The Kimchimonger News Blog

Now that Autumn in nearly upon us, we are seeing more squash at the farmer’s market… and we were never quite sure what to do with it until recently when a foodie friend told us that he had grilled up some squash, topped it with our kimchi, and eaten it just like that… and that it was delicious. Mama Choe was skeptical  because it looked a bit alien (as kimchi dishes so often do), but Granny Choe tried it and loved it. Here are the somewhat cryptic directions he gave us:

“… the grilled squash thing i mentioned the other day. i sliced the squash (1/2″ or so), baking sheet, salt and pepper and a drizzle of öl (as they’d say in germany), 375F i think, 15min, flip, more salt and pepper, and 10min more i think, and then i ate it, with original gck [Granny Choe's Kimchi]. it was really good. your customers are idiots for never having done this before.”

He’s a hoot. And he makes great food. So try it out and let us know what you think!

In our last post about chef, Rina Oh, we mentioned that we were sending her a sample of Granny Choe’s kimchi in the hopes that she would make something wildly unexpected with it… and you know what she did? She fried it into little kimchi crisps and put it on a chilled adzuki bean soup!

We grew up eating cold noodle soups and adzuki bean popsicles (AKA: “Red Bean Ice Bar”) in the summer, so this is not totally out of our comfort zone, but it is every bit as unexpected as we had hoped. We have a big bag of adzuki beans in the pantry and a whole fridge full o’ kimchi, so we are especially excited to try this. And, we might be biased, but we suspect that kimchi crisps would be great on pretty much anything. Plus, it’s vegan. What’s not to love?

Happy first day of summer, everybody!

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Posted by Rina Oh on Food2.com

Kimchi is a common side dish in Korea, served with just about every meal. The most traditional variety is made with Napa cabbage. In this recipe, it’s fried with immune-boosting enoki mushrooms and purslane, and used to garnish the soup and give it a spicy kick. Kimchi is widely available in supermarkets, but you might have to hit an Asian market to find enoki mushrooms and purslane. White or oyster mushrooms make good substitutes for the enokis, and radish sprouts or watercress can replace the purslane.

Chilled Adzuki Bean Soup with Fried Kimchi
Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dried adzuki beans
1 cup dried oats
8 cups water
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 cup Napa cabbage kimchi, drained and dried with paper towels
1/2 cup enoki mushrooms, roots trimmed
1 cup zucchini, diced
3 tablespoons salt for boiling zucchini
1/4 cup purslane greens
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot, and cook onions over medium-high heat until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add water, adzuki beans and oats, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, and cook until beans are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and cool for about an hour, and then for an additional two hours in the refrigerator.

2. Blend chilled soup in batches until smooth.

3. Pour vegetable oil into a wok or deep skillet, about 2 inches deep. Heat to 350 degrees. Fry kimchi until kimchi is crispy and translucent, about 30 seconds. Repeat with mushrooms. Drain on paper towels.

4. In a medium-sized pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook zucchini until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

5. To assemble: Pour adzuki bean base into a bowl and mix in zucchini. Garnish with fried kimchi, mushrooms and greens. Drizzle sesame oil on top.

The flavor (and odor) of kimchi can be overwhelming to whose who have never tried kimchi before, so when Kimberly blogger at C’est La Vegan, owner of C’est La V Bakeshop in Los Angeles, and professed kimchi virgin, wanted to try our naturally vegan kimchi, she opted for a familiar spicy vehicle: Granny Choe’s Kimchi Salsa. In her own words:

“I have to say, this was probably the best salsa I’ve ever had.  It was so easy to make, and the flavors are so simple, yet so complex.  The kimchi magically brings it all together and adds a great kick of spice.  I will definitely be making this again!”

You can read the rest of her review here. Many thanks to Kimberly for giving kimchi a chance, and for the gorgeous photo. Be sure to check out the other tasty recipes on her blog which features a bunch of healthy, delicious foods–like Curried Tempeh Mango Salad Sandwiches and Loaded Baked Potato Soup–that even omnivores can appreciate.