Almost-Instant Hot Kimchi

By BobD

"The first time I had kimchi was when I arrived in New York City in 1986," says Jean-Georges Vongerichten. "I was like, Oh my God, what is this? It's fermented like the sauerkraut from Alsace, where I'm from, but the flavor is different. I didn't have a recipe, so instead of fermenting, I used vinegar for the sourness." Like sauerkraut, he serves this kimchi hot.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder); see Note
• 2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red chile paste); see Note
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• One 3 1/4-pound head Napa cabbage—cored and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 small Asian pear—peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 kirby cucumber, sliced crosswise

Details

Servings 8
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, coriander and pepper powder and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the onion begins to brown, 4 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the pepper paste, vinegar and fish sauce; add to the pot and cook over high heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cabbage, pear and cucumber and cook, stirring, until the cabbage is just wilted, 3 minutes. Serve.