“… Koreans traditionally make a distinction between the “tongue taste” and the “hand taste” of a food. (…)
Tongue taste is the straightforward chemical phenomenon that takes place whenever molecules make contact with taste buds, something that happens with any food as a matter of course. Tongue taste is the kind of easy, accessible flavor that any food scientist or manufacturer can reliably produce in order to make food appealing. “McDonald’s has tongue taste,” (…)
Hand taste, however, involves something greater than mere flavor. It is the infinitely more complex experience of a food that bears the unmistakable signature of the individual who made it — the care and the thought and idiosyncrasy that that person has put into the work of preparing it. Hand taste cannot be faked, (…) and hand taste is the reason we go to all this trouble, massaging the individual leaves of each cabbage and then folding them and packing them in the urn just so. What hand taste is, I understood all at once, is the taste of love.” – Michael Pollan, ‘Cooked’
Isn’t that a great quote about Korean food? I love the idea that there is a distinction between ‘tongue taste’ and ‘hand taste’- especially given the the move back to slow food prepared with care – which makes up so much of my experience of the Autoimmune Protocol.
I think I’m going to adopt this ‘hand taste’ idea.
My friend Sally calls this “Cooking with love”
We know the premise of the Autoimmune Protocol is to heal the gut with a nutrient-rich approach that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. This nutrient dense little recipe I’m sharing today ticks many of the boxes.
♥ AIP
♥ Nutrient dense
♥ Quick and easy to whip up
♥ Tasty
♥ Won’t break the bank
It’s for a Korean-style seaweed soup and apparently it’s a traditional birthday dish in Korea.
And, it’s also popular among new mothers because it is believed that seaweed soup helps with breast feeding. At least one study has shown seaweed to regulate hormone levels. Good for those of us approaching the other end of the hormone cycle, too!
Traditionally made with dashi (a simple broth made from dried kelp and bonito flakes), my AIP take on this Korean classic is full of gut-healing bone broth.
Given it comes from the sea, seaweed is surprisingly low in salt. It’s packed with calcium, along with numerous vitamins and minerals, specifically sodium balanced with magnesium – which the majority of us really do need. And, if you want to know just what The Paleo Mom herself thinks about seaweed – well, here’s her post on Why Seaweed is Amazing (it includes all the details on nutritional benefits!)
I have found the great peeps at Phyco Food Co. I use their wakame product and love it.
And, here’s a tip – seaweed is a great addition when making bone broth for even more nutrients.
- 1 Tablespoon happy fat (I used tallow)
- 450g (1 pound) beef mince (ground beef)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 handful wakame seaweed
- 1½ litres beef bone broth
- coconut aminos
- fish sauce
- avocado oil
- Melt the happy fat in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the mince and brown well. Use a wooden spoon to break up the mince as it browns.
- Add garlic and wakame and cook for 1 minute. Pour in bone broth, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Finish soup with a dash of coconut aminos, fish sauce and avocado oil.
- Optional: Serve with cauliflower rice and fermented vegetables
E N J O Y !
This recipe features is the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable
