Kimchi Jeon

I've been very busy with university in the last few weeks. It's a good thing I have to write blog posts; testing recipes, taking photos and putting together posts gives me a break. Not that I'm complaining, what could be more fun than trying to work out what, exactly, Adorno is trying to say when he pops out something like this: "Though discursive knowledge is adequate to reality, and even to its irrationalities, which originate in the laws of motion, something in reality rebuffs rational knowledge"?

Anyway, onwards to the most important thing, the food. Kimchi jeon are fritters overflowing with tangy kimchi. They make a great snack or dinner with a side or two. In my opinion, they'd also go really with a barbecue or as snacks for a party. They're very easy to put together - just mix everything in a bowl and fry them up. On the evening I took this picture I had them with hobak namul (stir-fried zucchini) and rice for dinner.

Kimchi Jeon

Makes 6 jeon

Ingredients

500 ml vegan mak kimchi
6 tbsp kimchi juice
6 tbsp soy milk
4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Method

1. Drain the kimchi, saving the juice. Combine kimchi with all remaining ingredients.

2. Heat an oiled pan over medium heat. Spoon in 1/6th of the batter and spread evenly into a thick fritter. Fry until browned, turn, and brown the other side.

3. Cook remaining fritters, adding more oil between batches as necessary. Enjoy! You can have the jeon with soy or dipping sauce, but I find them flavourful enough just as they are.

Variation: You can make two large jeon instead of six small ones, and then cut them into wedges or tear them up with your chopsticks to eat them.

Pambazos

One day, when I was sloping around the internet looking for recipes, I stumbled across this delicious-looking one for Pambazos by Warren Elwin, and thought I have to make this vegan. Pambazos are salsa-coated fried sandwiches from Mexico. I filled this one with vegan sausage, capsicum and potato and topped it with coleslaw. Wrapping them in paper before you eat them is a good idea if you don't want to be covered in sticky salsa.

Pambazos

Inspired by this recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500 ml red cabbage

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 onion

1 capsicum

2 cloves garlic

1 pack vegan sausages or chorizo

3 potatoes

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp salt

a pinch black pepper

4 big ciabatta-style rolls

lots of salsa

vegan margarine

Method

1. Thinly slice red cabbage. Toss with vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside. Peel, dice and boil the potatoes.

2. Dice onion and capsicum and mince garlic. Heat 1 tbsp margarine in a pan over medium heat. Fry vegetables for 10 minutes, or until soft. Chop up the sausages, add and fry for 5 more minutes. Remove mixture from the pan.

3. Add 1 tbsp more margarine to the pan and fry potatoes until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the spices to the pan, along with the fried vegetables and sausages. Mix well and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from the pan.

4. Cut rolls in half, remove some of the dough from the inside, and coat completely in salsa. Add 1 tbsp margarine to the pan. Fry two at a time on both sides until browned. Add more margarine between batches as needed.

5. Put the filling on the rolls and top with coleslaw. Wrap in paper or foil and enjoy!

Delicious Kimchi Recipes: Part 1

So you made some vegan kimchi last week. Now what should you use it for? Well, you could eat it straight, or you could make one of these great recipes. Kimchi-based recipes taste complex, but are usually quick and easy. So if you find yourself wanting to get dinner on the table fast, it helps if you have some kimchi in the fridge.

Firstly, if you haven't had kimchi before, this kimchi fried rice (with the bacon and egg omitted) is a great introduction. It's tasty and comes together very fast if you have leftover rice.

Or, if you're in more of a mac and cheese mood, you could cook up a creamy pan of kimchi mac & shews, by replacing the sauerkraut with kimchi. Add some more chili flakes if you want this to have a kick - the kimchi doesn't make it very spicy. Warning: this recipe, although wonderful, does take some time to make.

If you're feeling the cold and want a bowl of spicy stew, this kimchi jjigae along with some rice might hit the spot. It's my favourite winter meal, and, best of all, it comes together in less than half an hour, since we don't have to cook the meat. You'll end up with more than you see in my picture - this is the pot minus one serving, and I was a bit short on kimchi.

Looking for more Korean recipes?

Jjajangmyun (Korean-Chinese Black Bean Noodles)

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)

Have you tried kimchi? It's amazing. You can use it in heaps of recipes (I'll be posting some of my favourites soon), or just eat it straight.

This recipe is quite easy to make, but you do need to get the cabbage soaking about two hours before you start. The kimchi should also be made from a day to a week in advance of when you want to use it, depending on how fermented you like it.

Easy Vegan Kimchi (Mak Kimchi)

Adapted from this recipe, by Hyosun Ro.
Makes about 1 litre

Recipe notes

• Gochugaru are Korean chili flakes. Substituting with another kind of chili flakes isn't a good idea. They have a different flavour and spiciness level.
• It's best to use gloves to make this - your hands will get dyed red from the chili otherwise.
• If you can't find or don't want to use wakame, it's alright to leave it out.
• You can start eating this straight after the 24-hour fermentation period, or wait for a few more days, depending on how fermented you like it. It keeps for around two weeks after you make it, or longer, if you don't mind eating it a bit sour.

Ingredients

1 tbsp wakame
1 napa cabbage
120 ml sea salt or 90 ml table salt
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp sugar or one pear
a bunch spring onions
120 ml gochugaru
2 tbsp soy sauce, preferably korean or tamari

Method

1. Pour 120 ml boiling water over the wakame and set aside.

1. Dissolve the salt in 750 ml water in a large bowl. Quarter the cabbage, core it, and chop into 3-5 cm pieces. Mix with the salt water. Let sit for about two hours, mixing occasionally. Drain and rinse well.

2. Strain the wakame-flavoured water into a bowl. Add the gochugaru and soy sauce. Mince garlic and pear (if using) and chop spring onions into 3-5 cm lengths. Add to bowl.

3. Mix together the sauce and cabbage with your (gloved) hands. You want to coat all the cabbage pieces in sauce.

4. Put the kimchi in a container, and pour 100 ml of water over it. Squash down with a fork to remove any air bubbles. Put the lid on. Leave out for 24 hours, then put in the fridge.

Looking for more vegan Korean recipes?
Delicious Kimchi Recipes: Part 1
Jjajangmyun (Korean-Chinese Black Bean Noodes)
Kimchi Jeon

Rotkohl (German Stewed Red Cabbage)

Rotkohl is a German side, often eaten at Christmas, which is basically red cabbage stewed with apples, spices and vinegar. It goes really well with some vegan sausages and roasted veggies. It also freezes well, so you can make a huge pot and freeze it in portions for insta-roast dinner later. It does take more than two hours to cook, but not much of that is active time.

Rotkohl (German Stewed Red Cabbage)

Translated and veganised from this recipe, in German.
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 onion
1 small red cabbage
3 cooking apples
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp jam
salt and sugar
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
1 tbsp flour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Dice the onion, shred the cabbage, and peel, core and dice the apples.

2. Heat the margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the onions until browned. Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the apples, bay leaf, cloves, vinegar, jam and water. Add sugar and salt to taste, and cook until the cabbage is ready, about 2 hours.

4. Add the flour and the water mixture and cook for a few more minutes. Add more sugar, salt and vinegar to taste - don't go too easy on it, start with a big glug of vinegar. Take out the bay leaf and cloves, if you can find them.