I am slowly introducing my family to Kimchee. To be honest I'm not sure what authentic Kimchee is suppose to taste like but I devour whatever it is that I'm making and calling Kimchee. It's essentially Asian sauerkraut. I started making it last summer and am addicted to it. I soon discovered my co-workers did not care for the pungent scent that came from my Asian delight as I ate it during morning safety huddle at work. Everyone that walked in the room thought the garbage needed to be taken out and then they saw me eating and were like "ohhh...." Even though it smells a little stinky, it tastes good. I don't really have a good recipe that I follow. I just kinda eyeball things. It is really good but I will warn you this is a potent concoction of probiotics. This stuff will clean you OUT! I seemed to forget that when I'm shoveling this stuff down my pie hole until a couple of hours later I feel the unwelcome grumbling in my GI tract and I break out in a cold sweat (It's probably due to the fact I was out at a restaurant with my boyfriend and that's the worst time to feel like you have "to go..") I still gobble this stuff down without abandon. Love it.
I have fond memories of Mom making feasts of food for special occasions when we randomly had company over. One time there was an Asian theme and Mom made little tasty Shrimp Puffs. MMMMmmm. I love appetizers but they take so much time to make and prep and 2 seconds to eat. Mom and gotten smarter with age and has taken the shrimp puff recipe and made it into Shrimp Patties. Genius!
Tofu-TOFUN!
When I met Nate his culinary tastes were different than mine. He was a bit picky and preferred basic food. (He's SO BASIC! J/K) A lot of things I cooked he would politely say "Umm, I'll try it later" or "No Thanks". That was the case with my Sesame Tofu Steaks. He flat out refused to eat them. More for me I thought. Then one day I nagged him enough and he sampled some of my culinary delights. Since then all he wants me to make for dinner is Tofu Steaks. We eat it probably once a week, he loves it! It's the only way he will eat tofu but I'm not complaining. My Dad on the other hand loves tofu (see previous Tofu Scramble post) so he loved this recipe (although he wished there was crushed pepper incorporated into these steaks somehow) Gramps even ate these when I came home to visit. Everyone has sampled them except Mom (I cry myself to sleep thinking about this. I'm never good enough for her... j/k!) Love you mom :)
Kimchee
Inspired by Marisa McClellan's recipe on Food in Jars
- 1 head napa cabbage, cored and sliced
- 1 medium daikon radish, grated
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 8-10 red radishes, grated or julienned
- 5-6 green onions, chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons grey sea salt
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red chili powder)
I put everything through the food processor grating blade but you can finely chop all the veggies. Massage the veggies with salt and pepper flakes until they start looking limp and you have some veggie juice squeezed out. Pack in a clean jar, pressing down until you have an inch of fluid hovering above the top. I stick a weight in (jelly jar, beer bottle) to keep the fluid level above the kimchee. Let sit on the countertop for a week and then enjoy! Then stick in the fridge and chow down!
Mom's Shrimp Patties
1 pound peeled shrimp
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 can water chestnuts
1 egg beaten
Pulse everything in the food processor. Eat 1 inch of oil in a skillet. Drop mounds of into hot oil and cook for 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!
Nathan's Favorite Tofu Steaks
From Eating Well
- Mix sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and salt in a shallow dish. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise into 8 thin “steaks.” Pat dry with a paper towel, and press both sides into the sesame-seed mixture.
- Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm
The spread
Before taking a dip in the hot tub
After getting fried
Kimchee cleanse
Shrimp puffs
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