Surf and Turf of the Anthropocene

As I contemplated what it means and will mean to be a person in the Anthropocene, I decided that the perfect representation of hope and survival would be to decide what we will be eating in the next 50-75 years. Below, I created a recipe using sustainable, nutritious, and delicious ingredients that embody the human spirit of overcoming adversity with style and gusto.

Recipe: Kimchi Fried Rice with Grasshopper and Wakame Salad – Surf and Turf of the Anthropocene

Kimchi Fried Rice:

• 1 cup Kimchi (homemade or store-bought), chopped
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• ¼ cold water
• 1 green onion, chopped, to garnish
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang (chili paste)
• 3 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, to garnish
• Kosher salt
• Grasshoppers
• 12 washed Grasshoppers, wings and legs removed
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Kosher salt

Wakame Salad

•  ½ oz dried wakame seaweed, cut
• 1 small cucumber, julienned
• 1 cup kale, cut in ribbons
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1.5 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1.5 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• ½ tsp brown sugar

1. Wash and cook rice
2. Combine the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic, ½ tsp of freshly minced ginger, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, and brown sugar to make salad dressing. Set aside.
3. Cover seaweed with warm water and soak for 5 minutes. Lay on paper towel to drain
4. Heat up large pan and add 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
5. Add kimchi to the oil and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Add rice, remaining kimchi juice, and gochujang. Stir for 7 minutes, adding cold water to prevent the rice from sticking and burning to the pan.
7. Add 3 tsp of sesame oil.
8. Cover and remove from heat.
9. In a separate pan, heat up 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
10. Add 1 tsp freshly grated ginger, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and chopped green onion to oil and cook until it is aromatic.
11. Add grasshoppers and kosher salt to the pan, and sauté on medium low for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. Toss the cooked grasshoppers in sesame oil.
13. Garnish the fried rice with grasshoppers, green onion, and sesame seeds.
14. Toss the seaweed, cucumber, and kale with the salad dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
15. Serve fried rice with the salad.