Readers of The Bitten Word cooked every recipe in the September 2013 Bon Appetit magazine. Here's their take on Brussels Sprouts Kimchi.
Shira: I was super excited by my assignment as a b-sprout & korean food lover -- but I have to say that when it comes to Kimchi, it's best not to mess with time tested perfection. The brussels sprouts are too dense when raw and therefore are totally impossible & unpleasant to eat 4 days into fermenting. Slicing/grating them would have been a much better idea. The plain-old cabbage turned out much better. But it wasn't perfect -- as the salt quotient was insanely high (the mag gives some detailed measurements based on salt brand that can't be found online. whoops!). And the coriander was a bit heavy handed. One last complaint -- the whole "add pickling liquid to jars" wasn't quite precise enough for a non-pickler like me who was using alternative sized canisters...
Sherryl: The Kimchi needs to set for 3-5 days so I will not be able to taste it until Friday. But the smell is divine -- especially if you like spice! The gochugaru (coarse korean pepper powder) gives the kimchi the spice and tang it is known for. This is definitely one ingredient you cannot omit or substitute for another. It is coarser and sweeter than paprika and not as spicy as cayenne. You can find this at any asian store or online. I made the recipe using the exact measurements and I found that the 1 1/2 pounds of brussels sprouts (cut in halves) were not enough to fill the two 32 oz jars indicated in the recipe. No big deal - I used two 16 oz jars instead and they were perfect. The brine was also too much. All that is needed is 2 cups of warm water (instead of a quart) and probably 1/2 cup of salt (instead of 7 oz). Overall, a supereasy condiment to make!
Erin: Bon Appetit calls it "boldly flavored" -- I call the Kimchi a literal taste bomb. Despite a minor explosion while taking the pressurized lid off the Mason jar (and dirtying my lovely red dress), this dish is fresh, fun, and kickin' with some serious gochugaru pepper. The Recipe calls for 3-5 days to marinate -- if you wait any longer than 2, wear eye protection, helmet, and a bib!
JamieK: Easy to prepare. Biggest challenge was the hunt for gochugaru. Haven't had a chance to taste since it is now fermenting for 3-5 days. The verdent vegetable packed with the bright red spices makes it pretty in the jar!!
Susan: It was easy to prepare. Everyone loved the flavor, the use of small Brussels sprouts, and the many possible applications and uses for the Kimchi. A couple people thought the B-sprouts could be a little tenderer and not so crunchy, maybe blanched before going into the spicy brine. My chief complaint was the smell of the concoction fermenting on the counter!
Lindsay Barsotti: This recipe is wild, and was very fun to make. It took some work finding the gochugaru and I had luck with the gochugaru paste at Jungle Jim's. The only problem I had was the wait time- it took 5 days for the kimchi to "bubble" but it was very good over rice!
Get the Brussels Sprouts Kimchi recipe at Bon Appétit
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