Kimchi is a traditional Korean recipe for a classic chilli spiced pickled vegetable mixture. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Korean version of: Kimchi.
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Kimchi is a wonderful chilli spiced pickled vegetable mixture from Korea that makes an excellent addition to rice and pork dishes (I love it on a tuna sandwich). This is a quick over-night version from a Korean neighbour of mine. The idea here, as with sauerkraut is to ferment salted vegetables in their own brine with natural yeast. This recipe, as with all authentic recipes calls for gochugaru chilli, the same chilli flakes that are used to make gochujang (Korean chilli paste). This is now widely available online and in Korean and other oriental supermarkets. If you simply can’t get it, then at a pinch you can substitute 10g crushed chilli flakes blended with 1 tsp sweet (not smoked) paprika. Also note, that because this recipe needs to ferment you should use filtered or bottled water rather than tap water (the chlorine in this will kill the yeast). However, you can boil your tap water and let it cool over night for use the next day. Also note that if your kimchi develops mould at any point you should discard it and start afresh.
Ingredients:
1 large Chinese leaf cabbage (700g/1lb 9oz), washed, quartered and cut into 3–4cm/1¼–1½in-wide slices
50g (1¾oz) fine sea salt
4–6 garlic cloves (20g/¾oz), peeled
20g (¾oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
20g (¾oz) gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes)
150g (1/3 lb) (daikon/Chinese radish), peeled and cut into 3mm-wide strips that are around 5cm/2in long
5 spring onions, cut into 3mm-wide strips that are around 5cm/2in long
100g (3½oz) (approximately 1 medium) carrot, peeled and cut into 3mm-wide strips that are around 5cm/2in long
Method:
Wash your equipment thoroughly in warm soapy water, then rinse well under very hot water and leave to air dry. This will help remove bacteria/yeast strains that might give your kimchi an ‘off’ flavour.
Put the cabbage in the clean mixing bowl and separate using your fingers. Arrange in layers, with a little salt sprinkled between each layer. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave to stand for 2–3 hours. The cabbage will soften and become limp, and should be sitting in a pool of water when you return to it. It will have reduced in volume by about a third.
Drain the salted cabbage in the clean colander, then return to the bowl. Cover with cold filtered water and swirl the cabbage around, then set aside to soak for 10 minutes. Drain in the colander and return to the bowl. The cabbage should taste slightly salty. In a blender or pestle and mortar, grind the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes to a paste. Add the mooli, spring onion and carrot to the cabbage and tip in the chilli paste. Wearing disposable, or clean, new, rubber gloves (to protect your hands from the chilli) thoroughly massage the paste into the vegetables. You can do this with a spoon, but it is less effective.
Spoon the cabbage mixture into the clean jar until it comes up to just under the top of the jar. There is no need to pack it too tightly but you don’t want too much air to reach the surface of the vegetables. Cover with the lid and fasten securely.
Leave in a cool, dark place at room temperature (around 18–20°C) for 2–3 days. If your room is warmer, the kimchi will ferment more quickly. Taste the kimchi. If it tastes spicy, sour and slightly cheesy with a good umami flavour, it can be transferred to the fridge to slow down the fermentation process. In particularly warm weather, you may see small bubbles appearing in the kimchi, which shows the vegetables are creating the lactic acid needed to preserve them. Even in the fridge, you may need to ‘burp’ the container to release the gas after a few days.
You can begin to eat your kimchi right away, but it will continue to ripen and become more fully flavoured the longer it is fermented. You’ll get to know which degree of flavour you prefer. If you are dipping in regularly, you may inadvertently introduce other bacteria to the jar, so it's best consumed within a week or two.
