Remi Cruz Shares Recipes For Her Favorite Korean Comfort Foods

Remi Cruz is a YouTube personality, entrepreneur, and culinary creator who has amassed over five million followers on social media. A self-taught chef and hostess extraordinaire, she started @cookingwithremi to share her easy-to-follow recipes for everyday meals, Korean classics, drunk favorites, and more. Her goal is simply to help followers create food filled with rainbows and smiles for everyone to eat and be happy.

Remi's love for cooking grew from learning to make traditional Korean dishes with her mom. She shares her favorite recipes for easy Korean comfort foods on her YouTube show, Cooking With Remi. Her vibrant and easy-to-follow cooking tutorials are perfect for anyone looking to try something new this AAPI month (or anytime)! We interviewed Remi about her culinary roots, favorite food memories, and more. We’re also sharing recipes for a few of her favorite Korean comfort foods, Gyeran JJim (Korean Steamed Egg) and Korean Fried Chicken Bowl.

Spoon University: I love watching you cook with your mom. You both have such a great dynamic, and it’s so fun to see. How has your experience of cooking with your mom influenced your cooking style and the dishes you create?

Remi Cruz: My experience with cooking with my mom has pretty much influenced my entire cooking style. I grew up watching her in the kitchen every night, fascinated by her creativity to pull dishes together out of what seemed like thin air. She's amazing at taking whatever leftover ingredients she can find and whipping up something delicious. She's also the queen of never measuring anything and just measuring with the heart. I've taken the skills she taught me and applied them to my own cooking, along with many of her iconic recipes. From her traditional holiday recipes, to my favorite Korean meals, I have worked so many of her delicious recipes into my own repertoire.

SU: What is your first food related memory?

RC: My first food related memory actually involves my mom! She loves a reason to celebrate anything (that's definitely where I get it from) and a half birthday was no exception. On my 6 1/2 birthday, she brought me my favorite food, sushi, to school at lunch time to celebrate. I remember all the other kids watching me unwrap a California and Crunchy roll, while they ate their bologna sandwiches in awe.

SU: How do you balance preserving traditional cooking techniques and flavors while adding your unique twist to the dishes you create?

RC: I think there's a culmination of different ways that I'm able to preserve traditional cooking techniques and flavors while adding my own unique twist to the dishes I create. For one thing, learning to measure with the heart from my mom makes every dish unique in its own way. I'm a huge fan of fusion food and combining flavors from different cultures and dishes. I also have a lot of fun finding alternatives for traditional ingredients in recipes to make them better for someone like me who struggles with PCOS. Lastly, my palate is ever-changing, and I crave different flavors at all times of the day. So when I cook, I really just make whatever sounds good to me in the moment!

SU: Do you have any advice for aspiring home cooks (particularly college students) who are looking to develop their own unique cooking style?

RC: My advice would be to recognize that you aren’t as limited as you might think. In my college dorm, I felt like I didn't have the ability or space to cook but looking back now I realize I could have done so much more. Obviously air fryers are huge, and even with a large home kitchen I lean on my air fryer for everyday cooking. Also, there's also a lot more cooking that can be done in a microwave than people realize. Have fun with seasoning, flavors, and mixing foods when you're more limited in space and appliances.

SU: What role does food play in your life beyond your YouTube channel? Do you and/or your family have any unique traditions or rituals related to cooking or eating?

RC: Food is an absolutely integral part of my life beyond my YouTube channel. Food brings people together, and I love cooking for my loved ones more than anything. I love having a home and a kitchen that I'm able to host in, and throwing parties at my house to have friends and family try new and old recipes. Coming from Korean descent, food is huge to us. Every time I see my family, we sit around a big table, with a huge meal, and catch up on everything that's been going on in our lives. Growing up, my mom would make Korean food many times throughout the week, and it really grew my love and appreciation for Korean culture. My dad is half Korean and half Chamorro, so I can count on a few Chamorro dishes to be at our holiday dinners, and I always look forward to them.

Remi Cruz’s Korean Fried Chicken Bowl

• Prep Time:15 mins
• Cook Time:15 mins
• Total Time:30 mins
• Servings:4
• Medium

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black pepper
• 2 tsp. Garlic powder
• 2 tsp. Onion powder
• 1 tsp. Gochugaru Korean chili flakes
• 2 tbsp. AR’s Hot Southern Honey mild variety
• 3 tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Corn starch
• 1 tsp. Cold water
• 1 bunch baby bok choy cleaned and sliced lengthwise
• 4 cups cooked white rice

• Step 1

  Set up a breading station with two large, shallow bowls. In the first bowl, crack an egg and whisk until well-beaten. In the other bowl, add breadcrumbs and season with 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. onion powder and 1 tsp. garlic powder. Mix well.

• Step 2

  Thoroughly dry chicken thighs with a paper towel. With one hand, bathe chicken in the egg, then transfer into the breadcrumb bowl. Using your dry hand, toss chicken in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere until coated (if you want even crispier chicken, repeat this process to add a second layer of breading).

• Step 3

  Arrange breaded chicken in a single-layer in the basket of an air fryer. Cook at 380°F for 15 minutes, flipping half-way through.

• Step 4

  While the chicken air-fries, prepare the sauce. in a microwave-safe dish, combine hot honey, chili flakes, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, and soy sauce. Microwave for 60 seconds, then stir and taste to assess. Mix in additional seasonings as desired (I usually add a bit more chili flakes to give it some kick!).

• Step 5

  In another small bowl, mix together cornstarch and cold water. Add slurry to the sauce and stir until the mixture begins to thicken. Microwave for an additional minute.

• Step 6

  Bring a large pot of water to a rapid simmer and add bok choy. Cook for 1-2 minutes, just until the leaves become bright green and tender, then plunge in a large pot of ice water to halt the cooking process. Remove from water and dry thoroughly.

• Step 7

  Once the chicken has finished cooking, remove from the air fryer and toss with the sauce. Plate over white rice and serve with bok choy. To amp up the presentation, garnish with an extra drizzle of hot honey and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Remi Cruz’s Gyeran JJim (Korean Steamed Egg)

• Prep Time:5 mins
• Cook Time:10 mins
• Total Time:15 mins
• Servings:2
• Easy

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp. Sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. Sesame seeds
• Chopped green onions for garnish

• Step 1

  Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk vigorously, introducing air to make a smooth and fluffy consistency.

• Step 2

  While continuously whisking the eggs, add in the stock (the amount of liquid you’ll need may vary depending on the size of your eggs; if using extra-large eggs, use about ½ cup of stock). Continue whisking as you add a teaspoon of sesame oil and a dash of salt and pepper.

• Step 3

  In a korean cooking pot over medium-low heat, warm the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil, then slowly pour in the egg.

• Step 4

  Stir the egg slowly as the mixture cooks, scraping the bottoms and sides of the pot to prevent sticking. Continue stirring until the egg is 70-80% cooked, around 5-10 minutes or until large curdles begin to form.

• Step 5

  Cover and let steam an additional 2 minutes, until eggs are cooked and fluffy throughout.

• Step 6

  Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.