Persimmon Predicament and Vegetarian Kimchi

As I said in my earlier posting, I received two persimmons in my organics delivery box.  Now, I am pretty well versed in terms of international fruits. And not just the typical exotics like mangos and papayas.

I’ve chowed down on Mangosteens, and I have even peeled and eaten a rambutan.

I’ve had Durian from Thailand (it gives you god awful breath (and other odours!) but tastes like custard).

But I have never eaten a persimmon.

Then, yesterday my friend from work Judy borrowed my transit pass, as she was headed to China Town at lunch to buy produce and offered if I needed anything picked up while she was there.  I said no but when I came back from my meeting yesterday there were – yes – 2 persimmons sitting on my keyboard as a “thanks”.  Very sweet of her – she is a darling – but now my persimmon predicament had doubled.

Apparently the type of persimmons I have are Fuyu (no.. I wasn’t swearing at you).  They looking kind of like a light orange, squat tomato.  This variety is supposed to be eaten crisp, like an apple.  The other type of persimmon is the Hachiya (And no, I didn’t sneeze either) which are larger, more acorn shaped and darker orange.  These should be soft to the touch and juicy inside when eaten.

So if you just want to eat a Fuyu, all you do is wash it thoroughly, remove the leaves from the top, cut it open and core (like an apple or pear), slice and serve.  However an under-ripe persimmon of either variety will be bitter to taste and will suck the moisture out of your mouth, leaving you rather looking like a cat’s a**.  Or so I am told.

I have decided to eat the persimmons on my desk like a fruit – once Judy tells me they are ready to eat – and the others I am going to try to turn into a vegetarian kimchi.  I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com and it received great reviews, so I will give it a shot.  I don’t seen any changes necessary at this point as I have all ingredients on hand except the Napa but that is easily acquired.  Fingers crossed and review to come on the weekend as it must ferment for 3 days before serving!

Vegetarian Kimchi

1 head Napa cabbage
1/4 cup salt, divided
6 cloves garlic
1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 small white onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons water
3 green onions, minced
cayenne pepper to taste
1 ripe persimmon, chopped
1 small radish, shredded
1 cucumber, diced (optional)

Directions:

1. Cube the cabbage and rinse well. Put the cabbage in a bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt, tossing to mix. Set aside for 1 hour.

2. Mix more salt into the cabbage and set aside for another hour. Wash and drain the cabbage. Combine the garlic, ginger, and onion in a blender with the water. Blend on high speed until smooth.

3. Stir together the rinsed drained cabbage, garlic-ginger mixture, minced green onions, cayenne pepper, persimmon, radish, and cucumber and mix well. Transfer the mixture into airtight containers, and refrigerate for 3 days before serving.