Photo Credit: Food & Wine
“I grew up in Korea, then New Jersey, before settling in Michigan,” says Chef Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor. “The early years in Michigan were lonely, I missed my family and friends in Korea and on the East Coast, I missed the large Korean community there, and most of all I missed my mother’s cooking. That had a lot to do with my decision to go into the food industry and eventually with opening my own restaurant, Miss Kim. Throughout it all, I found a new community with the local Asian Americans and the local farmers and food people, and I am so grateful. I am happy to share my food and recipes with you in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.”
May is AAPI Heritage Month, and we have a lot to celebrate in the way that Asian American food has made our life more delicious. Chef Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor illustrates this with her incredible recipes utilizing produce grown in the area.
Spring Green Kimchi
According to Chef Ji Hye:
Most people familiar with kimchi know it as this long-fermented, funky napa cabbage kimchi with almost bubbly effervescence. But kimchi is much more broad than that. I love long-fermented napa cabbage kimchi in the winter, but when the spring comes, I start longing for fresh and sprouty greens. In spring, I enjoy making gutjuri, a sort of fresher, quicker, not so fermented version of kimchi. My favorites are cilantro and watercress, but it works wonderfully with arugula, mustard greens, or young lettuce, too.
Vegetable Prep
- 1 bunch Cilantro, watercress, arugula or any young spring greens or herbs
- 1 head Scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 Red pepper, like Fresno
Kimchi Paste Prep
- 2 tsp Korean chili flakes
- 2 tsp Korean salted shrimp
- ¼ TBS Granulated cane sugar
- 1 tsp Scallions, chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
- 1 tsp Sesame seeds
Directions
- Clean the greens. Cut into 2 inch pieces as needed. Spin dry the greens.
- Wash scallion and cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Cut the red pepper the long way, seed it, and julienne into thin pieces, about 1 inch long.
- Finely mince salted shrimp, then mix all ingredients for the kimchi paste.
- Dress the greens, 1-inch scallions, and the red chilis with the kimchi paste.
- Serve immediately.
We’re excited to re-share her Spring recipes here and with a through a virtual cooking class on Wednesday, May 25th at 6pm! RSVP to join us as we roll kimbab using local ingredients.