This is the start on the yellow brick road to kimchi. A very good place to begin!
Let’s deconstruct kimchi and fashion an everyday recipe as a mainstay in your kitchen. I will show you how to make a sturdy ferment and a key ingredient in a variety of quick dishes.
Traditional kimchi is made by adding chili paste directly onto each whole Chinese cabbage leaf in an all-day affair. This is my wet method that yields very tasty results in one tenth the time.
2 QUARTS
INGREDIENTS: Find Gochugaru at Asian markets
- Napa cabbage – 1 ½ LBS, 1-inch squares
- daikon radish – 1/2 LB, thin matchsticks
- scallions – 3 large, thin slant slices
- garlic – 2 TBS, minced
- ginger – 2 TBS, peeled, minced
- Korean chili flakes – 3 TBS [gochugaru]
- apple or pear, 1 cup, grated
- water – 4 cups, [unchlorinated]
- sea salt – 2 TBS, [non-iodized]
- fish sauce – 1 TBS [optional; or 1 tsp shrimp paste— for a real umami punch]
Directions for canning jar kits, like the Perfect Pickler®. Review your own fermentor directions to complete.
- Gather a large bowl and add chopped produce as you go
- Halve cabbage length-wise, remove root section, cut into one inch squares (see below)
- Peel and julienne daikon
- Trim and cut scallions into thin, slanted slices
- Add grated fruit, garlic, ginger, chili flakes, toss well to combine.
- Pack a 2 quart jar with the ingredients, packing firmly along the way up to 2-inches from the jar lip
- Make brine by dissolving salt in water
- Pour brine over vegetables; gently wiggle jar to release air bubbles. Continue filling until just below the lip of the jar
Clean off any veggie or seasoning debris from jar rim to ensure good seal- Press brine overflow cup into jar and seal with Perfect Pickler® lid, (HINT: you may want to do this with jar in your sink as some brine should spill over).
- Pour tap water into airlock to the max line and gently twist into lid
- Place in cool location and ferment for 4 days
When fermentation is complete, adjust for more spiciness if desired by adding chili flakes
PLANNED-OVER DISH
A classic 15-minute comfort dish – Kimchi Fried Rice with Fried Egg and Sesame Seeds
Kimchi Bokkeumbapb (Fried Rice and Kimchi) – Featured above, this is the bomb! Stir fry some planned-over rice in oil in a skillet. Add in minced kimchi to taste. Fry an egg per diner and serve on top with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
Kimchi Mayo
Purée kimchi with mayonnaise for an instant creamy-spicy dip or spread
recipe adapted by B. Hettig
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