Drag Queen Kim Chi’s Upcoming Cookbook Takes Readers On a World Tour

She’s at all times had an urge for food, however ever since she was launched to the world on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Kim Chi has actually been consuming. The drag artist has partnered with Chipotle and Trejo’s Donuts, and made Korean-inspired edibles. She’s launched a podcast about meals and a lot extra with chef Jon Kung. She’s proven us what to eat world wide whereas on her many drag excursions, and methods to take pleasure in it with out ruining your make-up.

However when the COVID pandemic struck, like the remainder of us, she discovered herself caught in her kitchen — which is how she discovered herself writing a cookbook. “It was the primary time in years that I truly had time to cook dinner, and, as dramatic because it sounds, it was life-changing,” she writes in Kim Chi Eats The World, set to be revealed on October 7 from Union Sq. & Co. “I began writing down my concepts, inspirations, and recipes so I’d have the ability to take myself in every single place with out going wherever each time I felt prefer it. I didn’t understand it then, however these notes have been the start of this guide.”

Kim Chi Eats The World is a world tour of taste. Damaged down by area, Kim Chi consists of recipes for humble rooster soup constructed from Costco rotisserie rooster, Canadian ketchup chips, Spanish paella pulled off in a rice cooker, Thai moo ping, and her mother’s bibim-guksu.

As she explains it, her love of each meals and drag revolve round taking inspiration from right here and there and making it into your individual factor. “Once I’m within the kitchen, I like my cooking the best way I like my drag: daring, colourful, and at all times with a contact of humor, as a result of whether or not I’m serving up a lqqk or a complete meal, I at all times need it to be filled with taste, character, and coronary heart,” she writes. We talked to Kim Chi about her journey into cookbook writing, getting folks to cook dinner the world, and why each girlie wants a nonstick pan.

Union Sq. & Co.

Jaya Saxena: As you write, meals has been an enormous a part of your profession. What made you need to add cookbook creator to the resume?

Kim Chi: Clearly, meals is certainly one of my greatest passions, the love of my life. It’s a very easy option to share your tradition and your experiences with different folks. I’ve at all times been interested in new flavors, and after I journey, I like going to as many alternative locations as attainable to check out new dishes. So, I acquired the concept to jot down about all these international cuisines that folks may not be aware of, and methods to simply recreate these in an American kitchen.

I do love how a lot of this guide actually appears like a journey memoir. I’m curious the way you stored monitor of the whole lot you ate, on high of getting to carry out and hop on planes each different day.

To not be so Asian about it, however I take pictures of the whole lot I eat. Even after I make one thing actually easy at residence with simply rice and eggs, I’ll take a photograph of it. Whereas writing the guide, I had all these information, and I broke them down from area to area, with the dishes that have been memorable from these locations.

You’ve plenty of recipes in right here for issues I’d by no means suppose to make myself, like Canadian Ketchup Chips. Particularly contemplating your objective of preserving American kitchens in thoughts, how did you resolve what you wished to incorporate?

I wished to pay tribute to the dishes and the recipes that I fell in love with. This guide was a option to say, “In the event you’ve by no means had them, do this recipe, and possibly you’ll adore it too.” With ketchup chips, I at all times deliver these again for my mates right here within the States. And all people is bizarre about at first, which I feel it’s loopy, as a result of potatoes and ketchup is just not a loopy idea, proper? America’s like, we put ketchup on the whole lot. However all people eats it and thinks they’re one of the best chips ever. So then it acquired to some extent the place my mates from Canada will go to and produce again suitcases of ketchup chips, and I don’t want this many chips! So I attempted to make it at residence, so then I can simply sprinkle it on one thing each time I crave it.

What are some cookbooks or creators that impressed you whereas writing?

Clearly, Jon Kung; all his content material is superb. My buddy Khushbu (Shah). We went to highschool collectively, and when she was growing her cookbook, she’d deliver me a few of her recipes to style. Chef Ronnie Woo and Pete Duong. I additionally love this one meals content material creator, Saeng. He does Lao delicacies, and that’s one thing I didn’t know an excessive amount of about. I like to see folks discuss meals from their cultures. Or, simply mothers making meals for his or her kids. There’s this account, Cooking with Shereen. She’s simply this fabulous mother with the craziest kitchen that I’ve seen. There’s a flour drawer.

Union Sq. & Co.

You’re cooking from all these nations and cuisines. How do you’re feeling you bought your individual standpoint throughout?

Rising up, I principally ate Korean meals in my family. Each time I went to highschool, I had American faculty lunch, principally pizza or a Styrofoam-like burger, which was such a tradition shock to me as a result of Korean delicacies had all these greens, and American meals was tremendous processed. I simply thought, There’s acquired to be one thing else on the market on this planet.

After which, my buddy was like, “Let’s go to the Indian buffet.” I’d by no means had Indian meals. However we went, and I tasted flavors and textures that I didn’t know existed. I wished to see what else was on the market. So, I saved my allowance to go to totally different “ethnic” eating places in my small hometown in Lansing, Michigan. Subsequent was Ethiopian meals, after which after that, Vietnamese and Thai. So, it’s actually about my love for international delicacies.

You write in regards to the intersection of drag and meals, and what bringing a drag sensibility to the cookbook and these recipes means. Why do you suppose they go collectively?

Meals could be very private to all people. Everyone has an opinion on meals. It’s nourishing, it’s well being, nevertheless it may also be dangerous. It’s the identical with drag. Drag is an artwork type that feels private to lots of people. Particularly for performers, it’s how we select to nourish ourselves and current ourselves to the world. So, it actually feels prefer it goes hand in hand.

Is there part of the guide or a recipe that was notably tough so that you can write or develop?

The toughest half was attempting to not dumb down any recipes. Lots of the recipes have been made to be simply recreated in an American kitchen. However generally, when the elements have been too particular, like a fish paste from a particular nation that almost all Individuals may not have entry to, I needed to discover a option to recreate these flavors with out feeling like I’m dumbing it down. However I feel it got here collectively fantastically.

Union Sq. Co.

Are there any recipes you’re notably excited to have in there?

It’s quite simple, however I feel Anchovy Spaghetti, as a result of I really feel like plenty of Individuals are nonetheless very afraid of canned fish. When used accurately, it could actually add a lot taste, and it’s a fairly low cost ingredient. I’m at all times excited to showcase canned fish.

What are the pantry staples or kitchen home equipment you may’t dwell with out?

I’ve my stainless-steel pan and my enamel pots. I really feel like, simply to make your life simpler, you need to have a nonstick pan for frying eggs. After all, you may cook dinner eggs in a forged iron skillet, however preheating after which ensuring it’s the fitting temperature — simply cook dinner the eggs in a nonstick, it’ll make your life a lot simpler. Particularly for the ladies on the go.

I additionally love vinegar. I really feel like vinegar is simply a simple manner so as to add taste to issues. If my soup is a bit of boring? Just a bit splash of vinegar. Or, my stir fry is lacking that little je ne sais quoi? Just a little vinegar, you realize? I like rice wine vinegar, or black vinegar for stir fries.

Given your love of various cuisines, are there any new-to-you belongings you’ve had lately?

I simply tried Uyghur delicacies for the primary time, which could be very scrumptious. Lots of lamb, and so juicy. One among my favourite cuisines is Szechuan delicacies. I like the numbing spices, and although it’s spicy, it appears like a really nuanced kind of spicy. As a result of these days, the development is rather like the spicy noodle problem, or one thing. So many issues really feel chemically spicy, and there’s not sufficient taste behind it.

You might want to restart the Kim Chi Eats account!

I ought to revive it. I cherished posting the whole lot I ordered. However then, I used to be getting, like [rolls eyes] fat-shamed. I’m very excited for folks simply to see the guide. I feel all of the recipes are phenomenal, and I feel all of the pictures look so good. I’m nervous as somebody within the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood throughout this political regime, releasing something like LGBT-related. However this can be a enjoyable cookbook, I simply need folks to see it.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.