Vegetarian Kimchi + Korean BBQ Sliders

I got a hot tip about how to make delicious kimchi from Sue, the owner of Kwik Check, a great sandwich shop on Madison Avenue here in Memphis. She told me that the reason their kimchi is so good is that they use a ground-up Korean pear in each batch as a sweet element to balance out the bitterness of the cabbage. Brilliant! But where in the heck was I going to find a Korean pear? Sue disappeared into the kitchen and re-emerged with a larger-than-softball sized fruit that had a golden skin. She was willing to let me have it if I wanted to try my hand at making kimchi.

There was one more hurdle to jump before I could make my own kimchi: I needed some Korean red chili powder. I found some at the Asian Market on Summer at White Station. The bright red powder was in a huge bag at a cost of $10, but it didn't look like I had much of a choice. (Seriously -- e-mail me if you want some chili powder.) In the end, I was really glad that I shelled out for it because it made my kimchi taste authentic.

At home, I sliced into the fruit to see what it tasted like before I ground it into a chili paste. I would describe the texture as a cross between a crunchy apple and a Bartlett pear. The flavor was similar to honeysuckle on a summer's day. If you can't find a Korean pear, an asian pear would likely be a good substitute. Use this kimchi on rice, in soups, folded into a quesadilla, or on my Korean BBQ sliders.

Vegetarian Kimchi

1 large head of napa cabbage

1/4 cup salt

2-inch piece of ginger (peeled)

1 small bulb garlic (about 10 cloves, peeled)

1 large Korean pear (peeled, cut away from core)

1/2 cup Korean red chili powder

1 cup daikon radish (shredded using a julienne peeler)

1 cup carrot (shredded using a julienne peeler)

Wash cabbage and chop into 1-inch pieces. Place cabbage into a large bowl and toss it with salt. Allow the cabbage and salt mixture to sit for at least an hour and a half.

While you are waiting, you can make the chili paste. Place the garlic, pear, and chili powder into a food processor. Blend until smooth; you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to get it going. Set mixture aside.

Now fill the large bowl with the cabbage in it full of cold water and rinse the salt off of the cabbage. Do this twice. Squeeze as much moisture out of the cabbage as you can using your hands. In a large bowl, toss the cabbage together with the garlic/ginger/chili paste and the carrots and radish. Place in an airtight container in the fridge. The flavor is best after about 24 hours and will become more sour over time.

Korean BBQ Sliders (Makes 6)

1 tablespoon each of soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil (mixed)

3 green onions (thinly sliced)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large portobello mushroom cap (thinly sliced)

6 slider buns

mayo

Vegetarian Kimchi

half of an English cucumber (sliced longways using a vegetable peeler)

Get a frying pan screaming hot, and add the vegetable oil. Once it starts smoking, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about a minute or until they start to brown. Turn the mushrooms in the pan and add the soy sauce mixture and the green onions. Continually move the mixture around for a few seconds then remove from heat. Divide mushrooms among the buns, and top with about a tablespoon of kimchi and a few slices of cucumber. Add mayo if you like. Serve immediately.