Kimchee is the signature dish of Korean cuisine and a staple in my kitchen. While I certainly love, adore, and crave its stiff aroma and sharp pucker, I understand that it can be an acquired taste for some. It’s quite polarizing—you either love it or hate it. Either way, just to be safe, you may want to warn your cohabitants and neighbors of your culinary goings-on so they don’t alert the police to a strange odor emanating from your home.
Makes about 4 cups
DAY ONE
1 large head napa cabbage
½ cup kosher salt
1 gallon water
DAY TWO
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1½ teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup Sriracha
6 green onions, white and green parts, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
Day One: Cut the cabbage into quarters, then into rough 1-inch square pieces, discarding the core. Put the cabbage in a large nonreactive mixing bowl and toss with the salt. Let the cabbage sit for 2 hours at room temperature. Add the water, making sure the cabbage is completely submerged in brine. Cover and leave out overnight.
Day Two: In the morning, drain the cabbage, rinse, and squeeze out any excess moisture. Place the cabbage in a large bowl and mix with the garlic, ginger, fish sauce, vinegar, sesame seeds, sugar, Sriracha, green onions, and carrot. Cover and store at room temperature for as long as you’d like it to continue fermenting, checking the flavor after 2 or 3 days. Once the desired “tang” is achieved, transfer the kimchee to canning jars or other airtight containers and store them in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 6 months.
GO FISH Fish sauce is believed to be a precursor to modern soy sauce. The Chinese made a sauce by salting and pressing fish that they called jiang. As this sauce became popular and spread to areas farther from bodies of water where access to fish was greatly lessened, soy beans became an inexpensive and widely available filler. Over time, the amount of soy used in these areas grew greater and greater until the fish ultimately found its way out of the recipe altogether, which became jiangyou, or soy sauce.
This Asian-style slaw uses a base of peanut butter, which adds a nutty sweetness redolent of pad Thai and satay. It also adds body to the dressing and a touch of delightful crunch.
Ginger paste is available in the Asian or Indian section of many grocery stores. Or, you can make your own using a food processor: place one gingerroot in the processor and add just enough water to help keep everything moving. For those who prefer the old school technique, a mortar and pestle with a touch of elbow grease yields excellent results as well.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
DRESSING
⅓ cup chunky natural peanut butter
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup fresh pineapple juice or freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup Sriracha
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoons sugar
SLAW
1½ pounds napa cabbage, shredded
½ pound red cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
6 green onions, white part only, thinly sliced on the diagonal
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Coarsely chopped fresh Thai basil, for garnish
Lime slices, for garnish
To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, lime juice, pineapple juice, Sriracha, garlic, fish sauce, ginger paste, and sugar. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
To make the slaw, in a large bowl, mix together the napa and red cabbages, carrots, bell peppers, jalapeño, green onions, cilantro, and mint. Add the dressing and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the basil and lime slices. Serve immediately to retain crunch.
VARIATION: Mayonnaise-Based Coleslaw For a more traditional picnic and barbecue coleslaw, make a dressing with ½ cup Sriracha Aïoli, ¼ cup cider vinegar, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Combine with the slaw ingredients, using ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley instead of the cilantro and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
IN A PINCH Feel free to opt for 2 (16-ounce) bags of store-bought coleslaw mix in place of cutting the cabbages and carrots yourself.
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes to make, and you’ll quickly see why. It has even won over a few friends who usually steer clear of raw fish. It is also quite versatile. On its own, the tuna tartare is great piled high on crackers, flatbreads, or fried wontons, but it can also be used as a first-course salad topped with microgreens or radish sprouts. It also excels atop a plate of mixed greens, with the marinade drizzled over as a dressing.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 pound fresh yellowfin tuna steak, skin and bones removed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon wasabi powder
3 tablespoons Sriracha
Zest and juice of ½ grapefruit
2 shallots, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
3 green onions, white part only, sliced on the diagonal
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, diced, for garnish
2 radishes, sliced paper thin, for garnish
Black sesame seeds, for garnish
Cube the tuna into uniform ¼-inch cubes. In a large bowl, combine the tuna with the olive and sesame oils, soy sauce, wasabi powder, Sriracha, grapefruit zest and juice, shallots, jalapeño, and green onions, stirring well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
Season with salt and pepper to taste just before serving. Garnish with the avocado, radish slices, and a few sprinkles of black sesame seeds.
While I was playing around with salad ideas in my head, my good buddy Elliot happened to email me asking if I’d make him a grilled-vegetable salad with a Sriracha vinaigrette. He’d been gallivanting about our local farmers’ market and forwarded to me a list of produce that had looked appealing that day. We gave it a go not long after, and I hope you do, too.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
SRIRACHA VINAIGRETTE
Juice of 4 limes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup Sriracha
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
VEGETABLES
1 small Japanese eggplant, halved lengthwise
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
2 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
SALAD
2 (10-ounce) bags mixed greens
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for garnish
Preheat the grill or the broiler to high heat.
To make the vinaigrette, in a medium bowl, mix together the lime juice, soy sauce, Sriracha, garlic, cilantro, black pepper, mustard, and oil. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, toss the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, and asparagus with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange all of the vegetables, except the asparagus, in a single layer on the grill or broiler pan, and cook, turning once, until the vegetables soften and grill marks develop, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the asparagus for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Take the veggies off the heat, and slice the eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, and bell peppers into strips.
Divide the mixed greens and onion evenly among bowls. Top the salads with the grilled vegetables, spooning some of the Sriracha vinaigrette over each portion. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and serve immediately.
This light, playful salad can wear several pairs of shoes. While substantial enough to be a main course when you just don’t feel like heating up the kitchen, it also makes a great mealtime bookend, equally pleasing as an inviting appetizer or as an exotic dessert.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
DRESSING
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons Sriracha
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
FRUIT SALAD
1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, and cubed
2 mangoes, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 papaya, peeled and cubed
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
2 kiwis, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, for garnish
Fresh mint, cut into thin ribbons, for garnish
To make the dressing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, Sriracha, sesame seeds, and soy sauce. Set aside.
To make the fruit salad, in a large mixing bowl, combine the pineapple, mangoes, papaya, bananas, kiwis, and strawberries. Add the dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Garnish with the coconut and mint chiffonade.
Sriracha and seafood truly are a perfect match. To me, it’s an excellent example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts, and this ceviche just reinforces my belief. I’m a fan of just scooping it up with tortilla chips or tostada shells, but you can also fry up any wonton wrappers you might have chilling out in your freezer, leftover from making our Sriracha and Crab Rangoon Wontons, for a nice Asian twist. If you are unable to find Persian cucumbers, feel free to substitute the English or hothouse variety.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1½ pounds seafood, diced (such as shrimp, scallops, yellowtail, tilapia, or kampachi)
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 to 3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 Persian cucumbers, diced
1 ear fresh sweet corn, kernels only
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Sriracha
1 cup tomato juice or V8 vegetable juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish
In a large bowl, combine the seafood with the lime and orange juices. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until the flesh becomes firm and opaque, about 3 hours.
Add the tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, corn, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, oil, Sriracha, and tomato juice, stirring to combine. Cover and refrigerate for another 30 to 60 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in chilled bowls or martini glasses, garnished with sliced avocado and cilantro.
