A few weeks ago in my newsletter (sign up now!) I hinted that I had prepared a really easy homemade kimchi, and I asked whether you wanted to hear about it. The response was an unequivocal “Yes!” so today I come to you with my DIY formula for kimchi.

I’ve long been intrigued by all things fermented. Whether it’s sourdough bread, pickles, yogurt, kvass, cheese, kombucha, milk or fruit kefir, preserved lemons… I find it inordinately exciting that microorganisms can be put to work like an army of tiny helpers to transform foods, improve their flavor, extend their shelf life, and boost their nutrition.

I can’t be babysitting microorganisms; I have real children, too.

I am also fascinated by the serendipity and ingeniosity of these preparations. How admirable were these early humans to discover and harness the fermentation process, long before we even knew there was such a thing as a microorganism?* (And how many died of food poisoning in the name of experimentation? Some kind of memorial is in order, surely.)

And because I’m just as interested in the microbiota and the beneficial effects of probiotic foods on gut health, I’m always seeking to expand my repertoire of DIY fermented projects that won’t turn my kitchen upside down, such as this easy homemade kimchi. (I can’t be babysitting microorganisms; I have real children, too.)

Make your own kimchi!

A preparation of spiced fermented vegetables, kimchi is a cornerstone of Korean cuisine: the average Korean puts away 250 grams** (9 ounces) a day. There are many different kinds, but the most iconic versions are based on napa cabbage, radishes, and/or cucumbers.

Curious to learn more about kimchi? Amanda Feifer’s wonderful book Ferment Your Vegetables has a whole chapter about it!

The process is incredibly straightforward: you select a mix of organic vegetables around the basic formula outlined below, adding pretty much any other vegetable you want to use up.

You chop or slice all this finely (by hand or with a food processor), add salt, and flavor with garlic, ginger, fish sauce (soy sauce for vegetarians), a bit of sugar, and some ground chili powder, making it more or less spicy depending on your preference.

This you’ll transfer to jars and allow to ferment on your counter for at least 5 days, ideally 3 weeks. You can then proudly pop one of the jars open, and dig into the deliciously full-flavored, tart and funky vegetable condiment you’ve created.

Favorite uses for this easy homemade kimchi

The first and most obvious use for this is with Korean food and Asian flavors in general. It would be a lovely item to have on hand if you were to make your own bibimbap (I especially like this recipe, made with the Inspiralizer), or maybe a batch of Korean pancakes, a sushi bowl, or any slurpy noodle dish (many more such ideas on my Asian Inspiration Board on Pinterest).

Beyond these, I like to plop kimchi onto grilled meats, or eat it with eggs (hard-boiled, scrambled, or sunny side up). I stir it into my fried rice and my vegetable stir-fries, I toss it into my salads and my bowls of roasted roots, and I slip it into avocado and/or cheese sandwiches***.

Homemade kimchi kicks thing up by a few notches, provides acidity and crunch, and an irreplaceable sense of pride that you’ve made this wondrous food yourself. And wouldn’t this make the most amazing edible gift for the food enthusiasts around you?

Fermentation transforms foods, improves their flavor, extends their shelf life, and boosts nutrition.

What about you?

Do you share my fascination for fermented foods? Have you ever tried kimchi, and how do you like to eat it? Ever wanted to make your own?

* It’s crazy to think this discovery didn’t happen until the late seventeenth century.

** Source: The excellent Ni Cru Ni Cuit, by Marie-Claire Frédéric, on the history and cultural significance of fermented foods.

*** Keep in mind that kimchi is fairly salty, so adjust the overall seasoning of your dish accordingly. Do not be tempted to reduce the salt content in the kimchi, however, as salt is what keeps the fermentation process safe.

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Gift-giving season is upon us, and here’s my gift guide for cooks! If you’re on the lookout for cool ideas, for yourself or the food enthusiasts on your list, here’s my selection: all of them are highly desirable things that will make a lasting difference in the recipient’s kitchen life.

Gift Guide for Cooks: Utensils!

1. Fresh cinnamon

I am in love with the fresh cinnamon I order from Cinnamon Hill, a small company that specializes in sourcing and selling the highest-quality, freshest cinnamon from Sri Lanka (where they have their own plantation) and Vietnam. Run-of-the-mill cinnamon typically comes from China or Indonesia. I get whole sticks, and grate them with the beautifully crafted (and highly giftable!) cinnamon grater that Cinnamon Hill has designed. Truly, you don’t know what cinnamon tastes like until you’ve tried freshly harvested, freshly grated, top-grade cinnamon.

2. Spiral slicer

After coveting it for quite a while, I finally caved in and ordered the Inspiralizer, the spiral slicer created by Ali Mafucci of the Inspiralized blog. When I received it, I was so excited I decided to unbox and try it out live on Periscope! If you like what you see, you can purchase it here.

3. Handcrafted utensils

You know how I feel about the handcrafted utensils from Earlywood, but I want to remind you what incredible gifts they make. In particular, I want to highlight the coffee scoop, which will brighten the mornings of anyone making coffee at home, and I use for my granola; and also the trifecta, which is a an ideal starter kit for someone just moving into their own kitchen, or looking to upgrade the cheap utensils they bought when they first did.

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I can’t say that November has been a good month. Except that I am alive and well, and my family and friends are too, and what more is there to be thankful for? It is my most heartfelt wish for all of you who read this. I am also incredibly grateful that the many messages I received in which you expressed your concern and sent words of support. It has meant more to me than you can imagine.

One of the strangest things when such dramatic events happen, is that life does go on.

Even as we keep the victims and those who loved them in our thoughts, we continue to go out, to eat at restaurants, to play with our kids at the playground, to take the metro, to go to the movies, to have drinks with friends.

It is a leap of faith, that whole business of hoping that you won’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time, though you don’t deserve it more than anyone else living alongside you in the same city.

But surely it is the only possible response to terror: #jenaipaspeur — #iamnotafraid.

And so, in the spirit of not letting the bad guys win, I give you some happy highlights from my November, and I wish a heart-warming day and a marvellous feast to those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving today.

Good eats

• I had a wonderful meal at Le Potager de Charlotte (Charlotte’s vegetable patch), a new vegan restaurant that opened on rue Condorcet in Paris’ 9th arrondissement. My eggplant with sunflower seed “bolognaise” was amazing, and it is wonderful to see a restaurant-style, vegan cuisine that’s delicate and sophisticated. Here’s the Snapchat story I made from the experience (more on that below!).

• I have been doing research for an article about the best croissants in Paris (such hardship) and Gontran Cherrier’s is high on my list.

• I had lunch at Le Tricycle, a micro-resto on rue de Paradis (10th arrondissement) that serves ital cuisine and makes excellent vegan hot dogs. Pictured above is the avocado dog and the vegetable mafé.

• I placed a group order with fellow chocoholics to lay my hands on organic Porcelain chocolate from Dutch bean-to-bar maker Original Beans, and with it I made an egg-free chocolate mousse leveraging the power of chickpea “juice”. You’ll hear more about this soon on Chocolate & Zucchini!

Follow me on Instagram for many more food shots and Paris recommendations throughout the month!

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Walking into a Paris cheese shop can be a daunting affair if you don’t know what you’re looking for, or how to ask. The great thing, though, is that most fromagers (cheesemongers) in the city are more than happy to help you select the perfect cheeses for your cheese plate.

Laure and Mathieu, creators of the artisanal cheese shop Taka & Vermo in the trendy 10th arrondissement of Paris, gave us* a tour of their shop and the aging cellar downstairs, where many of the cheeses are left to get nice and creamy in ninety-nine percent humidity.

Tips for a smooth Paris cheese shop experience

They allowed us to take the beautiful pictures that illustrate this post, and shared their passion for their craft. Visit them to taste their goods!**

Raclette is traditionally eaten in the winter, melted and poured over boiled potatoes. It is also quite popular to host raclette parties with friends, similar to those for fondue.

1. Know your cheese families

In your French cheese adventures, you’ll come across three major types of milk: cow, goat, and sheep. But within each milk type, the choices are endless: among goat’s milk cheeses alone you will find many different shapes and aging stages, from chèvre très frais (very fresh), to frais (fresh), crémeux (creamy), or secs (aged).

Tommes, those large, quintessential rounds of mountain cheese, can be found made of cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk, but most cheeses with a flowery (or bloomy) rind, like Brie or Camembert, are made with cow’s milk (fromages de vache). Same for cheeses with a sticky orange rind (croûte lavée), which are often the most pungent, stinkiest cheeses of all — think Munster (the real French kind from Lorraine and Alsace) or Epoisses from Burgundy.

For a classic sheep’s milk cheese, or fromage de brebis, seek out Roquefort, a blue cheese from the south of France that is protected by a denomination of origin (AOC), and is a unique addition to any cheese plate. Our Paris cheese shop owner, Laure, lists it as one of her favorites.

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