Kimchi Bloody Mary

Name: Kimchi Bloody Mary
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American

RECIPE: Reprinted with permission from Cured by Steve McHugh & Paula Forbes, copyright © 2024. Photographs by Denny Culbert. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Photo: Denny Culbert

February 12, 2024

The addition of a tangy Korean staple takes this brunch classic to a fun place.

In his new book Cured, James Beard award-nominated chef Stephen McHugh shares the transformative nature of curing in the kitchen. By preserving foods, such as making jams or pickling vegetables, their flavors are intensified. Such is the case with his Bloody Mary recipe where he introduces tangy Korean staple, kimchi. “The addition of the kimchi really takes this drink to a fun place and can help cure an aggressive hangover (so I’m told),” he writes.

Ingredients

Yield:6

9 oz. vodka
4 cups tomato juice, chilled
1 cup kimchi, with its brine, chilled
1/2 tsp. celery salt
juice of 1/2 lime
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Basic Kimchi
1 head napa cabbage (2 to 2 1/2 lb)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped green onions
3 Tbsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 cup gochujang

Glass:pitcher
Garnish:lime wedges

Preparation

Chill six cocktail glasses in the freezer while you prepare the drink. Purée the tomato juice, kimchi, celery salt, and lime juice in a blender until smooth. Put the Bloody Mary mixture into a pitcher and stir in the vodka. Divide the drinks among the six frozen glasses. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top of each Bloody Mary and enjoy.

Basic KimchiThinly shred the napa cabbage using a knife or mandoline and put it in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots and green onions. Sprinkle with the salt and stir the vegetables for about 3 minutes to help release moisture and create the brine.

Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Add the garlic, ginger, and gochujang to the cabbage and massage with gloved hands until well combined.

Transfer the kimchi and any collected brine to a 2-quart fermentation vessel and tamp it down with a pestle or wooden spoon. Top the kimchi with crock weights or a small plate, making sure the vegetables are below the brine. Add more weight or saltwater solution if necessary. Spoon out any vegetables that float.

Cover and place the jar in a cool, dark corner. Ferment for 5 to 7 days. Taste the kimchi after 5 days to see if it is to your liking. You want to make sure your kimchi still has a bit of crunch.

When finished fermenting, put the kimchi in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 6 months.

Saltwater SolutionDissolve 1 tsp. (5g) Morton kosher salt in 1 cup boiling water, add a couple of ice cubes to cool, and pour over the top of your ferment. Repeat as needed until the ferment is submerged.