscured from sight by other vegetables. It’s a terrible cycle of waste… and it can get pretty gross, too. A few days ago, I threw away a red onion that was as soft as an over-ripe peach…

I’ve gotten much, much better about this over the past few months (yes, only a few months–imagine all of the food I’ve wasted!) but sometimes it’ll come back to haunt me. Today, I was re-arranging the fridge to fit a few more things in it and I found a cauliflower head that I had “bought and forgot” last week. Aiya. Thankfully, I happened to have the ingredients for a pineapple fried rice just lying around… so I whipped up a version with cauliflower rice instead. And it was delicious!

Curry and cauliflower are already great friends, but throw fresh pineapple and raisins into the mix, with some cashew crunchiness… and it’s low-carb heaven. And because it’s rather healthy, I don’t feel any shame in admitting that I ate this entire thing myself! (Not in one sitting though… pretty sure I would explode if I tried to eat that much all at once.)

I love shrimp in fried rice/fried cauliflower rice, but you can easily substitute it with the protein of your choice. I forgot to add the green onions on top–but I think it’s worth adding them because I love the fresh crunch they add to the dish! And lastly, while canned pineapple is a great substitute, nothing beats the taste and mouthfeel of a fresh pineapple–so if you can, use fresh instead!

And if you like what you see, you may like my other cauliflower rice recipes:

• Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice

Happy (healthy) eating!