Spicy Korean Style Gochujang - Vegan 'Meatballs' with Kimchi Gratin

I made this Spicy Korean Style Gochujang mock 'meatballs' some time last year, but never got round to blogging it for whatever reason.  It was whilst looking at photographs in my computer food files that I was reminded of it and have decided to share it as I haven't been doing much exciting cooking or baking the last few months.  

Life is just busy and I want to make the most of my lazy days with the other things happening in my life...family ...friends...the garden...

I remember the mock 'meatballs' being fine, they often are when they are out of a packet, but the spicy Korean style Gochujang sauce was exceptional and very glossy.  I liked it more the following day when the flavour matured a bit more. 

Gochujang is a thick red paste made up of fermented chillies and soy beans.  It's salty and spicy, but not hot hot.  It also umami tasting, I remember someone once describing it as a blend of miso paste and marmite with a little bit of kick. 

I admit it was a bit of a mish mash of a meal, the meatballs served here with broccoli, but it all came together on the plate with the Kimchi Gratin.  Yes Kimchi Gratin, I know …but it tasted good!

I take no credit for the Kimchi Gratin as it came from a book called Living Food by Daphne Lambert, which I picked up from Oxfam in Cardiff.  I was prompted to make it as I still had a jar of homemade kimchi in my kitchen cupboards. Gratins never photographs well.. And some chefs like to make them in mould or cut them out with round moulds - full marks for presentation, but a lot of waste - not in this house!.

Also here is an article by PeTa for 13 Vegan Korean MeatFree recipes.  I also recommend that you look at the defunct foodblog The Vegan 8 Korean that has loads of vegan Korean recipes for you to recreate at home, as well as The Korean Vegan who has some proper tasty Korean eats veganized.  Please also check out these awesome vegan BBQ Seitan Ribs with Spicy Korean Sauce by Delightful, Delicious and DeLovely.

Gochujang glaze
3 tablespoons gochujang
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Tamari
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 fat clove garlic, crushed
Method
Place all the ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Cook for a few minutes or until thick and glossy.
Reduce the heat and keep warm, until ready to serve
Gently spoon over a tablespoon of the sauce over each meatball.
The sauce was adapted from Quiet Good Food: Veg Eats for Everyone who adapted it from Tiger Burger in New Zealand published May 2016 issue of Cuisine magazine. 

vegan Cream Cheese and Kimchi Sausage aka Kimcheese Bagel

One of the most popular ways to eat Kimchi is in a Grilled Cheese Toastie.  I've enjoyed eating Kimchi this way a couple of times, but I also enjoy eating it in bagels as I always seem to find bagels in my bread bin, thanks to my husband. 

I decided to make Kimchi Sausage Cream Cheese Bagels which I have pretentiously dubbed as Kimcheese Bagels.  If you don't want to use cream cheese, you can substitute it with a more melty cheese like Cheddar, then I would definitely recommending grilling it. 

This Kimcheese Bagel made for a satisfying snack in between housework and other things.  I am sharing this Kincheese Bagel with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen 

Vegan Kimchi Seitan Sausages

I've been playing around with seitan sausages since 2010 when I was given some vital wheat gluten by a fellow blogger, fast forward 5 years later I have been able to get hold of it mostly from independent health stores.

I am still not overly enamoured by the faux meatiness, sometimes I find the texture a little disturbing, but D does not mind it at all.  His favourites seitan faux 'meats' are the vegan Pepperoni and the ever popular Chorizo, but I do like to try and make other variations.  

Last Christmas, D my husband gave me a copy of Vegan Finger Food.  Recently I have been sitting with it most evenings trying to get inspired for Christmas and have a few recipes bookmarked to try.  However the one that leaped out to me to make first was the Kimchi Stuffed Sausages.  I have a jar of homemade vegan kimchi in the fridge and I have been looking for creative ways to make the most of it and this recipe inspiration was most welcomed.  

However, I did adapt and tweak the recipe. I have a high tolerance of spicy food I added generous amounts of gochujang and gochugaru to the mixture.  I also did not stuff the sausages, instead I incorporated the kimchi into the seitan mixture.  The sausages were a lot softer than those I made in the past which are often made in the oven, whereas these were steamed. These were also a little sweet and spicy.  We had them mostly as an accompaniment to meals, I simply sliced them and sauteed them in a little olive oil.  One of the dishes we had was Cream Cheese Kimchi Bagels.  

vegan Korean Kimchi Jjigae Stew

For those of you who follow me on Instagram will have seen me post this Kimchi Jjigae aka Kimchi Stew which I made last weekend, I have been to busy with Vegan Month of Food and work that I had not got round to sharing it on my blog, so here it it now.  

This  Kimchi Jjigae is not authentic by any means, but these days on blogosphere and cookbooks do you see many authentic recipes, everyone has their twist on Shepherds Pie to Bread Pudding, even the fillings of traditional British Christmas mince pies are given a makeover. This is not so much as a twist, more of an adaptation to make it suitable my vegetarian diet and in an effort to make it vegetarian, it is also  accidentally vegan.  

The photograph is not the best as it is tinged with poor lighting issues,  The evening s are getting darker and I live in the Welsh valleys between two hills, so the darkness impacts on my photographs even more so come Autumn and Winter.   Anyway, I wanted to find ways of using my homemade vegan Kimchi that I made a couple of months back.  It was my first attempt at making Kimchi at home, and although not perfect, I was pleased with myself.  I hope to make another batch soon and hopefully it will be a lot more redder in colour.

Kimchi like any fermented food is an acquired taste.  I quite like it, but it is not to every ones taste like sweets from the Indian subcontinent or pickles steeped in mustard oil. This includes my husband.  

D was not keen on either the Kimchi or the Kimchi Stew, but I was not surprised at that.  The first time we had Kimchi at home was back in 2011 and I made a Bibimpab.  He did not particularly enjoy the Bibimbap then and nor the Kimchi Jjigae this time round either, but ate it nonetheless.  

However, I enjoyed it, but if I am totally honest I think the sauce lacked body.  I think this was partly to do with my homemade vegan version of the Kimchi; and my adaptation of the Kimchi Jjigae recipe.  My version required something to thicken it up .  The original recipe has anchovies, and pork, that perhaps give it a depth.  The spices were just right.   I served the Kimchi Jjigae simply with plain white rice.   I am sharing this with  I am sharing this  Cook Blog Share co-hosted between Easy Peasy Foodie and  Hijacked By Twins and with Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition.

Korean Bibimbap and Kimchi

Korean Bibimbap is a popular Korean rice dish. It is served out as shown: rice in the middle and then surrounded by a number of side dishes.

The idea is that you then take your chopsticks and mess it all up. Korean Bibimbap usually comes with a fried egg on top, but as you can see there was so much on the plate I decided to omit it.

My real reason for wanting to make this dish was Kimchi.  As soon as I became aware of this spicy crunchy, pickled vegetable, I was excited and set out to seek some at the Chinese supermarket. 

Kimchee, Kimchi; or gimchi is a traditional Korean dish of raw fermented and highly seasoned Cabbage or White Radish.  It is often made from Chinese Cabbage, but you will find kinchi made from other vegetables such as aubergines, pumpkins, turnips, spring onions and cucumbers.  When served as a side dish in Korea, Kimchi is known as a banchan.  It is common, in Korean cuisine, to have many banchan served alongside a meal. Main courses may be accompanied by up to twelve side dishes. Of all those plated, Kimchi is said to be the most popular. To demonstrate how passionate Korean people are for their kimchi and how it central it is to Korean cuisine, there is a  museum called The Kimchi Field Museum located in Seoul that is completely dedicated to it. Follow this link if you want a tour of the museum, and are interested to learn more about kimchi. Be warned its quite long, so don't feel you have to watch it all.

Well I actually liked the Kimchi, though I have to admit it may have been much better had I made it myself.  It is something I will definitely be making from scratch especially as the Chinese Cabbage and radish versions can easily be made at home.  I was surprised to learn that D wasn't that keen on it, especially as he likes his pickles. 

Back to the other side dishes.  I liked them all, except for the spring-onion mushrooms made from dehydrated black mushrooms.  I felt like I was chewing on an elastic band. But other than the mushrooms, I did enjoy my generous plate of Korean Bibimbap. 

This recipe comes from Another Dinner is Possible written by Isy and Mike.    Isi is of Korean heritage hence the inclusion of veganized Korean recipes, for which I am most appreciative.  Isi has not given a written recipe per se with measurements, but writes 'use any of the following, varying colour and textures - depending on how much you use amounts will vary’.

- A handful of dried mushrooms, soaked, squeezed dry, sliced and fried in sesame oil with chopped spring onion and soy sauce.
- 2 carrots, peeled and then either julienned or or strips of carrots made with a potato peeler, stir fried in oil with some salt and a little water.
- 1 onion stir fried in oil with salt
- ½ cucumber, julienned, sprinkled with salt and left for 20 minutes, rinse squeeze dry and stir fry.
- A handful of kimchi, shredded

Isi also suggests bean sprouts, green beans, blanched broccoli florets, mooli aka white radish.

Arrange all the prepared vegetables separately side by side in circle on a place.

To elevate the dish further, serve it with gochujang, a spicy and slightly sweet red pepper paste made with miso. It can be used as a seasoning, a dip for the rice or as a relishes the only.  Recipe from  Another Dinner is Possible by Isy and Mike