Kimchi
Great for your skin and your gut. I love Kimchi and pair it with just about the majority of my dishes.
There is so much history and culture in Kimchi. From the preparation process, fermentation process , and the reasoning to why it’s prepared in a specific way including the time of year that’s best for making Kimchi. I own’t give you a history lesson here, but it’s worth researching to gain an understanding as to how Kimchi became popular and the importance of this dish to Korean culture. It will deepen your appreciation for this dish.
If you come to my house, you’ll find Kimchi in the fridge, and I will definitely offer you some. It’s customary. I celebrated Easter one year with my neighbor that always had jars of Kimchi outside her door. The taste of Kimchi paired with Korean BBQ was the absolute best.
Tools you’ll need:
Gloves- The long ones.
2 Large bowls for cabbage
Blender or food processor
Ongii or Tupperware for Kimchi- You can find both at your nearest Korean grocery store or H mart. Large plastic bags if using an Ongii. You will place your Kimchi inside the bag and then place it in the Ongii.
Kimchi Ingredients: Be sure to shop for ALL ingredients at your local H Mart or Korean grocery store. You will not find these items in American chains,
Nappa Cabbage- I usually buy 3 large sized cabbages.
1/2 cup of Kosher salt
Kimchi porridge
2 cups of water
2 tbs rice flour
2 tbs of sugar
1 Asian pear
Main ingredients and spices:
2 Cups Korean Radish (These will be cut into matchsticks)
1 cup of carrots cut into matchsticks
7 green onions
1 1/2 cups of Asian chives
1 cup of Minari
1/2 cup minced garlic cloves
2 tsp ginger minced
1 medium onion minced
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup fermented salted shrimp
2 cups gochugaru
Salt the Cabbage: Using a cutting board, split the cabbage in half long ways to the base of the core. The cabbage should still be attached to the core. Gently pull them apart and place them inside one of the large bowls.
Add water to the bowl, enough to cover the cabbages. Sprinkle salt between each leaf of cabbage. Be sure to spread the salt gently over each leaf down to the core.
Once complete, let them soak for up to 2 hours. Rotate them periodically
While they are resting, make the porridge:
Add the water and rice flour to a small pot over the med heat and cook for 10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir , add in sugar and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.
Using your blender or food processor, peel the pear and chop up onions, ginger, and garlic, fish sauce. Add them to blender and emulsify. set aside:
Back to cabbage: Rinse cabbage thoroughly removing salt and any remaining dirt. Add the porridge and blended ingredients to the cabbage in the large bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients. This includes shrimp paste, chives, green onions, carrot sticks, matchstick radish, minari and gochugaru. Be sure to have on your gloves for the next part.
Thoroughly spread the Kimchi paste over each leaf of the cabbage. You can wrap the kimchi around it self and place it in the plastic container, bag and then onggi.
Allow time to ferment in Ongii or eat with your next meal. Enjoy!
