Thing to do with Leftover Turkey: Kimchi-Jjigae (Korean Kimchi Stew)

It may not look pretty, but the stuff in this bowl tastes like a punch in the face from God.

 

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and I’m already on the leftovers.  I’m particularly pleased with this concoction, which is a by-no-means-authentic version of Korean kimchi stew.  Kimchi is a kind of spicy pickled, slightly fermented vegetable (cabbage is the most popular) that is basically a Korean superfood.  It’s low fat, low calorie, full of antioxidants and will basically do everything healthy for your body bar hauling your lazy ass down to the gym for you.  It is also incredibly delicious, and partially responsible for Korean becoming my second-favorite Asian cuisine (Vietnamese is the tops).  I’ve been wanting to try making my own kimchi for a while, but it takes about a week to ferment, and by the time you’ve bought all the ingredients, you might as well just buy a packet of the ready-made stuff.

So, last week after a dinner at Woo Jung, I popped into the Centre Point Food Store – which looks like a bog-standard corner shop, but is actually an emporium of Korean foodie delights – and scored myself some kimchi and gochujang (Korean chili paste).  Gochujang is amazing stuff and I highly recommend getting a tub of it to keep around.  It makes pretty much everything taste amazing – barbecued chicken, squid, pork… I’m starting to use it on a freakishly frequent basis, kind of like those ketchup obsessives who slather it on pizza.

Anyway.  The stew, which is actually more like a soup.  Here’s the Asian ingredients you need:

L-R: Gochujang, Kimchi, sesame oil, sweet mirin, soy sauce (Please disregard the agave syrup. Camera hog.)

Obviously you can get soy sauce and sesame oil in most supermarkets, but lose your fear of the Asian supermarket because it’ll be much cheaper in there. That bottle of soy sauce is about a litre and still costs less than a bottle of the supermarket stuff one third its size.  It also tastes much better than Amoy, Sharwood’s and all the usual supermarket brands (mine is called “Healthy Boy” – I chose it mainly because it was the cheapest and the name made me giggle.)  You’ll definitely need to get the chili paste and kimchi in an Asian supermarket anyway.

Korean Kimchi Stew with Leftover Turkey

• 1 tbsp Gochujang (or less if you are wimpy with chili)
• 1.5-2 cups kimchi
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sweet mirin or 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• leftover turkey or meat / shellfish / tofu of your choice
• 6 mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 pint chicken stock
• 2 spring onions, sliced (for garnish)

Drain the the kimchi.  You can cut it up into smaller pieces if you like.  I like big pieces, so I left it as is.  Bring the stock to a boil.  Toss in kimchi, chili paste, soy sauce, mirin, and mushrooms.  Simmer for 5 mins.  Chuck in the leftover turkey and simmer till heated through.  Stir in sesame oil.  Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with spring onions, and devour.

You can bulk it up with cooked noodles if you like.  I was too impatient.

Verdict: AMAZING.

Spicy Asian “Noodle Cakes”

Sounds weird but tastes great, and they look really tasty (my phone camera doesn’t do them justice).  These are almost like a stir-fry in cake form, and I have these a lot for a cheap and easy dinner.  I use a pair of egg rings that I got at Marks & Spencer’s for about £3 – you get these round cakes that look pretty cheffy, which is perfect for the presentationally-challenged like me (top tip from Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential).  I actually use the rings quite a bit to do simple things with them that look very fancy, like piling steamed rice into the ring for these perfect little circles of rice.

Anyway, this one is another stupidly easy one, and uses a lot of stuff I tend to have lying round in the cupboards and the fridge.   It’s pretty free-form, and you can use whatever you have lying around.  I use tuna most often because that’s what I tend to have in the cupboard, but I’ve also used cooked prawns, shredded barbecue pork, and shredded chicken with great success.  I imagine tofu would be good, and  some defrosted frozen peas in the mix work well too.