This Korean recipe from Julia Park is a simple and delicious dish of Japanese pumpkin (AKA Kabocha squash).
Clean and slice the pumpkin into wedges about 2cm (¾”) thick. You can leave the skin on. Choose a large fry pan which has a lid and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Brown the pumpkin pieces on each side. Meanwhile combine ¾ of a cup of water with 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of finely minced fresh ginger and 1 tablespoon of Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru). When the pumpkin is brown lower the heat and add the sauce mixture. Cover and braise for 20 minutes or so, turning the pieces of pumpkin halfway through. The pumpkin is ready when all the sauce has been absorbed. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and finely sliced green onions and drizzle with a little sesame oil. Serve as a side dish along with rice and kimchi.
This simple vegetarian kimchi is made with green cabbage (yangbaechu) instead of the usual wombok (napa) cabbage, making it crisper.
Remove any tough outer leaves from 1 head of cabbage and cut it into quarters, removing the core from each quarter. Cut into bite-sized pieces, rinse and drain. Put the cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve 4 tablespoons of coarse sea salt in 2 cups of water and add it to the cabbage, tossing well to coat evenly. Leave it for 1 – 2 hours, mixing occasionally, until the cabbage has softened. Rinse the salted cabbage once, and drain to remove any excess water. In a small bowl combine ¼ of a cup of Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru), 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of minced ginger and ½ a cup of water. Add this mixture to the salted cabbage along with 3 roughly chopped spring onions (scallions). Mix everything well by hand (you can use gloves) until all the cabbage is coated with the mix. Place the cabbage in a container or jar and leave it at room temperature for a day or so before refrigerating. Serve as a side dish with any Korean meal.
*adapted from this recipe
michelle picker cooks 
