I’m still sad about the fact that I didn’t grow up celebrating Chuseok. For Koreans, Chuseok, our Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival that falls on September 10 this year, is one of the biggest national holidays, marked by family gatherings (and the horrific traffic jams that clog Korean highways as the entire country seems to hit the road), ancestral tributes, and massive amounts of feasting. But I didn’t know any of that as a Korean-American kid in Virginia and Florida.
It was only when I moved to Seoul post-college that I got to celebrate Chuseok in my own way. But as the child of Korean immigrants to the United States, my celebrations looked a little different. I never had to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic to one of my parents’ hometowns, nor did the women in my family have to toil endlessly in the kitchen-drudgery that the holiday still unfortunately entails for many.
Instead, I took the practically empty Seoul subway to visit an aunt for a cozy, mostly store-bought feast over a low table stacked with the dishes I now recognize as Chuseok classics: a colorful array of jeon, savory fritters that Koreans make from any number of vegetables and protein; songpyeon, a chewy, glutinous rice cake stuffed with sweet red bean, chestnuts, sesame seeds, and other fillings; and the usual kimchi and steaming bowls of rice and soup.
Chef Ji Hye Kim, owner of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based restaurant Miss Kim, knows something about improvised, atypical Chuseok celebrations herself.
“Chuseok used to be a village-wide celebration, with food shared between neighbors who would all come out for ganggangsullae,” she says, referring to a traditional Korean dance that women perform in a large circle under the full harvest moon. “There was always a lot of food, with days of prep and hours of cooking”-and lots of hands to pitch in with labor.
But Ann Arbor is a long way from the idyllic Korean countryside, so Kim (who grew up in an urban apartment complex in bustling Seoul) makes her restaurant the Chuseok hub for her community when the holiday hits.
“Before the pandemic, we’d have family-style feasts with huge platters of Chuseok food,” says Kim, explaining that her restaurant has adapted since then by offering ready-to-eat meals for at-home diners and adding holiday specialties like torantang (a savory, nutty taro soup) to the menu. For this year’s Chuseok, she even taught a recent cooking class online for New York’s 92nd Street Y featuring dishes like neobiani-a luxurious, thick cut of beef. “It’s what moms make, not the kind of thing you’d get at a restaurant,” she recalls fondly.
In her off hours, Kim prefers to invite a friend over for a “mini-Chuseok celebration” to share the holiday over freshly fried jeon that incorporates the bounty of Michigan’s seasonal produce-from chestnut mushrooms to celery leaves to varieties of summer squash.
“I feel great about making jeon, a dish that’s so much about celebration, for just the two of us,” she says. “I like taking the care to make every single bite of jeon delicious.” And for the record, Kim has no problem with families that opt to serve store-bought songpyeon rice cakes for dessert, especially when frying up jeon à la minute.
Frying each jeon to order and eating it piping hot reminds Kim of her family’s Chuseok celebrations back in South Korea when she was a child. In Kim’s family, as in many Korean households, the women would spend an entire day frying huge batches of jeon for the multiple days of Chuseok, which they’d store in a basket then reheat at mealtime. “But I always liked them right off the pan,” Kim says with a mischievous smile, “so I’d linger to try and get the hottest ones.”
The savory fritters come in endless forms, and lend themselves well to improvising. Growing up, Kim’s Chuseok favorites included sanjeok jeon, which layers finger-length strips of beef and vegetables on skewers; saengseon jeon, battered whitefish slices; and hobak jeon, battered slices of aehobak, a Korean variety of summer squash similar to zucchini.
She shares her hobak jeon recipe, which she loves to adapt for different types of summer squash that are in season in Ann Arbor near Chuseok. “Small patty pan squash is fun, because when you cut it in half, it looks like a little UFO, and in the Michigan farmers’ markets, I look for smaller zucchini, which tend to have fewer seeds and less water,” Kim explains.
When cooking for yourself or just one other diner, as Kim does during the holiday, she recommends eating hobak jeon right off the pan before the squash slices have a chance to turn soggy from their natural water content. But if you’re cooking for a larger group, Kim’s tip is to salt the squash slices in advance to draw out water, which she lightly dabs off before dredging and frying the jeon. It’s all about achieving that perfect lightness from expertly fried egg batter and tender, delicately flavored squash.
Kim credits her mother, who considered herself the best cook in the family, with honing her palate, although the matriarch guarded her own recipes fiercely.
“What she taught me was tradition, what actually tastes good,” Kim notes. “What I learned from her was the clean taste of homemade food.”
Ingredients: • ¼ cup master jeon dry batter (see below) • 3 large eggs • ½ teaspoon saeujeot (Korean salted fermented baby shrimp/can substitute with fish sauce or soy sauce) • 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallions • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper • 2 pints zucchini or squash, sliced into ¼ inch pieces • 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil like canola
Directions: 1. Put the master jeon dry batter onto a plate or a cookie sheet. 2. Mix the eggs, saeujeot, scallions and black pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. 3. Coat the sliced zucchini in the master jeon dry batter, then dust off any excess batter with a brush. 4. Dip the dusted zucchini slice in the egg mixture. 5. Place a nonstick pan over medium heat and add oil. When the pan is hot, place the zucchini slices that have been dipped in the egg mixture in the heated oil. You should hear a subtle sizzle. 6. When the egg mixture at the edges of the zucchini slice appears set, turn the zucchini. Cook until golden brown on both sides. 7. Place the zucchini onto a cooling rack or a cookie sheet covered with paper towels to drain excess cooking oil. 8. Serve while hot and enjoy!Master Jeon Dry Batter Yield: Many batches of jeon. This can be mixed in advance and kept in the pantry as a staple.
Ingredients: • 1 cup all-purpose flour • ½ cup rice flour (or substitute cornstarch or potato starch/do not use mochiko or sweet rice flour) • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1 teaspoon kosher saltWant more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat!
Hannah Bae is freelance writer and illustrator based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Despite the fact that they were first introduced to the world in 3500 BC, chia seeds became “trendy” around 2012. Wellness blogs everywhere touted the ancient superfood for its innumerable health benefits, and we found a way to sneak them into just about any recipe that could do with a little more fibre. But if you read the back of an average pouch, it was likely the brand had zero connection to the seed’s Aztec and Mayan origins.
Luckily things are changing, and we’re starting to see more and more members of the Latinx community take ownership of the superfoods that have long-fueled their cultures-from chocho and nopales to quinoa, and amaranth. Take, for example, The Pinole Project, a family-run oatmeal brand specializing in the Aztec superfood that is pinole, a ground heirloom corn sourced from Oaxaca, Mexico. The Mexican-American Jacquez family founded The Pinole Project to honour their grandmother, Adela, who would add pinole to many of her dishes-specifically avena, or slow-cooked oatmeal. “Adela had a lot on her plate and looked to high-quality food to help push through her physically and mentally exhausting days raising a family and working on her and my grandfather’s humble ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico,” says Bella Jacquez, head of marketing for The Pinole Project.
Pinole offers sustained, plant-based energy, with high levels of fibre and protein. “It has a low glycemic index and is a complex carbohydrate, so it’s digested slowly, providing slow-burning energy which keeps you full for longer,” Jacquez says. That also means no spike or crash. “Many of our customers comment that they’ll eat a serving before or after an intense workout and will feel full for hours.”
It’s no wonder that pinole is a popular food among the Tarahumara, an indigenous community residing in the Sierra Madre region of Chihuahua. They’re renowned for their long-distance running ability, calling themselves the Rarámuri, which, in their native language, means “light feet” or “runners on foot.”Jacquez’s grandfather, Arsenio, learned the language of the Tarahumana as a young child, and over the course of his 85 years of life, developed lasting bonds with them. “He used to go to the mountains with his father to trade with the Tarahumara, often serving as an interpreter,” Jacquez explains. “My grandparents would welcome Tarahumara into their home to provide shelter when needed, and to share stories. They were able to learn about the culture of running and pinole’s role as a nutritious pre-running meal.”
But beyond the health benefits and reverence to tradition, pinole tastes good. The brand’s oatmeal is a rethinking of your average Quaker Oats, with subtle hints of corn that add a welcome nuttiness.
Most important to the company, however, is its mission to tell the stories of their ancestors. “We believe we’re messengers trying to connect the past, present, and future-inspiring more people to connect with pinole, Mexican history, and food culture,” Jacquez says.
To incorporate more ancestral foods into everyday meals, check out these Latinx superfood brands:
A packet of Pinole Chia Oatmeal includes non-GMO heirloom corn, chia seeds, cinnamon, raw vegan cane sugar, and gluten-free oats, offering gut-friendly prebiotics that can aid in digestion. Each serving has 10 grams of fibre and 8-14 grams of protein depending on flavour. You can enjoy the corn-sugar-cinnamon combo on its own, or opt for the Banana Cinnamon and PB & Cacao flavours. A chuck in the microwave makes for a great, steamy bowl of oats in the morning, but you can also incorporate the mix into baked oats, overnight oats, waffles, pancakes, and muffins. “I find that when I’m craving something sweet, I’ll swap out the flour in cookie recipes with our original flavoured product and bake some delicious protein and fibre pinole cookies,” Jacquez says.
This single-source, plant-based protein powder was founded by fifth-generation Ecuadorian farmer and former professional athlete, Ricky Echanique. It’s made from chocho, a powerful lupin that has been harvested for thousands of years by indigenous farmers. The protein grows in the Andes Mountains and contains plant fibre, vitamin E, magnesium, all nine essential amino acids, and as much calcium per serving as a glass of milk. Plus, it’s naturally regenerative, thriving on rain water alone and pulling nitrogen deep into the soil as it grows, making it more fertile for future crops. There are three varieties available-pure chocho, vanilla, and cacao-which each blend seamlessly into anything from smoothies to veggie burgers.
These crunchy snacks are made from nopales, the fiber-packed cactus pads that are a staple of Mexican cuisine (they’re on the flag, symbolizing the time when the Aztecs founded Mexico City, after seeing an eagle on top of a nopal). Nopales are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals. When she moved to Chicago from Mexico City, founder Regina Trillo noticed a scarcity of nutritious, Latinx-owned food brands in the “ethnic aisle.” So she developed the Cheeto-like Nemi Snacks, which feature, in addition to nopal, some other Aztec superfoods, like amaranth, an ancient grain similar to quinoa, and spirulina, a blue-green algae that acts as a powerful antioxidant. The sticks come in four Latin-inspired flavors-Chile Turmeric, Churro, Mexican Lime, and Smoky Chipotle.
Born in Ecuador to a banana farmer and agricultural entrepreneur, Saskia Sorrosa founded Fresh Bellies, a family snack brand designed for preschoolers and their parents. Sorroso believes these snacks-made with the ancient whole grain sorghum-can train palates to crave savory flavors instead of sugars or extra saltiness. Sorghum is gluten-free, low in fat, rich in antioxidants, vitamins, has 22 grams of protein in one cup, and is a great source of fibre. The Groovies line features puffs that get their flavouring from actual vegetables, seasoned with spices inspired by Sorrosa’s heritage that you rarely find in kid food, like sage and garlic.
LiveKuna works directly with farmers in Ecuador to supply superfoods that are distributed worldwide. Friends Carlos Gutiérrez and Santiago Stacey launched with chia seeds, eventually incorporating other locally grown superfoods, like quinoa and amaranth, into cereals, pastas, and snack puffs. “We started this company out of curiosity and frustration knowing that 99% of chia seeds grown in our own country were being exported, and our own people who produced, were not taking advantage of this amazing seed. LiveKuna was then created to promote and bring superfood consumption back to its roots,” Santiago says on the brand’s website.
Husband-and-wife duo Lisa and Ismael Petrozzi founded Llamaland with the intent to celebrate Peru, home of some of the most nutritious superfoods in the world. Their cereals and spreads feature lesser-known superfood ingredients like arracacha, the “white carrot” of the Andes, sacha inchi, known as the “nut of the Incas,” and camu camu, one of the world’s most abundant sources of natural vitamin C. The brand’s best-selling Lucuma Superfruit Spread is made of the ancient superfruit lucuma, or the “gold of the Incas.” You can smear this caramel-like spread on pancakes, or use it to top off ice cream.
Get the latest from Thrillist Australia delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe here .
Jessica Sulima is a staff writer on the Food & Drink team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.