Hello again! Sorry it's been so long. We are back, and plan to be here much more regularly from now on. And by "we," we mean Colin and Cally, Colin's wife. (Hi! Cally here.)
Today we bring you condiment crack, also known as kimchi aioli. This aioli is incredibly versatile: Dip fries in it, dress a salad with it, dollop it on Asian pot roast or Korean tacos, spread it on sandwiches or quesadillas, eat it like ice cream. (Well, maybe don't do that.) Call it aioli so your friends who *think* they don't like mayonnaise aren't scared off.
This week, we used the aioli as dressing for a ceaser-like kale salad. I'm going to give you a loosey-goosey recipe; you should adjust quantities to taste -- if you want a stronger kimchi flavor, or just a hint, for instance. That is incredibly easy to do with aioli because once the egg and oil has emulsified, you can slowly add flavor 'til it's just right. We used a kimchi we recently made with friends that follows our basic recipe, but with a ringer ingredient: miso! Miso kimchi 4eva. It's damn good.
Ingredients
1 egg
Oil (I like to use an oil lighter than olive, like safflower.)
Kimchi, to taste
Two cloves garlic (or less, to taste)
Handful of cilantro (I used parsley this time because it was what I had on hand. It was good, but cilantro would be better.)
1 TB Mustard
Fish sauce or salt
Vinegar or lemon juice
Directions
1. Put egg, kimchi, garlic and cilantro into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Add oil in a steady stream while blending, until it reaches your desired consistency. I usually make my aioli thinner than your average mayonnaise.
3. Add mustard, fish sauce or salt, and vinegar or lemon juice to taste. I like to add these things gradually, give the aioli a quick blend, taste it, and continue to adjust. I find fish sauce to be a delicious substitute for salt in aioli (and a lot of things). It adds umami, as well as enhancing flavor.
Here's the salad we made: kale, toasted pepitas and pecans, sauteed mushrooms, and daikon, served with freshly made sourdough. A fermented feast!
