Condiments, Korean
VEGETABLES FOR BRINING:
1 lg head Nappa cabbage (~4 pounds) OR substitute 3 lbs of Daikon or Korean radish OR 3 lbs of Apples or Asian Pears
Sea salt (about 1/2 cup)
KIMCHI SEASONING PASTE:
1 c water
2 tb sweet (or glutinous) rice flour (not the same as regular rice flour)
1 c finely julienned Carrots
1 c finely julienned Daikon radish
1 generous bunch of scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 T grated ginger (heaping)
1/4 c grated white onion (or ½ onion ground up in food processor)
1 c Korean hot red pepper powder; or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
4 tb fish sauce
1/4 c sugar, honey, or agave nectar (optional)
1 tb Lemon juice or rice vinegar
Brining Vegetable prep
1. You have the option of chopping the leaves into bite size pieces or cutting the cabbage in half and stuffing the filling between the leaves of the cabbage. The latter, called whole cabbage kimchi is considered superior, but requires a bit more time, and means that you will have to cut your kimchi later before serving. You decide.
2. For whole cabbage kimchi, cut the cabbages in half. Rinse the cabbage halves in cold water, then sprinkle them all over with salt. Be sure to salt between each leaf and to salt the thicker core of the cabbage more heavily than the leaves. It should take about ½ cup of salt. That may seem like a lot, but you will rinse the cabbages before combining them with the seasoning paste.
3. Sit the cabbage aside in a large bowl for two hours. After two hours, turn the cabbage and let it sit for two hours more for a total of four hours.
4. For chopped cabbage or any other vegetable, cut into bite size pieces. For the cabbage, cut the head in half. Then cut each half into thirds. Then cut those thirds into 2-inch slices. For radish or apple kimchi, 1-inch cubes are best. Toss the pieces with ½ cup of salt and set aside for two hours. Toss again, then set aside for two hours more.
Kimchi Paste Prep
1. While your vegetables are brining, prepare your other ingredients. First, in a medium sized saucepan, whisk the sweet rice flour into 1 cup of water until dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking constantly. When thickened and translucent, remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Set aside to cool.
2. Peel your radish and carrot for your seasoning vegetables. Julienne the vegetables by cutting them into thin vertical slices, then stacking those slices and cutting them into matchsticks. Next, rinse your scallions and cut them into thin slices on the diagonal. Combine these vegetables and set aside.
3. Next prepare you finely chopped garlic, ginger, and grated onion. If you have a food processor, it will save time by using it to grind these ingredients together. Set aside.
4. Once your rice paste has cooled, mix in Korean red pepper powder. If you are sensitive to spice, play it safe. You can skip the spice altogether, or you can add more later. If you were not able to find Koran chili powder, use your chili flake very sparingly. It is generally MUCH hotter than Korean chili powder.
5. To you rice-pepper paste, stir in the fish sauce, sugar or other sweetener, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and onion paste. Next, stir in your radish, carrot, scallions, and any other vegetable seasoning that you wish. Your seasoning paste is now complete. Set aside.
Mising the Kimchi
1. After a total of four hours, you will notice your cabbage or other vegetable looks soft and shrunken. It will also have produced a fair amount of brine. Rinse the salted cabbage, radish, or other vegetable with cold water 3 times to remove the salt and place in a colander to drain off the excess water.
2. Either stuff your cabbage, or simply toss vegetables with seasoning paste. To stuff the cabbage, spread the kimchi paste thinly onto each leaf of the cabbage individually, and a little extra on the outside of the cabbage. Work gently to keep the cabbage whole and in tact. Place the seasoned cabbage into an air-tight glass jar.
3. Sit the kimchi out on the countertop at least overnight and up to 4 days depending on how sour you want it, then refrigerate it. I like it best after about two days. It will continue to ferment slowly in your refrigerator. Most kimchi will keep for months in the refrigerator. Saltier and sourer versions keep longest.
You can use your kimchi to make kimchi stew at any time, but traditionally it is made with kimchi that is older, a little too sour or that has lost its crunch.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: April McGreger
Other Possible Additions:
* Apples or asian pears, optional, julienned
* Greens--watercress, mustards, or collards, thinly sliced
* Seaweed, chopped or crumbled into small pieces
* Peppers--red, green, sweet, or hot, sliced
* Chestnuts, Walnuts, or Pine nuts, chopped
* Raw Ooysters, chopped
* Chinese chives or leeks