Kimbap with Kimchi

Rice:

2 1/2 dl korean rice or sushi rice
4 dl water

1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Mix oil, vinegar, sugar and salt well while boiling the rice. Stir in gently after the rice have settled and cooled a little. 

Making perfect rice is an ART - find your own way...

Stuffing:

Cucumber
Avocado
Pickled ginger
Sesame seeds

Horse radish
Tofu
Spring onions
Blanched savoy cabbage

Umeboshi Purée
Carrot
Blanched spinach
Pickled radish

or whatever combination you prefer.

Roll like maki sushi. 

Check out how Maangchi rolls.

or the turbo roll.

Serve with kimchi.

Kimchi

This kimchi is 1 month old.

Ingredients

Salt
1 napa cabbage
1/4 dl sweet rice flour
1 1/2 dl water
1/4 dl sugar
1 dl save-the-fish sauce 
1/ - 1 dl red pepper flakes 고추가루  
4 chopped cloves of garlic
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped onion
4 chopped scallions

Directions 

Cut cabbage twice lenghtswise. Wash thoroughly. Rub carefully with salt, making sure that salt goes everywhere. 

Leave to rest for two hours. Then massage and turn and leave to rest for another three hours.

Mix sweet rice flour, water and sugar until it becomes translucent. Cool a little and mix in the rest of the ingredients.

Wash the cabbages thoroughly - and then once again. Wring in order to get as much excess water out.

Wear gloves and carefully spread the mixture everywhere on the cabbage. Finally massage gently.

Fill into a sterilized glass jar with a sealing lid. Leave for two days in room temperature in order to ferment. Store in the fridge.

The flavor develops a lot over time.

Check out Maangchi making non-vegan kimchi for procedure details.

Creamy Pestoish Penne

Great hangover chow.
Serves 1-2.

Ingredients

1 handful of parsley
1 handful of cashew nut
1 dl firm silken tofu
1/2 clove of garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp of water  (e.g. from your boiling pasta)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1-2 chopped sundried or fresh tomatoes

Directions
Start with oil, nuts and garlic. Blend until coarsely chopped - then add the rest of the ingredients - except tomatoes.

Toss in your favorite penne or other pasta and tomatoes and mix.

Variation
Add more tofu and soaked cashews - or no cashews - great creamy spread for your bagel or sandwich.

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

My dream last night took me back to last summer - a beautiful day with my dad in the garden. We were cutting down my cherry tree, harvesting rainbow carrots and zucchini.

Then we made stuffed zucchini flowers, here's my vague memory of the recipe I came up with:

Stuffing
grilled zucchini
capers
silken tofu
chives
parsley
garlic
olive oil
salt
pepper

Chop the vegetables, capers and herbs finely and mix with tofu and oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the flowers.
Make a twist at the top to close the flower. 
Like this:

Batter:
wheat flour
baking powder
salt
beer

Mix the batter - heat up oil, dip the flowers and deep fry. Be careful!
Serve immediately, with a slice of lemon. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside - yum :D

Come summer and zucchini flowers I will review.

Mango Pickle

Hot, spicy, tangy indian mango pickle.

Ingredients
3 raw (as in not ripe - must be hard as rock) mangoes
1 green chili
2 1/2 - 4 tbsp red chili powder
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1-3 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2-3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)
1 tbsp curry leaves
1/2 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp fenugreek seed powder
4-10 cloves of garlic
1 tsp asafoetida/hing (optional)
3+ dl vegetable oil (not olive oil)

Directions
Cut mangoes in small chunks. Remove the actual soft seed inside, but leave the shell of the seed on the mango pieces. Peel and half the garlic cloves. Chop the chili into small pieces.

Heat 2 dl oil and add cumin, then mustard seeds. When the mustard starts popping add curry leaves, chili, red chili powder, turmeric, asafoetida and finally mustard powder, fenugreek seed powder, fennel seeds and garlic. Stir and remove from heat after a minute or so. Add salt.

Mix all ingredients and fill into clean scalded glass jars. Squeeze the pickle down hard to avoid air pockets. Finally cover with 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil to seal off air. Store in the fridge. It's a good idea to give the pickles a stir after 3-4 days, add more oil to cover if needed.

The pickles mature in 1-2 weeks and last for months and months in the fridge.