Korean-Style Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini

The big question on everyone's mind at the end of the day seems to be, "What's for dinner?"  I admit that I get stuck in the same menu rut sometimes, because I am usually just too tired to try to learn new recipes--the main goal is to get food on the table, sometimes. I don't plan ahead as much as I should, but I do get inspired by fresh ingredients that I see at the grocery store. A couple days ago, I picked up some zucchini, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it (I tend to do that, which I know isn't the best game plan, but I'm more spontaneous about what I'm in the mood to eat and I can't always tell that two days before each meal).  


So anyway, last night I decided to make stuffed zucchini. Originally, I was going to make Italian-style stuffed zucchini, but then I thought I'd try to make an Asian version of that. I Googled: "Asian Stuffed Zucchini Recipes."  I only found one hit for Korean Beef-Stuffed Zucchini.  I clicked on it and I thought it sounded good. 


PROBLEM: I don't eat beef! (UH-OH! What kind of Korean am I? Koreans are generally big beef eaters! But, I don't eat beef and neither does my husband.)


Nevertheless, I decided to put a California spin on this recipe. It might not be 100% authentic Korean cooking, but that's okay. It'll just have to be Korean-inspired. So, here's my journey through a quasi-Korean recipe:

I gathered the ingredients for Korean Beef-Stuffed Zucchini, but I decided to omit the mushrooms and almonds (my husband detests mushrooms and almonds, so I have to leave them out of every recipe). I swapped the beef broth for chicken broth and I substituted ground turkey for the beef chuck.  I decided to chop a small handful of finely pre-shredded carrots instead of using mushrooms. Oh, and since I love cilantro and ginger, I decided to add some (about 2 tablespoons) finely chopped cilantro and about an inch of finely minced ginger.

I didn't realize this step would be this important, but it is. After you cut the zucchini into 2" pieces, you must sprinkle the tops with salt to draw out the water and soften them, so they will open up later when you are ready to stuff them. Depending on how thick your pieces are, this process may take up to 45 minutes at room temperature (I think mine were ready in about 30 minutes). The recipe calls for 4 zucchinis and I only had 2, but that was enough for two people. 



Now comes the fun part: mixing! Combine the turkey, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, egg yolk, garlic, ginger, carrots and cilantro. I used about a half a pound of turkey, which is about half a package. Since I only had 2 zucchinis, I had some meat mixture left over (but it's okay, because I'll just use it to make some meatballs tomorrow).


This is a great recipe because there is no need to put oil in the wok! Just put the onions in, a teaspoon of sugar and a cup of broth.  


Stuffing the zucchini proved to be a little challenging, but I just took little chunks and used my fingers to wiggle them into the slots as carefully as I could, adding more meat mixture until a small mound was created.  Then, I gently added the stuffed zucchini to the wok, meat side up.  If you like it spicy, remember to sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top (it wasn't that spicy for us and plus, it looks pretty on top!).  Bring the broth up to a boil and then lower it to a simmer; put a lid on it for about 10 minutes, or longer depending on the thickness of the zucchinis and the amount of stuffing. 

Some of my zucchinis broke during the cutting and stuffing phases, so I just stuffed them as half pieces, and they still came out fine.  The recipe says to take the zucchini out with a slotted spoon, but I just used tongs and gently lifted each one out of the sauce.  

I like thicker sauce, so after I took out the zucchinis, I mixed two teaspoons of corn starch with two teaspoons of cold chicken broth and added it to the sauce. I turned up the heat to bring it to a boil and it thickened up in no time!

Here's my culinary experiment: Mariko's Korean-Style Turkey-Stuffed Zucchini served over white rice:

To serve:
1. Scoop rice into a bowl or onto a plate. 
2. Spoon plenty of sauce with onions over the rice.
3. Gently place the stuffed zucchini on top.


This is also a good low-carb meal! Just omit the rice and place the stuffed zucchini over salad greens or pre-shredded cabbage with Korean-style dressing.


(PS: My husband liked this meal, so it's a new menu item for our household now.)