It’s one of my sore spots that while I adore Korean food (thanks, Dad), I’ve never had the chance to visit the country, and worse still, in Barcelona, Korean food is for the most part, too expensive to eat out on regular basis, so no weekly bibimbap (a smoking hot stoneware bowl of rice, veggies, kimchi and an egg poached on top) for me.
Kimchi is similarly pricey, and the standard cabbage variety I can easily find is 
*gasp* made in China, and I can’t read the ingredient list (in Chinese), so I’ve come to the conclusion that my best bet is to make my own, and I make it in vats with kimchi base I buy at my neighborhood import store, and sometimes add hot pepper or even sriracha for an extra kick of spice.
But sometimes I’ve just run out of kimchi, and a new batch takes too long (a week without kimchi can stretch on forever) to ferment. On those occasions, I’ve taken to making a sort of “overnight” kimchi out of whatever softer fresh veggies I have in my kitchen–cucumbers or zucchini, chives or green onions, and canned sprouts or bamboo to get my fix.
Throw in cooked shrimp or squid and have it as a stand-alone salad, or in my husband’s favorite version, use it to top chicken or fish patties.
Easy instructions for overnight Kimchi:
1. Toss chunked zucchini or cucumber, diced chives or green onions and canned sprouts or bambu in kimchi base.
2. Cover and let rest for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Eat it by its lonesome, or put it on top of something else you’re eating. I’ve even been known to eat it on top of cheese pizza (admittedly not for everyone).
