Regional twists jazz up many Thanksgiving dishes — think Cajun-fried turkey, jalapeño cornbread and bourbon-pecan pie. Uchi Dallas takes the fusion further, with an entire East-meets-West menu created by chef de cuisine Alex Astranti. The third annual, sold-out dinner earlier this month featured a giant turkey cutlet, breaded and fried katsu-style, plus a slew of sides that put an Asian spin on Thanksgiving. Among them was a killer cornbread, for which Astranti shares the recipe.
“We asked, ‘How can we bridge the two [culinary traditions] — make it unique, and at the same time bring in the comfort food of Thanksgiving,” says Astranti. His answer was a menu which included Kimchi Cornbread (recipe follows), Japanese-style gravy, yakitori okra and Japanese egg custard topped with crisp bits of turkey skin.
Astranti says that many Asian flavors translate well to the Thanksgiving table. A kimchi flavor base “adds umami flavors, a little spice, and a level of moisture,” to cornbread, he says. “It makes it more interesting.” Tonkatsu — a sweet and savory Japanese sauce, is added to traditional gravy. “And the Japanese egg custard is soufflé-like, so it plays well into the Thanksgiving menu,” Astranti says.
Like many traditional family Thanksgivings, Uchi’s menu has stayed the same every year, to please its cult following. Although the turkey “katsu” cutlet might be too drastic of a change from the whole bird at your holiday table, the kimchi cornbread is a crowd-pleaser. The kimchi component is subtler than you’d expect, and a brilliant addition to the otherwise conventional sour cream cornbread.
Relying only on the flavor base of kimchi — there’s no cabbage, and no fermenting ― it’s made with finely minced shallots, sautéed with chile, garlic, fresh ginger and green onion, then finished with fish sauce, vinegar and soy sauce. Only 1/2 cup of this mixture is folded into the batter. Although visually it disappears, the kimchi base brings a wonderful umami complexity to this moist cornbread. It’s right at home with a traditional American Thanksgiving spread.
Kimchi Cornbread
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
7 tablespoons butter, room temperature, plus additional for greasing the skillet
3/4 cup fine granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
7 ounces (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sour cream
1/2 cup Kimchi Base (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 350 F. Butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, cake flour and baking powder. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and mix until combined. Add cornmeal-flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Add Kimchi Base and mix gently, until incorporated.
Scrape batter into the prepared skillet. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Keep an eye on the cornbread during the last few minutes of cooking to make sure you do not over-bake it.
Note: Recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Source: Alex Astranti, chef de cuisine, Uchi Dallas and Uchiba
Kimchi Base
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sliced Thai chile pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
1 tablespoon peeled and roughly chopped ginger
1 ounce garlic (about 5 cloves), peeled and roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons coarse-ground Korean red pepper (sold at Korean and Asian markets)
2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Put the shallots, chile pepper, green onion, ginger, garlic and ground Korean pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process for a few seconds, then pulse just until everything is very finely minced and combined.
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the processed mixture and cook, stirring, for a few minutes or until cooked through. Deglaze the pan with fish sauce, scraping up any bits that cling to the pan. Add vinegar and soy sauce and stir to combine.
Recipe may be doubled, if making a double batch of cornbread. May be prepared ahead and refrigerated, tightly covered, until ready to use.
Makes 1/2 cup, enough for 1 recipe of Kimchi Cornbread.
Source: Alex Astranti, chef de cuisine, Uchi Dallas and Uchiba