KimTastic
Kim Chi is something that I find confusingly tasty. It is bright and fishy, spicy sweet, crunchy yet slick. While I can just eat it out of the jar I have really never tried to make a complete dish with it. With that in mind, I bought a jar. First dish was simple, steamed rice, fried tofu, Kim Chi (cold) and pickled dikon. It was good but to simple to write home about. Second dish, my husband was cleaning out the fridge and made a fun noodle bowl with sautéed Kim Chi and a bunch of other “on their last day” vegetables. It was good but had too many ingredients to write about. But then, just like goldilocks on her quest for the perfect porridge, I found my just right.
The foundation was a thick Asian noodle. I marinated the tofu by taking the ingredients that make Kim Chi and creating the base from there. Not sure how the Kim Chi would stir fry and a little concerned that it would not hold enough of a texture contrast to the tofu, I sautéed ginger, onion and carrot for crunch. My favorite “ah ha” moment was adding a bit of miso paste to the chicken broth before adding the Kim Chi and the marinated tofu in sauce. The miso paste acted as a roux and thickened the sauce beautifully. The result was something that hugged the noodles and enveloped them with this fishy salty spicy cloak. I topped it all off with blackened sesame seeds for the visual impact and the glimpse of nuttiness.
Kim Chi with Tofu and Noodles:
¼ of a small onion
1 small carrot, julienned
1 T chopped ginger
½ c chicken broth
1 T miso paste
1/3 c chopped cabbage Kim Chi
1/3 c cubed firm tofu
¼ c fish sauce
¼ c soy sauce
1 T siracha
1 t shrimp paste
Noodles
In a small bowl combine the tofu, fish sauce, soy sauce, siracha, and shrimp paste. Let sit for 20 minutes to marinate. Saute the onion, carrot and ginger in a small amount of olive oil. Once onions are translucent 3-4 minutes add the broth and miso paste, stir to combine. Add the chopped Kim Chi and the tofu with marinade , simmer until reduced stirring occasionally. Once you see a thick sauce stir in the cooked noodles until coated. Plate up and sprinkle with black sesame seeds before serving.
restaurantwife 
5 Responses to “KimTastic”
A new way to use kimchi, that looks great!
Looks good. I cook a lot with kimchi. I put it in instant noodles and make kimchi fried rice and pancake.
Kimchi fried rice sounds great! So does the pancake…what is the batter for that?
i actually had the fried rice tonight. here’s the recipe as well as the one for the pancake. hope you give it a try. 🙂
http://trialsinfood.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/the-kimchi-saga-continues/
http://trialsinfood.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/byproducts-of-trip-to-costco/
Thanks for sharing!! Looking forward to try them!