Kimchi follow-up

Happy Thursday, everyone!

This will be a short post on an project still in progress, its concept and namesake thanks to David.

Here's a plate half-full of my recently made kimchi (so delicious!).  After fermenting for a couple days, what was formerly chili paste-covered cabbage turns into kimchi in a broth of sorts, which is visible on the empty half of the plate.  David had the idea to use this broth in a variation on the theme of the Bloody Mary, which he dubbed the Bloody Kim.

  

I first approached the idea by making a standard Bloody Mary with the addition of about a tablespoon of the kimchi broth.  I wasn't impressed.  The tomato juice and kimchi broth didn't seem to jive with one another, and moreover didn't go well with my garlic-pepper infused vodka.

  

The drink in the picture is my second try, which came out quite a bit better.  Like the 1st try, I added a douse of Worcestershire sauce and horseradish, a drop of hot sauce, and a turn or two of freshly cracked pepper; however, I substituted the tomato juice entirely with kimchi broth.  Much improved!  The kimchi broth isn't terribly sour, but it does make the Bloody Kim a much brighter drink than the Bloody Mary.  As for garnishes, here you see a piece of radish kimchi, picked asparagus, and a dill pickle.  I also tried a pimento-stuffed green olive, but found the taste to clash with the drink.

Well, there is still room for improvement, but I've had enough vodka for now.  Here's how I ate the rest of that kimchi:

Here it is served with hot barley-rice.  Combine a 2:1:1 mix of whole barley, sushi rice, and basmati; bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes in a volume of water that is 1.75 times the total amount of grain.  Vent a few times during the simmering to prevent starchy boil-over (due to the barley).  I sprinkled the rice mix with nutritional yeast, and then sprinkled toasted sesame seeds over the whole plate.  A lovely little lunch!