Eleanor Hoh

Easy Kimchi (Updated)

September 23, 2010 By Eleanor Hoh 14 Comments

2 main seasonings: Fish Sauce and Red pepper powder.
Optional: toasted sesame oil

Garlic, ginger, scallions and carrots are ingredients I always have in the house.

Excited to share my Easy Kimchi and in Korea, they call it Kimchi Maki! Kimchi is the Korean way of pickling (fermenting) vegetables. I omit the rice flour and sugar. My personal preference is crispy, crunchy Kimchi before it ferments too much making it sour and soft. I start eating it the next day and go as fast as I can. I’m sure my Korean foodie friends would be horrified with this. It’s just what I like to do – turn recipes to suit my own taste and I encourage you to do the same, it’s so much fun.

However, I’ve provided a few links to other Kimchi recipes so you can choose how you want to make your kimchi or kimchee. Many recipes require you to make a ton, one starts with 10 pounds of cabbage!!!! To me, that makes cooking a chore and stresses me out thinking about the quantity. It takes TIME (always goes back to this), then finding/buying/cleaning jars to store it. No, no, we are not making this to resell, just as a little side dish to go with our dinner!

Try my Easy Kimchi and feel free to make your own variations, that’s what being a Wok Star is all about. Do share an unusual kimchi you’ve made. Hey, I didn’t even use a wok in this one!

Easy Kimchi
Use some or all of the following veggies:
1 whole medium size napa cabbage (wash & cut into bite size pieces)

All these are optionals, cut into julienne strips…
chayote, 1/2, peeled, deseeded
jicama, 1/2 small one, peeled
daikon, small handful
carrot, small handful
scallion 4-6 stalks

Salt for brining

Adjust seasonings to suit your taste:
3 tblsp. fish sauce
1 cup red pepper powder (do not mix this up with chili flakes! see photo below)
2 thumb size ginger minced
3-4 cloves garlic minced (optional)

Directions:
1. Gather utensils: big bowls, chopsticks, disposable gloves, 4-5 clean jars
2. Combine seasonings in small bowl
3. Wash all veggies, drain, chop. Put veggies in a big bowl covered with water and add salt, mix really well to coat. Leave to brine for a couple of hours.
4. Drain veggies in colander, put back into big bowl. Add seasoning and use gloves to massage till they soften a little. Divide into jars, don’t fill right to the top, put lids on.
5. Leave out for a day before refrigerating.
6. I start eating it right away, see if you’re not astounded how good it is!

Mix all seasonings in bowl.

I didn’t realize you could ‘kimchi’ anything. I always associated kimchi with napa cabbage cause that’s what we had with Bulgogi (Korean BBQ) growing up in Hong Kong.

Add veggies to seasonings in same bowl (less washup!)

Use disposable thin gloves for mixing. You don’t want to use your hands cause the red pepper powder is pretty spicy and discolors your hands. Don’t ever put your hands anywhere near your eyes after touching chilies!

My 1st Kimchi had more napa cabbage.

Give it a taste, you want it to be a little bit salty, so add a little more fish sauce but be careful, cause a little goes a loooong way.

This experiment was with chayote, jicama, carrots, radishes and 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil.

Mix all the veggies in a BIG bowl, otherwise you cannot combine well. Same concept when you use a wok that’s too small, you can’t stir fry properly, your food doesn’t cook evenly and is frustrating because your food keeps falling out. (I had to get this tip in about size of your wok!)

I bottle in cute jars so you can give to your friends. I end up eating it so fast, never gets a chance to get out the door!

Goes well with your one-dish wok meals (unless it’s a curry already)

Tip: If you have leftover seasoning, store in a container or zip loc and freeze it for another batch.

There’s even a chef who calls himself a lactofermentation and pickling instructor who started a Kimchi Festival in Boston!

This blogger has really impressed me with his food adventures, considering he started late in life.

We cannot mention kimchi without mentioning this youtube celebrity, here’s her video and her kimchi!

Here’s my Korean twitter buddie’s authentic version, scroll down for kimchi.

If you live in Miami, Little River Garden gives Kimchee workshops! Found out from Mango and Lime after she went to one.

UPDATE 5.5.11: I’m excited to see a new PBS TV show that’s not a reality cooking show or a chef competition coming this summer starring chef Jean Georges-Vongerichten’s wife, Marja. Watch a preview clip of Kimchi Chronicles

Chow Down Grill

September 3, 2010 By Eleanor Hoh 6 Comments

A lunch of Grilled Himachi Special
Little soy, sweet black vinegar and black beans, the flavor balance was just right!
Chow Down Grill’s Chef/owner Josh Marcus giving a lowdown on my Grilled Hamachi.
I am very excited to tell you about a lovely modern “Classic American Chinese” restaurant right in my own little neighborhood, Surfside.

It’s a neat, modern, trendy place to hang with your galpals or for whatever reason.

I’m not sure Josh (2nd from right) should have called it ‘Chinese’ because it confuses folks who are expecting typical deep fried wings and a bucket of fried rice! This is hardly that kind of restaurant, far from it. I am not a fan of traditional Chinese food, often there’s too much seasoning, salt and sauce. (I can say this, cause I’m half Chinese.)
What I like about Josh’s cooking is that he makes the food taste good by using what’s seasonal, fresh and sustainable and mostly local with daily Specials. Everything I’ve had there makes me so happy. It’s ‘real’ cooking not ‘restaurant’ cooking. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s food I would make ‘at home’! Yeah, there you go.
Even though the mix and match menu is not a new idea, his choice of vegetables are! Not the usual combinations and always crispy, crunchy, not oily, goopy or deep fried.
You can choose from 4 different proteins then top off with 6 different sauces of your choice and vegetable selections. You can even ask for your dish Naked i.e. no sauce (this is how my husband and I eat nearly every night. When you have sauce, you want tons of starch to sop it up!)
Josh has a cute 3 wok station setup. Not woks I would recommend for home use, one handle, carbon steel but that’s what most restaurants use. I explain in detail the reasons why here.

Josh showing off his wok flipping.

This week, I went with galpals, Josh’s day off but you couldn’t tell, cause Tiger, yes, that’s her name, did a fabulous job with a nice smile. I always worry when the chef is not in the house, I just want consistency and hope the standard the chef has set is followed and in this case, Tiger definitely did. She also gave us a tip that the Mongolian BBQ sauce was their spiciest, that’s what I want on my next visit there!
My friends kept asking why we can’t have more restaurants that serve fresh foods with Asian flavors! I’m pleased to say there are a few just opened, will be posting more, so do come back and visit.
Lunch with galpals…

Chow Down Chop: so refreshing with beef (above), chicken or shimp (below.)

Spicy garlic-herb sauce organic chicken, Maitake oyster mushrooms and chives. The combination was such a nice blend.

Basil organic chicken dumpling, when it was cut open, it burst with such yummy smells. Friends put their spin with squiggles of chili sauce and hoisin dots.

More dishes I’ve tried…
Shrimp with sweet and sour sauce with pineapple, bell peppers, lila onion.
Angus Beef with Orange Chili Sauce, sunburst squash, baby zucchini, lila onions topped with kumquats.
Love the seasonings in squeeze bottles for a hit of spicy Siracha chili sauce or sweetness with hoisin sauce etc.
House Special Noodle Soup was very ‘homey’ and really enjoyed this. The soup was pure stock, no salty, MSG taste that you get in Pho restaurants that make your eyes look puffy the next day. Beef was very tender and tasty.
Basil Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings. I mentioned to Josh that dim sum chefs specialize in making this one thing and take years to refine. But you cannot stifle a chef’s creativity, his concept was to use squid ink for color and flavor.
Crispy Crab Rangoon with spinach and mascarpone cheese were YUMMY with sweet chili dip.
Organic Chicken with Spicy Herb sauce, honshimeji-oyster mushrooms and chives. I don’t usually order chicken because I find white breast a bit dry and tasteless. My husband won’t eat it either, my mother was convinced he was a Chinaman in his previous life! But Josh’s chicken was juicy and quite a nice surprise.

Bahn mi look alike with fish, beef or chicken.

Dinner with my hubby…
DELICIOUS egg rolls, his fillings are so fresh and crunchy, none of that ‘mystery meat filling’!
Chow Fun with spinach, lila onions, garlic and ginger, nice accompaniment with your mains.
Angus Beef with Green Curry Sauce, roasted potatoes and spinach.

Peach bread pudding

I know foodies who are there nearly every week, sometimes twice a week, you know who you are! Run and give Chow Down Grill a try, open lunch and dinner, there’s even delivery depending on your location, ask first. Keep your mind open about the ‘Chinese’ food and you’ll be rewarded with some yummy Chow! When you enjoy Josh’s cooking, praise him, he’ll appreciate it. It’s hard work running a restaurant and tell him you heard it through Wok Star…
More about Chow Down Grill…
Interact with Josh Marcus on Facebook. I’ll be uploading more photos there, so remember to take photos when you go and share what you eat with us.
A foodie does a great job of reviewing restaurants on Food for thought.
Mangoandlime blogger, Paula Nino’s First Impressions.
Disclosure: My first meal at the original restaurant in Surfside was complimentary but I’ve been back numerous times on my own dime. I’ve even had my HOH WOK CLUB gathering there with cooking students. I’ve been to the South Beach restaurant on my dime and quality was still consistent but smaller portions.

Healthy, Easy Wok Stir Frys

August 14, 2010 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

“Gourmet Goodness with the Wok Star”
My cooking demo setup at Whole Foods Market, Pinecrest today.
It’s not hard to do a beautiful setup:
I ‘borrowed’ gorgeous yellow & purple orchids.
Eye popping colorful, fresh veggies.

It’s always thrilling to show healthy, easy Wok Stir Frys and today, I got the chance to do just that! It was great to see more kids shopping with their parents and were lured by the delicious smells from my wok cooking. Parents were constantly surprised their kids wanted to taste my veggies since they won’t eat them at home. They’re even more surprised to find with just a dash of tamari and sherry, veggies can taste so GOOD.

A mom was so excited to tell me that EVERYTHING I used in the dish had NO GLUTEN! Her son had many allergies and she was looking for new ways to make his dinners more palatable and she found the ticket. I had another lady write down all the veggies I used so she could replicate the exact stir fry for her husband. When I explained that there were no rules and you could combine any veggies, she said she didn’t want to take any chances because her husband was a very picky eater. She ran around the store and bought the exact same veggies and seasonings I used and was so proud to show them to me.

Many smart moms are bringing their college bound teenagers to my cooking class. They’ve realized they don’t want them to go out to eat every night. It’s expensive and probably doesn’t involve healthy choices. I must track down numerous articles where college kids take turns to cook on campus instead of clubbing and is the new trend.

I’ve not finished reading this article: Produce by “Prescription” Seeks to Address Childhood Obesity but I know many kids who stop by my demos really enjoyed my veggies! Flavor is of utmost importance to kids but they also love veggies that are colorful, crispy and crunchy!

Aromatics included scallions, ginger, garlic.
Kick it up with Fresh shitake mushrooms.

Purple curly kale, Shanghai Bok Choy, Nappa cabbage

Different textures: eggplant, daikon, carrots, red bell, napa, bok choy.

Chopped veggies ready to go straight into wok.

Daikon, red bell, eggplant, purple curly kale.

Whenever I do these demos, I simply use all leftover ingredients for that evening’s dinner.

I had some cooked red quinoa and firm toufu (Leasa brand) which is my fav, less watery, so you can really crisp it up when you stir fry it. Cubed toufu and marinaded with Stubbs BBQ sauce, such a time saver. It’s spicy and tangy, just hits all the right notes.

Stir fry of purple curly kale, turnip, carrots, scallions.

Dinner was ready in minutes. So, when you run out of meal ideas, just remember that you can make a quick dinner with just ONE veggie, a protein like toufu and red quinoa. It doesn’t have to be a big production.

Get your kids to help by cutting up the veggies, cubing the toufu, marinading. They love participating in the act of cooking and let them do the stir frying. Believe it or not, they really enjoy putting the dinner on the table if you let them. I know I was always fascinated watching our ‘amah’ cook when I was growing up in Hong Kong. Little did I know that I would be showing others how to cook in a wok!

Eleanor Hoh

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