“Quick kimchi” might sound like a contradiction in terms. But a fast, funky Korean cabbage delight is totally doableand utterly deliciouswith this technique. Now, dont get us wrong. We arent claiming to be the first cooks who got inventive when they wanted some spicy cabbage goodness on the fly. Baechu geotjeori, or fresh kimchi salad, is a warm-weather tradition in Korea. Of course, a fresh salad is not a fermented one, so you dont get the crisp zinginess that comes with the aged stuff. We wanted that zing, baby. So we used the power of carbon dioxide and lactic acid to create fizzy kimchi in a flash using our handy whipped cream canister, or whipping siphon.
The method is simple: prep and brine your cabbage, make a gluey rice paste to help ingredients adhere to one another, make a lactic acidlaced chili paste for tongue-searing flavor and fizz, combine and carbonate everything in the siphon, then let the dish develop under pressure. And thats it!
Release the gas in your siphon, and youve got a great side dish for grilled, marinated meats and scallion pancakes, twice-fried chicken or burbling tofu soup. Or, you know, whatever food youre into. We cant claim this technique is traditional, just super fun, full of flavor, and crazy easy. So eat it with whatever you wantwe know its going to be delicious.
ChefSteps is here to make you a better cook. Drawing on our years of combined culinary experience, we create hands-on online classes and original recipes that are both informative and entertaining. We don’t tell you how to sharpen your knife or make macarons from scratch, we show you. Whether you’re a home cook, a professional chef, or just love watching cooks work, we can help you cook smarter.