I love making Korean food but I was always intimidated by kimchi. I wasn't intimidated by the amount of work that goes into making it but the fermentation process. In order to make kimchi you need to ferment it and considering I have never done this, and I was always told leaving food out overnight is very bad, I was a little nervous. But when I read on Maangchi's recipe that if you can make this kind of kimchi well, then you can consider yourself good at Korean cooking I was determined to make it. I felt that if I didn't make kimchi then my Korean cooking skills would never be complete.
That being said, I really enjoyed making kimchi. It is a long process but I loved every minute of it. From buying the ingredients, to salting the cabbage leaves, to spreading the mixture on the leaves, it was fantastic. That's why I enjoy cooking so much. There is so much care put into making each dish. When I hear my roommate talk about her mothers cooking and how she worked very hard to make really delicious and nutritious food for them, it makes me want to strive for that with my cooking. It's seeing the enjoyment when people taste the food I've prepared that makes it all worth while.
Now onto the recipe! This one came from Maangchi and can be found here. You will need a couple very large bowls for the cabbage and some large containers with lids for the Kimchi. They have special plastic and glass containers made for Kimchi at Korean grocery stores. You will also need a large strainer.
Ingredients:
For salting cabbage:
-6 pounds napa cabbage (3-4 medium size heads of napa cabbage)
-1/2 cup Kosher salt.
Porridge:
-2 cups water
-2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour)
-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (brown or white sugar)
Vegetables:
-2 cups radish matchsticks
-1 cup carrot matchsticks
-7 to 8 green onions, chopped
-1 cup chopped Asian chives (buchu), optional (substitute with 3 green onions, chopped)
-1 cup water dropwort (minari), optional
Seasonings and spices:
-1/2 cup garlic cloves (24 garlic cloves), minced
-2 teaspoons ginger, minced
-1 medium onion, minced
-1/2 cup fish sauce
-1/4 cup fermented alter shrimp with salty brine, chopped
-2 cups hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)
Prepare and salt the cabbage.
1. It the cabbage core sticks out too much, trim it down.
2. To cut the cable in half cut a short slit in the base of the cabbage, enough to be able to grip each half, then gently pull the halves apart until the cabbage is split.
3. Cut a slit through the core of each half, about 2 inches above the stem. You want the leaves to be loose but still attached to the core. (Don't pull apart, leave them with just the slit)
4. Dunk the cabbage halves in a large basin of water to get them wet. Don't worry about rinsing or cleaning just yet. Then sprinkle the salt between each leaf. Make sure the get the whole leaf, paying extra attention (more salt) to the stems, where the leaves are thicker.
5. Let the cabbage rest for 2 hours, turning it over every 30 minutes, so that they get well salted. You can also ladle some of the salty water from the bottom of the basin over top of the cabbage when you turn it.
6. After 2 hours, wash the cabbage halves under cold running water. Make sure to wash them well to remove the salt and any dirt. As you wash, use the slits to split the halves into quarts. Cut off the cores, and put them in a strainer over your sink so they can drain.
Making the kimchi mixture.
*While the cabbage is salting, make the porridge as it will need time to cool.
1.Combine the water and the sweet rice flour in a small pot.
Mix well with a wooden spoon and then let it cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble. (about 9 minutes) Then add the sugar and cook from 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
2. Cut up all of your vegetables except the onion, garlic and ginger.
3. In a blender or food processor add the onion, garlic and ginger and blend until everything is a minced texture.
4. Combine the cool porridge, the garlic, ginger and onion mixture, fish sauce in a large bowl. Scoop the salted strip out of the jar (brine and all) and squeeze out the brine into the mixture you just made. Then cut up the shrimp finely and then add them to the mixture. Add in the hot pepper flakes, if you want less spicy kimchi then only use around 1 cup. I like mine spicy so I used 2 cups. Mix well, until it becomes a paste.
5. Add in the radish, carrot, green onion, Asian chives and water dropwort. Mix well. The radish has a lot of water so the mixture will become thinner.
Making Kimchi
1. Take each cabbage quarter and spread the mixture between all of the leaves.
2. When each cabbage quarter is well coated, wrap it around itself into a spall packet and put it in your container.
3. Make sure the container is well back and press the kimchi down before sealing the container.
*You can eat the kimchi now or let it ferment.
Fermenting the kimchi.
1. Leave the kimchi out at room temperature for a day or two depending on the temperature and humidity of the room. The warmer and more humid it is, the faster the kimchi will ferment. Once it starts to ferment it will smell and taste sour, and pressing on the top of the kimchi with a spoon will release bubbles from beneath.
2. Once it starts to ferment, store it in the refrigerator and use as needed. This will slow down the fermentation process, which will make the kimchi more and more sour as time goes on.
Well there you have it, kimchi! I am so excited to be able to make my own kimchi. I love fresh, spicy, well ripened kimchi. Making it was a huge accomplishment for me and I think it went really well. Next recipe will be bo-ssam. Bo-ssam. Kimchi and Bo-ssam are two dishes that go really well together. When my roommates family gets together to make kimchi, they also make bo-ssam to enjoy after. Stay tuned for my next post where I'll show you how I made it.
XOXO,
Rachel
