Thanksgiving Leftovers, pt 1

I was so good at updating when I started, and then the Fall semester hit – boom! Anyway, even though I wasn’t updating, I was pickling regularly, so I have quite a backlog to go on with. Many of the jars I put up were variations on the theme I introduced with the kimchi and the pickled carrots, but I had a good run at Thanksgiving, using up the leftovers.

First, the successful project: mung bean sprout kimchi. The day after Thanksgiving I still had some family staying over, and many of us had the sniffles. We had too many leftovers to cook fresh and too many people who didn’t want a heavy meal, so we ordered pho for everyone. Hot, clear broth, thin sliced meat (if any), some light vegetables – it seemed the perfect solution to the food puzzle. Six bowls later, we were happily satisfied with a new problem: a huge bag of leftover garnish. I wish I had taken a picture, but it was a bag the length of my arm full of sprouts, basil, jalapeno, and lime wedges.

Following my neverending desire for kimchi and kimchi adjacent flavors, I looked for recipes. I found a great one from Beyond Kimchee, but being bad at following recipes, didn’t exactly follow it. I did blanch the sprouts as recommended, and thinly shredded carrot and radish with the food processor. Then I put the sprouts, carrots, and radish into a big bowl and added chopped garlic, ginger, liberal amounts of red pepper, and the jalapeno, peeled lime wedges, and basil from the pho garnish.

I treated this like a normal kimchi, and added a bit of brine to the jars to top them off, but I have to admit that the texture is a bit stringy. The flavor is good, and I definitely ate it, but the lack of crunch was a bit disconcerting to me. I’m kind of picky about texture and usually avoid any vegetables that might feel slick in my mouth. If that doesn’t bother you, then this method is a fab way to use up some common leftovers (if you eat pho a lot !).

Next post, I’ll share my less successful attempt to use leftovers in pickles. Gird your loins, it’s sad and disappointing!