# Texas Kimchi (Spicy Vegetable Dip)



## cmarchibald (Feb 3, 2011)

I don't know about you guys and how you learned to cook.  I learned from  my mom, my dad, my brother....okay pretty much everybody in my family  cooks in some fashion or another.  It seems to be in the blood, because  my grandmother (mom's side, never met her but I'm named for her) was famous for her cooking and rarely if ever used a recipe.   I'm told that if she did follow a recipe, she substituted liberally and  never measured anything.  I must have inherited this habit from her,  because from the time I was around 10 I just started making things up as I  went.  At least half of what I do in the kitchen isn't based on a  recipe at all, and if I do get my hands on a recipe I start changing it immediately.  Sometimes it fails miserably, but when it works it is freaking awesome.

Anyhoo, I  have recently committed sacrilege on one of our family's oldest  recipes.  My mom got it from a friend in Texas, who called it "Texas  Kimchi" (though if you know what kimchi is, it's nothing like that, and  it's really a kind of salsa).  I ate gallons of this growing up and loved it.  When I was throwing a party for Christmas while living in Kuwait in 2009, I asked Mom for the recipe so I could make it, as it's a party  favorite.

Turns out 1/3 of what I needed couldn't be bought in  Kuwait, so I ended up making my own version.  Now we're both so addicted  to it that I make it about every 10 days.  There's a massive amount of  prep involved because it's all fresh veggies (except the olives), and  all hand-cut because I hate my food processor.

So if you  want to tackle this one, and I highly recommend you do, be prepared to  invest some time, and make a HUGE batch because once you're done you  won't want to make it again as quickly as your family or guests will  want it.  My version is below.  If you want the original recipe (which  is also delicious as my family's been eating it for years) then let me  know.

Also, since Korean food has developed such a heavy  influence here in the Philippines, I can't call it kimchi here.....as  soon as I call it kimchi they get excited, then they are disappointed to  learn it isn't this:







I haven't come up with a new name for my version, so if any of you have suggestions I'll take 'em!

So, here's my version of the "Texas Kimchi":

Dice:

5-6 large, firm tomatoes (do not remove seeds or drain) -- _or 20-25 Tiny Filipino Tomatoes_
4-6 green onions with tops
1 large can ripe olives, drained and sliced
4-8 green and red fresh chilis, thinly sliced with seeds
1 full bulb of garlic

Combine in a large bowl and mix well.

Add:

3 Tablespoons olive oil (I don't measure but I doubt I use this much)
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar (again, I don't measure, but I know I use more vinegar)
Salt,  Red Pepper, White Pepper & Paprika to taste (add creole seasoning  if you have it in place of paprika, and reduce the amount of red &  white pepper)

Add  olive oil, stir thoroughly to coat vegetables.  Add seasoning, stir  thoroughly again, adding vinegar as you go.

Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours, up to 24 hours before serving is ideal.  Before serving, stir thoroughly again.

Serve  with tortilla chips or thin hors d'oeuvres crackers (like table water  crackers).  Also good with those little mini-bread slices, especially if  they are toasted slightly.

*NOTES:*


Our practice is to prepare this 24 hours ahead of time, allowing the  flavors to fully set.  If you serve this within a few hours of making  it, you'll find that it has a different flavor the next day.


Unlike the original recipe, I don’t drain the tomatoes and remove the  seeds.  I leave all of that in the mix so it adds to the “meat” of the  final mix.  If your tomatoes are particularly juicy, you may want to  drain them but still leave the seeds.


If you don’t love garlic  as much as we do, use about 5 cloves of garlic instead of a whole bulb  (but I'm telling you, more garlic makes this!)
 

 If you need to reduce the “heat”, cut the number of chilis in half. Jalapenos may be substituted for the chilis we use, that's just all I  can buy here.  I really recommend fresh chili peppers though.


Lastly, because of the amount of prep involved and  how quickly this goes, when I make a batch I usually make about 4 times  the yield of this recipe.  Once you have a massive batch in storage it  makes a great topper for morning eggs, a chicken breast, fish fillet,  etc.
 
Pictures!





Because Filipino tomatoes are so tiny, I have to use 50 of them for the size of the batch I make.  Yes!  FIFTY!!!!  (or so)










We like chilis, in case that wasn't clear.





And also garlic....YUM!





Ready for the final mix:  Tomatoes, green onions, olives, minced garlic,  chopped chilis, red pepper (crushed or ground), white pepper, paprika,  salt, olive oil and white wine vinegar.

You'll need the largest  bowl you have to stir this.  Because I make such a large batch, I split  my tomatoes between my two largest glass bowls and disperse the  remaining mixture proportionally.  When I'm finished I combine it into  the largest bowl to store in the fridge.  Serving tip: Clear glass bowl  is a beautiful way to serve this for a party.






All mixed up, ready to combine into a single bowl.





Taste test....WIN!


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## PattY1 (Feb 3, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> Also, since Korean food has developed such a heavy  influence here in the Philippines, I can't call it kimchi here.....as  soon as I call it kimchi they get excited, then they are disappointed to  learn it isn't this:


 
Fresh Salsa??


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## cmarchibald (Feb 3, 2011)

I thought about salsa but....isn't salsa technically something with more "sauce"?  I've been calling it chunky southwestern salsa for our friends here.


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## Zhizara (Feb 3, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> I thought about salsa but....isn't salsa technically something with more "sauce"?  I've been calling it chunky southwestern salsa for our friends here.



I don't think it matters how much sauce.  "Technically" it could be called a relish, but chunky southwestern relish doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well.  Heck, you could puree a few of those tomatoes if you wanted to!

Personally I like Texas Kimchee for a clever name and think that you should call it that here.  We'll definitely know what you're talking about.

It looks fantastically delicious.


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## CraigC (Feb 3, 2011)

Who cares what you call it, just eat it!

Craig


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## cmarchibald (Feb 3, 2011)

CraigC said:


> Who cares what you call it, just eat it!
> 
> Craig


Oh trust me.....we do.


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## sparrowgrass (Feb 3, 2011)

I make something that starts with a recipe like yours, then I add a can of hominy, a can of black beans, a can of corn and a can of garbanzos.  Some folks call that Cowboy Caviar, or Texas Caviar.

Don't care what ya call it, it is great alone, with chips, or as part of a Taco Salad.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 3, 2011)

That looks fantastic...I am also interested in your original recipe.  Copy and paste!


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## cmarchibald (Feb 4, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> That looks fantastic...I am also interested in your original recipe.  Copy and paste!


Ask and you shall receive...straight out of mom's recipe book.  

*TEXAS KIMCHI VEGETABLE DIP*

*(Original recipe)
*

[FONT=&quot]Finely chop:[/FONT] [FONT=&quot]3-4 tomatoes (remove seeds; drain)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4-6 green onions with tops[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 large can ripe olives, drained and sliced[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4 ounces jalapeno peppers (remove seeds)--optional[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1-2 cloves garlic[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Add:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3 Tablespoons olive oil[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Salt and pepper to taste[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Liberal shakes of Creole seasoning (such as Tony[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]          Chachere's®)[/FONT]
  [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Place all ingredients in large bowl.  Stir to coat vegetables.  Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips or your favorite crackers.  _IF_  there are any leftovers (!), refrigerate.[/FONT]


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 4, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> Ask and you shall receive...straight out of mom's recipe book.
> 
> *TEXAS KIMCHI VEGETABLE DIP*
> 
> ...


[/FONT]



Thanks, Cory!

I use Emeril's Essence as my Creole/Cajun seasoning.  He has the recipe for it in several of his cookbooks and online.  I just cut back the salt.


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## Mimizkitchen (Feb 4, 2011)

cmarchibald, the first picture you posted is Kimchi yes???


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## cmarchibald (Feb 4, 2011)

Mimizkitchen said:


> cmarchibald, the first picture you posted is Kimchi yes???


The first picture is real kimchi, that's correct....as in the Korean dish.


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## PattY1 (Feb 4, 2011)

cmarchibald said:


> I thought about salsa but....isn't salsa technically something with more "sauce"?  I've been calling it chunky southwestern salsa for our friends here.




Call it what you want, but it is FRESH SALSA. Fresh Salsa doesn't have any tomato sauce or puree in it, just the natural juices from the fresh produce and spices.


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## cmarchibald (Feb 5, 2011)

PattY1 said:


> Call it what you want, but it is FRESH SALSA. Fresh Salsa doesn't have any tomato sauce or puree in it, just the natural juices from the fresh produce and spices.


Good enough for me!


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## Kayelle (Feb 5, 2011)

PattY1 said:


> Call it what you want, but it is FRESH SALSA. Fresh Salsa doesn't have any tomato sauce or puree in it, just the natural juices from the fresh produce and spices.



Actually Patty, since you want to be correct, FRESH SALSA is the Gringo term for Pico De Gallo.

Thanks for the recipe and all the beautiful pictures, cmarchibald. 	 		 		                                 	I make a ton of this when I get ripe homegrown tomatoes....love love love it!
Personally, I think the name _*Texas Kimchi *_is pretty darn cute!!


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