Kheedim Oh Wants You to Kimchi Me!

We’ve all heard about kimchi and its intoxicating powers of addiction, but July 10th on Governor’s Island, get ready to become acquainted with the fermented vegetable in a major way. Kheedim Oh, founder of the small-batch artisanal Mama O’s Kimchi based in Queens, is holding a Kimchipalooza, which will take place as a highlight of CookOut NYC. Just say, yes, we kim!

The multi-faceted event is deserving of its outdoor music festival-esque name: in a tented area of CookOut NYC, there will be a homemade kimchi contest, a cookoff with foods made with (his) kimchi (you get a free gallon to go crazy with), kimchi making demonstrations, and a possible kimchi-eating contest, perhaps. No word yet on whether Mama Oh will be making a special guest appearance, but you can count on Kheedim running the show.

This is where you guys come in: Want to enter either the homemade kimchi contest, or the cook-off where you can come up with any dish using kimchi? Time to sign up! And for that, you’ll get access to the entire fest, too.

Okay, more details. Kimchi isn’t quite as hard to make as it sounds. In fact, that and other lacto-fermented pickles, like sauerkraut, was the only way many cultures in cold, harsh climates stayed alive. It can’t be impossible! But it does take a little figuring out, and some finesse, if you’re up to impressing the judges on July 10. So, below I’ve gathered a few previous posts on my kimchi-making or cooking-with exploits, for a little reference. The rest (like, “Will I have a grill or just a table to work on at Governor’s Island?”) you can just ask Kheedim. Write to [email protected], or just check out the info on that site!

my soon-to-be kimchi

Just kim’d a head of napa cabbage yesterday, and will have at least five days to wait before checking it out!

Kimchee Roasted Potatoes (with homemade kimchee)

Kimchee, Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata (with Mama O’s Kimchi)

and listen to Kheedim talk about Kimchipalooza on Let’s Eat In