According to Wikipedia, kimchi is a traditional Korean fermented dish made of seasoned vegetables. Before Andy Fitz sent us this recipe, I was aware of it only peripherally. Apparently, it’s the most common banchan dish in Korea, which means “side dish served with rice.” Given its origin, Fitz named the dish after the North Korean leader whose pro-nuke stance has made him a thorn in George W. Bush’s side. Naming summer salads after dictators is not something we advocate. Please do not name any sauerkraut recipes after Hitler, or plantain recipes after Castro. And most of all, don’t name any Texas barbecue recipes after our current commander in chief.

Ingredients :

1 green apple

6 oz. spicy kimchi (pickled cabbage)

2 packages marinated barbecue tofu

Huli huli sauce (see step 4)

Huli huli Hawaiian saucepreparation :

1. Cut up a crunchy yummy green apple into small squares and toss them into a big bowl.

2. Grab the best spicy kimchi you can find. You can buy this stuff at Asian grocers, but I found mine at QFC in the “ethnic” aisle. There are some that come in a bag resembling tofu containers, which might be just fine. But the one I used came in a can similar to a tuna fish can. Remove from can and throw it into the bowl with the apple.

3. Cut marinated tofu into cubes. Some folks get a kick out of marinating things themselves. I’m not one of them. I just go to PCC and buy the pre-marinated barbecue tofu from Island Spring, Vashon Island’s own tofu company. Just cut open the wrapper, remove tofu, and cut into cubes similar to the green apple. Toss ‘er into the bowl with everything else!

4. Dress the whole thing with huli huli Hawaiian sauce. This is a teriyaki-type sauce that is mostly used to marinate meats. I found a recipe online that was relatively simple. Simply combine 1/3 cup each of ketchup, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a small bowl. Then add 3 tablespoons of sherry, 1 piece of ginger root, crushed, and 1 clove of garlic, crushed. Mix together and dribble over the bowl full of kimchi, apple, and tofu. And that’s it, really. The result is spicy-sweet summer salad that goes great with any cold beer.

I should add that I’m not much of a meat eater, but the huli huli sauce is supposedly great for grilling. Fitz recommended that, if there is any huli huli sauce left over and you do happen to eat meat, then you should marinate thin slices of beef and throw them on the grill. Once those are good and grilled, chopped them up and throw ’em in with the salad.

Are you a musician? Do you have a favorite recipe? If so, send it to apecknold@seattleweekly.com. If we like it, we might just print it.