Ingredients
Kimchi
275g Korean sea salt (chun il leum)
200g water
1kg napa (Chinese) cabbage, outerleaves removed
15g dried oysters, blanched andrinsed
5g fresh ginger
10g sugar
10g Korean chili flakes
75g Asian pear juice
30g salted shrimp (prawns), chopped
20g garlic, chopped, blanched, andrinsed
30g scallions (spring onions), sliced
40g daikon, julienned
Kimchi glass
400g water
30g glucose
15g Pure-Cote® B790
15g cornstarch (cornflour)
2g water
Kimchu puree
200g kimchi stock
300g water
0.2g sodium hexametaphosphate
5g low-acyl gellan gum
0.4g calcium gluconate
Bacon powder
150g tapioca maltodextrin
5g salt
110g rendered bacon fat
Pork belly
100g bacon
Kimchi stock
500g napa (Chinese) cabbage, outer leaves removed
7.5g sugar
15g salt
25g Korean chili flakes
10g fresh ginger, chopped
5g garlic, chopped
25g fish sauce
Kimchi whip
200g kimchi stock
300g water
0.2g sodium hexametaphosphate
3.5g low-acyl gellan gum
0.5 calcium gluconate
100g skimmed milk
3g sugar
3g salt
12g Simplesse®
1.4g xanthan gum
0.8g sodium citrate
To serve
6 oysters
Method
Kimchi
First make a brine by combining 25g of the salt with the water. Cut the cabbage in half and coat thoroughly with the brine. Put the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle evenly and thoroughly with the remaining salt. Allow to sit cut-side up for 4 hours, then turn over and leave for a further 4 hours, uncovered, at room temperature. Rinse quickly in cold water and drain well. Place the dried oysters, ginger, sugar, chili flakes, and pear juice in a blender and purée together until smooth. Combine with the shrimp (prawns), garlic, scallions (spring onions), and daikon. Mix well and rub evenly on the cabbage leaf by leaf and layer by layer.Pack the cabbage into an airlock container lined with a plastic bag, pressing down to remove any airand allowing the seasoning mixture to rise above the level of the cabbage. The container should be just big enough to hold the amount of kimchi you are making. Allow to ferment at 84oF/29oC for 36 hours. The pH should be below 4.2 at this point. If not, allow to ferment further. Repack the kimchi into a new bag, being sure to gently press each half-head of cabbage to helps release any trapped gases. Store in the refrigerator forat least a week, or until the desired ripeness is achieved.
Kimchi stock
To make the stock, mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Vacuum pack, then ferment at room temperature for 2–3 days, or until the bag has fully expanded.
Kimchi whip
To make the kimchi whip, put the stock and water into a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain. Combine 350g of the stock withthe sodium hexametaphosphate and gellan gum in a pan. Bring to a boil slowly while whisking. Chillin a flat pan in the refrigerator until set, approximately 6 hours. Placein a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend for 4 minutes on low speed to hydrate the xanthan gum. Whisk in a mixer until a dense foam has formed.
Kimchi glass
To make the kimchi glass, put 100g of kimchi for stock into a pan, add the 400g water, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain.Place 300g of the stock in a blender, add the glucose and whizz on low speed. Sprinkle in the Pure-Cote®. Pour into a pan and bring to a boil. Combine the cornstarch (cornflour) and 2g water to form a slurry.While whisking, add the slurry to the stock and boil for approximately 1 minute. Chill the liquid over ice. Allow to rest for 1 day before using.Spray acetate sheets with nonstick spray. Pour the stock onto the acetate and spread evenly, tilting the sheet back and forth. Air-dry at room temperature for 6 hours. Put in a dehydrator at 149oF/65oC until dry,approximately 1–2 hours.Wave the sheet over steam until it becomes pliable. Cut into approximately 1.5-inch/4-cm squares. Form the squares along the inside of the round molds. Put back into the dehydrator at 133oF/56oC until dry and crispy.
Kimchi puree
To make the kimchi purée, put the stock and water into a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook this mixture for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes and then strain.Combine 300g of the strained stock with the sodium hexametaphosphate and gellan gum in a pan. Bring to a boil slowly while whisking. Whisk in the calcium. Chill in a flat pan in the refrigerator until set, approximately 6 hours. Purée until smooth.
Bacon powder
To make the bacon powder, placethe tapioca and salt in a Robot Coupe. Drizzle in the bacon fat until the mixture becomes a fluffy powder.
Pork belly
To make the pork belly, remove the pellicle and blanch quickly in boiling water. Shock in iced water. Vacuum pack and cook for 12 hours at 165oF/74oC. Cut into a small dice.
To serve
Shuck and trim the oysters. Then rinse the kimchi and chop coarsely. Mix this with equal parts of kimchi purée and pork belly and heat until piping hot.Next, cover the bottom of each kimchi glass mould with bacon powder and half-fill with the mixture of kimchi and pork belly. Cover with a dollop of kimchi whip. Place an oyster on top.
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