.: evil jungle prince :.

Only in the kimchi world could "instant kimchi" mean kimchi that can be prepared and eaten in "only 30 hours." But of course kimchi is not like any other food in the world. This insant kimchi, or sokpakchi, is today's entry.

I'm always on the lookout for good kimchi preparation methods and am officially chalking this one up as excellent. Unlike more formal kimchis which require that the cabbage remain somewhat whole, sokpakchi is a type of kimchi that is chopped into pieces (together with radishes) before being fermented. This makes everything a little bit easier both in the preparation process and also when it's time to eat -- simply open up the container and take out as much as you like. No fancy cutting mechanisms necessary.

1. To prepare sokpackhi, take one briefly rinsed Napa cabbage and cut it 1/3 of the way from the stem into the heart. Pull apart with your hands to make two pieces. Salt it liberally with sea salt. Be sure to put plenty of salt inside the leaves. Allow the salt to remove the water -- this process will take about 5-6 hours. Rinse briefly and then squeeze out the water your hands. Squeeze tightly to remove as much water as possible, because excess water will lead to early mold.

2. Cut one Korean radish or Japanese daikon into flat, square pieces (about 1 inch across on each side). Also cut one bunch of green onions into 1 inch pieces, cut diagonally. If you have access to Korean water cress, trim one bunch and add to the cut green onions.

3. Next combine cloves from 1 bulb of garlic together with a large knob of ginger (about 1/2 or 1/3 the amount of the garlic), cut into small pieces. Place both into a food processor and combine. (If liquid is needed, use a little of Korean fish sauce.)

4. Combine the cut cabbage (cut into 1/2 pieces, removing the hard stem), radish pieces, and garlic-ginger mixture together with 2 tsp sugar and red chili flakes. (The red chili flakes amount should be equal to approximately the amount of garlic used, so, about two heaping tablespoons.) Secret: don't limit yourself to chili flakes alone because you'll be missing out on that gorgeous flaming red color one sees in restaurant kimchi. Add an additional teaspoon full of red chili powder (as in, the powder used for Korean chijae soups).

5. Now add fish sauce to this mixture until the chili seasoning looks "wet." (In other words, enough so that it stops being a dry mixture.) Combine with very clean hands. Add a sprinkling of sea salt and mix again.

6. The kimchi is now ready to be placed into an airtight container. Top with a little bit more sea salt and place the lid on top. Allow to ferment at room temperature for 30 hours. Do not open the container at any point. After exactly 30 hours, move the container into the refrigerator. This 30 hour period is an absolute requirement -- otherwise your kimchi won't have that outstanding, pungent taste so vital the kimchi experience. Enjoy!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)

I was so happy with this preparation of aloo gobi that it was a must that I make a blog entry about it straight away, both for my own future reference (I often use my own blog as personal cookbook for favorite recipes) but also in the spirit of sharing. Note however that, as usual, I'm not shooting for authenticity here but rather a type of cooking catered to my personal tastes.

In this case, I've altered the traditional aloo gobi recipe -- a "dry" Indian potato and cauliflower curry, dispensing with methods which either boil the cauliflower until it is nothing more than mush or methods that steam all the nutrients out of the cauliflower before it actually becomes part of the curry. In this method (see below), the vegetables are not overcooked and retain just a hint of crispness. (I also enjoy my version with a little bit more liquid so that chapatis can be dunked into the thick, gorgeous curry.)

1. I began by peeling a dozen or so small red potatoes, and then cutting them into halves or quarters depending on their size. I also chopped about 1/4 of a cauliflower into bite sized pieces.

2. In a pot I heated a little peanut oil and 1 tsp cumin seed until they began to sputter. I then added 3/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp ground coriander, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. I allowed this to fry briefly.

3. I then added in the potatoes pieces, covering them in the flavored oil. Next added was 1 tsp salt, 1 cup purified water, and 1/2 can of tomato concentrate, or about 4-5 spoonfuls. The potatoes were allowed to simmer on a low flame in this mixture until about 3/4 of the way cooked through. (Keep tasting to see where they are.)

4. By the time the potatoes are nearly cooked, it was time to add in the cauliflower. Rather than steam them, I placed them into the potatoes and curry mixture, covering everything with a lid, allowing the cauliflower to steam inside the pot with the curry mixture. (It's important not to stir because the cauliflower is tender and will fall apart.) If the mixture has gone too dry, add just a little bit of water so the cauliflower can properly cook through.

5. The aloo gobi is finished when the potatoes and cauliflower pieces are cooked through in tandem. Now add 1/2 to 1 whole bunch of cilantro, chopped (feel free to include stems), into the mixture. Remove from heat and serve.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I can't say how authentic pan fried har gow (Chinese shrimp dumplings) are, but this was today's lunch experiment. Inspired by the crispness of pan-fried gyoza, I first steamed my har gow in bamboo steamers and then fried their bases until crispy before serving. Yum-ay!

1. I began by combing 1 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup boiling water in a mixer and combined until a firm, smooth dough. I then added a few drops of peanut oil to the exterior and kneaded by hand briefly. This was set aside in a bowl with a wet cloth over the top.

2. In the meantime I combined chopped shrimp, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg white, 1 tsp sherry, 3 tsp ginger juice, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and a handful of green onions in a bowl. I then added 1 tsp corn starch, mixed again, adding a little more corn starch until the mixture began to firm.

3. I then cut the dough into 12 pieces, rolled into balls, flattened each with my hand, and then rolled out each ball to form a flat wrapper. In the middle of each, I placed a spoonful of the shrimp mixture and then pulled up the side, twisting the top to form a dumpling. These were then steamed in bamboo steamers for 9 mins.

4. After steaming, I then heated a skillet with peanut oil and fried the har gow until their bases were crispy.

For a dipping sauce, I combined soy sauce with a little rice vinegar and chili sauce (Sriracha). I also placed a dab of Chinese mustard on my plate and dipped into that as well.

This was an easy dish to prepare and requires no special flours or ingredients. Only standard wheat flour was used. Feel free to replace the stuffing ingredients with anything you might have on hand, but be aware that greens and mushrooms release a lot of moisture and may require more corn starch than normal. Enjoy!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 07:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)