Kimchee's new chapter

Marja Vongerichten's new cookbook and public television travel/culture/cooking series share the same name: "The Kimchi Chronicles." The choice of kimchee in both titles was easy.

"Kimchee is so distinct to Korea," Vongerichten says. "It's the first thing people think of. It's a great attention-grabber."

The condiment stars in Vongerichten's book, "The Kimchi Chronicles: Korean Cooking for an American Kitchen" (Rodale, $32.50). A self-described "staunch" traditionalist, she likes kimchee as a side dish, stirred into stews and spooned over noodles.

Perhaps not surprising given that her husband, Jean-Georges, is a chef famed for his East-West creations, the book also features recipes for a fast no-wait kimchee, a kimchee relish for hot dogs, even a cucumber kimchee martini.

Marja Vongerichten believes it's time for kimchee to be discovered and enjoyed by more people. "I think it's got huge potential," she says. "People just don't really have a knowledge of it."

Indeed, nothing looks, tastes, feels or smells quite like kimchee, a pungent, pickled, fermented condiment that is served with nearly every Korean meal. (It's also spelled kimchi or kim chee.)

Made year-round, kimchee has hundreds of variations that depend on the season and the available produce, which can include cabbage, radishes, green onions and cucumbers. Many kimchees are fiery in flavor and color thanks to the liberal application of red chili powder. It can also be stinky, but Vongerichten notes the same can be said for a number of fine French cheeses.

"Be adventurous," she urges. "Close your eyes and eat it."

Mark Miller, a restaurateur and cookbook author in Santa Fe, N.M., says the vibrantly flavored condiment feeds a hunger for "more complex flavors with less fat and salt." He's included kimchee in a book due out in October, "Salsas of the World" (Gibbs Smith, $19.99), written with Robert Quintana.

"Kimchee is becoming more mainstream," Miller said. "The idea of fermenting things and creating more umami flavors seems to be something resonating on the American palate." Umami is the fifth taste, a sense of savoriness.

"Korean flavors are big flavors," he adds. "There's a verve in those flavors resonating in the culture now."

Making kimchee at home is "fun and completely doable," Vongerichten says, but most Koreans buy it prepared at the market.

"When buying ready-made kimchee, make sure there's plenty of liquid in the container," she says. "Don't get one that's too dry; the liquid is an indicator of how fresh it is."

Vongerichten encourages experimentation. Buy a number of different small containers of kimchee and discover what you like best and what you like to serve it with.

"I love to put it out with barbecue," she says.

Spread it around

Spoon kimchee alongside grilled steak, breaded chicken, fried fish, macaroni and cheese.

Stir into cooked noodles, soups, fried rices, stews, pancake batter.

Pair with assorted small plates in the Korean style, such as cold, steamed broccoli; sauteed shiitake mushrooms; bean sprout salad; stir-fried spinach; even a mayo-based potato salad.

Hot dogs with kimchee relish

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Note: This recipe from "The Kimchi Chronicles" features a kimchee relish created by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, husband of author Marja Vongerichten. The recipe calls for Korean hot mustard; English dry mustard made into a paste with water and vinegar is a good substitute, she writes.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup kimchee, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons each: honey, rice vinegar
4 hot dogs
4 hot dog rolls
1/4 cup Korean hot mustard

Prepare a grill for high heat or heat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat; mix together the kimchee, honey and vinegar in a small bowl. Grill the hot dogs until browned and crispy; grill the rolls until golden brown. Put the hot dogs in the rolls; top each with 1 tablespoon mustard and one-quarter of the kimchee relish.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 294 calories, 14 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 30 g carbohydrates, 10 g protein, 927 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Kimchee fried rice

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 9 minutes
Servings: 4

Note: "One of my guilty, happy pleasures is to make this late at night (usually after a lot of karaoke) and eat it with cheese (slices of American melted into it, if you must know)," writes Marja Vongerichten in "The Kimchi Chronicles." Using cooked, day-old rice is key to this dish.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
Pinch coarse salt
2 cups kimchee, coarsely chopped, plus 1/4 cup kimchee liquid
4 cups day-old cooked rice, at room temperature

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften and brown, about 3 minutes. Add the kimchee and kimchee liquid; cook, 1 minute. Add the rice; stir to combine. Cook until the rice is warmed through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition information:
Per serving: 310 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 51 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 727 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.