Monday, December 14, 2015

Making Kimchi

Kimchi


























There was nothing new from the garden this week but I used some of the Napa cabbage I harvested last week to make a batch of kimchi/kimchee, the Korean soul food. Kimchi is a fermented product and a good way to preserve some of the garden harvest. The kimchi I made is called mak-kimchi or “easy” kimchi, because it uses chopped cabbage leaves rather than whole cabbages and is simpler and faster to make. Napa cabbage is best to use because it has thinner leaves which will make the fermentation faster. This recipe calls for 2 pounds (1 kg) of cabbage.






















In addition to the cabbage, there are a few other ingredients, counterclockwise from upper left:
  • A bunch of scallions, including greens
  • A small leek, including greens
  • A carrot or two
  • A 2 inch piece of fresh ginger
  • A head of garlic, cloves peeled
  • 1/4 cup Korean chili flakes (gochugaru), or more to taste
  • A turnip or daikon radish
  • An apple or Asian pear, peeled and cored
  • 3 Tbsp. fish sauce or fermented shrimp paste


The first step is to chop and brine the cabbage. Cut through the root end of the cabbage to quarter it, then pull the quarters apart. Each quarter is sliced lengthwise in half, then chopped into 2 inch pieces. Place the chopped cabbage into a glass or earthenware bowl.


Prepare a brine using 3 Tbsp. of sea salt to 6 cups of water. Pour the brine over the cabbage, then place a plate on the cabbage to make sure the cabbage remains submerged. Drape a towel over the bowl and set aside for 3-4 hours. Another method just salts the leaves and leaves them to wilt. The leaves are then rinsed several times to remove excess salt. I used that method last year and found the leaves to be very salty. Mac commented that the brine technique produced a less salty kimchi, so that is what I am trying this year.


While the cabbage is soaking, prepare the other ingredients. The whites of the scallions and leek are cut into 2 inch lengths, then sliced lengthwise into slivers. The greens are sliced diagonally into small pieces. The turnip or daikon is cut into matchsticks, as well as the carrot. Or you can slice the carrot diagonally into thin slices as I did here.


After the cabbage is finished brining, spoon it into a colander using a slotted spoon and squeeze out any liquid. Place the drained cabbage in a bowl and add the diced fresh vegetables and mix thoroughly. Reserve the brine for later use. 


Prepare the pepper paste by putting the ginger, garlic, pepper flakes, fish sauce or shrimp paste, a teaspoon of sea salt and the apple or pear into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add some brine if you need to thin it. The pepper I used is gochugaru, the traditional Korean red pepper flakes. The gochugaru in the bag above from my local Korean grocery was grown in Korea. All the other bags in the store were of Chinese origin and I try to avoid Chinese produce if possible. The Korean pepper was only available in 1 kilo bags, so I probably have a lifetime supply.


Note that the Korean red pepper is flaked, not ground, and is seedless. Supposedly it is less spicy but more flavorful than other peppers such as cayenne. There really is no substitute for it so a search is worthwhile, or you can mail-order it. You certainly could use your own dried pepper flakes if you have them. Results will likely have a different flavor and heat from using gochugaru, but go ahead and experiment.


Spoon some of the the mixed vegetables into a large mixing bowl and add a scoop of pepper paste. Using disposable gloves, work the paste into the cabbage mix with your fingers until the cabbage is well coated. Continue with layers of vegetables and paste, mixing well, until all is done.


Pack the kimchi into quart canning jars, pushing down to compact the kimchi into the jars. Spoon reserved brine into the jars until the top of the kimchi is covered. My batch filled 2 quart jars. Cover the jars with a loosely-fitted plastic cap and set in a dark, cool place for 3-6 days. Taste the kimchi and when it is sour enough, tighten the caps and store in the refrigerator.

There is a lot of onion in this version which I found to be pretty strong initially. That strong onion flavor subsided as the kimchi fermented. I didn’t use a follower in the jars, but they could have used one. The kimchi was tightly packed in the jars and tended to rise as a mass from the gasses of fermentation. I used a spoon daily to push the mass down below the liquid level. After a week, the kimchi is now pleasantly sour and flavors have melded a bit. It is very tasty, not as salty as my previous attempt,  and the the amount of pepper I used adds enough bite without making it painfully hot (your taste may vary).

That’s my offering for Harvest Monday. Head over to Our Happy Acres, our host for Harvest Monday,  to see what other gardeners around the world are doing in their gardens.

13 comments:

  1. Great step by step, Dave. It looks so easy and I think I would really like the mix of flavours. I can just imagine the heavenly smell when you open the jars. I'll be bookmarking this one.

    The Korean chili flakes sound great - I often find that the chili flakes I purchase are more spice than flavor and I prefer it the other way around. I'm wondering if those use a particular type of chili that we could get seeds for in North America.

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    1. LOL, not so sure if the smell of kimchi would be described as heavenly. Pungent, certainly. Some googling found the pepper that is used is Cheonggyeol, good luck finding seeds. The peppers are long and slender, somewhat like a cayenne pepper. The peppers are also specially processed, sun dried and then ground in mills to produce the flakes, which are a bright red color. You definitely can't use the standard red pepper flakes that you shake on pizza.

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  2. We're not big fans of Kimchi around here, but the pepper paste sounds intriguing. The apple in it sounds like a great way to add some sweetness and body. I think my Mareko Fana pepper flakes would be great used in that preparation, they have a nice fruity almost raisin like flavor and they're not too hot.

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    1. Maybe you would like your own if you made it. The apple is a gimmick to avoid the traditional method of making the paste with a porridge of sweet rice. Avoids the carbs and the mess of that while adding some sweetness.

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  3. Thanks for taking the time to do this tutorial! I have never made kimchi, but as a new fan of all things fermented I would love to give it a try. I'll have to grow some Napa cabbage first, but that should be doable. That 1kg of pepper flakes would last me a lifetime too! Like Michelle I'd be tempted to experiment with some of my peppers that have more flavor than heat. It's also good to know the brine solution made the results less salty. I'll be pinning this one for later.

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    1. Kimchi is made from lots of things besides cabbage, including turnips and radishes. It's just kraut with hots. You could try a small batch with some of your larger turnips.

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  4. Korean soul food, what a great reference! I've seen friends make it before and I'm not sure I'm up for the effort although you do make it look simpler than I recall. But truthfully, as much as I like it now and then, I wouldn't get through that amount you made in a year!

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    1. It is simple and tastes better than store bought (or Korean restaurant fare, for that matter). This one is less hot so hopefully will get consumed faster, although 2 quarts is a lot.

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  5. Your kimchi looks delicious. I've never really tried kimchi that I can remember, it looks like it would be a great addition to noodle soups. Lately, I've been reading up on making turnip kraut since I have so many turnips in the garden.

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    1. It is used in soups and on rice. You can also make a kimchi from turnips. It is basically a kraut with chili peppers.

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  6. Well, I'd hate that because I do not eat any fish, and I find fish sauce repellent, but having said that, I admire the clarity with which you describe the process! I hope you enjoy eating the kimchi now. Interesting to read that you avoid buying Chinese products. Is that for political reasons?

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    1. A meat and potato guy, huh? Just leave the fish sauce out and add a little more salt or soy sauce. I avoid Chinese produce because of contamination potential. You don't eat fish but I also avoid all Asian-sourced seafood, which we see a lot in the stores. Frightening to think what that stuff was grown in.

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  7. Nice tutorial...I've made a quick kimchi with Sriracha but plan on looking for Gochugaru (we have a good Asian grocery nearby)to try your recipe. I try to take some to work for a snack every day, and just eat it as is.

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