We're going to make a beautiful kimchi & short rib dish. We're going to make our own kimchi and use it to cook and glaze the short rib. Then we’ll serve it with king mushroom, a kimchi cream and a delicious kimchi sauce.
The kimchi
1 | napa cabbage |
110 grams | water |
10 grams | sugar |
12 grams | rice flour |
1 | onion |
half a bulb | garlic |
0.5 | Chinese pear |
30 grams | ginger |
35 grams | fish sauce |
40 grams | Korean red pepper flakes |
4 | spring onions |
Start by cutting the napa cabbage in half and remove the core. Now cut both halves in big chunks. Transfer it into a colander and wash the cabbage well under cold water. Then let it drain well. Once it has drained add a generous amount of salt and mix it well. The salt will break down the cells of the cabbage and this will allow a lot of water to leaf the cabbage. Let it drain for 1.5 hours. Meanwhile we can make the kimchi paste. Pour the water into a saucepan together with the sugar and the rice flour. Now while stirring bring this to a boil till it has thickened. Then cut the onion in half and clean it. Also clean the garlic, half of a Chinese pear and the ginger. I always do this with a spoon. After that grate all the ingredients on a fine grater into the saucepan. Then also add the fish sauce and the Korean red pepper flakes. Now mix it well till it’s an even smooth paste. Then take the napa cabbage and rinse it well to remove the salt. After draining it well transfer it into a bowl. Then cut the spring onion fine and add them to the bowl together with the kimchi paste. Now mix it well and transfer it into a preserving jar and press it all the way down to remove any air bubbles. Then remove the sealing ring from the preserving jar and close the lid. If you don't remove the sealing ring the jar might explode, so definitely don't forget that. Now let it ferment for 5 to 7 days depending on the flavor. Start tasting after the 4th day till it has the flavor you are looking for. Also don’t forget to put an tray underneath the jar in case any juice drip out of the jar. On each day you need to press the kimchi down to remove any air bubbles. Once it's done keep it in your fridge and it will be good for a couple of weeks.
The shortrib
100 grams | nitrite salt |
2 liters | cold water |
2 kilograms | short rib |
200 grams | kimchi |
Transfer the nitrite salt into a pan and add the cold water. Mix it to dissolve the salt. Now submerge the shortrib and let this brine for 24 hours in your fridge. The next day you can take it out of the brine and let it dry for at least 10 minutes. Then heat up a big pot, add a splash of oil and panfry the shortrib on both sides till golden. Really take your time with this, it makes a big difference in the final flavor. After that let it cool down on an oven rack. Meanwhile transfer the kimchi into a measuring jar and blend it till smooth. When the shortrib has cooled down use some aluminum foil to cover the end of the bones. We do this so the bones won’t pierce the vacuum bag. Then transfer it into a vacuum bag and also add the pureed kimchi. Vacuum the bag 100%. Then cook the short rib in a sousvide or steam oven at 85 degrees Celsius for 12 hours. Once it’s cooked gently remove the shortrib from the bag and keep the cooking liquid for later. Then turn it around and remove the aluminum foil. Now gently remove the bones. After that cut away any membranes and remove the soft fat on both sides. After that lay the shortrib in a container that’s lined with some plastic foil, put another piece of foil on top and then cover it with an rack on another container. Then put some weight on top and let it set in your fridge for a couple of hours. Once it’s set portion it into the desired size and keep it in your fridge for later.
The glaze
Pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and reduce it on a medium heat for about 2/3. Now transfer some kimchi into a blender and blend it till smooth. Then pass it through a fine sieve and use it to season the reduced liquid. You’ll end up with a beautiful thick glaze.
The kimchi cream
400 grams | mushrooms |
4 tablespoons | kimchi |
200 grams | coconut cream |
| Xanthan gum |
First roughly chop the mushrooms. I use button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. Then heat up a big pot, add a splash of oil and pan fry the mushrooms with a generous amount of salt. Once a golden brown color starts to form add around 4 table spoons of the kimchi and the coconut cream. Reduce it till all the liquid is almost gone and then transfer it into a blender. Then blend it till smooth. Once it’s smooth add a knife tip of xanthan gum and blend it for another minute. This will prevent the cream from splitting.
The sweet and sour king mushroom
200 grams | white wine vinegar |
100 grams | water |
100 grams | white wine |
100 grams | sugar |
| King mushrooms |
Pour the white wine vinegar in a saucepan together with the water, the white wine and the sugar. Now bring this to a simmer. Meanwhile cut the top of a couple of king mushrooms in thin slices. Once the sweet and sour is hot turn off the heat, add the slices and let it cool down out of the fridge.
The pan fried king mushrooms & garnish
Take some smaller king mushrooms and cut them in half. Now use a sharp knife to cut a cross pattern into the flat side. As a final prep lay some winter purslane on a piece of blanched chive and use it to bind the winter purslane together. Then tighty up the bottom and keep it in your fridge for later.
How to finish the dish
First pour some oil in a hot pan and pan fry the short rib on both sides till golden. When golden transfer them on a metal tray and cover them all around with the glaze. Bake them for another 5 minutes at 110 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile add a drizzle of oil in a hot pan and place the king mushrooms flat side down in the pan. Now season with salt and pan fry them till they start to color. Then add a knot of butter and pan fry till golden brown. Now take the hot kimchi cream and use a round cutter to make a circle on the plate. Place the shortrib on the side of the circle and pipe a big dot of the kimchi cream on the other side. Then cover the top of the shortrib with the sweet and sour mushroom, place the pan fried king mushroom on the cream and decorate it with the winter purslane. Now I serve it with some of the kimchi glaze that I’ve made a bit thinner with some beef stock.