Christine, Co-Founder of Potli shares one of her very first Potli recipes ever developed, but with an update (we didn’t have our own THC sriracha back in 2017). @christinesyi

Our Table is a Potli series highlighting the diversity of experience of the cannabis and culinary communities.

Tell us about your family!

I come from a pretty big, very Christian, Korean-American family. I’d describe my family as a rather nuclear representation of immigrants making this transition into mainstream American society. In some ways we’ve lost a bit of our culture (my Korean is terrible) but also retained some aspects of our culture (I’ve been bullied by my relatives about my terrible Korean my whole life haha). Growing up, I always thought my family was too Korean. As a kid you just want to fit in and not be different. But as I’ve gotten older I #1. So treasure having a second culture and #2. Realize my family was actually so much whiter than other Asian families!

What was your Thanksgiving table like? Did your family eat “traditional” Thanksgiving foods?

This is what I mean by so much whiter. My family had very traditional Thanksgiving food, and it was always potluck style. The turkey, the ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, etc etc it was all there. There was even fancy jell-o. There were scandals over how someone brought mashed potatoes that clearly came from a box. There were miscommunications where too many pumpkin pies and not enough pecan pies were brought. My grandpa even had a famous gravy recipe. Gravy was his thing. And we’d take leftovers of his gravy home and eat it over rice for a week! Even though we ate very American Thanksgiving, we’d always return to our hybrid life. Mom would always take the leftover ham and add it to kimchi jjigae (which is so so good, since the ham is a bit sweet and brings this sweet roasted flavor to the jjigae). And in between the turkey and stuffing there was always a big plate of kimchi. 

Looking back on your Thanksgiving experiences, is there anything you’ve learned or would like to pass on in your traditions going forward?

Hybrid life is great. That’s definitely something I hope to keep incorporating. I think I’d always like to have classic Thanksgiving dishes present because I truly truly live for Thanksgiving sides, but incorporating twists and nods to my own culture and other cultures is incredible! 

Something I did one Friendsgiving was force a few of my friends to enroll in a mashed potatoes competition. One friend made a loaded one with bacon and cheddar and green onions, another a pesto one, another a classic recipe. I had everyone vote- it was a close call but the classic recipe actually won! That was a lot of fun. Incorporating friendly competition always makes something feel like an event.

What’s a Thanksgiving recipe you’d like to share?

My spicy butternut squash mash! This is actually one of the first recipes I ever posted to Potli’s instagram, in November of 2017. And even better, the original recipe featured sriracha

This butternut squash mash is equal parts buttery, savory, sweet, and spicy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium butternut squash

• 1 stick butter

• 3 tbsp Potli EVOO

• 3 tbsp Potli Honey 

• 3 tbsp Potli Sriracha

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Sprinkle of cinnamon to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds (you can save them and roast later if you want!). Brush the squash with Potli EVOO, salt, and pepper and roast cut-side up for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Scoop out into your bowl, and add butter, honey, Potli Sriracha, garlic, red pepper, and more salt and pepper as needed. I do like a dash of cinnamon to bring an amazing aroma to it as well! Use a fork or low speed hand mixer to combine. Warning: highly addictive and so good.