Quick Cucumber Kimchi

I am flush in cucumbers! I planted 5 varieties this year, and even though the 5th, tiny watermelon looking cucumbers, are still just barely starting, the other 4 are prolific. Which means plenty of pickles and cucumber salads, and now, thanks to a lack of any protein other than sardines (which I love with rice and kimchi for easy dinner), cucumber kimchi! I made it once before in 2012 according to this food blog. It was a whole cucumber stuffed with the kimchi paste/fixings. Why have I not made it again?! (I see I made that first version sans korean pepper flakes or fish sauce, so um, no wonder it wasn't as good! These two ingredients are fairly critical.)

 

This time I made a quick version and just tossed cucumber slices with salt, then mixed that with kimchi fixings. YUM! It was so easy, and so delicious. I ate it first with rice and sardines and sesame greens, and then the next day with fried eggs and green beans. The latter was reminiscent of cold cucumber sesame noodles in a bibimbap kind of way. I love this quick kimchi, espcially since I am at the final dregs of last year's fermented napa iteration. I grew my own daikon this year, and my carrots are just starting to get big enough to pick, so this is a nearly entirely home-grown concoction.

I looked up a few recipe inspirations, and mostly followed this one from David Chang of Food and Wine, except for slicing my cukes up, not using sugar or shrimp paste, and only using red onions. It was still good. I wanted more ginger. I was also worried about what was more or less raw garlic, bc usually that means I taste garlic for hours afterwards, but that didn't happen. I assume it was chopped finely enough, and had just enough time in the salty mix. Unlike napa kimchi, this version doesn't release as much liquid due to a shorter ferment time, if you can even call it fermentation. I made a big batch, and left half out 4 hours or so, and the other half for about 20 hours. The latter was softer and a bit more mild and liquidy. I preferred the first version, so next time I'll refrigerate any leftovers. I am sure this would still be good after 30 minutes, so just mix it up and eat if that is all you have time for!

 

My (loose) version of the recipe (see linked recipe for measurements) for my future reference:

• cucumbers, sliced thin
• salt
  
• Korean red pepper flakes
• garlic cloves, minced
• ginger, finely sliced (a lot!)
• red onion, sliced thin
  
• small amount of julienned carrot and daikon
• fish sauce
• tamari

Mix a fair amount of salt with cucumber slices and sit in a colander while you mix up the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. The cucumbers will sweat and start to drain. After 10 minutes, rinse the cuke slices and add them to the bowl. Stir well, and add salt to taste. It should be salty - it's more of a condiment, so a little saltier than you salt your regular food. 

This was delicious with sesame greens (mustard and tatsoi greens sauteed with garlic in sesame oil), sardines and rice, and also with green beans and fried eggs. I love rice with kimchi, you really can't go wrong!

Kimchi Bacon Cheeseburger

I don't know why I haven't thought of making my own kimchi burgers before, but I DID think about that this week (again, a TOP Chef inspiration after there was some kind of burger last chance kitchen thing). This particular burger combination is outstanding: Bacon. Spicy Mayo. Cheese. Kimchi. What?! It feels fancy and treat-like during this time of fasting and coronavirus - maybe because I don't usually have cheese, and I don't think I've ever made a cheeseburger with mayo and bacon! It is definitely the best and most amazing burger I've ever made at home. Which is what I was going for - a restaurant sort of burger meal (in lieu of fries I roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes). I made mine without a bun because I didn't have any GF buns (nor do I really like most of the GF buns that are available). I did not miss it.

I did a search for kimchi and burgers, and clicked on an Emeril Legasse Kimchi-Bacon Cheeseburger combo with gochujang spicy mayo. Wow. It calls for special gochujang sriracha, which I didn't know existed, and which I didn't have, so I mixed my mayo with regular sriracha and added gochujang flakes, which I have aplenty for when I make kimchi. It meant my mayo had the flakes in it (gochujang powder would be better for this application), which was a little texturally strange, but still delicious.

For the mayo:
3/4 c (Homemade) mayo
1 1/2 T sriracha
1 T gochujang powder or flakes
1 tsp sesame oil (or hot sesame oil if you have it)

Mix everything together, and add more sriracha or sesame oil to taste.

For each burger:
Cheddar cheese slices
1/4 - 1/3 c chopped kimchi
1-2 slices of bacon
opt - 2 green onions, cut into thirds, using only the bottom two thirds

1. Season the burger with salt and pepper, and cook as you like. Add your slices of cheddar at the end to melt on top.
2. I stuck my green onions in the pan with my roasted potatoes and roasted them for 4-5 minutes. You could also saute them on high heat on the stove top.
3. Assemble all of your ingredients, including the spicy mayo (which I put on the side because, having no bun, felt like the more practical way to eat!)

Kimchi Jjigae take 2

I have made Kimchi Jjigae 3 or 4 times since I posted the original recipe in November. I am almost out of my big kimchi batch from last summer, so it appears that I will never get to year old kimchi (which would be best in this recipe) - at least not until next year when I will have to make a really big batch. Since my original post, I have switched over from using nori seaweed as a garnish and instead just put in a bunch of wakame. The wakame is delicious! I want to try making a salad out of it sometime - maybe when there are more fresh veggies around. It is a pretty mild seaweed with a silky texture. I bought mine from United Noodle in a 5 oz bag that I think will last a year because one handful = a lot of seaweed once you hydrate it in water.

It tastes amazing in the kimchi jjigae - it sort of mellows the sour from the kimchi. I love to slurp this soup up on the weekend - I don't know if it is all the bacon, or what, but it's sort of delectable and weekend-ish. I have modified this recipe a bit from the original to include the wakame, and I also added in some broth to make a slightly thinner soup. I recently discovered that the Wedge carries Red Boat fish sauce, which is GF and is made only from fermented anchovies with no other added stuff. It is REALLY good, and I put that in the soup too.

Kimchi Jjiage with wakame (serves 6)
Large handful dried wakame
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 pound bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
Medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3-4 cups coarsely chopped kimchi with its liquid (use the most pungent, sour kimchi you have)
1 T Red Boat fish sauce
5 scallions, thinly sliced (opt)
2 c. chicken broth (opt)

Put large handful of wakame in a bowl and cover with water to soak.

Heat the sesame oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pork belly/bacon, season with pepper, and cook, stirring now and then, until rendered, browned, and crispy, about 10 minutes.

Add the onion and kimchi and stir to combine. Add enough water to nearly cover the pork mixture (5 or 6 cups), cover, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer until the onion and kimchi are softened and the soup is quite thick, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the fish sauce, broth and scallions. Drain the wakame, chop it up and add to the soup. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes to combine the flavors. Serve steaming hot.