Kimchi

I was inspired to take my first stab at making kimchi after reading an article in the January 2016 issue of Sunset Magazine about the Choi family, who sell their award-winning kimchi at the Portland Farmers Market and grocery stores in the Portland area. I liked the fact that the recipe inspired by the Choi's that was included in the article uses napa cabbage that is cut into relatively small pieces (2 1/2"), fish sauce (which is more readily available than Korean salted & fermented shrimp), and packs the kimchi mixture into canning jars for easy handling and storage in the frig after it's done fermenting at room temperature. I adapted that recipe along with ingredients & tips from the fab Korean home cook, Maangchi, from her website www.maangchi.com. Although I was initially intimidated by the idea of making kimchi, since I'd never made it before and it took some patience in order to achieve the perfect level of "sourness" (2 days was not enough - it was more like 5 days at room temp before the taste was just right), I was really happy with the end result. This one's a keeper! I even made kimchi fried rice with the leftovers! That post will be next. 

Ingredient:
1-2 heads of napa cabbage, about 2 lbs. total
1/4 cup coarse sea salt

1 small daikon radish, shredded with a mandolin
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded with a mandolin
2 tbsp. grated onion
5 cloves garlic, grated
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1-2 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2" lengths
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar (or 1/4 Asian pear, grated)
1/4 cup Korean chili powder (gochugaru)

1. Quarter the napa cabbage lengthwise and then cut into 2 1/2" pieces. Place in a large bowl and cover with water. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain and return cabbage to the bowl.

2. Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarse sea salt over the cabbage and toss to mix. Press down. Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Stir the mixture and let sit for 5-6 hours, stirring lightly and/or pressing down only occasionally. 

3. Rinse the cabbage in fresh, cool water to get rid of excess salt. Taste the cabbage after rinsing and, if still too salty for your taste, repeat rinsing until it is to your liking. 

4. Drain the cabbage well, but do not dry completely (a little moisture on the leaves will create a bit more juice during fermenting). Add the drained cabbage back to the bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. 

5. Pack the kimchi into canning jars (this recipe will make about 2 pints), leaving about 1 1/2" of headspace on top. Seal the jars with their lids and let sit at room temperature anywhere from 2 to 5 days, tasting as you go, until the kimchi tastes, well, like kimchi should (salty, sour, spicy)! I turn the jars upside down briefly once or twice a day during the fermenting process so that the juices flow over and coat the top part of the mixture to keep it flavored. 

6. Once the kimchi is fermented, refrigerate the jars. They should keep at least a month in the frig.

Garlic, Napa cabbage, scallions, daikon radish, carrots, and onion.

Grated ginger, grated garlic, scallions cut into 1 1/2" lengths, grated onion, julienned daikon and carrots (I used a mandolin to do this).

Napa cabbage, cut into quarters lengthwise, then cut into 2 1/2" pieces.

Place the cabbage into a large bowl and cover with cool water. Let sit 5 minutes.

Drain the cabbage and return to the bowl.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup coarse sea salt (I used Hawaiian sea salt here) over the cabbage and toss to combine.  Let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. 

Stir the cabbage and let sit for 5-6 hours at room temperature, stirring lightly and/or pressing down occasionally.

Rinse the cabbage in fresh, cool water (drain and repeat twice, or as needed) to get rid of excess salt (taste the cabbage and adjust the rinsing, according to your liking).

Drain the cabbage well, but don't wring dry (a little water on the leaves will help the kimchi develop a bit more juice as it ferments). Combine with the shredded carrots, daikon, scallions, grated ginger & garlic.

Stir in the Korean chili powder (gochugaru).

Pack the kimchi into canning jars, leaving about 1 1/2" headspace at the top. Press the mixture down firmly and seal the jars. Let the jars sit at room temperature anywhere from 2 to 5 days, tasting as you go. I like to turn the jars upside down briefly once or twice a day during the fermenting process so that the juices flow over and coat the top part of the mixture to keep it flavored. When done fermenting, refrigerate the kimchi.

 Yum!